The Browne Amplification Atom is a compact overdrive pedal from Browne Amplification, the Kansas City-based makers of the Protein Dual Overdrive. Delicious Audio describes it as the green side of the Protein packaged as a stand-alone unit, and it is made in the USA1. Guitar.com's Richard Purvis reviewed it in June 2023 and rated it 8, calling it "a fine mids-focused overdrive with a really useful tone control"2.
The controls
The Atom keeps things simple with three knobs: Level, drive and tone2. Purvis describes the gain range as running "from a clean-ish boost with drive at minimum to a richly saturated (but controlled) roar at full blast"2. Delicious Audio adds that Browne lowered the gain to make it useable throughout the entire sweep of the knob, so the drive control stays musical across its whole travel rather than only at one end1.
Circuit background and sound
The Atom has been described as a variant on the Nobels ODR-1, but Purvis finds from Browne's own materials that it also incorporates tonal ingredients from the Ibanez Tube Screamer, and that it is a clone of neither2. Delicious Audio describes the changes as making the pedal closer, tonally, to a Tube Screamer, adding warmth and balance to thin tones without losing air and high-end definition1. If you are weighing the Atom against the classic mid-humped overdrives, our Boss SD-1 vs Ibanez TS9 Tube Screamer comparison covers that territory, and our overdrive pedal page sets it among the wider field.
"Not a TS clone, not an ODR-1 clone, just a fine mids-focused overdrive with a really useful tone control."
Power, bypass and practicalities
The Atom is powered by a 9V power supply with a draw of 11mA1. Guitar.com lists it as true bypass in its features line but powered by a 9-volt mains supply only, so there is no battery option2. Delicious Audio gives a more specific account of the switching: it has soft switching with an adjustable startup state1. Soft switching means the footswitch sends a signal to internal circuitry rather than mechanically breaking the audio path, and the adjustable startup state lets you choose how the pedal comes up when power is applied.
The enclosure measures 120 x 72 x 59mm and carries a matte powder coat finish Browne calls Flat Dark Earth12.
The Atom has no battery compartment: it runs from a 9V DC supply only2. Its soft switching also differs from the true bypass found on many overdrives1.
What reviewers said
Guitar.com's verdict in June 2023 was a rating of 8, with Purvis describing the Atom as a tasteful overdrive with a sound of its own and a high-class option for a toneful middle ground2. Delicious Audio's write-up, from February 2023, frames it as the latest gain pedal from the Protein makers and highlights the Tube Screamer-adjacent warmth and the lowered gain staging1.
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Browne Amplification
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Questions
Is the Browne Atom a Tube Screamer clone?
No. Guitar.com's reviewer, Richard Purvis, notes the Atom has been described as a variant on the Nobels ODR-1, but finds it is not a clone of the ODR-1 or of the Ibanez Tube Screamer. Delicious Audio describes it as tonally closer to a Tube Screamer, adding warmth and balance to thin tones without losing air and high-end definition. His verdict: a fine mids-focused overdrive with a really useful tone control.
Does the Browne Atom take a battery?
No. Guitar.com lists the Atom as powered by a 9-volt mains supply only, meaning a 9V DC adapter rather than a battery. Delicious Audio specifies a 9V power supply with a draw of 11mA. Plan your pedalboard power accordingly, since a battery slot is not an option here.
Is the Browne Atom true bypass?
Not in the conventional sense. Delicious Audio reports the Atom uses soft switching with an adjustable startup state rather than true bypass. That is worth knowing if your board relies on pedals being fully out of the signal path when off.
What is the difference between the Browne Atom and the Protein?
The Atom is the green side of the Protein Dual Overdrive packaged as a standalone unit, according to Delicious Audio. The Protein puts two overdrive circuits in one enclosure with a stacked mode, while the Atom gives you just the Nashville-style green side in its own small box.
Sources (2)
- Browne Amplification Atom Overdrive, Delicious Audio, 2023-02-27
- The Browne Atom is a tasteful overdrive with a sound of its own, guitar.com, 2023-06-19
