The Bispell Audio Saxon Overdrive is a compact overdrive pedal built as a tweakable Plexi-style circuit. It uses JFET transistors rather than an op-amp clipping stage, and Delicious Audio's Paolo De Gregorio describes it as a "JFET overdrive with exceedingly accurate valve-like harmonics" built around a JTM45 tone stack, with a Plexi Bass Cut Switch, a Bright Switch and "generous amounts of sag/compression"1. The aim, in his words, is "Highly authentic JTM45 and Plexi tones"1.
Controls
The pedal carries a full amp-style control set on its top panel, plus two toggle switches1:
| Control | What it does |
|---|---|
| Gain | Drives the JFET stages |
| Bass | Low end |
| M(ids) | Cuts mids only, it does not boost them1 |
| Treble | High end |
| Presence | "a Presence knob to get the high-end harmonics to shine"1 |
| Volume | Output level |
| Bass switch (JTM45, Plexi) | Selects the voicing, see below |
| Bright switch (ON, OFF) | One of "two toggle switches to boost the highs or cut the lows"1 |
The bass switch, the first toggle on the left, is said to deliver Plexi tones in the lower position and JTM45-style ones in the top setting1. Delicious Audio's Matthew Wang puts it the same way in his Plexi pedals roundup: "The bass switch delivers Plexi tones in the lower position and JTM45-style ones in the top setting."2
The internal DIP switch
Inside the enclosure there is an internal DIP switch. De Gregorio writes that "An internal DIP allows for extra frequency tweaking to fine-tune the pedal to any amp"1. For a player, that means the Saxon can be voiced once to sit right with a particular amplifier, then left alone while the front-panel knobs handle day-to-day changes.
What reviewers said
Delicious Audio noted the pedal was "getting good reactions from a couple of fine-eared YouTubers like Brett Kingman" and "the inimitable Henning Pauly [EytschPi42]"1. In Guitar Pedal X's 2023 roundup of new boost and overdrive pedals, Stefan Karlsson listed the Bispell Audio Saxon V1.5 as "JTM45 + Super Lead Plexi - £170"3.
Where it sits
The Saxon belongs to the family of Marshall-inspired overdrives: pedals that chase the response of a cranked JTM45 or Super Lead Plexi rather than the mid-humped voicing of a Tube Screamer, a different approach compared with pedals like the Boss SD-1 vs Ibanez TS9 Tube Screamer. Its JFET design and amp-style tone stack place it closer to a preamp-style circuit than a straightforward dirt box, in the territory also covered by preamp pedals and distortion pedals31.
Videos
Bispell Audio
Bispell Audio
Brett Kingman
Questions
What does the Bass switch do on the Bispell Audio Saxon Overdrive?
The bass switch, the first toggle on the left, changes the pedal's low-end character. In the lower position it is said to deliver Plexi tones, while the top setting gives JTM45-style tones. It lets you move between the brighter, tighter response associated with a Plexi and the fuller voicing of a JTM45 without changing any other settings.
What is the internal DIP switch on the Saxon Overdrive for?
The internal DIP switch allows extra frequency tweaking, so the pedal can be fine-tuned to pair with any amp. Because it sits inside the enclosure, it is a set-and-forget adjustment: set it once for your amp, then use the front-panel controls for everyday changes.
Does the Saxon Overdrive have a Mid boost?
No. The M(ids) knob does not boost mids, it only cuts them. The pedal's other tone shaping comes from the Bass, Treble and Presence knobs and from the two toggle switches, which boost the highs or cut the lows.
How big is the Bispell Audio Saxon Overdrive?
The enclosure measures 121mm long, 66mm wide and 40mm high, which is a compact footprint that fits easily on a pedalboard.
Is the Saxon Overdrive based on a Marshall Plexi?
It is described as a tweakable Plexi-style circuit, and the Saxon V1.5 is described as based on the JTM45 plus Super Lead Plexi. The pedal combines a JTM45 tone stack with a bass switch that selects between Plexi and JTM45-style voicings.
Sources (3)
- Bispell Audio Saxon Overdrive, Delicious Audio, 2022-12-21
- 2024 Best Plexi Pedals & Marshall-Style Distortions: A Buyer's Guide, Delicious Audio, 2024-09-16
- Guitar Pedal X, Guitar Pedal X, 2023-12-16
