The True North Tweed Drive is a two-mode overdrive pedal from True North Pedals, a boutique builder based in Saskatchewan, Canada, that specializes in custom and pre-made gain pedals. Each stompbox is covered in authentic tweed fabric, a look that matches the Fender Tweed style circuit inside1. Delicious Audio describes it as a very flexible two-mode overdrive with an amp-like dynamic response, sitting in the wider field of overdrive pedals1.
What it does: from clean boost to vintage tweed fuzz
Delicious Audio's Paolo De Gregorio describes the range this way: while it is not an amp in a box, the pedal is very amp-like in the way it responds to your guitar, going from a clean boost to a vintage tweed fuzz, with the fuzz cleaning up when you roll back the guitar volume1. At the extremes, it can be used as a clean boost or a vintage fuzz1. In a 2020 roundup of compact overdrives, Guitar Pedal X called it a Fender Tweed style pedal that "just sounds wonderfully rich and glorious"3.
Delicious Audio's 2024 buying guide sums it up as "A boutique tweed pedal made in Canada with a massive gain range, allowing for everything from clean boost to classic amp"2.
The diode switch
The pedal's two modes come from a diode switch. As De Gregorio describes it, the switch flips between the original diodes, which give a nice low to mid-gain drive, and a pair of LEDs which, when the drive is cranked, give what he calls a beautiful amp-like fuzz1.
| Switch position | Clipping components | Character |
|---|---|---|
| Original diodes | Silicon-style diodes as fitted | Low to mid-gain drive1 |
| LEDs | Pair of LEDs | Amp-like fuzz with drive cranked1 |
Price and versions
The Tweed Drive is listed at £149/$1594. There is also a Tweed Deluxe version of the pedal with an added boost circuit, costing $2892.
There is also a Tweed Deluxe version of the pedal with an added boost circuit, costing $2892. A comparable deluxe approach appears elsewhere in the tweed field: the Volta Black Tweed Plus is the deluxe, dual version of what was once known as the Nabla Black Tweed overdrive5.
How it compares
In a December 2024 Guitar Pedal X buying guide, Stefan Karlsson reviewed the Origin Effects Deluxe 55 tweed recreation and called it "one of the very best sounding Tweedy drives I've encountered," naming it a serious challenger to his True North and Tubesteader Eggnog varieties, though not fully recommended until road-tested overall6. That places the Tweed Drive among the small-build tweed drives that experienced players keep in regular use, alongside the boost pedals and fuzz pedals its gain range can imitate.
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Questions
What does the switch on the True North Tweed Drive do?
The diode switch flips between two sets of clipping components. The original diodes deliver a low to mid-gain drive, while a pair of LEDs, when the drive control is cranked, produce what Delicious Audio describes as a beautiful amp-like fuzz. That gives the pedal its two distinct characters, from restrained drive to full fuzz territory.
Is the True North Tweed Drive made in Canada?
Yes. Delicious Audio describes it as a boutique tweed pedal made in Canada. The maker, True North Pedals, is based in Saskatchewan and specializes in custom and pre-made gain pedals, each stompbox covered in authentic tweed fabric.
What is the difference between the Tweed Drive and the Tweed Deluxe?
The Tweed Deluxe is a version of the Tweed Drive with an added boost circuit, and it costs $289 according to Delicious Audio's 2024 buying guide. The standard Tweed Drive is the two-mode overdrive on its own.
Can the True North Tweed Drive be used as a clean boost?
Yes. Delicious Audio notes that it can be used as a clean boost or, at extreme levels, as a vintage fuzz, with the amp-like response cleaning up when you roll back the guitar's volume control.
Sources (6)
- True North Tweed Drive, Delicious Audio, 2020-06-16
- Best Tweed-Style Overdrives & Fender-in-a-Box Pedals In 2024, Delicious Audio, 2024-11-13
- Guitar Pedal X, Guitar Pedal X, 2020-03-29
- Origin Effects Deluxe55 review: the ultimate ‘tweed in a box’ pedal?, guitar.com, 2024-12-16
- Volta Black Tweed Plus Dual Drive, Delicious Audio, 2024-12-04
- Guitar Pedal X, Guitar Pedal X, 2024-12-16
