The Great Eastern FX Small Speaker Overdrive (SSO) is a low-gain overdrive pedal that chases the sound of a small vintage combo amp in a studio: a tweed Fender Champ pushed to its limit, with a microphone placed right up against its eight-inch speaker cone123. It was the first pedal the Cambridge, UK company Great Eastern FX ever made, designed by David Greeves and launched in December 2021145.
Where most amp-in-a-box pedals try to copy an amp's circuit, the SSO takes a different route. Greeves did not reconstruct the Fender Champ's topology in transistors; instead he matched the pedal's frequency profile and output characteristics to recordings of the amp6. The result, per the product page, is a low-gain overdrive with a punchy, upper-mid focus, earthy breakup and touch-sensitive dynamics, aimed at the small-amp-in-the-studio tones associated with players like Steve Cropper, Eric Clapton, Duane Allman and Joe Walsh5.
A tweed Champ sound, matched to recordings rather than the circuit
The inspiration is specific: the "magical thing" that happens when you put a mic in front of the eight-inch speaker of a Fender student-model valve combo2. Gearnews describes the pedal as aiming for the tones of a vintage Fender Champ combo recorded with a microphone up close to the speaker cone9, and Guitar.com's launch coverage notes that the inspiration is specifically the Fender Champ, and specifically a mic on its eight-inch speaker3.
But the circuit is its own thing. Delicious Audio's product page is explicit that the SSO is not an amp-in-a-box emulation of one particular amp; it is a discrete transistor circuit that captures the character of those recorded small-amp tones5. On Guitar Pedal X, Stefan Karlsson explains the design approach:
"David did not try to reconstruct the Fender Champ amp topology in transistor array format, rather he carefully and diligently" matched the pedal's behavior to Champ recordings instead6
That distinction shows up in how the pedal behaves. Premier Guitar's reviewer found the Champ label undersells it8:
"both the pedal's name and the Champ associations fail to do justice to how large and alive it sounds and feels"8
The same review found it has more headroom and more low-end ballast than a hot, wide-open tweed Champ overall8. Guitar.com's Richard Purvis, reviewing it alongside its sibling the Design-A-Drive, put it simply: "the SSO's party trick is recreating the tight-bottomed drive of a tweed Champ"10.
The controls: Gain, Level, High and Low
Four knobs sit around an LED that shows whether the effect is engaged1. Guitar Pedal X found predictable, linear tapers on all four dials6, which makes settings easy to repeat.
| Control | What it does |
|---|---|
| Gain | Takes the pedal from almost clean, through edge-of-breakup tones, to saturated overdrive5 |
| Level | Sets the output volume1 |
| High | Boost or cut for top-end sparkle; clockwise from 12 o'clock boosts highs, rolling it off emphasizes the midrange for smooth, singing slide tones5 |
| Low | Adds bass and body, or reins in the low end for classic small-amp sounds; from around 9 o'clock there is plenty of scope to boost lows5 |
The EQ pair is the unconventional part. Premier Guitar's launch coverage described the pedal as having standard Gain and Level knobs plus "a pair of unconventional EQ controls"4. Guitar World frames High and Low as boost/cut controls for their respective frequency ranges2, while Guitar.com's launch story notes the low control offers only boost3. Guitar.com's review advises starting with the Low control down at nine o'clock and dialing in only as much bass as you need from there, with the High knob cutting or boosting treble either side of noon7.
For a starting point, Guitar Pedal X's preferred settings were Gain at noon, High and Level at 3 o'clock, and Low at 2 o'clock6.
How it behaves in a chain
The SSO is intended to sit at the start of a signal chain2. Premier Guitar reports it is designed for that position, and that it promises a response to picking dynamics and volume-knob adjustment more akin to a vintage fuzz pedal than a conventional overdrive4. That touch sensitivity is a recurring theme: MusicRadar described it as a touch-sensitive drive that can add a dash of boost and overdrive grit, or at extreme settings give up some "honky, saturated drive"1, and Guitar World reported it covering everything from an almost-clean boost to that same honky saturated drive2.
At low gain it doubles as a utility pedal. Delicious Audio notes it can act as a boost, preamp or tone-sculpting device thanks to its High and Low knobs5, and Guitar.com's review described it as a "boost, preamp and tone-shaper," finding the low-gain setting "a superb rhythmic riffing tone with optimum clarity and sizzle"7. Great Eastern itself describes it as a low to medium gain pedal that offers a thick, saturated sound at higher gain settings3.
History: Great Eastern's first pedal
What reviewers said
- Premier Guitar (2023): The pedal sounds larger and more alive than its Champ associations suggest, with more headroom and low-end ballast than a hot, wide-open tweed Champ8.
- Guitar.com (2022): A "boost, preamp and tone-shaper" whose party trick is recreating the tight-bottomed drive of a tweed Champ, with a superb low-gain riffing tone7.
- MusicRadar (2021): A touch-sensitive drive offering everything from a dash of boost and grit to honky, saturated drive at the extremes1.
- Guitar World (2021): A transistor circuit said to emulate the "magical thing" that happens when a mic meets a small Fender amp's speaker, serving everything from an almost-clean boost onward2.
Price
The UK list price was £219 at launch in December 2021, a figure repeated in reviews through 2023167. Guitar World's launch coverage, working from a £182 price, calculated approximately $2422.
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Questions
Is the Small Speaker Overdrive based on the Fender Champ?
It is inspired by the Champ rather than a copy of it. Designer David Greeves matched the pedal's frequency profile and output characteristics to recordings of a Fender Champ, specifically a mic placed close to its eight-inch speaker, instead of rebuilding the amp's circuit. It is a discrete transistor circuit, not an amp emulation.
Can the Small Speaker Overdrive be used as a clean boost?
Yes. At low gain settings it works as an almost-clean boost, preamp or tone-shaping device, with the Gain knob moving from almost clean through edge-of-breakup to saturated overdrive. Reviewers found the low-gain range especially good for rhythmic riffing with clarity and sizzle.
Where should the Small Speaker Overdrive go in a signal chain?
It is designed to sit at the start of the signal chain. Premier Guitar reports that it responds to picking dynamics and volume-knob adjustment in a way more akin to a vintage fuzz pedal than a conventional overdrive, which is why its position early in the chain matters.
Where is the Small Speaker Overdrive made?
It is designed and built by hand in the UK, in Cambridge, by Great Eastern FX Co. It was the company's first pedal, designed by David Greeves, and launched in December 2021.
How much does the Great Eastern Small Speaker Overdrive cost?
It listed for £219 in the UK at launch in December 2021, a price repeated in later reviews. Guitar World's launch coverage calculated the £182 pre-VAT price as approximately $242.
Sources (10)
- Great Eastern FX Co channels the tone mojo of a cranked Fender Champ with the Small Speaker Overdrive pedal, MusicRadar, 2021-12-17
- Great Eastern FX Co. takes inspiration from the Fender Champ for its first-ever stompbox, the Small Speaker Overdrive, Guitar World, 2021-12-17
- Great Eastern FX launches its first pedal, the Small Speaker Overdrive, Guitar.com, 2021-12-17
- Great Eastern FX Releases the Small Speaker Overdrive, Premier Guitar, 2021-12-22
- Great Eastern FX Small Speaker Overdrive, Delicious Audio, 2022-09-19
- Guitar Pedal X, Guitar Pedal X, 2023-09-06
- Great Eastern FX Co. Small Speaker Overdrive review: your new secret weapon for small-amp tones?, Guitar.com, 2022-01-14
- Great Eastern FX Small Speaker Overdrive Pedal Review, Premier Guitar, 2022-05-19
- Cop a cranked Champ with Great Eastern Effects' first pedal, the Small Speaker Overdrive, gearnews.com, 2021-12-18
- Great Eastern FX Co. Design-A-Drive review: Has this boutique overdrive just reinvented the tone control?, Guitar.com, 2022-07-12
