Browne Amplification Protein Dual Overdrive

The Browne Amplification Protein Dual Overdrive is a two-in-one overdrive pedal: a blue side based on a modified Marshall Bluesbreaker circuit, and a green side inspired by the classic "Nashville" overdrive, the Nobels ODR-1. Each side works on its own, and with both engaged the green side feeds the blue side for a third, higher gain sound. Browne says the pedal was designed as "a dual overdrive that would sound great no matter what it was plugged into"¹.

The pedal is a collaboration between David Brown and guitarist/producer Adam Sniegowski², built in the USA²³⁴. The current version is the V4, listed from $299.00; the V3, from $279.00, is sold out at the maker's store⁵.

Two overdrives in one box

The blue side (left footswitch) is a Bluesbreaker circuit with modifications and an added output section⁵. Guitar World's Trevor Curwen describes it as "based on a 1990's Marshall Bluesbreaker but has a tweaked tone control and extra output"⁹. Browne traces its lineage to the classic overdrive heard on records like John Mayer's "Continuum"⁵, and the V4 manual describes it as a lower gain overdrive with lots of headroom and tons of output that stacks well with other drive and fuzz pedals².

The green side (right footswitch) is inspired by the Nobels ODR-1, the session favorite associated with Nashville players like Tim Pierce and Jerry McPherson⁵. Browne says it is "more like a nobles ODR-1" than a Tube Screamer, so it is a different flavor than a TS⁵. The result, in Browne's words, is "a warm, punchy drive that adds low-mid 'beef' without getting muddy"⁵. The V4 manual calls it a slightly higher gain drive with a little more compression so it stands out well in a mix, good for leads and crunchy rhythms².

MusicRadar's reviewers characterized the two sides this way:

The controls on each side

Each side has three knobs and its own bypass footswitch⁶. The V4 adds internal and external switching options on top of the knobs.

One thing to know about the green side: its level is dependent on the gain knob. With gain about two thirds up, the level sits below half for unity gain; with gain low around one third, the level needs about two thirds to three quarters for unity gain⁵.

The V4 adds three switching options¹²:

• Hi-Cut switch (blue side, external): a 3-way toggle taken from the Carbon V2 that cuts the highest frequencies. Center is off, down is a slight hi-cut, up is the most hi-cut.
• MORE CLIP switch (green side, internal): a hard clipping option giving access to a new set of hard clipping diodes that add extra bite, aggression and gain, and lower the output volume. Up is more clip, down is stock.
• ASYMMETRICAL CLIPPING switch (green side, internal): switches between stock symmetrical soft clipping and asymmetrical soft clipping, which lets the green side open up with more punch and less compression. Up is stock, down is asymmetrical.

The stock green side clipping is symmetrical soft clipping, with the asymmetrical and hard clipping options available through the internal switches².

Stacked mode: Green into Blue

With both footswitches on, the pedal runs the green side into the blue side. Browne calls this the third "channel" of the pedal and says it delivers added gain and fullness while maintaining note clarity¹. Pedal of the Day's reviewer found the same, noting it works "without sacrificing note clarity or getting that 'mushiness' that can happen while stacking some overdrives"³.

The order is fixed: the pedal runs green into blue only, with no order toggle⁴. For players using loop switchers, the TRS sockets facilitate independent loop switcher connection for each side⁶, and the V4 offers an optional MIDI upgrade that adds MIDI on/off switching of the footswitches only².

Power

The Protein runs on a standard 9V DC adapter with negative center and negative ground, and the manual is explicit: do not use more than 9V DC². Browne says the pedal was built to have tons of headroom at 9V, so 18V is not better⁵. Current draw is 130mA on the V4¹²; the V3 draws under 100mA and the V2 under 30mA⁵. Browne recommends a high-quality supply that uses isolated power². There is no battery option; power is 9V DC only⁸.

History and versions

The Protein has gone through several versions, including the V2, V3 and V4⁵. The V3 added top mounted jacks and softswitching¹, and the V4 introduces several key updates for more versatility and tonal control⁵¹.

Guitar World noted that "This fourth iteration of the Protein introduces a three-way Hi-Cut switch to the Blue side for more tonal options"⁷. On the earlier versions, Pedal of the Day reported that the output levels were increased and the tone slightly tweaked on the blue side while the overall circuit remained true to the original³, and that the green side's gain was lowered to make it usable through the entire sweep of the pedal³.

Both sides have since become standalone pedals: the blue side is available as The Carbon, which Browne says originated as the Protein's blue side¹⁰, and the green side as the Nashville-inspired Atom. Browne's V3 page describes the pedal exactly in those terms: "One side is the low gain, high headroom Carbon Overdrive. The other side is the Nashville inspired ATOM, a higher gain overdrive with beautiful singing mids"⁸.

The V4 is offered in a range of finishes including Gold Folded, Green, Black, White, Copper, Silver, Aqua Copper Vein, Pink/Silver Knobs, Purple, Blue and Copper-Blem⁵.

What reviewers said

Guitar World's Paul Riario called it "one of those raved-about overdrive pedals that always ends up on backorder because it's that good"¹¹. Trevor Curwen, reviewing it for Guitar World, found the blue side "offers tasty amp-like drive that compresses nicely," and that the green side "certainly gives you all the low-gain, early breakup sounds you could wish for, and provides a very natural push to an amp"⁹.

In Guitar World's roundup of notable pedals of the 2020s, the V4 "retains a full-bodied low-end while keeping note articulation intact, and never becomes overly compressed or lifeless"⁷.

Pedal of the Day's verdict was enthusiastic about both the sound and the value³:

The same reviewer noted that buying the two original circuits in their original pedals would cost about $2,000 in the market at the time, and described the pedal's flexibility: "it can be an always-on pedal, a boost, an amp-pusher, a solo/lead enhancer and more"³.

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