The Frantone Brooklyn Overdrive is a hand-made overdrive pedal with a twist: a single knob that takes it from loud, clean overdrive into full '60s-style fuzz. Frantone describes it as going "from loud clean overdrive to '60s \"Satisfaction\" fuzztone all in the turn of a single knob"1. It was first released in August of 2003, and later offered for a limited time in 2017 as a Custom Shop reissue1.
What it does to your sound
The Brooklyn's appeal, as Frantone presents it, is range. The maker describes the pedal "not only for its strong output but for the fuzz bite you can dial in right on top of that," with a broad tone contour running from clean loud fidelity to mellow smooth grind to cranked amp punch1. In practice that places it between a conventional overdrive and a fuzz: at one end of the knob it behaves like a loud, clean boost-style overdrive, and at the other it delivers the saturated bite of a vintage fuzztone. Players comparing overdrives with a fuzz edge might also look at the type pages for Overdrive Pedals and Fuzz Pedals, or at Distortion Pedals for harder-clipping alternatives.
Controls and build
Frantone keeps the feature list short and the build sturdy:
- Single-knob control of the drive character, from clean loud overdrive to fuzztone1
- True bypass switching1
- Status light1
- Tough cast aluminum case1
The design is Frantone's own: the maker calls it "A completely original and unique design by Fran"1.
History and the 2017 reissue
The Brooklyn Overdrive was first released in August of 20031. In 2017 Frantone brought it back as the 2017 Limited Frantone Custom Shop Reissue, available for a limited time, with fewer than 100 total units made12. Frantone has a history of small-run reissues of its rarer circuits: the company also offers a reissue of the 1990s Frantone Hep Cat overdrive, and has made other pedals such as the Frantone Hi-Ball.
The 2017 Custom Shop reissue was a limited run of fewer than 100 units, so the Brooklyn Overdrive is not a standard catalog product. Availability depends on when and whether Frantone runs further batches.
Videos
Frantone
Fran Blanche
Fran Blanche
Questions
Is the Frantone Brooklyn Overdrive true bypass?
Yes. Frantone specifies true bypass switching for the Brooklyn Overdrive, and the maker notes that all new Frantone effects come with full signal bypass and a status light. That means the pedal takes itself completely out of the signal path when switched off, so it does not load down your guitar's signal when it is not in use.
Where is the Frantone Brooklyn Overdrive made?
Frantone states that each Brooklyn Overdrive is hand-made in the USA. The company builds its pedals in small runs, and the Brooklyn was offered both as an original release in 2003 and as a limited 2017 Custom Shop reissue.
How many Brooklyn Overdrive reissues were made?
The 2017 Limited Frantone Custom Shop Reissue was capped at fewer than 100 units in total, according to Frantone. It was available for a limited time in 2017 only, which makes the reissue version a rare sighting on used pedalboards.
Sources (2)
- Brooklyn Overdrive, Frantone, 2026
- The Frantone Electronics Homepage, Frantone Electronics, 2020-06-11
