The Greer Amps Tone Smuggler is a compact overdrive pedal that covers a wide sweep of gain in one box: clean boost at the low end, tube-style overdrive in the middle, and distortion bordering on fuzz when the Gain knob is pushed. Pedal of the Day's 2014 review describes its tones as ranging "from clean boost to distortion, bordering on fuzz!"1
Controls
The pedal keeps things simple with three knobs1:
| Control | What it does |
|---|---|
| Gain | Adjusts gain from clean boost through mild, chunky overdrive to almost a fuzz pedal |
| Tone | Adjusts tone; the review's example settings put Gain around 9:00 and Tone at about noon |
| Volume | Sets output level; cranking it with the other controls backed off can push the amp harder |
How it behaves
Because the gain range is so wide, the Tone Smuggler can sit on a board as more than one kind of pedal. At low Gain settings, Pedal of the Day's reviewer found it worked as a cleanish boost: "it made the tones jump up a few notches and really sparkle, as a good boost should"1. Turned up, it moves into thick overdrive territory. The circuit is also "sensitive to pick attack and volume control settings," so rolling back the guitar's volume knob cleans it up the way a tube amp does1.
The reviewer's overall impression was that it "sounds like an extension of your current guitar and amp rig"1, built into what he called "this small, well-built, tank-like enclosure"1.
Power and build
The Tone Smuggler runs on a 9V battery or a standard negative center 2.1mm power supply, so it works with a typical pedalboard power brick1.
At the time of the 2014 review, Greer Amps built pedals to order: "Pedals are currently built to order, and ship within 1-2 weeks of the order being placed, and funds entering our account"1. The pedal also carries a lifetime warranty to the original owner1.
Where it sits in the Greer range
Greer Amps makes several overdrives with different gain characters. The Greer Amps Lightspeed Organic Overdrive is the company's lower-gain, boost-leaning pedal, while the Southland Harmonic Overdrive, Relic Drive and Supa Cobra cover other overdrive flavors. The Tone Smuggler's near-fuzz top end gives it more gain on tap than a straight boost or light overdrive. For a broader look at the category, see the site's guide to Overdrive Pedals1.
Videos
Curtis Kent
Peter Stroud
gearmanndude
Questions
Is the Greer Tone Smuggler true bypass?
Yes. Pedal of the Day's review lists the Tone Smuggler as true bypass, so when the pedal is off, your guitar's signal passes through without the circuit loading it. That matters if you run several pedals and want to keep your clean tone intact when the Tone Smuggler is switched out.
What circuit is inside the Greer Tone Smuggler?
The Tone Smuggler uses two stages of Class A JFET gain, according to Pedal of the Day's review. JFET stages are often used to imitate the way a tube amp's front end responds, which lines up with the pedal's range from clean boost to near-fuzz overdrive and its sensitivity to pick attack and guitar volume settings.
How long does a Greer Tone Smuggler take to ship?
At the time of the 2014 Pedal of the Day review, Greer Amps built pedals to order and shipped them within 1 to 2 weeks of the order being placed and funds entering the company's account. Check with Greer Amps directly for current build times.
Does the Greer Tone Smuggler have a warranty?
Pedal of the Day's review lists a lifetime warranty to the original owner for the Tone Smuggler. As with any warranty, the terms are the maker's, so confirm the details with Greer Amps if you buy the pedal secondhand, since the coverage applies to the original owner.
Sources (2)
- Greer Amps Tone Smuggler Overdrive, Pedal of the Day, 2014-09-15
- Greer Amps Tone Smuggler Overdrive, Pedal of the Day, 2014-09-14
