Bogner Burnley

The Bogner Burnley is a three-knob, high-gain distortion pedal from Bogner Amplification, built around a 100% analog circuit and a custom audio transformer designed by Rupert Neve, the famous British audio engineer¹². Bogner describes its range as running from hot crunch to high-gain annihilation, and it is the highest-gain pedal of the company's three-pedal transformer line, alongside the Wessex overdrive and the Harlow boost¹³.

What sets the Burnley apart from most distortion pedals is that transformer. Each of the three Bogner drive pedals uses its own unique custom transformer designed by Rupert Neve, intended to provide a dynamic, detailed response inspired by classic Neve mixing consoles². A two-way F/T toggle switch then selects between a tight and aggressive or a fat and mellow distortion voicing⁴⁵.

Controls and the Fat/Tight switch

The control set is simple: Level, Gain and Tone knobs, plus the F/T toggle¹³.

The two switch positions are more than a subtle tilt. Guitar World's reviewer found the Fat setting produces fat, rich, slightly compressed lead tones, making the Burnley a good choice as a solo boost, while the Tight setting is better for rhythm playing and single-note lines, with more dynamic edge and responsiveness². On the V2, Guitar.com describes the same switch as a choice between an unrestrained bottom end and a more biting one³.

The jewel light

The Burnley's most distinctive visual feature is its jewel light indicator. It illuminates red when the pedal is engaged and turns progressively bluer depending on playing dynamics and the guitar's output level². In practice it works as a live readout of how hard you are pushing the pedal. The V2 versions still feature the jewel LED lighting up in response to your playing³.

A transformer designed by Rupert Neve

The circuit's centerpiece is a custom transformer designed by Rupert Neve, the British engineer behind the Neve mixing consoles that define many classic studio recordings¹². Guitar World's 2015 review of the pedal line explained the intent:

The V2 versions released in 2020 use Rupert Neve Designs audio transformers inspired by the Neve mixing consoles of the 1960s, which MusicRadar described as giving the pedals an ultra-dynamic, studio-quality response⁸. One visible change on the V2: the Rupert Neve branding no longer appears on the pedal's visible surfaces⁵.

History and versions: the Burnley V1 and V2

The original Burnley launched as part of Bogner's first wave of effects pedals, alongside the Wessex and Harlow, in compact housings that Guitar World described as built like tanks, with an optional bubinga wood front panel at a higher list price². Pedal of the Day reviewed it in January 2018 as a purple, high-gain dirt pedal with a simple control setup¹.

In April 2020, Bogner reissued all three pedals as V2 versions⁶. The changes:

• A smaller, more pedalboard-friendly enclosure, roughly 15% smaller than the V1, with rounded housing⁵³⁶
• A significantly re-voiced tone, described by Bogner as having more dynamics and gain on tap, and a more modern, more punchy and aggressive signature⁵
• A list price of $179 each, down from the V1's $269.99²³
• No bubinga faceplate option, as the new enclosure cannot accommodate one⁵

Guitar Pedal X noted that the V2's tone is described as more modern, open and aggressive than the V1, and that the writer personally prefers the original version in the parallel case of the Suhr Riot and its Reloaded reissue⁵.

What amp sound is it based on?

Guitar Pedal X characterizes the Burnley as essentially a Marshall JCM800 style distortion with an EVH Brown Sound character, along similar lines to the Suhr Riot⁵. Bogner's own positioning is broader: the Burnley V2 is the highest-gain pedal of the trio, offering tones between a cranked crunch and high-gain distortion³.

What reviewers said

Guitar World reviewed the original Burnley alongside the Harlow and Wessex in 2015 and was positive about the drive character⁶²:

The same reviewer found the tone never gets over the top and remains musically useful throughout its entire range, and that the pedals kept the noise from a particularly troublesome single-coil guitar at bay while increasing the level of notes played². Pedal of the Day called it a good first foray into Bogner effects pedals, with studio-quality sound not typically found in stompbox form¹. Of the V2 range, Guitar World reported that the sound quality and performance of all three pedals is on another level compared to the average overdrive and distortion pedal⁶.

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