“Overdrive, distortion and dirt that you have never heard before”: Keeley’s new 4-in-1 Series elevates the firm’s hybrid gain experiments – matching Rat, DS-1 BluesBreaker and Big Muff circuits to “Frankenstein new monster tones”
Building on the pedal precedent set by the Noble Screamer, the three flagship 4-in-1 Series stompboxes offer impressive versatility thanks to interchangeable tone circuits and clipping sections
(Image credit: Keeley)
Keeley has expanded its stompbox arsenal with three new effects pedals that herald the formal arrival of its all-new 4-in-1 Series.
As the collection’s name implies, each pedal seeks to cram a quartet of overdrive and distortion flavors inspired by classic circuits and “brand new” gain tones into one single pedalboard-friendly package.
The Super Rodent, Angry Orange and Blues Disorder all set their sights on doing just that, with the range looking to touch upon the tonal likes of the ProCo RAT, Boss SD-1, Boss DS-1, Big Muff and a handful of others.
To amp up flexibility, each pedal also features a 'Hybrid mode', where interchanging tone stacks and clipping sections from each circuit can be harnessed through the two additional toggle switches.
Keeley Electronics unveils 4-in-1 Series Pedals (Blues Disorder, Super Rodent, Angry Orange) - YouTube
In practice, that means the tone and clipping controls of each circuit can be selected and mixed-and-matched, resulting in a total of four distinct tones in one pedal: two classic gain tones and two hybrid “monster tones”.
As Keeley explains, “Each pedal is uniquely voiced and is equipped with 2 classic circuits, finely tuned by Robert Keeley himself.
“Each pedal retains their individual tone circuits and clipping sections but made interchangable for creating brand new tastes of overdrive, distortion and dirt that you have never heard before.”
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Diving deeper into each pedal, the Blues Disorder takes cues from the classic Marshall BluesBreaker and Fulltone OCD overdrive pedals. Standard Level, Drive and Tone parameters share the topography with two BB/OC switches that align with those latter two knobs.
(Image credit: Keeley)
Swapping the tone controls and distortion sections lends a nifty creative edge to the pedal, which looks to offer a low-gain, soft-clipping overdrive and fuller, hard-clipping distortion – as well as two distinct hybrid modes that combine the best of both.
It’s a similar story for the Angry Orange, whose own sonic repertoire takes inspiration from a Boss SD-1 and Civil War Big Muff. Again, Level, Tone and Drive controls feature on the front, with parameter-specific MF/DS switches once again making the cut.
(Image credit: Keeley)
Here, “edgier more aggressive muffled fuzz tones” share the circuit board with a softer tube amp-like drive sound, which, of course, can be mismatched to get creative with the tone and clipping.
That just leaves the Super Rodent. Here, ProCo RAT and Boss SD-1 tones are the order of business, and both can once again be tamed via Tone, Drive and Level knobs, and tweaked and isolated by way of those SD/RT switches.
“You can play through the classic yellow ‘Japanese Super O-Drive’ or a ‘Rodentia Michigander’ distortion circuit,” Keeley notes, “or even better, you can Frankenstein new monster tones with the two hybrid modes.”
As far as bang-for-your-buck pedals go, the 4-in-1 design is very nifty indeed. Twofer drive pedals aren’t new, but few (if any) let you independently choose between and mix one or the other’s clipping options or tone stacks.
(Image credit: Keeley)
The 4-in-1 format is an extension and formalization of the precedent that was first introduced by Keeley's Noble Screamer – as well as the Andy Timmons signature Muse Driver – which both offered a similar level of tweakability to the standard two-for-one platform.
Each pedal – which flashes Keeley’s classy new chassis design – is available now for $199.
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.
