The Lovetone Brown Source is an overdrive pedal first released in 1995 by Lovetone, the British pedal maker. It was intended to capture the "brown sound" guitar tones of the 1960s and 70s, and it uses diode clipping as its core distortion mechanism. RockBoard's Pedalpedia classifies it as an overdrive and marks it as rare, so original examples do not turn up often12.
What it does and how it works
At its heart, the Brown Source is a diode-clipping overdrive. Aion FX describes the topology plainly: "At first glance it's a fairly simple diode clipper, but as usual it has a generous dose of Lovetone's secret sauce for tone-shaping"2. In other words, the clipping stage itself is conventional, and the character of the pedal comes from the tone-shaping circuitry Lovetone built around it.
The pedal's stated purpose is tonal rather than technical. Aion FX writes that "The Brown Source was intended to capture the 'brown sound' guitar tone tones from the 1960s and 70s"2, the overdriven amp sound associated with that era.
Controls
JHS Pedals, in its history of Lovetone, describes the control layout:
"it has drive (high and low, like a tone control), a tone click switch, and a volume control."
That gives the player three main controls: a drive control with high and low character, a tone switch with a click position, and a master volume4.
The Cheese Source connection
The Brown Source circuit did not stay confined to its own enclosure. It forms the second half of the Cheese Source, a dual pedal Lovetone released in 1999 that paired the Big Cheese fuzz with the Brown Source circuit2. Players who know the Big Cheese fuzz side of Lovetone's range will find the same designer's work in the Brown Source's overdrive half.
Rarity and finding one
RockBoard marks the Brown Source as rare1. JHS Pedals offers a practical note for players hunting one:
"these are actually pretty affordable when they pop up at online auctions"
So while original units are scarce, JHS Pedals' view is that the Brown Source and its siblings are relatively affordable when they do appear at auction, and that they make a reasonable entry point into owning a Lovetone pedal4.
Clones and tributes
The Brown Source circuit has been revisited by other makers. Aion FX sells a related project PCB for building the circuit, listed at $12.50 as of 9 October 20265. The wider Lovetone lineage has also drawn recreations: gearnews.com, covering the Lovetone designs, refers to "the classic Dan Coggins Lovetone models from more than 20 years ago"3, and other makers have built pedals around Lovetone's Big Cheese and Cheese Source circuits in recent years.
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Questions
Who designed the Lovetone Brown Source?
The Brown Source is one of the classic Lovetone models designed by Dan Coggins. Gearnews, reporting on the Lovetone lineage, refers to "the classic Dan Coggins Lovetone models from more than 20 years ago," placing the Brown Source among the pedals Coggins designed during the company's original run.
What is the Lovetone Cheese Source?
The Cheese Source is a dual pedal Lovetone released in 1999. The Brown Source circuit forms its second half, paired with the Big Cheese fuzz circuit. Aion FX describes the Brown Source as the pedal "which also forms the second half of the Cheese Source dual pedal that came later in 1999."
Is the Lovetone Brown Source rare?
Yes. RockBoard's Pedalpedia entry marks the Brown Source as rare. JHS Pedals notes that the Lovetone pedals are "actually pretty affordable when they pop up at online auctions," and calls them a solid gateway into owning a Lovetone, so examples do surface from time to time.
What is the brown sound?
The brown sound is a guitar tone associated with the 1960s and 70s. Aion FX writes that the Brown Source "was intended to capture the 'brown sound' guitar tone tones from the 1960s and 70s," making that era of overdriven amp tone the pedal's design target.
What kind of clipping does the Brown Source use?
The Brown Source uses diode clipping. Aion FX describes the circuit as "a fairly simple diode clipper" at first glance, but one that carries "a generous dose of Lovetone's secret sauce for tone-shaping," meaning the tone-shaping around the clipper is where the design departs from a basic circuit.
Sources (5)
- Big Cheese by Lovetone, RockBoard (www.rockboard.de), 2026
- Obelisk Vintage Drive / Lovetone Brown Source, Aion FX, 2021-07-02
- NAMM 2020: ThorpyFX Field Marshal & Bunker pedals, gearnews.com, 2020-01-19
- THE LEGEND OF LOVETONE, JHS Pedals
- Monolith Silicon Fuzz / Lovetone Big Cheese, Aion FX, 2021-07-02
