The Mr. Black BB-74x is an overdrive pedal from Mr. Black Pedals, designed as an original Jack Deville circuit1. Its stated subject is a specific amplifier rather than a generic drive tone: Mr. Black describes it as a "Responsive circuit emulating the classic British 18W combo amp", and Pedal of the Day's review states plainly that "The BB-74x is based on the Marshall 1974x 18W amp"12. The maker's pitch is that the pedal is "100% pure-analog organic overdrive"2.
What it does to your sound
Mr. Black's product page describes the pedal as capturing "All the juice, sag, response and harmonic magic of that legendary 18W EL-84 combo, captured and reformed into one damned sweet little overdrive pedal"2. In other words, the goal is the touch-sensitive compression and soft breakup of a small British combo pushed hard, in a box that sits on a pedalboard.
Pedal of the Day's reviewer came away favorably, writing that the pedal succeeds at "easily replicates the juice, sag, response and harmonic magic of that legendary amplifier", and summed up the experience as "conjuring up classic 60's amp tones with ease, and putting a big fat smile on our face"1.
"conjuring up classic 60's amp tones with ease, and putting a big fat smile on our face"
The controls: Volume, Tone, Master
The BB-74x keeps its face simple. Pedal of the Day describes "the simple control section of Volume, Tone and Master knobs", and credits that layout with "putting a wide range of tones" within reach without confusion1.
| Control | What it is |
|---|---|
| Volume | Output level knob1 |
| Tone | Tone shaping knob1 |
| Master | Master level knob, part of the three-knob control section1 |
The three-knob arrangement is the pedal's whole interface: no extra switches or secondary functions are described by either the maker or the reviewer12.
How it compares
The BB-74x sits in the broad family of overdrive pedals, but its reference point is different from the circuits most players know first. Where pedals in the Tube Screamer lineage take their character from a mid-focused soft-clipping design, the BB-74x is pitched as an amp-in-a-box take on the Marshall 1974x 18W combo12. Players comparing the two approaches will find the site's Boss SD-1 vs Ibanez TS9 Tube Screamer comparison covers the classic clipping-style overdrives in detail.
Videos
Everyday Guitarist
Pedal of the Day
Dabs of Goo
Questions
What amp is the Mr. Black BB-74x based on?
The BB-74x is based on the Marshall 1974x 18W amp, the classic British 18W EL-84 combo. Mr. Black describes the pedal as a responsive circuit emulating that amp, capturing what the maker calls the juice, sag, response and harmonic magic of the original combo and reforming it into an overdrive pedal.
Who designed the Mr. Black BB-74x Blues Breaker Overdrive?
The BB-74x is an original Jack Deville design, made by Mr. Black Pedals. Both the maker's product page and Pedal of the Day's review credit Jack Deville as the designer of the circuit.
What does the Master knob do on the BB-74x?
The Master is one of the pedal's three controls, alongside Volume and Tone. Pedal of the Day describes the control section as simple, with the three knobs giving a wide range of tones without confusion. The maker's page does not give a separate technical description of the Master control.
Is the BB-74x a Tube Screamer-type pedal?
No. The BB-74x is an overdrive pedal, but its stated inspiration is not the Tube Screamer circuit. It is built to emulate the Marshall 1974x 18W combo amp, a British EL-84 design, and Mr. Black describes it as 100% pure-analog organic overdrive. For a comparison of the more familiar Tube Screamer approach, see the site's overdrive pages.
Sources (2)
- Mr. Black Pedals BB-74x Blues Breaker Overdrive, Pedal of the Day, 2019-06-26
- BB-74x - Mr. Black, Mr. Black
