found myself having this cranked all the way the entire time during my test , as it added that balanced low-mid girth and width that I love so much in the Brownface Deluxe . The Soul control feels really like the difference between a massive 4x12 cab and a small 1x12 combo . Rolling it off will shave back the lows and expose the bright upper mids . Pairing this with a darker JTM-45 style amp really made it sing , with the compression from the pedal and the amp working together to provide liquid smoothness and bite .
A way to measure the quality of an overdrive is to measure how well it does a clean boost . Usually , that is an indicator that the builder left no stone unturned when designing the pedal . In the case of the Ms . Foxy Brown , the clean boost is almost as warm and juicy as the overdrive side . Rolling back the gain and bringing the volume slightly above unity , the sound was imparted with a rounded midrange warmth that really felt like the subtle glow of preamp tubes . To me it felt warm , alive , and organic , which is always a plus . Using it to boost distortions with the Soul control pulled back was a little harsh , but introducing the Soul again helped fill out those harsh upper harmonics and balance out the signal .
To really let this lady flex her muscles , I tried her against some comparable pedals with interesting results . Against a RAT , it seemed to have more high-mid focus and “ clang ,” and against a famous tube pedal which shall remain nameless , it worked much better maintaining dynamics and clarity at lower volumes . This is a pedal I wouldn ’ t hesitate to take to a small bar gig where volume would be an issue .
The Ms . Foxy Brown is truly an underrated gem in today ’ s saturated pedal market . It ’ s hard to quantify a single thing about what makes it so great ; rather it ’ s a combination of Brian Mena ’ s clear intimate knowledge of this circuit , an attention to the small details , and of course 20 years of experience building amp-like pedals .
Dynamic , warm , with a very tube-like characteristic . Work great at lower volumes , and has controls to make it sound good on any rig .
Can sound a little harsh with the Soul control pulled too far back .
found myself having this cranked all the way the entire time during my test , as it added that balanced low-mid girth and width that I love so much in the Brownface Deluxe . The Soul control feels really like the difference between a massive 4x12 cab and a small 1x12 combo . Rolling it off will shave back the lows and expose the bright upper mids . Pairing this with a darker JTM-45 style amp really made it sing , with the compression from the pedal and the amp working together to provide liquid smoothness and bite .
A way to measure the quality of an overdrive is to measure how well it does a clean boost . Usually , that is an indicator that the builder left no stone unturned when designing the pedal . In the case of the Ms . Foxy Brown , the clean boost is almost as warm and juicy as the overdrive side . Rolling back the gain and bringing the volume slightly above unity , the sound was imparted with a rounded midrange warmth that really felt like the subtle glow of preamp tubes . To me it felt warm , alive , and organic , which is always a plus . Using it to boost distortions with the Soul control pulled back was a little harsh , but introducing the Soul again helped fill out those harsh upper harmonics and balance out the signal .
To really let this lady flex her muscles , I tried her against some comparable pedals with interesting results . Against a RAT , it seemed to have more high-mid focus and “ clang ,” and against a famous tube pedal which shall remain nameless , it worked much better maintaining dynamics and clarity at lower volumes . This is a pedal I wouldn ’ t hesitate to take to a small bar gig where volume would be an issue .
The Ms . Foxy Brown is truly an underrated gem in today ’ s saturated pedal market . It ’ s hard to quantify a single thing about what makes it so great ; rather it ’ s a combination of Brian Mena ’ s clear intimate knowledge of this circuit , an attention to the small details , and of course 20 years of experience building amp-like pedals .
WHAT WE LIKE
Dynamic , warm , with a very tube-like characteristic . Work great at lower volumes , and has controls to make it sound good on any rig .
CONCERNS
Can sound a little harsh with the Soul control pulled too far back .