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aidan.04
Published on 04/28/08 at 07:57
Boss's FDR-1 is an amp modeler with reverb and vibrato, based on the Fender 1965-era Deluxe Reverb, which is a coveted tube amp known for its distinctive tone. Apparently BOSS worked with Fender to try and nail the sound of the Deluxe Reverb, which increased my expectations for it.
The FDR-1 is packaged in the standard BOSS stompbox casing, which are always pretty sturdy. It would blend in like a regular stompbox on your pedalboard. It has your standard 1/4" input and output, and ac adapter input.
UTILIZATION
The controls on the FDR-1 are very similar to the actual amp it seeks to emulate. It has Level, Gain, Treble, Bass, Vibrato and Reverb. Other than to full understand how to tweak the vibrato effect, its very self-explanatory and I didn't even need the manual.
SOUND QUALITY
As far as the amp model, it is fairly good. I have played modelers that attempted a Deluxe Reverb sound like Line6 and Digitech. This pedal comes a LOT closer to replicating actual Fender sound than any other modeler I've heard. Its got sparkle, spank, and even grit that get pretty darn close to the real thing, without actually BEING the real thing.
As far as reverb, its good. Probably as good or better as the reverb on many amps people will plug this into. Sadly its not nearly as good as ACTUAL Deluxe Reverb reverb. It starts getting cheesy sounding in the upper range, so getting super drippy reverb like you can from the actual amp is not a reasonable expoectation to have. I still can't fault it much though.
The vibrato is great, very usable, and gives a fairly wide range of tweaking possible. I wasn't disapointed.
I played this stompbox by putting it in front of my low end tube amp; an Epiphone Valve Special. It added a new dimension to the already decent clean sound, so I can't imagine the miracles this pedal could work for a lackluster Solid State amp's clean channel. I was also able to use it to push my tube amp into a bit more grit and sustain. They interacted nicely.
OVERALL OPINION
What I like most about this is that it seems like they worked very hard to replicate the Fender sound. I can only fault them for the limitations of modeling technology, not for effort. I'm not sure how enthusiastically I can reccomend this pedal as expensive as it is (150 or so), but it is a fairly cheap option compared to buying an actual Fender amp if you only want this sound periodically. The most realistic I can see people getting out of this product is to dress up the clean sound they get from their pre-existing setup. Face it, even if you had a Deluxe Reverb, you wouldnt be happy with the overdrive if you're like me, so its easier to pair this up with your amp of choice. Or it can bring new life to your super cheap tube amp, like the Valve Junior that so many people love for its simplicity. This pedal would make up for the lack of reverb that many lower end tube amps suffer from.
The FDR-1 is packaged in the standard BOSS stompbox casing, which are always pretty sturdy. It would blend in like a regular stompbox on your pedalboard. It has your standard 1/4" input and output, and ac adapter input.
UTILIZATION
The controls on the FDR-1 are very similar to the actual amp it seeks to emulate. It has Level, Gain, Treble, Bass, Vibrato and Reverb. Other than to full understand how to tweak the vibrato effect, its very self-explanatory and I didn't even need the manual.
SOUND QUALITY
As far as the amp model, it is fairly good. I have played modelers that attempted a Deluxe Reverb sound like Line6 and Digitech. This pedal comes a LOT closer to replicating actual Fender sound than any other modeler I've heard. Its got sparkle, spank, and even grit that get pretty darn close to the real thing, without actually BEING the real thing.
As far as reverb, its good. Probably as good or better as the reverb on many amps people will plug this into. Sadly its not nearly as good as ACTUAL Deluxe Reverb reverb. It starts getting cheesy sounding in the upper range, so getting super drippy reverb like you can from the actual amp is not a reasonable expoectation to have. I still can't fault it much though.
The vibrato is great, very usable, and gives a fairly wide range of tweaking possible. I wasn't disapointed.
I played this stompbox by putting it in front of my low end tube amp; an Epiphone Valve Special. It added a new dimension to the already decent clean sound, so I can't imagine the miracles this pedal could work for a lackluster Solid State amp's clean channel. I was also able to use it to push my tube amp into a bit more grit and sustain. They interacted nicely.
OVERALL OPINION
What I like most about this is that it seems like they worked very hard to replicate the Fender sound. I can only fault them for the limitations of modeling technology, not for effort. I'm not sure how enthusiastically I can reccomend this pedal as expensive as it is (150 or so), but it is a fairly cheap option compared to buying an actual Fender amp if you only want this sound periodically. The most realistic I can see people getting out of this product is to dress up the clean sound they get from their pre-existing setup. Face it, even if you had a Deluxe Reverb, you wouldnt be happy with the overdrive if you're like me, so its easier to pair this up with your amp of choice. Or it can bring new life to your super cheap tube amp, like the Valve Junior that so many people love for its simplicity. This pedal would make up for the lack of reverb that many lower end tube amps suffer from.