best overdrive pedal for fender deluxe reverb

THESE 7 Best Overdrive Pedal For Fender Deluxe Reverb

Updated on April 1, 2022 by Dan Harper

The majority of guitarists would be in agreement that there is good reason for a best overdrive pedal to be a vital part of any pedalboard. But what about for a specific guitar amplifier like the Fender Deluxe Reverb?

Quick Links To Our Top Overdrive Pedals For Deluxe Reverb Amps Recommendations

Whether you are a blues player who would like to add some amount of sizzle to your solos or a jazz guitarist who is searching for a slight boost, you will find overdrive pedals to be an essential addition to your guitar tone. This is a remarkably useful effect that provides you with familiar rock guitar tones ranging from crunch to subtle grit. Combining any of these with a Fender Deluxe Reverb amplifier is an excellent way to get the guitar tone you are looking for.

Note – I excluded one pedal – It’s a great pedal, but the Boss FDR-1 is more made to emulate the tone of this amp and not necessarily to add overdrive on top of it.

Our Overdrive Pedal Reviews

Some of the best overdrive pedals for the Fender Deluxe Reverb are highlighted below:

Ibanez Tubescreamer

The Ibanez TS9 Tube Screamer overdrive pedal is among the guitar effects that has achieved an almost mythical status. The pedal is basically an unassuming, green stompbox that is equipped with three small knobs; however, in the right hands, this device packs a wallop. The TS9 has been relied on by diverse guitarists like blues legend Stevie Ray Vaughan and Kirk Hammett, Metallica lead guitarist.

Manufactured in the 1970s, the TS808 was the first Tube Screamer. By early in the 1980s, the TS9 was launched but it did not stick around for long. Between 1985 and 1992, Ibanez made a few Tube Screamers but each paled in comparison to the TS808 and TS9. One of the memorable ones is the TS5 Sound Tank, which was a little affordable plastic version made early in the ’90s.

This classic, analog masterpiece was missed by the guitar world; therefore, Ibanez reissued the TS9 Tube Screamer in 1992 and the TS808 in 2004. If there was a rule that you could only own a single distortion pedal for your entire life, there are sound arguments that it should be a Tube Screamer.

This is not a hefty distortion pedal, it is an overdrive pedal. The sound is warm, crunchy, smooth and midrange. This delivers a sweet overdrive sound that results from pushing a tube amp just past its breaking point. If you are a blues, country or lighter rock guitar player, this could be what you are looking for. The pedal sounds quite fine with a solid-state amp; however, it truly lights up a tube amp. Any distortion pedal will assist in more forcefully pushing a tube amp into overdrive.

The Tube Screamer is definitely my top choice to pair with a Fender Deluxe Reverb amp.

Also feel free to take a look at our article on choosing between a Blues Driver or Tube Screamer.



Check The Current Price On The Ibanez Tubescreamer

Fulltone OCD Obsessive Compulsive Drive Overdrive

The Fulltone Obsessive Compulsive Drive (OCD), has existed for over 10 years. Mike Fuller, its creator, introduces an updated version every so often. However, in spite of all the tweaking, a number of guitarists still view the OCD as being among the finest overdrive/distortion pedals. This is because it is among the few drive pedals that convincingly captures the response and sound of an overdriven tube amp.

Fuller has tinkered once again with his classic circuit and launched a V2 version and it is the best one yet. This version has controls for tone, drive and volume, a 3PDT footswitch and a high peak/low peak (HP/LP) toggle switch. The new features include an “Enhanced Bypass” switch and a selectable true bypass. The enhanced bypass switch returns tone loss and dynamics from multiple effects and cables that offer pop-free switching.

It has a new output buffer that enables your sound to stay consistent regardless of where the OCD is placed in the signal chain. Furthermore, for more sustain, it decreases loading in the hard-clipping stage. There is also a new Class A-configured 2N5457 JFET input piece that amplifies the previous impedance to one mega ohms from 330K. This has resulted in a smoother response when switching between humbuckers and single coils. It also produces warm, full overdriven tones with authentic tube-like response.  This is also a good overdrive for guitars with humbuckers.



Check The Current Price On The Fulltone OCD Obsessive Compulsive Drive

Maxon OD-9

The Maxon OD-9 Pedal might resemble an old favorite; however, the similarity ends there. Better-quality circuitry along with the new chip produce the super smooth dynamic craved by overdrive guitarists. Level and Drive controls tweak the guitar volume and intensity while brightness is adjusted by the Hi Boost/Hi Cut tone controls. It comes with a die-cast zinc case, 3-year warranty and also features true bypass switching. It delivers a broad range of tones ranging from shattering screams to subtle cries.

A signal-distorting diode located in the negative feedback loop of the amplifier stages is used in this pedal and it contains the JRC4558 IC chip. As such, it distorts the signal right in the amplifier section and this produces a milder, smoother and more natural sounding distortion. Additionally, this is why the IC type utilized in the circuit has a huge impact on the tone of the pedal. This unique design was developed over 20 years ago by Maxon and it was an industry first which is still popular today.

The new circuit of this pedal uses output resistors that are different from its predecessor. After the initial release of the pedal, it was found to be highly susceptible to noise because of a buildup of static electricity. To boost performance, the manufacturer increased the values of the output resistors but kept the same positions of the original. This change has no audible effect on the sound is produces, except for reducing undesirable noise levels. Furthermore, the pedal has True Bypass Switching to deliver uncompromising and natural tone in bypass.



Check The Current Price On The Maxon OD-9

Boss BD-2 Blues Driver

Without a doubt, Boss effects pedals are among the most widespread and recognizable stompboxes available on the market, achieving iconic status as an essential of the music industry. Even though many have attempted to replicate this recipe for success, only few are capable of creating pedals that combine Boss’s signature balance of affordability, quality and tone.

With this pedal, the first thing you will notice is its high-quality construction, which is something a number of players might not expect because of its fairly inexpensive price tag. It is solidly built and has adequate weight to give the entire package a premium feel. It is surely designed to withstand the beatings of live performances.

The manufacturer describes the BD-2 as a pedal that is designed to deliver the sort of emotive distortion and warm overdrive typically set aside for 30-year-old tube amps; this is a crunchy yet creamy tone for which blues guitars are known. While a bit of the responsiveness warmth that many players associate with the tube amp overdrive is lacking, this pedal has the capacity to produce a surprisingly broad variety of subtle and moderate distortion.

While everyone might not find its grit and overdrive perfect, this pedal really delivers as a clean boost pedal. The gain knob is all the way down, which makes the tone clean up almost totally, enabling the level knob to be used either to boost or cut the signal guitar volume. Additionally, the BD-2 is durable, quiet and priced reasonably, giving it all the makings of a remarkable boost effect. It likely edges out a number of dedicated boosters because of its capacity to deliver distortion on demand.



Check The Current Price On The Boss BD-2 Blues Driver

Fulltone Full-Drive 2

This pedal has become an industry standard where overdrives are concerned and has been chosen above the competition in a number of guitar magazines. In Guitar Player Magazine, the Fulltone Full-Drive 2 even copped the top place as the “Best Stompbox” in the Reader’s Choice Poll. It is quite user friendly, versatile with many options for remarkable sounds and it can be useful in virtually any guitar rig. The latest version has a Mosfet switch, which delivers some additional improvements.

There are controls for boost, tone, volume and overdrive and two toggle switches on the Fulldrive 2. The first switch alternates between the Vintage, FM and Comp Cut overdrive modes and ranges between clean boosts and medium overdrives. The other switch alternates between Standard and Mosfet. This pedal can be run by a 9V DC power supply or by way of a 9V battery. When it is engaged, a green LED will shine as an indication that it is on and a red LED is shown whenever the boost feature is engaged; both of these lights are very bright. It is a true bypass and as such, when it is not in use, it will not be stealing tone from the guitar signal. Additionally, when engaging the pedal there is no “pop.”



Check The Current Price On The Fulltone Full-Drive 2

Boss SD-1

As suggested by the name, this pedal produces the sound that comes forth when overdrive is kicked into high gear. It is priced reasonably and contains all the features that are found on standard Boss pedals; this indicates that you will get reliability, sturdiness and quality tone. There are a few things to talk about on this that makes it a great stompbox, we will start with the features.

The pedal is actually quite basic and is packed in a light green casing. Only the essential controls are offered; however, it still delivers a lot of space and sonic versatility to move your sound into various directions.

As is typical with pedals manufactured by Boss, this has a single In jack, an LED status indicator, a single Out jack and a big on/off foot-switch. It can be powered via a standard power adapter or by a single 9V battery, both of which have to be purchased separately.

As previously noted, only the essentials are included in the device. However, each knob is extremely precise, which allows you to dial in any kind of tone ranging from full-on roar to light drive. There is a total of three knobs, the Drive, the tone and the Level.

Among the remarkable characteristics of this pedal is how well it imitates the tube vibe. For instance, the drive level can be affected by the way the guitar is picked and strummed, which is precisely how the tube overdrive operates. However, even without these details, it produces high-quality tones with much versatility.



Check The Current Price On The Boss SD-1

Electro-Harmonix Soul Food Distortion/Fuzz/Overdrive Pedal

The Soul Food from Electro-Harmonix is basically a blatant attempt to provide a reasonably priced version of the Klon Centaur, which is one of the most hyped and mythical pedals ever made. As such, this incredible work of art is unsurprisingly rich with options and features. You have the option of choosing the Buffered Bypass or True Bypass; this is tremendously useful in itself when a fuzz pedal is used ahead of it in a multi-pedal setup. It has boosted power rails which offer major headroom exposition and boost and remarkable sound output with extremely fast responsiveness.

This Soul Food uses a dual-gang gain control and a TL072 op-amp and this is designed to make the volume and gain controls more interactive. However, the level of clean boost that it delivers to your fingertips is the real magic of this overdrive pedal.

Additionally, there is a switchable buffer that provides help if fuzz pedals are used ahead of the Soul Food in the signal chain. When you switch off the buffer, it will function like any standard true bypass pedal. The general build quality is precisely what is expected from Electro Harmonix; it is rugged and designed for real-world gigging. Additionally, the Soul Food is equipped with treble, gain and output controls and it also works remarkably as a down-and-dirty overdrive or as a clean boost.



Check The Current Price On The Electro-Harmonix Soul Food

Conclusion

Many individuals assume that pricier overdrive pedals to pair up with a Fender Deluxe Reverb are always going to be superior to their less expensive counterparts; however, this is not always the case. Typically, the more costly pedals have more controls or they are made with high-level engineering quality towards a particular purpose.

Additionally, adding these to your pedal platform can deliver more sonically as well. However, less expensive best pedals are still able to offer desirable sounds even if they are not made out of the same quality components or may not be as versatile. For example, the original Ibanez Tube Screamer guitar pedals still made its way on the rigs of some of the best guitarists in the world.

Just to also mention – these pedals also work well with other amps like the Twin Reverb, Fender Tone Master Deluxe, 64 Custom Deluxe, Vox AC15, etc.

Note – we also did similar posts on the overdrive pedals for tube amp, best overdrive pedal for telecaster, best overdrive pedals for Fender Blues Jr amps and a detailed post on the tubes that are in the Fender Deluxe Reverb.  Check it out too!