The Barber FWW Plus is an analog overdrive pedal from Barber Electronics, developed as a collaboration with the Five Watt World channel. Barber describes it as one pedal that can be a clean boost, a treble booster and a tone conditioner, built around the vintage op-amp overdrive circuit that started with the OD11. It lists at $219.95 USD as of the maker's product page1.
The OD1 circuit and its relation to the Barber BUSS
Barber says the design starts with "one part vintage overdrive, the classic op-amp overdrive that started it all, the venerable OD1"1. The OD1 lineage matters to overdrive players: Boss's OD-1 Over Drive was designed with an asymmetrical clipping circuit that reproduces the pleasing sound of a driven tube amp21, and Aion FX describes the OD-1 as "a precursor to the Tube Screamer"3. TONEHOME notes the OD-1 features an asymmetric circuit where the positive and negative halves of the waveform aren't distorted equally, and that later versions moved from a 14-pin op-amp RC3403 to dual op-amps such as the JRC4558DD4.
Controls
The FWW Plus keeps its workflow on toggles rather than menus. Barber says "you can reliably sculp your tone without the slightest worry of submenu drama"1.
| Control | What it does |
|---|---|
| Bass enhancement toggle | 3-way toggle: out of the circuit (OOC), engaged, and strongest. A bass enhancement system complementing the tone control; Barber says it "gives you full control of the low end"1 |
| Output filter toggle | 3-way toggle: out of the circuit (OOC), engaged, and strongest. Controls the top end; Barber says it "puts you in charge of the silhouette of the top end, anything from rude and surly, to smooth"1 |
| Tone control | Turned down it lowers the gain of the pedal while uncovering deeper bass and never mutes the highs; turned up it tightens the signal, increases gain and reveals the top end1 |
The pedal has two 3-way toggles as its switching1.
On the related B.U.S.S Five Watt World edition, Barber's manual notes "It's normal for this toggle to pop when switched" in reference to the left toggle, so a switching pop from a toggle of this kind is expected behavior rather than a fault5.
What it covers
Barber says the EQ can be balanced to cover treble boost, classic boost, vintage overdrive, and larger than life modern boutique with amp-like textures1. In practice that means the same pedal can sit at the front of an amp as a clean boost or treble booster, or work as a standalone overdrive, with the two toggles shaping low end and top end around the tone control. Players comparing it with other Barber drives may also want to look at the Barber Direct Drive, the Barber Electronics Gain Changer and the Barber Gain Changer SR, or the wider field in Overdrive Pedals.
Sources (5)
- FWW Plus, Barber Electronics
- BOSS - PX-1 | Plugout FX, BOSS (boss.info)
- Parhelion Vintage Overdrive / BOSS® OD-1 Overdrive, Aion FX, 2021-03-19
- TONEHOME, TONEHOME
- FWW_BUSS_KW_EDIT.pdf, Barber Electronics
