The NUX Fireman is a dual-channel distortion pedal from NUX, which the maker describes as a "Dual Channel Brown Sound Distortion" and a "Modern Brown Sound in a box"1. It gives you two independent gain and volume settings, one for rhythm and one for lead, so you can set a lower-gain rhythm sound and a hotter solo sound and move between them with a footswitch instead of rolling your guitar's volume knob.
The pedal is based on a famous distortion pedal by a legendary amplifier builder: NUX's own page says so directly1, and Delicious Audio describes the Fireman as "quite explicitly inspired by the Friedman BE-OD Deluxe"2. Pedal of the Day's review of the NDS-5 Fireman Distortion puts it the same way: "The Fireman Distortion is based on the legendary amplifier builder's famous distortion pedal"3. For context, Friedman itself says the BE-OD Deluxe "employs the exact same circuit as the original BE-OD"4.
What it does: a dual-channel Brown Sound distortion
The Fireman is built around two channels, each with its own gain and volume knobs, which NUX describes as "2 independent GAIN, VOLUME knobs for rhythm/solo application"1. Pedal of the Day frames the same idea from a player's angle: "With 2 channels for rhythm and lead switching, plus a wide-ranging control section, this powerful little beast" covers both jobs in one box3. The 1/2 footswitch on the pedal chooses which channel is active1.
On top of the per-channel controls, the pedal has a set of master tone controls shared by both channels3:
| Control | What it does |
|---|---|
| GAIN 2 | Adjusts the distortion range of the sound while in Channel 21 |
| BASS | Adjusts the low-end response of the distortion sound1 |
| PRESENCE | Adjusts the ultra-high-end frequency of the distortion sound1 |
| TIGHT | Shapes the low frequency content; turn it down to tighten the sound1 |
Pedal of the Day's review notes the same master section, calling Tight "a master control shaping the low frequency content" alongside master Bass, Treble and Presence controls3. The TIGHT control is the one players coming from amp-style distortions will recognize: it trims low-frequency content so high-gain settings stay focused rather than flubby1.
The sound NUX is aiming at is what the maker calls a Modern Brown Sound, and Pedal of the Day's reviewer heard it as amp-like: "It's a very amp-like distortion pedal with Modern Brown Sound"3. Delicious Audio's coverage adds that YouTubers covering the pedal at the time broadly agreed on how it lands:
"YouTubers seem to agree the NUX Fireman does a good job in producing that Plexi boutique am sound"2
Delicious Audio also noted the price at the time of its coverage: "at just over $100, it seems like a great deal for anyone with a low budget" (June 2021)2.
Power and connections: 9V with an 18V mode
The Fireman connects with 9V negative-tip power using a 100mA adaptor1. NUX also gives the pedal an 18V/9V toggle switch, and the 18V position doubles the working voltage inside to give wider dynamic range1.
Inside the pedal, an 18V/9V toggle switch changes the internal operating voltage. As NUX explains it, "The 18V position doubles the working voltage inside to give you wider dynamic range"1. The power connection itself stays at 9V; the toggle is an internal voltage doubling feature, not a second supply requirement.
The jacks and switching connections are:
- INPUT: connects with your guitar or the signal from the guitar side1
- OUTPUT: connects with the amplifier or to the amp side1
- EXT. SW: connects with TRS dual footswitches to replace the 2 footswitch functions on the pedal1
- ON footswitch: engages or disengages the distortion sound1
- 1/2 footswitch: chooses the current channel, 1 or 21
The bypass is switchable. A BF/TB toggle selects between the two modes: "BF means Buffer-bypass, TB means True-bypass"1. Delicious Audio's coverage highlights the same feature, describing "a True-bypass / Buffer-bypass toggle switch"2. That choice matters on a long pedalboard: true bypass keeps the pedal out of the signal path entirely when off, while buffer bypass keeps a buffer in the chain, which can help drive long cable runs.
Switching channels from elsewhere in the rig
The EXT. SW jack is the Fireman's remote-control option. NUX says it "Connects with TRS dual footswitches to replace the 2 foot-switches function on the pedal"1, meaning one TRS dual footswitch can handle both channel selection and on/off switching. Pedal of the Day's review points out why a player would want this:
"There's even an external switch jack you can use to control the 2 footswitches from anywhere you need"3
Pedal of the Day, 27 July 20233
For anyone running the Fireman in a loop switcher or with pedals spread across a large stage setup, that jack means you do not have to reach the pedal itself to change channels31.
Where it came from
The Fireman sits in NUX's line of amp-style distortion pedals alongside models like the NUX Plexi Crunch and NUX Brownie. Its lineage runs through the Friedman BE-OD, a pedal that became well documented in the DIY community: DIY Fever's technical analysis notes that "the good people at FreeStompboxes.org forum managed to reverse engineer it"5, and the Guitar FX Layouts blog carried an updated layout of the circuit as of December 20176. Friedman's later BE-OD Deluxe uses the same circuit as the original4, and it is that Deluxe version Delicious Audio names as the Fireman's explicit inspiration2.
Videos
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Questions
Is the NUX Fireman based on the Friedman BE-OD?
Yes. NUX's own product page says the Fireman is based on a legendary amplifier builder's famous distortion pedal, and Delicious Audio describes it as quite explicitly inspired by the Friedman BE-OD Deluxe. Pedal of the Day likewise calls it based on that famous distortion pedal from the legendary amp builder.
Is the NUX Fireman true bypass?
It can be. A BF/TB toggle switch on the pedal selects between true bypass and buffer bypass, so you can set it either way. TB means true bypass and BF means buffer bypass, which is useful if you want a buffer in your chain when the pedal is off.
Can you switch Fireman channels with an external footswitch?
Yes. The EXT. SW jack connects with TRS dual footswitches to replace the two footswitches on the pedal, so an external dual footswitch can handle both channel selection and engaging or disengaging the distortion from elsewhere in your rig.
What power supply does the NUX Fireman need?
It runs on 9V DC with a negative tip, using a 100mA adaptor. An internal 18V/9V toggle lets you double the working voltage inside the pedal for wider dynamic range, but the power connection itself is 9V negative tip.
Sources (6)
- Fireman - NUX Audio, NUX Audio, 2025-10-09
- Nux Fireman Plexi-Style Distortion, Delicious Audio, 2021-06-10
- NUX NDS-5 Fireman Distortion, Pedal of the Day, 2023-07-27
- BE-OD DELUXE, Friedman Amplification, 2026-06-01
- Effects > Friedman BE-OD : DIY Fever, DIY Fever (diy-fever.com)
- Guitar FX Layouts: Friedman BE-OD, Guitar FX Layouts (tagboardeffects.blogspot.com), 2017-12-09
