The Bunker is a distortion/overdrive pedal from British maker ThorpyFX, described by Delicious Audio as "a 'brown sound' Marshall style overdrive, that can be pushed into distortion, in a stout, board friendly size"1. ThorpyFX says it is smaller, louder and more tonally flexible than the original it follows, with that flexibility coming from a Texture control that lets you choose whichever type of drive sound you want2. It launched at Winter NAMM 20203.
The pedal launched at Winter NAMM in January 2020 alongside the ThorpyFX Field Marshal3. Guitar World's reviewer, Trevor Curwen, describes it as a stack-in-a-box overdrive with depth, dynamics and cut, noting the prototype was voiced using a Tele and a Hiwatt amp while aiming for a Jumpin' Jack Flash guitar tone4.
A Marshall-style brown sound overdrive
Gearnews describes the Bunker as "a Marshall-type overdrive at its core, but far more complicated than a regular overdrive pedal," calling it an inter-modulation distortion pedal that can produce complex harmonics or simply drive itself into overdrive3. The extra complexity comes from the Texture control, a feedback loop that produces intermodulation distortion and adds harmonics and complexity to the sound4.
ThorpyFX says the Texture control provides tonal flexibility ranging from the original Brown Source style of drive through to thicker, more harmonically rich drive2. Delicious Audio added the pedal to its list of Best Marshall-Style Overdrives1.
The enclosure is a laser cut black anodised aluminum box wrapped in a metallic brown base, a visual nod to the pedal's namesake and its brown sound heritage21.
The controls
The Bunker has four knobs and a toggle, plus two footswitches.
| Control | What it does |
|---|---|
| Volume | Sets the output level2 |
| Drive | Sets the amount of gain, from overdrive into distortion21 |
| Tone | Shapes the overall brightness through the tone stack2 |
| Texture | A feedback loop producing intermodulation distortion; adds harmonics and complexity4 |
| Mode toggle | Three-way switch that changes tonal character when the Texture control is set high2 |
Guitar World notes the three-way Mode selector is a reworked version of the Brown Source's four-way tone switch4.
The Sauce footswitch
The two footswitches are Bypass, for on/off, and Sauce, which engages a tone stack bypass24. Guitar Pedal X explains what that means in practice:
"the right 'Sauce' one is actually a tone-stack bypass - which really acts as a boost as in disabling the tone stack you get a pretty significant boost to Drive and Volume"5
Guitar World's reviewer found that with the tone stack bypassed the sound becomes brighter and more gain-y when the Texture control is set between nine o'clock and minimum4.
How it differs from the Lovetone Brown Source
The Bunker is a reimagining of the Lovetone Brown Source rather than a straight reissue. ThorpyFX and the press agree on what changed12:
- It is smaller and louder than the original21
- It adds a Texture control the original did not have, moving from a fixed character to a variable one21
- A three-way Mode toggle allows further tonal sculpting1
- The second footswitch bypasses the tone stack, something the original did not offer1
For players chasing the original's character, Guitar World states that with the Texture knob set around four o'clock, the pedal is roughly in line with the fixed position of the original incarnation4. ThorpyFX frames the whole design as "smaller, louder and more tonally flexible" than the Brown Source2.
Power and practicalities
The Bunker runs on 9-volt operation with a standard DC input2, specifically a 2.1mm barrel with center negative polarity, and the adaptor is not supplied4. That means a standard 9V pedal power supply with a center negative output, the same format used by most modern pedals, will power it. Connections are standard input and output jacks4.
No power supply is included with The Bunker. You will need a 9V DC adaptor with a 2.1mm center negative barrel plug4.
Price
ThorpyFX lists the Bunker at £209.99 in the UK as of October 20262. Guitar Pedal X gave the price as £190 as of 13 July 20265.
Videos
Andertons Music Co
AndyDemos
Eirik Stordrange
Questions
What is the difference between the ThorpyFX Bunker and the Lovetone Brown Source?
The Bunker is ThorpyFX's MKII version of the Lovetone Brown Source, designed in collaboration with Dan Coggins, the original Lovetone designer. It is smaller and louder than the original, and adds a Texture control for tonal flexibility the Brown Source did not have, along with a three-way Mode toggle and a tone stack bypass footswitch.
What does the Sauce footswitch do on The Bunker?
The Sauce footswitch bypasses the pedal's tone stack. Because disabling the tone stack removes its filtering, the effect works like a boost, giving a significant increase in Drive and Volume and more Texture. Guitar World's reviewer found it makes the sound brighter and more gain-y with the Texture control set between nine o'clock and minimum.
Where should I set the Texture knob to sound like the Brown Source?
Guitar World's review states that with the Texture knob set around four o'clock, the pedal is roughly in line with the fixed position of the original Brown Source. Turning Texture down from there moves toward the original's character, while turning it up adds harmonics and complexity through a feedback loop producing intermodulation distortion.
Does the ThorpyFX Bunker come with a power supply?
No. It runs on 9V DC through a standard 2.1mm barrel input with centre negative polarity, and Guitar World's review notes the adaptor is not supplied. You will need a standard 9V pedal power supply to run it.
Who designed the ThorpyFX Bunker?
The Bunker was designed by ThorpyFX in collaboration with Dan Coggins, the original Lovetone pedal designer who created the Brown Source. It launched at Winter NAMM in January 2020 alongside the ThorpyFX Field Marshal.
Sources (5)
- ThorpyFX The Bunker Distortion/Overdrive, Delicious Audio, 2022-04-01
- BUNKER | Plexi Overdrive, ThorpyFX
- NAMM 2020: ThorpyFX Field Marshal & Bunker pedals, gearnews.com, 2020-01-19
- ThorpyFX The Bunker review, Guitar World, 2020-08-04
- Guitar Pedal X, Guitar Pedal X, 2020-05-19
