The Danelectro FAB Overdrive is a budget overdrive pedal from Danelectro's FAB series, the line of plastic pedals with "FAB" written on top and the effect type underneath. It is a part-for-part clone of the Vesta Fire Signal Device Over Drive, a rare Japanese overdrive from the 1970s, and it sold new for $16.991.
The pedal's circuit is simple but effective: a loud clipping stage followed by a tuned tone control in the style of the Tube Screamer. An independent circuit analysis by Guitar FX Layouts sums it up as "There's a nice, loud clipping amp followed by tuned TS-style tone control. Not that complicated, but sure does sound nice."2
Where the circuit came from
The FAB Overdrive's story starts in 1975. The pedal's own copy claims that a Mom and Pop store in California commissioned production of just 200 units of the overdrive effect1. That original pedal was made in Japan, and the Japanese maker OEM'd it for Nadine's before Danelectro later replicated the design1.
JHS Pedals, which published a history of the FAB line, is direct about the relationship:
"the FAB Overdrive is a part-for-part clone of the Vesta Fire Signal Device Over Drive, which was then cloned"
The same article adds a detail about how the pedal earned its place in the line: "Apparently Brian Setzer told the owner of Danelectro to check this out, and that's why it's part of the line."1
The circuit: a loud clipping stage with a TS-style tone control
Guitar FX Layouts traced the circuit and published a stripboard layout for builders in December 2022. The design centers on an LM833 op-amp (corrected in the layout from a typo reading "ML833") driving a loud clipping stage, followed by a tuned tone control of the kind used in Tube Screamer circuits2.
Despite the Tube Screamer-style tone stage, the pedal is not a Tube Screamer derivative. Comparing it with the earlier 1980s Japanese design it descends from, the analysis found that "that 80's japanese design and this have basically, or in quite broad terms, just the gain pot method in common with each"2.
The builder who posted the layout built it and confirmed it working, then adjusted the voicing to taste:
"Tone was a bit too bassy and dark for my taste so i modded it afterwards."
mirosol, Guitar FX Layouts2
For players who find the stock voicing dark, the suggested modification is to lower the 4K7 resistor to 1K on IC pin 5 for a brighter tone2.
How it sounds
On the Vesta Fire Over Drive page at Guitar FX Layouts, where the original design was also covered, the assessment of the circuit family was that it is good at mild gain but loses composure when pushed:
"At higher gains it is a bit crap, too fizzy, but for mild gain it's not bad at all. Works well with both Single coils"
mirosol and SW, Guitar FX Layouts2
So the pedal suits players looking for a mild-gain overdrive that works with both single coil and humbucker pickups, rather than a high-gain device3.
The FAB series context
The FAB Overdrive sits in Danelectro's FAB series, a line JHS Pedals calls "a great sounding pedal series for a ridiculously low price point, which is always a win." The series typically priced around $19.99, undercutting pedals costing $100 or more, and the pedals sold in volume: "these pedals sell like crazy, literally thousands per week" at Guitar Center1.
Other pedals in the series include the FAB Metal, a modified three-knob version of the DOD Grunge, and the FAB Echo, which JHS calls "a fantastic slap echo"1. The series is still in production and available new1.
Videos
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Questions
Is the Danelectro FAB Overdrive a clone of the Vesta Fire Over Drive?
Yes. JHS Pedals describes the FAB Overdrive as a part-for-part clone of the Vesta Fire Signal Device Over Drive, a pedal that traces back to a 1975 run of 200 units commissioned by a Mom and Pop store in California. The original was made in Japan and OEM'd for Nadine's before Danelectro replicated it.
How much does the Danelectro FAB Overdrive cost?
The pedal listed new at $16.99, and JHS Pedals reports seeing one used for seven dollars. The FAB series as a whole typically sold for about $19.99, undercutting comparable pedals that cost $100 or more, and the series is still in production and available new.
What op-amp does the Danelectro FAB Overdrive use?
The circuit uses an LM833 op-amp. A stripboard layout published by Guitar FX Layouts originally typed the part as ML833, which the author corrected to LM833. The op-amp sits in a loud clipping stage followed by a tuned Tube Screamer-style tone control.
Does the Danelectro FAB Overdrive sound dark?
One builder who traced and built the circuit found the tone a bit too bassy and dark as drawn, and modded his unit afterwards. He suggests lowering the 4K7 resistor to 1K on IC pin 5 for a brighter tone.
Is the Danelectro FAB Overdrive like a Tube Screamer?
Partly. Guitar FX Layouts describes the circuit as a loud clipping amp followed by a tuned TS-style tone control, so the tone shaping follows the Tube Screamer approach. But the circuit shares only the gain pot method with the earlier 1980s Japanese design it descends from.
Sources (3)
- DANELECTRO'S GREATEST BUDGET LINE, JHS Pedals
- Guitar FX Layouts: Danelectro Fab Overdrive, Guitar FX Layouts (tagboardeffects.blogspot.com), 2022-12-21
- Guitar FX Layouts: Vesta Fire / Reagun / Nadine's Overdrive, Guitar FX Layouts (tagboardeffects.blogspot.com), 2022-12-20
