Fender adds Hammertone Breakup Drive and Boost pedals

September 30, 2025 · 3 sources

Fender has expanded its Hammertone line of effects pedals with two new units, the Hammertone Breakup Drive and Hammertone Boost¹. Bass Magazine reported the additions on September 30, 2025²; Guitar.com's report is dated October 1, 2025¹.

The Breakup Drive is built around a JFET-based circuit and is designed to replicate the dynamic feel of hot tubes pushed to the edge of saturation²¹. It has two selectable clipping modes, ranging from light breakup to low-gain overdrive, a tone control and a switchable pre-gain mid boost²¹. MusicRadar lists its dials as Drive, Tone and Level, with a switch toggling between a pre-drive mids boost and a flat response³. MusicRadar describes the clipping modes as ranging from light breakup to medium-gain overdrive³; Fender's own wording, as quoted by Bass Magazine, is "light breakup to low-gain overdrive"².

The Boost houses two boost circuits in one enclosure, selected by a Type switch: a clean, op amp-based boost for transparent volume enhancement and a JFET-based boost that adds warmth and harmonic richness, reminiscent of vintage tape unit preamps²¹. Its EQ section has center-detented Treble and Bass controls; set to noon, the frequency response is flat²³. MusicRadar lists Level for output volume³.

Both pedals have three amp-style knobs, aluminum enclosures and top-mounted jacks, and use soft-touch relay true bypass with auto bypass when there is no power³. They can run from a battery or a 9V power supply³.