The Keeley Blues Disorder is an analog overdrive and distortion pedal that puts two classic circuits in one box: a Marshall Bluesbreaker (the BB side) and a Fulltone OCD (the OC side). Two mini toggles let you run each circuit on its own, or mix the tone stack of one with the clipping character of the other, giving four distinct drive voices from a single pedal12.
It is part of Keeley Electronics' 4-in-1 Series, released in 2024 alongside the Angry Orange and Super Rodent, and it is entirely designed and manufactured by Keeley in a new aluminum enclosure13. On That Pedal Show, the hosts described it as one of the latest evolutions of the Bluesbreaker design4.
A Bluesbreaker and an OCD in one box
The BB and OC settings correspond to two landmark pedals. The BB side is a rendition of the '90s Marshall Bluesbreaker, a soft-clipping overdrive for classic blues tones; the OC side is a Fulltone OCD, a harder-clipping, fuller drive65. Guitar Pedal X describes the pedal as combining the tone stacks and drive clipping from the Marshall Bluesbreaker overdrive and the Fulltone OCD drive/distortion2.
Because the tone stack and the clipping stage are on separate toggles, you can play through a bluesy, Breaker-style overdrive, a fuller OCD-sounding circuit, or two hybrid drives that mix the EQ of one with the clipping of the other1. In Premier Guitar's demo, the OC position of the drive toggle gives "that OCD style hard clipping, much more full type" overdrive7.
The enclosure is a folded aluminum design rather than a standard box, which the That Pedal Show hosts said looks great8. The color accent and knobs are a fetching blue, otherwise identical in appearance to the previously reviewed Keeley Noble Screamer2.
The controls: Drive, Tone, Level and two toggles
The front panel is simple: three knobs and two mini toggles6.
| Control | What it does |
|---|---|
| Drive | Sets the amount of gain6 |
| Tone | Sets the EQ, shaped by whichever tone stack the toggle selects5 |
| Level | Sets the output volume5 |
| Tone Stack toggle | BB (high frequency filter EQ) or OC (active midrange boost and high frequency roll-off EQ)5 |
| Drive Character toggle | BB (soft clipping) or OC (hard clipping)5 |
The two tone stacks behave very differently. In BB mode the tone control is a high frequency filter, and Guitar World's reviewer found the BB setting offers a subtle midrange hump and preserves a solid chunk of the guitar's natural character9. In OC mode there is an active midrange boost, and the tone control then rolls off high frequency5; Guitar World describes this setting as significantly boosting mids and treble with a notable upper mid peak9.
On the drive side, BB is soft diode clipping for softly overdriven, tube-amp-like tones, while OC is hard diode clipping for an edgier, more aggressive tone5. Guitar World also found the OC drive setting clips the signal into mild compression and adds layers of harmonically rich shimmer with solid string attack definition9.
Four clipping and EQ combinations
The two toggles together give four combinations of EQ and clipping2:
| Tone stack | Clipping | Character |
|---|---|---|
| BB | BB | The classic Bluesbreaker voice: soft clipping, subtle midrange hump59 |
| OC | OC | The OCD voice: hard clipping, active midrange boost59 |
| BB | OC | OCD clipping through the Bluesbreaker EQ2 |
| OC | BB | Bluesbreaker clipping through the OCD tone stack2 |
Guitar Pedal X's reviewer called the OC + BB mode his favorite: "It gives the BluesBreaker a fatter sound with more edge - which marvellously ends up even better balanced than the OCD with its own tone stack"2. In the site's 2024 round-up of the best new boost and overdrive pedals, he wrote that the BluesBreaker with the OCD tone stack "really sounds superb", though the Noble Screamer was the series champion overall10.
Bypass and power
The pedal ships in buffered bypass mode. Pedal of the Day describes it as an amazing sounding buffer giving silent switching with no tone loss, and if you want true bypass instead, you press and hold the footswitch for two seconds; the LED flashes twice to confirm the change1. Guitar Player lists the footswitch as mechanical, with buffered bypass as the factory default or true bypass6.
Power comes from a regular 9V DC supply, center negative, 2.1 mm plug, drawing 27 mA5. There is no battery option.
The 27 mA draw and 9V DC center negative requirement mean the pedal runs fine on most pedalboard power supplies, but it cannot run on a battery.
What reviewers said
Reviewers across the press were positive. Guitar Player's Art Thompson called the pedal "a Swiss Army knife: You can do anything with it, and there's no wrong way to go with the switching"6. He also found the BB tones with both switches set upward so dynamic and touch responsive that you could probably cut a gig playing it direct into the PA, and noted that Keeley's rendition of the Bluesbreaker is quieter than the original, "offering a little bonus"6.
Guitar World's reviewer found the pedal provides a compelling combination of overdrive and light distortion tones9. On That Pedal Show, Mick Taylor said it ticks all the boxes for value for money, features and versatility, and that if you want a versatile machine that can do rock as well, "it's the blues disorder every day the week"8.
"The Blues Disorder is a Swiss Army knife: You can do anything with it, and there's no wrong way to go with the switching."
In a Vertex Effects interview, Robert Keeley said the Blues Disorder has done well in sales and is catching up to the Noble Screamer11.
That Pedal Show compared the Bluesbreaker and Boss Blues Driver circuits and demoed the Blues Disorder as a latest evolution of the Bluesbreaker design, running 1:08:304. Premier Guitar's demo walks through the pedal's two drive characters and the four combinations25.
Videos
Sweetwater
Premier Guitar
Questions
Is the Keeley Blues Disorder true bypass?
It can be. The pedal ships from the factory in buffered bypass mode, which Keeley describes as a high quality buffer giving silent switching with no tone loss. If you prefer true bypass, you can switch it over yourself in a couple of seconds.
How do you switch the Blues Disorder to true bypass?
Press and hold the footswitch for two seconds. The LED flashes twice to confirm the change, and the pedal toggles between its buffered bypass and true bypass modes. It ships in buffered mode, so the first hold switches it to true bypass.
What is the difference between the Blues Disorder and the Noble Screamer?
The two pedals look identical apart from the color accents and knobs, blue on the Blues Disorder. Inside, the Noble Screamer is built around Tube Screamer style circuits, while the Blues Disorder combines a Marshall Bluesbreaker with a Fulltone OCD. Sales of the Blues Disorder have been catching up to the Noble Screamer's.
Can the Keeley Blues Disorder run on a battery?
No. The pedal runs on a regular 9V DC power supply with a center negative 2.1 mm plug, drawing 27 mA. There is no battery option, so it needs a pedalboard power supply or a standalone 9V adapter.
Is the Keeley Blues Disorder analog?
Yes. Keeley describes it as a 100 percent analog circuit with an all analog signal path, and it is entirely designed and manufactured by Keeley Electronics in a new aluminum enclosure.
Sources (11)
- Keeley Electronics Super Rodent / Angry Orange / Blues Disorder, Pedal of the Day, 2024-03-12
- Guitar Pedal X, Guitar Pedal X, 2024-09-03
- Keeley 4-in-1: Blues Disorder, Angry Orange, & Super Rodent, gearnews.com, 2024-03-13
- Marshall Blues Breaker Or Boss Blues Driver? Plus Keeley Blues Disorder & Origin Halcyon Blue, That Pedal Show, 2024-10-18
- Guitar Pedal X, Guitar Pedal X, 2024-03-12
- “You could be excused for glazing over yet another batch of pedals trumpeting different flavors of grind, but these new boxes from Keeley have a cool twist...”: Keeley Electronics Super Rodent, Muse Driver, Blues Disorder and Angry Orange review, GuitarPlayer (www.guitarplayer.com), 2024-06-12
- Keeley 4-in-1 Pedal Series Demo of Blues Disorder, Angry Orange, Super Rodent & Noble Screamer, Premier Guitar, 2024-05-07
- Marshall Blues Breaker Or Boss Blues Driver? Plus Keeley Blues Disorder & Origin Halcyon Blue, That Pedal Show (YouTube), 2024-10-18
- Keeley Electronics Angry Orange, Blues Disorder and Super Rodent review, Guitar World, 2024-05-24
- Guitar Pedal X, Guitar Pedal X, 2024-12-16
- The Evolution of Keeley Electronics with Robert Keeley, vertexeffects.com, 2024-11-05
