The Mad Professor Supreme is a dual overdrive pedal from Mad Professor, the Finnish maker whose stompbox line-up MusicRadar described as acclaimed as far back as its 2014 coverage of the Simble1. Announced in 2019, the Supreme is effectively two pedals in one: two overdrive channels, A and B, that you can switch between with a single press of the A/B footswitch, or stack for more gain23.
What sets the Supreme apart from most two-in-one drives is how it was developed. Mad Professor engineered it in collaboration with Matt Schofield, the blues guitarist the company calls "a world famous tone connoisseur"3. The two channels were voiced around Schofield's playing: the A side for the neck pickup, the B side for the bridge3.
Two overdrives in one pedal
At the heart of the pedal are two overdrive channels, A and B, each with its own controls and its own circuit4. Gearnews called it the latest "twin boutique" overdrive to hit the market, and noted that the two-in-one format gives it a lot of potential for use with single-channel valve amps, since it effectively adds a second drive voice to an amp that has only one6.
The two channels are not two copies of the same circuit. They are voiced differently, gain-staged differently, and aimed at different pickups643:
| Channel | Circuit | Voicing | Pickup |
|---|---|---|---|
| A | Heavily based on the Royal Blue Overdrive36 | All-around boost to low gain drive3 | Mostly neck pickup3 |
| B | Completely new design3 | Fat, dynamic tone with "power amp" response and a lot of headroom3 | Mostly bridge pickup3 |
Gearnews described the split in practical terms: A is the circuit with less gain, while B has more bite, which makes the B side better suited to the bridge pickup6.
The controls
Each channel carries its own set of knobs. Guitar World reported that both sides of the Supreme have volume, drive, bass and treble controls7, and Delicious Audio listed the same four controls per channel: Volume, Gain, Bass and Treble2. guitar.com described the EQ sections as independent three-band EQs that sculpt each channel4.
| Control | What it does |
|---|---|
| Volume | Sets the output level of that channel27 |
| Gain / Drive | Sets the amount of overdrive on that channel27 |
| Bass | Low end shaping, per channel27 |
| Treble | High end shaping, per channel27 |
Mad Professor's own press release, carried by Premier Guitar, emphasized the EQ: "Both sides have very versatile EQ sections containing both treble and bass controls for the best results."3
Stacked and either/or modes
A center toggle switch chooses between stacked and either/or modes6. In either/or mode, the A/B footswitch toggles between the two channels with a single press75. In independent mode, both drives can be stacked on top of each other, which Mad Professor recommends when more gain and compression are needed37.
The company describes the result of stacking in its press release:
"Stacking the drives will lead you into another huge variety of more compressed and driven tones"2
guitar.com summarized the same idea, noting that stacking unlocks a new box of drive tones along with "more gain and compression," according to the brand4. For a player, the practical difference is straightforward: either/or mode gives you two switchable voices, while stacked mode chains the lower gain A side into the B side for sustain and compression that neither channel reaches alone.
What reviewers said
Press coverage around the launch was largely descriptive, since the pedal was announced rather than reviewed. MusicRadar reported that the company deemed the Supreme "the ultimate guitar overdrive pedal"5, a maker's claim rather than a reviewer's verdict.
Gearnews offered the most substantive press assessment, pointing to the pedal's potential with single-channel valve amps and suggesting it could attract players looking for an extra drive channel6. The same article gave the Royal Blue Overdrive as a reference point for the A side, useful for anyone who already knows that pedal6.
Mad Professor's own announcement, published through Premier Guitar, framed the collaboration directly:
"Supreme was born in collaboration with the world famous tone connoisseur Matt Schofield"3
The press release also stated the pedal would be available to everyone that summer3. guitar.com reported availability from late June 2019 at EUR 2794, while MusicRadar pointed to July 201934; the two dates were never reconciled.
Where it sits in the Mad Professor line
The Supreme's A side gives it a direct family link to the Royal Blue Overdrive, and its dual-channel format places it alongside other multi-voice Mad Professor drives such as the Twimble and the Super Black, which pairs overdrive and boost sections. Players comparing low gain options can also look at the Sweet Honey Overdrive and the Little Green Wonder elsewhere in the range326.
Videos
That Pedal Show
Mad Professor Amplification
Mad Professor Amplification
Questions
Who did Mad Professor design the Supreme with?
Mad Professor engineered the Supreme in collaboration with Matt Schofield, the blues guitarist the company describes as a world famous tone connoisseur. The two channels were voiced around how Schofield uses his pickups, with the A side set mostly for the neck pickup and the B side mostly for the bridge pickup.
Can you stack both channels on the Mad Professor Supreme?
Yes. A center toggle switch routes the two channels either in parallel, as an either/or A/B setup, or stacked on top of each other. Mad Professor says stacking the drives opens up more compressed and driven tones, useful when you need more gain and sustain than either channel alone provides.
Is the Mad Professor Supreme based on the Royal Blue Overdrive?
Partly. The A side is heavily based on Mad Professor's low gain Royal Blue Overdrive, which makes it work as a boost or low gain drive. The B side is a completely new design, voiced for a fat, dynamic tone with a power amp-like response and plenty of headroom.
Which pickup is each side of the Mad Professor Supreme voiced for?
The A side, the lower gain circuit borrowed from the Royal Blue Overdrive, is used mostly on the neck pickup. The B side, the new higher gain design with more bite, is used mostly on the bridge pickup.
Sources (7)
- NAMM 2014: Mad Professor unveils The Simble overdrive, MusicRadar, 2014-01-21
- Mad Professor Supreme Dual Overdrive, Delicious Audio, 2020-06-03
- Mad Professor Unveil Supreme Overdrive, Premier Guitar, 2019-07-01
- Mad Professor aims for Supreme tone with new overdrive pedal, guitar.com, 2019-05-06
- Mad Professor hopes to reign Supreme with new Matt Schofield-designed overdrive pedal, MusicRadar, 2019-05-03
- Mad Professor Supreme, a dual overdrive pedal designed with Matt Schofield, gearnews.com, 2019-05-07
- Mad Professor Unveils New Supreme Dual-Channel Overdrive, Guitar World, 2019-05-06
Matt Schofield
