Dirty Boy Jr Overdrive

The Dirty Boy Jr. Overdrive is a compact, pedalboard-friendly overdrive made by Warm Audio in partnership with Dirty Boy, recreating the original Dirty Boy Preamp circuit in a standard pedal format. Warm Audio describes it as an "Amp-Like Overdrive Pedal With Variac Touch-Sensitivity & Emulated Balanced Output," and it can function as an overdrive, a preamp, or a standalone amp simulator¹. It launched in July 2026 as part of the Junior Series, a collaboration that brought the Dirty Boy circuits to a wider audience at a lower price; Guitar Pedal X listed the Overdrive at $170 / £170².

What it does

The pedal carries Danny Gomez's Tube Amp Emulation technology under the hood, according to MusicRadar's report on the Junior Series launch⁴. In practice, Delicious Audio's Paolo De Gregorio described what that means for a player:

The emulated output is a practical addition: MusicRadar notes it allows you to go direct into a mixer, a guitar audio interface, or an FRFR speaker, so the pedal can cover for an amp entirely when that suits the gig⁴.

Controls

Four knobs cover the pedal's range, from clean boost to full breakup¹²:

The Variac control is the distinguishing feature here. Named after the variable transformers used to lower the mains voltage to old tube amps, it is Warm Audio's touch-sensitivity control, and together with the Gain knob it spans everything from transparent boost to saturated vintage-style breakup¹.

Where it came from

The Junior Series came out of a collaboration between Warm Audio and Dirty Boy, announced in July 2026, that recreated classic Dirty Boy circuit designs in a more affordable, pedalboard-friendly format¹. The Overdrive is based on the Dirty Boy Preamp, the circuit that first appeared as the flagship pedal of the Dirty Boy lineup². Delicious Audio reported the partnership in August 2026, noting the original preamp circuit was brought back as a standard-format pedal⁵.

What reviewers said

Guitar World's reviewer called it "a flexible, well-built overdrive that combines boutique tone and real-world practicality" at an accessible price⁶. GuitarPlayer's review staff took a similar view of the series, finding that "the Overdrive is especially recommended for those not wanting (or able) to crank their amp for tonal payoff"³. Both reviews point the same way: a well-built pedal aimed at players who want amp-style breakup at manageable volumes.

The pedal runs true bypass and is built in rugged, road-ready construction with authentic Dirty Boy styling¹. For players comparing it against other drives, it sits in the amp-like camp of overdrive pedals rather than the transparent-boost or screamer camps, and it can also serve as a preamp pedal or a stand-in for an amp into a flat-response speaker.

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