The Flattley Outlaw is a dual pedal that combines a clean boost and a Plexi-style overdrive in one enclosure, made by Flattley Guitar Pedals of Lincolnshire, UK1. It draws on two of the maker's earlier pedals: the drive section combines elements of the Plexstar overdrive, styled after a Marshall JTM45 'Plexi' amp, while the boost side comes from the Ace Tone booster, which Flattley has also sold as a standalone pedal for years12.
The two halves are independently footswitched, so you can use the boost alone, the drive alone, or both together, and a toggle switch on the pedal lets you flip which one comes first in the signal chain12. Guitar World's Trevor Curwen summed up the appeal: the Outlaw "ticks all the boxes in that role with two excellent-sounding effects that hold their own individually but really complement each other when combined", giving it 4.5 stars1.
A Plexi-style drive and a boost in one pedal
The Outlaw's drive side is a FET-based overdrive voiced in the Marshall Plexi tradition1. Curwen found the gain range covers a lot of ground: "With lower levels of gain there's some gritty just-beyond-clean sounds, but advancing the knob soon gets you into increasingly Marshall-flavoured crunch and raunch that responds well to playing dynamics"1. That responsiveness to picking dynamics is what players usually want from a Plexi-style pedal, since it lets you clean up by backing off your attack.
The boost side is the Ace Tone circuit, which Flattley has offered on its own for years2. Its Volume knob starts from silence and reaches unity gain at around 12 o'clock, which means it can attenuate levels or even act as a mute switch, not just add volume1. The accompanying Tone knob targets the boost in a specific area: anti-clockwise it thickens the sound and brings out more low end, while clockwise it adds top-end sparkle up to a potent treble boost, with the most neutral setting around midway1.
Guitar Pedal X's Stefan Karlsson reviewed the pedal in November 2025 and called it "probably their best pedal to date - certainly the best looking", noting its red-on-red, holographic chrome metal flake enclosure2. In the site's 2025 round-up of the best new boost and overdrive pedals, the Outlaw took a Silver runner-up spot, described as "so well balanced as default, with an Ace Tone Boost that sounds exceptional with pretty much every pedal" and "Paul's best looking pedal to date"3.
"The Outlaw ticks all the boxes in that role with two excellent-sounding effects that hold their own individually but really complement each other when combined."
The controls and footswitches
The Outlaw is a twin-footswitch pedal: the left footswitch engages the boost, the right footswitch engages the drive13. Each section has its own control set.
| Section | Controls | Footswitch |
|---|---|---|
| Ace Tone Boost | Volume, Tone | Left footswitch3 |
| Plexi Drive | Volume, Tone, Gain | Right footswitch3 |
A few details from Guitar World's review are worth knowing before you plug in:
- The drive section is silent until you advance both its Volume and Gain knobs, so a no-sound first impression usually just means the knobs are down1.
- The drive's Tone knob focuses on upper-mid presence, which Curwen called "a practical asset for getting the drive in the right tonal space to complement your amp"1.
- The boost's Volume knob starts from silence, with unity gain around 12 o'clock, so it can cut level as well as boost it1.
The order switch
The toggle switch that sets the signal order is the Outlaw's most distinctive control. Up gives boost first, down gives Plexi first2. Guitar World describes the practical difference: the switch "determines whether boost is placed before or after the drive"1. Boost into drive pushes the FET circuit harder for more saturation; drive into boost keeps the drive's character intact and uses the boost to lift the output level, which suits a solo boost. Either way, both sections stay independently switchable, so the combinations add up to a genuinely flexible single box.
Power and connections
The Outlaw runs from a 9V DC adaptor drawing 50mA, and the adaptor is not supplied with the pedal1. Guitar Pedal X's review lists the ports as a TS input, the 9V DC power port, and a TS output2.
The Outlaw does not ship with a power supply, so you will need your own 9V DC adaptor or a pedalboard power supply before you can use it1.
Where it sits in the Flattley range
Flattley is a UK builder whose recent releases include the Revolution 10 AE anniversary overdrive, the Centurion 10 AE, and the Joker valve-tone FET pedal. The Outlaw is the maker's take on pairing a boost with a Plexi-flavored overdrive in a single unit, which Guitar World's reviewer judged "the most practical single pedal to put in front of an amp"14.
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Questions
Is the Flattley Outlaw true bypass?
Yes. Guitar World lists the Outlaw's features as true bypass with two channels, so the pedal's signal path is out of the circuit when both sections are switched off. The boost and drive sections are also independently footswitched, so you can run one, the other, both, or neither.
Can the boost go before or after the drive on the Outlaw?
Yes. An order toggle switch on the pedal determines whether the boost is placed before or after the drive. Guitar Pedal X describes it as Up for boost first and Down for Plexi first, so you can push the drive with the boost or use the boost as an output-volume control after it.
Does the Flattley Outlaw come with a power supply?
No. Guitar World specifies a 9V DC adaptor that is not supplied, drawing 50mA. You will need your own 9V DC power supply or pedalboard power brick, since the pedal has no battery option mentioned in its specifications.
How much does the Flattley Outlaw cost in the US?
Guitar World lists the Outlaw at $379 USD, alongside £299 and €379. When Guitar Pedal X reviewed the pedal in November 2025 it was priced at £299 direct from the Flattley webstore, so the UK price has held steady since launch.
Sources (4)
- Flattley The Outlaw review, Guitar World, 2026-03-25
- Guitar Pedal X, Guitar Pedal X, 2025-11-13
- Guitar Pedal X, Guitar Pedal X, 2025-12-04
- Outlaw - Thermion, Thermion
