Free The Tone Fire Mist FM-1V

The Fire Mist FM-1V is an overdrive pedal from Free The Tone, built to chase one specific sound: the British rock tone of the gold Plexi panel era. Free The Tone describes it as reproducing that ideal British rock sound with what the maker calls outstanding response and an edged, amp-like tone¹. Pedal of the Day framed the same idea from the player's side, writing that the pedal "seeks to replicate classic tones produced by the famous Marshall Plexi amplifiers of the mid-late 1960's"².

It is a compact three-knob pedal with a custom-designed enclosure and machined brass knobs, part of Free The Tone's Integrated Series. MusicRadar's reviewer, Jamie Dickson, noted that designer Yuki Hayashi "has tried to fine-tune nearly every aspect of the design"³.

What it does: a Plexi-style British overdrive

Free The Tone's own framing of the pedal starts from a player's question: when you think of the ideal drive sound, two references come to mind, the American blues sound symbolized by the Black Face era and the British rock sound represented by the gold Plexi panel. The Fire Mist was built to reproduce the second of those two¹. Pedal of the Day put the same lineage in plainer terms, tying the pedal to the Marshall Plexi amplifiers of the mid to late 1960s².

What that means in practice, according to reviewers:

• Pedal of the Day found "a TON of headroom available, making it a perfect clean boost if you need, but also able to produce creamy, tube-amp overdrive with ease"².
• The same review found "a broad spectrum in the Volume, Tone and Drive controls, giving you extended dynamic range, brilliant overtones and long sustain throughout its settings"².
• MusicRadar's verdict highlighted "exceptional clarity, punch and dynamic range"³.

MusicRadar tested the pedal with a Jimi Hendrix Stratocaster and a Gibson Memphis ES-330 into a Dr Z Jaz 20/40 combo³.

The controls: Level, Tone and Drive

The control set is deliberately minimal: three knobs, labeled LEVEL, TONE and DRIVE¹. MusicRadar's reviewer pointed out the material as well as the count: "There are only three controls, with chunky brass (yes, brass) knobs: Level, Tone and Drive"³.

The brass knobs are not just cosmetic. Free The Tone developed custom brass-machined knobs that suppress vibration of the potentiometer shaft and wiper, which the maker says reduces harmonic components harmful to the sound¹.

One useful setting reviewers called out: with the Drive down and the Level up, the pedal works as a clean boost. Pedal of the Day described that setting as bringing up the low end and accentuating the mids².

Power and connections

The FM-1V runs on DC 9V, and it takes power two ways: a 9V battery of the 006P type, or an AC adapter through its DC9V input jack. Free The Tone lists the FA-W0905D-JA and FA-0905D-JA adapters as compatible, sold separately¹. Current draw is about 10mA¹.

Connections are simple: one 1/4-inch standard phone jack for input, one for output, plus the DC9V input jack for the adapter¹. The output expects a load impedance of 10kΩ or higher¹.

In the box, the pedal ships with a warranty card, a website access card, safety precautions, and four rubber feet¹.

History: Yuki Hayashi and the Integrated Series

The Fire Mist came out of a project Free The Tone started to mark the company's 15th anniversary, which became the Integrated Series¹. The first release in that series was a drive pedal⁴, and the project ultimately produced two: the Fire Mist and its sibling, the String Slinger SS-1V¹. On That Pedal Show, Dan and Mick noted the Free The Tone pedals came from the Integrated Series celebrating the company's 15th anniversary⁵.

The pedal's designer is Yuki Hayashi, whom MusicRadar credits with fine-tuning nearly every aspect of the design³.

Fire Mist versus String Slinger

The two Integrated Series drive pedals split the two classic drive sounds between them. Free The Tone describes the Fire Mist as the British rock side of the pair¹, and Pedal of the Day drew the contrast directly:

So a player choosing between them is effectively choosing between an American Black Face-style drive and a British Plexi-style drive, in the same enclosure format from the same series¹⁵.

The HTS Circuit buffer

The Fire Mist also carries Free The Tone's take on a buffer. On That Pedal Show, Dan and Mick said the pedals "feature FTT's latest evolution of the HTS Circuit, which is a unique take on a buffer"⁵. For players running long signal chains, that built-in buffering is part of what the Integrated Series pedals bring beyond the drive circuit itself.

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