The Jackson Audio Belle Starr is a low to mid gain overdrive pedal made by Jackson Audio and developed in collaboration with Drew Shirley of Switchfoot. Jackson Audio describes it as recreating "the smooth, dynamic breakup of a small low-wattage amplifier running at full voice," covering everything from transparent boost to expressive medium-gain overdrive1.
Controls
The Belle Starr keeps its panel to three knobs, each with a distinct job:
| Control | What it does |
|---|---|
| Gain | Moves smoothly from transparent boost through edge-of-breakup tones and into natural medium-gain overdrive1 |
| Tone | Passive high-frequency control voiced similarly to the Cut control on a Vox-style amplifier, with a center detent for flat1 |
| Body | Active low-frequency control providing up to 15dB of boost or cut, with a center detent for a flat setting1 |
| Volume | Sets the overall output level; pair low Gain with high Volume to use the pedal as a powerful boost with tone shaping1 |
The active Body EQ is the pedal's distinguishing feature. Because it is active rather than passive, it can cut low end as well as boost it, and the center detent makes it quick to return to flat between songs or when swapping guitars1.
Clipping and character
Rather than the silicon diodes used in many classic overdrive circuits, the Belle Starr clips with MOSFET transistors. Jackson Audio presents this as central to the pedal's amp-like breakup character, which it describes as running from transparent boost to expressive medium-gain overdrive1. For players comparing overdrives, that places it in the same low to mid gain territory as circuits covered on the Overdrive Pedals page, with the tone controls doing more of the shaping than on a one-knob design.
Power and practical notes
Jackson Audio lists the Belle Starr as a low / mid gain overdrive with MOSFET transistors in its clipping circuit instead of traditional silicon diodes1. The pedal ships new with a lead time of 3 to 4 weeks1.
Jackson Audio lists the pedal as new with a shipping lead time of 3 to 4 weeks, so it is not an off-the-shelf purchase at the time of writing1.
Videos
Jackson Audio
Jackson Audio
Shawn Tubbs
Sources (1)
- Belle Starr Overdrive, Jackson Audio
