BluesBreaker Reissue

Released in 1992, the Marshall BluesBreaker is the English brand's first real attempt to enter the effects pedal market, dominated at the time by Boss, MXR and a few others. Released at the same time as the DriveMaster and the ShredMaster, it adopts a circuit relatively close to that of the Guv'nor but in a low gain version. The goal is to recreate the "Marshall in a box" sound. In particular, that of the JTM 45. In 2006, John Mayer released the album Continuum and used the BluesBreaker on it. This is the beginning of the BluesBreaker “madness” with a circuit that will be copied and modified by almost every boutique manufacturer on the planet. Analogman and many others will contribute to its success. In 2023, Marshall is re-releasing the original model with an extremely faithful MK2 version.

Aesthetically, we have a chassis that could be described as indestructible. The pedal offers classic controls: Gain, Tone and Volume, In and Out. Inside, 2 handwired PCBs, identical in every way to the original version. The Marshall BluesDriver benefits from a simple but perfectly designed circuit: a double OP-Amp amplifies the signal using the Gain button, then it passes through 2 diodes which will distort the signal which will be attenuated by a resistor to have a " soft clipping". This signal is sent to the tone stack then to the output stage.

Plugged into a super clean amp, because the goal of the Guv'nor is to transform any amp into a Marshall, we attack everything at 12:00 with a... Stratocaster (yes... John obliges). Well, let's just say it right away, the stroke of the knobs is very Marshallian, so don't look for progress here! The Gain button starts to act around 2:00 p.m. and this is where you get a low gain OD. Before that, it simply thickens your signal by making it gain low midrange. Don't see the BluesBreaker as a typical OD, but more like a Mid-Fat Boost that you will stack on other pedals or on an already distorted amp channel. This is how it works best.
Unlike the Gain button, the Tone is ultra-over-effective with a very wide range of action. We can have a very hollow or very highlighted medium. Be careful, it has a relatively significant impact on the Gain button.

The attack is soft, the dynamics quite "mellow", we don't have a percussive attack here, very articulate. We have a “pinched” side, typical Mayer with a ribbed mid-low and a fluidity that we appreciate. The ideal is to stack it on a TS type pedal as an additional gain stage. You gain gain, thickness, sustain with binder. The pedal offers more pronounced dynamics, more punchy than the Guv'nor. It turns out to be an excellent Swiss army knife for densifying your sound.

In conclusion, Marshall brings out his legendary pedal identically, to the delight of Clapton and Mayer fans. It will work on just about any configuration and will be a centerpiece of any good blues-rock set-up.