GEAR SPOTLIGHT
OUTLAW
EFFECTS
DEPUTY MARSHAL
REVIEW BY S.P. BURKE
STREET PRICE $49.99
The current boutique
market for pedals has
never been better,
with tons of new and
original ideas being
made by musicians
and engineers across
the globe. Sometimes
though, it’s refreshing
to see someone succeed
at giving us the basics.
Distortion pedals from
the beginning have
attempted one thing:
mimicking amp distortion.
Whole businesses have
sprung up modifying Boss
DS-1s trying to get it to
sound like a Marshall half-
stack. Outlaw Effects,
meanwhile, has just
decided to start fresh
50
GEAR SPOTLIGHT //
and see if it can give
old-fashioned Marshall
distortion for the same
price.
The Outlaw website
boasts a colorful lineup
of various effects no
bigger than a fudge
brownie, each one fitting
in the size of your palm.
The gamut runs from
distortion, to overdrive,
to fuzz, and even mini
chorus and echo effects.
At the end of the line
is even a tuner pulling
double duty as a power
supply for under $100.
The Deputy Marshall
is housed in a cool
blue chassis, with a big
gain knob dead-center.
Outlaw Effects Deputy Marshal
Flanking the top left and
right are the tinier Level
and Tone knobs, and in
the middle is the sign of
commitment to mimicking
old Marshall: a switch for
Bright and Normal modes,
referencing the two input
channels of the original
Plexis.
Plugging my loyal
humbucker-equipped
Strat into my practice
amp, I started with the
Level and Tone at 12:00
with the Gain rolled all
the way down. Even at
this setting the sound
was clear and there was
a noticeable midrange
boost. I’m usually
disappointed to see