Rockett Pedals Blue Note Select

The Rockett Pedals Blue Note Select is a low-gain overdrive pedal, and in the maker's own words a "V2" of the Blue Note circuit the company has been building for years¹. It sits in the same family as the J. Rockett Blue Note, the J. Rockett Audio Designs Blue Note Overdrive and the compact J. Rockett Blue Note Tour Series Overdrive, but it combines features that were previously split across two versions: the Hot switch from the larger Pro Series pedal, and the small enclosure of the Tour Series².

The core idea, as Rockett puts it, is that "you have two gain structures giving a wide array of drive so you can vary" your sound from one pedal¹. Guitar World's Trevor Curwen describes it as a "low-to-medium gain overdrive pedal with toggle-switched Standard and Fat modes"³. Rockett says the biggest change over earlier Blue Notes is the low end, improved both in and out of hot mode¹.

What it does to your sound

The Blue Note Select is built for the low-gain end of the drive spectrum. Rockett calls it possibly "our best overall low gain drive," with the low end described as "by far the biggest improvement" over what came before, both with and without the hot mode engaged¹. Delicious Audio's Paolo De Gregorio reported the same framing at the pedal's announcement in August 2024: a V2 with "major improvements to the looks, the sound and the overall feel, all in a very small package"².

The maker also suggests a concrete use for that low-end control: "We use the Blue Note Select to really push a Marshall Plexi because you can really tweak your bottom end to match"¹.

Guitar World's review placed the pedal in practical terms. In Curwen's verdict, "it's an excellent overdrive that may find its best use as the sole dirt pedal in front of an amp that's starting to cook," or as "a vital component in multiple-pedal gain staging," and he suggested it "may be ideal for blues players overall"³.

The controls and the Hot switch

The control set is straightforward, with the Hot switch as the feature that separates this pedal from the Tour Series version that preceded it¹³².

The Hot switch is a toggle rather than a footswitch. Delicious Audio describes it as a control that "slightly boosts the gain for a more aggressive tone"². It is not a new idea in the line: the original Blue Note Pro Series included it, and Pedal of the Day's 2015 review of that pedal noted that "engaging this switch adds a nice bit of gain and a volume boost"⁴. The Tour Series dropped it, and Guitar World notes that with the Select, "that Hot switch has been reinstated in another nicely compact offering that's had a complete makeover" in both looks and circuitry³.

Rockett also says the internal clipping can be pushed hard: "you can get the internal clipping pretty hot as well"¹. Visually, the pedal carries custom knobs and a custom electric blue finish mixed for the model¹.

History and versions: the Blue Note circuit

The Blue Note line goes back years. Pedal of the Day reviewed the original J. Rockett Audio Designs Blue Note Overdrive in February 2015, calling it "a Nashville staple as are most pedals built by J. Rockett Audio Designs"⁴. Delicious Audio notes the circuit is "considered by many as the company's take on the Blues Breaker circuit, although the company has been challenging that assumption"².

The version history, as Rockett tells it:

• Blue Note Pro Series: the first version, and the one that included the Hot switch¹
• Tour Series Blue Note: introduced as a small, compact version of the current production Blue Note, without the Hot switch⁵⁶
• Blue Note Select: the V2, combining the Hot switch with a redesigned circuit and enclosure¹²

The Tour Series arrived in 2016. Premier Guitar's press release described it with volume, gain, tone and fat knobs and I/O jacks at the head of the pedal⁷. MusicRadar's Michael Astley-Brown called it "a compact version of the Pro Series Blue Note (minus that pedal's Hot Switch)," offering "subtle, dynamic overdrive that sits on the edge of break-up," with Speed Switch true bypass switching and 9V power supply operation⁶. Guitar.com's Richard Purvis reported J Rockett's own framing: "essentially the same pedal as its Pro Series Blue Note OD, except for the omission of the 'hot' switch"⁸.

Rockett says the Tour Series was "identical in sound to the original Blue Note," aimed at the jazz and blues world, in a rugged steel enclosure with the Speed Switch system, designed for the touring musician⁵.

How the Select differs from the Tour Series

The short answer: the Select is the newer, in-production pedal with the Hot switch back in place, while the Tour Series was the compact, Hot-switch-less version and is now retired³²⁵.

Both pedals share the same power spec and true bypass, so the practical difference for a player choosing between them comes down to the Hot switch, the revised low end, and availability. Tone Island's Adam Connell, writing about the Blue Note family, noted of the Tour and Pro versions that "both appear to still be in production but they're around the same price," and that the Blue Note is "on the quiet side, for example. But the tone is incredible"⁹.

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