The BBE Crusher is a distortion pedal from BBE, released in 2006, that simulates a high gain Marshall stack sound. Josh Scott of JHS Pedals, in a history of the BBE pedal range, put it plainly: "It simulates a high gain Marshall stack sound and it does it really, really well"1.
From the Marshall Guv'nor to the Crusher
The Crusher's story starts across the Atlantic. Marshall, the English amp maker, launched the Guv'nor pedal in 1991, three years after the original version of that pedal appeared, and the circuit found notable players, including Gary Moore, who used its unique circuit3. On That Pedal Show, Mick and Daniel traced a family tree from that pedal onward, noting that "circuits like the angry charlie and the crunch box and that sort of stuff you can trace back to the governance"4.
The Crusher sits in that lineage directly. Josh Scott of JHS has said the Crusher's circuit and sound are identical to the Marshall Guv'nor, an entirely different pedal made in England: "these circuits are identical. The circuit's the same, the sound's the same"1. The pedal builder mirosol, writing on Tagboard Effects, described the Crusher as "a Marshall Guv'nor with different values for a number of parts, and the leds are in the feedback loop of the OP amp"5.
As for who designed it: "Paul Gagan is the designer of this circuit," according to Josh Scott, who adds that Gagan "says he designed in '84, '85 and was handing it out at that time, and then they released it at BBE in 2006"1.
Controls and how it plays
The Crusher keeps the Guv'nor-style layout: gain, volume and a three-band passive EQ2. Guitar World's 2007 review found the gain curve progressive, "which makes it easy to find the sweet spot between your guitar and amp"2. Despite the name, the reviewer found the pedal "capable of smooth and rich tones," while at maximum gain it "produces teeth-melting tone"2.
The EQ drew particular praise:
"The EQ proved to be an extremely useful and powerful asset. Scooping the midrange produced excellent thrash and grunge sounds."
The same review noted a second use for the pedal: "At minimal gain, the Crusher works well as an EQ/booster that can alter your amp's distortion without fuzzing it out"2, which puts it in useful territory for players who already like their amp's breakup and want to shape it.
What reviewers said
Guitar World reviewed the Crusher in May 2007 as part of BBE's six-pedal stompbox launch, alongside the Green Screamer and Freq Boost, with the Free Fuzz, Orange Squash and Boosta Grande also announced. The reviewer's verdict on the range was warm: "in every instance, I think the results are both well executed and extremely musical"2. On build quality: "The pedals' construction is solid; in fact, it's on par with the toughest pedals I've tested. The old-style button footswitches give a solid click when engaged"2.
Josh Scott of JHS, looking back at the pedal on the used market, said "it kind of blows my mind when you stack it up against pedals that cost four or five times what the Crusher goes for used"1.
Mods and the DIY scene
The Crusher has a small following among hobbyist builders. On Tagboard Effects, mirosol documented a mod in 2019: swapping the two LEDs for three asymmetrical silicon diodes and adding a 220µ filter cap. The result, he wrote, "now clips more like I'd like, but I definitely lost volume," falling below unity output5. That kind of tweak is typical of the Guv'nor family, where changing the clipping arrangement reshapes the pedal's character.
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Questions
Is the BBE Crusher a Guv'nor clone?
By most accounts, yes in circuit terms. Josh Scott of JHS Pedals has said the Crusher's circuit and sound are identical to the Marshall Guv'nor released in 1988, calling them the same circuit and the same sound. The pedal builder mirosol, writing on Tagboard Effects, described it as a Marshall Guv'nor with different values for a number of parts, with the LEDs placed in the feedback loop of the op amp.
Who designed the BBE Crusher?
Paul Gagan is named as the designer of the circuit. According to Josh Scott of JHS Pedals, Gagan says he designed it in 1984 and 1985 and was handing it out at that time, and the pedal was then released at BBE in 2006.
Can the BBE Crusher be used as a booster?
Guitar World's reviewer found that at minimal gain the Crusher works well as an EQ and booster that can alter your amp's distortion without fuzzing it out. The pedal's progressive gain curve also makes it easy to find the sweet spot between guitar and amp.
What EQ does the BBE Crusher have?
The Crusher has controls for gain and volume plus a three-band passive EQ. Guitar World's reviewer called the EQ an extremely useful and powerful asset, finding that scooping the midrange produced thrash and grunge sounds while boosting mids and cutting highs served up warm Cream-era Clapton tones.
What mods have builders tried on the BBE Crusher?
On Tagboard Effects, the builder mirosol reported swapping the two LEDs for three asymmetrical silicon diodes and adding a 220µ filter cap. The result clipped more to his liking, but he noted he definitely lost volume, dropping below unity.
Sources (5)
- WHY BBE PEDALS ARE AMAZING, JHS Pedals, 2006
- BBE: Crusher, Green Screamer and Frequency Boost pedals, Guitar World, 2007-05-16
- Marshall BluesBreaker: can it pick up right where it left off?, guitar.com, 2023-08-18
- That Pedal Show, That Pedal Show, 2017-09-28
- Guitar FX Layouts: BBE Crusher, tagboardeffects.blogspot.com, 2014-01-03
