The Siren Pedals Juneau is an overdrive pedal from Nashville's Siren Pedals, built as the company's reinterpretation of the classic Marshall Bluesbreaker circuit1. It launched in mid-2020 alongside the Eligos, a heavy metal distortion pedal, as one of the company's first two releases2. Guitar.com reported both pedals priced at $199 through Siren Pedals' website as of 30 June 20203.
What it is and what it does
The Juneau belongs to the Bluesbreaker family of overdrives: low-gain, touch-sensitive boost-and-drive pedals that trace back to Marshall. Delicious Audio's Paolo De Gregorio described it as a pedal that "provides all of the sonic goodness of the much admired and missed Marshall Bluesbreaker Stompboxes," and summed up its range with the line "It purrs like a kitten and roars like a beast"1. As with any overdrive of this type, the idea is a transparent-ish layer of grit that responds to how hard you pick, rather than the heavier clipping of a distortion pedal.
Guitar.com noted that the pedal "adapts the analogue circuitry of Marshall's BluesBreaker circuit," with top-mounted jacks and true bypass switching3. Top-mounted jacks are a practical detail for pedalboard players: cables exit over the top of the pedal instead of the sides, which keeps boards compact.
The controls
The Juneau keeps things simple, with four knobs3:
| Control | What it does |
|---|---|
| Volume | Sets the pedal's output level |
| Gain | Sets the amount of overdrive |
| Tone | Shapes the treble character |
| Presence | A second voicing control alongside Tone1 |
The Tone and Presence knobs working together are the distinguishing feature of the control layout, giving two separate ways to shape the top end1.
History: from the Marshall Bluesbreaker
The circuit the Juneau draws on has a long history. Marshall created one of the most legendary overdrive sounds in the 1960s and later launched it as an effect pedal, the Bluesbreaker, before discontinuing it5. Marshall's own product page for the Bluesbreaker Vintage Reissue Pedal dates the original to 1992 and describes it as a coveted collector's item since then, hand-assembled in the company's Bletchley factory on a steel chassis, designed and made in the UK6.
That scarcity is part of why Bluesbreaker-style pedals from smaller makers exist at all. gearnews.com's Jef, covering the Juneau's launch, put the value case plainly4:
"If it gets anywhere near the old Marshall, then it's a steal at this price point, considering what those original pedals"4
The Bluesbreaker circuit traces back to the low-gain overdrive sound Marshall created in the 1960s, which the company later launched as an effect pedal before discontinuing it5. Siren Pedals has built on that formula with the Siren Pedals Juneau, which the maker says "provides all of the sonic goodness of the much admired and missed Marshall Bluesbreaker Stompboxes"7.
The Juneau was one of Siren Pedals' first two pedals, released in 2020 alongside the Eligos distortion2. The 9V power supply is sold separately, so plan on providing your own adapter if you do not want to run a battery1.
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Questions
Is the Siren Juneau a Bluesbreaker clone?
It is closer to a reinterpretation than a straight clone. Siren Pedals describes the Juneau as its own interpretation of the classic Marshall Blues Breaker circuit, and Guitar.com notes that the pedal adapts the analog circuitry of Marshall's BluesBreaker design. The original pedal dates back to 1992, and the Juneau aims to capture the same low-gain overdrive character in a modern, hand-made pedal.
Is the Siren Pedals Juneau true bypass?
Yes. Guitar.com reports that the Juneau uses true bypass switching, along with top-mounted jacks. Top-mounted jacks are worth noting for pedalboard players: they let patch cables run over the top of the pedal rather than out the sides, which saves space on tight boards.
Does the Siren Juneau take a battery?
Yes. According to Delicious Audio, the Juneau runs on a 9V battery or a 9V power supply, with the power supply sold separately. If you plan to run it on a pedalboard power supply rather than a battery, you will need to supply your own 9V adapter.
Where is the Siren Juneau made?
The Juneau is hand-made in the USA. Siren Pedals is based in Nashville, Tennessee, and the company launched the Juneau alongside its Eligos distortion pedal in mid-2020. Both pedals from that first release were hand-made in the USA according to gearnews.com.
Sources (7)
- Siren Pedals Juneau Blues Breaker-Style Overdrive, Delicious Audio, 2020-08-24
- Siren Pedals Introduces Two New Pedals, Premier Guitar, 2020-06-26
- Siren Pedals launch the Eligos and Juneau drive pedals, Guitar.com, 2020-06-30
- Siren Pedals takes on the classic Boss HM-2 & BluesBreaker pedals, gearnews.com, 2020-06-30
- SolidGold FX Commodore Overdrive: A BluesBreaker on steroids?, gearnews.com, 2022-03-15
- The Bluesbreaker pedal offers smooth tones and full character, Marshall (www.marshall.com)
- Siren Pedals Etana Overdrive (Lindsay Ell Signature), Delicious Audio, 2022-04-26
