Browne Amplification Protein

The Browne Amplification Protein is a dual overdrive pedal: two independent drive circuits in one enclosure, each with its own on/off footswitch, that can be used separately or stacked into what the maker calls a third channel¹². The blue side, on the left, is a take on the 1990s Marshall Bluesbreaker circuit with modifications and an added output section³. The green side, on the right, is a higher gain overdrive inspired by the classic "Nashville" sound, which in practice means the Nobels ODR-1².

The pedal was designed to sound great with any backline, after years on the road and in the studio using backline amps that could be very inconsistent². Browne Amplification has been very busy hand-building pedals since the introduction of their Protein Dual Overdrive².

Two overdrives in one: Bluesbreaker and Nashville-style

The blue side is what most players come to the Protein for. Browne describes it as "a Bluesbreaker circuit with modifications and an added output section"⁸. Guitar World's reviewer put it as "based on a 1990's Marshall Bluesbreaker but has a tweaked tone control and extra output"³, and Guitar.com called it "an almost HD take on the old 1990s Marshall Bluesbreaker"⁴. The original Bluesbreaker circuit was used famously by John Mayer on the Continuum album, a lineage Pedal of the Day notes in its review of the blue side¹.

The green side is the utility overdrive. Browne describes it as "the Nashville inspired ATOM, a higher gain overdrive with beautiful singing mids," the same circuit later released as the standalone Atom pedal⁹. Delicious Audio explains the voicing work: "We lowered the amount of gain (distortion) to make it usable through the entire sweep of the pedal, added some of the mids back," eliminating woofiness in the low end and adding low mid "beef" without becoming muddy². The blue side's low gain and high headroom also became a standalone pedal, The Carbon⁹.

Each side has its own footswitch, so the two circuits work together and separately²¹⁰. When both are on, the green side runs into the blue side, and that is the only possible stacking order⁸².

The controls and stacking order

Both sides carry three knobs and a bypass footswitch: Level, Gain and Tone on the blue side, Level, Drive and Tone on the green side⁷³.

The V4 adds internal switches on the green side⁸:

• Asymmetrical clipping switch: up is stock symmetrical soft clipping, down is asymmetrical soft clipping, which Browne says lets the green side open up with more punch and less compression¹¹.
• MORE CLIP switch: access to a set of hard clipping diodes that add bite, aggression and gain while lowering output volume; up is more clip, down is stock¹¹.
• LOW CUT switch: rolls off some low end if the green side has slightly too much bass; up is stock, down is low cut enabled¹¹.

The V4 also introduces a three-way Hi-Cut switch on the blue side for more tonal options¹². Browne recommends starting with all blue side controls at noon, and the green side Level at 1 o'clock, Tone at noon, Gain at 11 o'clock¹¹. The maker recommends the Protein last in a chain of drives¹¹.

Power and connections

The V4 runs on 9V DC at 130mA through a standard adapter, which is not supplied, with 1/4 inch input and output jacks on the top of the pedal¹³³. Browne recommends a high-quality isolated power supply and warns against 18V¹¹. There is no battery option: Guitar.com's review notes "the Protein is mains only"⁴. Earlier reviews list 9V DC center negative⁴.

For loop switcher users, the TRS sockets allow independent connection of each side. With the internal switch flipped to the split position, the input jack's tip acts as input/send and ring as output/return for the green side, and the output jack does the same for the blue side²⁷. On the V3, a single internal switch handles split mode; reaching it means removing the four screws from the back panel²⁹.

History and versions

The Protein has gone through V2.2, V3 and V4¹⁴. The V3 update brought top-mounted jacks, soft switching and a single internal switch for split mode². The V4 added the three-way Hi-Cut switch on the blue side and the extra clipping options on the green side¹²⁸. Browne sells a V3 to V4 upgrade, which adds asymmetrical clipping and a little more gain; it is available only for the V3, not the V2.2 or earlier models¹⁴. The V3 is listed as sold out at the maker's store⁹.

The pedal began as a practical request. David Brown told guitar.com: "We kind of went down the rabbit hole of 'How do we make both these pedals perfect for what you're doing, and then put them together,'" combining two pedals a client was using live into one enclosure¹⁵. After player requests, Brown said the blue side would be released as a standalone pedal, which became The Carbon¹⁵.

What reviewers said

Reviews have been consistently positive across the pedal's life. Guitar.com's 2021 review concluded: "Two classy voices in one superbly made unit. Impressive stuff."⁴ MusicRadar's review called it "a great all-round drive with something a little different to offer, with a fantastic utility overdrive on the green side and a cleverly refined take on the Bluesbreaker on the other," adding that it works well with whatever combination of guitar and amplifier you use⁷.

Pedal of the Day found each side sounds great alone and better as a team, calling it "a must-have for any overdrive fan," and noting the stacked mode delivers more gain and fullness "without sacrificing note clarity or getting that 'mushiness' that can happen while stacking some overdrives"¹. Guitar World's 2025 roundup of the best new pedals of the 2020s wrote that "the Protein retains a full-bodied low-end while keeping note articulation intact, and never becomes overly compressed"¹².

Who uses it

Browne says the green side "has been used on the pedals boards of session greats from Tim Pierce to Jerry McPherson"⁹. Drew Shirley of Switchfoot tried one and wanted it on his board, according to David Brown¹⁵.

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