The Bros. Landreth man teams-up with the boutique builder to offer a compact take on the flagship Golden Boy
Jackson Audio has teamed up with Joey Landreth for the Golden Boy Mini – a streamlined take on the Golden Boy overdrive pedal, which was dubbed by the brand as the “most versatile and transparent overdrive ever made.”
When the flagship unit came out, the stompbox specialist assigned it some hefty assertions, saying it “redefines the concept of transparent overdrive” and arrives with “features never before seen in an overdrive pedal.”
This time round, those lofty expectations have been reeled in somewhat, but that hasn’t stopped Jackson Audio from singing the praises of its latest pedalboard-friendly unit, which still promises to take “the concept of transparent overdrive to new heights.”
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(Image credit: Jackson Audio)
(Image credit: Jackson Audio)
(Image credit: Jackson Audio)
Control-wise, the layout is almost identical to the Golden Boy, with knobs for Volume, Gain and a Baxandall-style three-band EQ all making the cut. The Boost knob has been dropped, though, with a three-way toggle switch taking its place.
Said switch is responsible for flicking between Asymmetrical or LED clipping modes – a far more convenient way to navigate the clipping options, which were previously accessed via some tap dance-style maneuvers on the footswitches.
As per the brand, the Asymmetrical mode delivers a “chewy” overdrive, while the LED alternative is all about bringing crispness and a sharp attack to the table.
Under the hood, Presence and Tone trimmers – the same “Easter Eggs” that were found within the Golden Boy – return to the starting lineup, and allow for more fine-tune tweaks.
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This time around, the tones are far more focused in on the ones used by Landreth, whose favored sounds and settings were taken by Jackson Audio and placed into a smaller, more affordable unit.
The Golden Boy Mini is available now for $179, and arrives in three sleek colorways: Gold, Rose Gold and Black.
Matt is a Senior Staff Writer, writing for Guitar World, Guitarist and Total Guitar. He has a Masters in the guitar, a degree in history, and has spent the last 16 years playing everything from blues and jazz to indie and pop. When he’s not combining his passion for writing and music during his day job, Matt records for a number of UK-based bands and songwriters as a session musician.
