The Tone City Black Tea is a mini distortion pedal that Tone City describes as delivering "that unmistakable cranked AC-30 sound that can really make your guitar sing"1. It is a compact three-knob design, and Delicious Audio's buying guide to Vox-style pedals describes it as "An affordable 3-knob clone of the Carl Martin AC tone"2. If you are after a British combo amp style crunch in a small enclosure, it sits alongside other Tone City distortions such as the Model M and Golden Plexi, and with other overdrive-flavored options in the wider field of distortion pedals and overdrive pedals.
The controls
The Black Tea keeps things simple with three knobs, and Tone City's product page explains what each one does1:
| Control | What it does |
|---|---|
| Gain | "a wide spectrum of grit, going from a mild overdrive to a big classic rock sound" |
| Tone | "the key ingredient, taking you from a smooth and rounded tone to a bright jangle with plenty of top-end definition and cut" |
| Volume | match the level of your unaffected signal for a seamless transition, or turn it up higher for contrasting dynamics |
The Gain control covers a wide range, so the pedal can work as a light overdrive at low settings and a classic rock voice with the knob higher. Tone City singles out the Tone control as the most important one on the pedal, since it shapes how bright or rounded the distortion sits in your sound1.
Power and noise
The Black Tea runs from a DC 9V adapter and draws 10 mA1. Tone City suggests its own TPS series of all-independent pedal power supplies as an example of what to use1.
Tone City specifies a DC 9V adapter for the Black Tea. The product page does not list a battery option, so plan to power it from an adapter or an isolated supply output on your pedalboard.
Inside, the pedal has what Tone City calls a "Built in charge pump device to get a wide dead room and very low noise"1. A charge pump raises the internal supply voltage, which Tone City ties to the pedal's low noise floor and its sense of space when the effect is engaged.
Impedances and switching
The Black Tea is a True Bypass pedal, so your signal runs straight through when it is off1. Tone City lists the input impedance as 500K and the output impedance as 10K1, figures worth knowing if you plan it into a longer chain of pedals.
Videos
Andertons Music Co
intheblues
Budget Pedal Demos
Questions
Is the Tone City Black Tea true bypass?
Yes. Tone City's product page for the Black Tea lists it as a True Bypass pedal, so when it is switched off your guitar's signal passes through without the pedal's circuit in the way.
Does the Tone City Black Tea take a battery?
Tone City specifies a DC 9V adapter as the power supply, such as the company's TPS series independent pedal power supply. No battery option is given on the product page, so plan to run it from a 9V adapter on your board.
What pedal is the Tone City Black Tea a clone of?
Delicious Audio's buying guide describes the Black Tea as an affordable three-knob clone of the Carl Martin AC Tone. Tone City itself markets the pedal as delivering a cranked AC30-style sound.
What power supply does the Black Tea need?
A DC 9V adapter. Tone City points to its own TPS series of all-independent pedal power supplies as an example. The pedal draws 10 mA.
What is the charge pump in the Black Tea for?
Tone City says the Black Tea has a built-in charge pump device to get a wide dead room and very low noise. In practice that means the internal supply helps keep the pedal quiet.
What are the input and output impedances of the Black Tea?
Tone City lists the input impedance as 500K and the output impedance as 10K.
Sources (2)
- BLACK TEA-Cranked AC30 Sound Distortion-TONE CITY ▏Analog Pedals & Power supplies, Tone City Audio, 2026
- The 20 Best Vox-Style Pedals & Vox-In-a-Box Overdrives In 2024, Delicious Audio, 2024-12-02
