The RFO Electronics Tone Star Custom Overdrive/Boost Combo is a dual-effect pedal that puts two of the maker's circuits in one enclosure: an overdrive and a boost. Pedal of the Day called it "a dual workhorse," describing it as "smashing a wicked drive circuit into an enclosure with a powerful, tasty boost"1. For a player, it means one box can cover light push into a clean amp, a hotter drive voice, and a level lift, without giving up pedalboard space to two separate units.
Two circuits in one box
The Tone Star Custom contains RFO Electronics' El Mo Overdrive circuit, along with a fairly aggressive two-transistor boost circuit used in the company's Rocket Boost1. Both effect types are covered elsewhere on the site in more general terms at Overdrive Pedals and Boost Pedals.
Controls and the four modes
The pedal provides both treble and bass controls, as well as the normal gain and level controls1. That gives the overdrive side tone shaping beyond a single tone knob, which is useful when stacking the two circuits and the midrange starts to build.
The combination options work like this:
Pedal of the Day notes that "The Tone Star provides the user with four on the fly combination options. The effects are usable individually, or can be" stacked, and that "The use of a single effect can be swapped to the other with one switch"1. The review adds that "The silent switching makes for effortless and seamless tonal exploration"1, which matters when changing sounds mid-song.
Circuit design
The overdrive side uses asymmetric diode clipping and a four-stage op-amp1. Asymmetric diode clipping shapes the top and bottom halves of the waveform differently, an approach common to many overdrive designs, and the four-stage op-amp gives the circuit its gain structure.
What reviewers said
Pedal of the Day's review (September 25, 2021) is the published account of this pedal. On tone, it found that "it maintains a tight bass response and has a slightly scooped midrange. Think Blackface Fender tones, sounding like a 'dimed Super Reverb'"1. The same review praised the switching, calling it silent and seamless1.
Videos
Pedal of the Day
Questions
What circuits are inside the RFO Electronics Tone Star?
The Tone Star Custom contains two of RFO Electronics' own designs in one enclosure: the El Mo Overdrive circuit and a fairly aggressive two-transistor boost circuit used in the company's Rocket Boost. Each circuit can be used on its own, and the two can be stacked in either order, giving four combination options on the fly.
Can the Tone Star's overdrive and boost be used together?
Yes. Pedal of the Day notes that the pedal provides four on-the-fly combination options: the effects are usable individually, or can be stacked in either combination. A single effect can also be swapped to the other with one switch, and the silent switching makes for effortless and seamless tonal exploration.
Does the RFO Tone Star use diode clipping?
Yes. The overdrive side uses asymmetric diode clipping together with a four-stage op-amp, according to Pedal of the Day's review. Asymmetric clipping clips the signal differently on its positive and negative halves, which shapes the character of the drive.
How many modes does the RFO Tone Star have?
Four. The pedal gives the player four on-the-fly combination options: overdrive alone, boost alone, or the two stacked in either order. Switching between the single effects takes one switch.
What does the RFO Tone Star sound like?
Pedal of the Day describes a drive that maintains a tight bass response with a slightly scooped midrange, pointing to Blackface Fender tones and comparing it to a dimed Super Reverb. The boost side is described as powerful and tasty, and the overdrive circuit as wicked.
Sources (1)
- RFO Electronics Tone Star Custom Overdrive/Boost Combo, Pedal of the Day, 2021-09-25