The Tubesteader ROY is a dual-channel tube preamp pedal from Tubesteader, a builder based in Montreal, and it is the company's take on the Vox AC30 Top Boost amp in a box. Premier Guitar's reviewer called it "their entry in the Vox-Top-Boost-AC30-in-a-box race"1. Like other amp-in-a-box designs, it aims to reproduce the sound and response of a specific amplifier in a pedal, so a player can get Top Boost-style chime and breakup without carrying the amp.
How it works
The ROY's tones are generated, as Premier Guitar's review puts it, "via a high-voltage transistor in the first gain stage coupled with the 12AX7" vacuum tube1. Delicious Audio's buying guide to Vox-style pedals describes the same design: "The circuit combines a high-voltage transistor in the first stage with a 12AX7 tube at 260V, resulting in natural tube compression and amp-like dynamics"3. Running the tube at 260V, well above typical pedal voltages, is what gives the compression and dynamic response players associate with a real tube amp.
Controls
The ROY is a two-channel pedal, and each channel carries the same simple layout2:
| Channel | Controls |
|---|---|
| Channel 1 | Gain, Volume |
| Channel 2 | Gain, Volume |
That two-channel, two-knob-per-channel arrangement matches the rest of Tubesteader's Double Twin Triode line of dual-channel tube preamps, which also includes the Tubesteader Sunkeeper Preamp and the Tubesteader Gainlord.
What reviewers said
Guitar Pedal X's Stefan Karlsson, in his December 2024 selection of the year's best new boost and overdrive pedals, ranked the ROY third among 35 pedals, awarding it bronze, and was unequivocal about where it sits for him:
"My very favourite take on the Vox AC30 Top Boost amp to-date."
Delicious Audio includes the ROY in its buying guide to Vox-style and Vox-in-a-box pedals, describing the circuit's tube compression and amp-like dynamics3.
Pairing it with a treble booster
The Vox AC30 Top Boost sound is closely tied to the treble booster that Brian May ran in front of his AC30, and Guitar Pedal X's round-up of Brian May-style treble boosters discusses the ROY in that context as the gain pedal used alongside a treble booster for that style of output. Karlsson wrote of the pairing: "Both those pedals are amazing, and combine magnificently!"41
Videos
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Questions
What kind of pedal is the Tubesteader ROY?
It is an amp-in-a-box overdrive and preamp pedal modeled on the Vox AC30 Top Boost. Premier Guitar described it as Tubesteader's entry in the Vox-Top-Boost-AC30-in-a-box race. It uses a high-voltage transistor in the first gain stage coupled with a 12AX7 vacuum tube running at 260V, which the maker's coverage says produces natural tube compression and amp-like dynamics.
How much does the Tubesteader ROY cost?
Guitar Pedal X listed the Tubesteader ROY Twin Channel Vox AC30 Top Boost style Tube Preamp at $299 in its December 2024 round-up of the year's best new boost and overdrive pedals, where it took the bronze spot among the year's standouts.
Sources (4)
- Tubesteader Roy Review, Premier Guitar, 2025-04-08
- Guitar Pedal X, Guitar Pedal X, 2024-12-16
- The 20 Best Vox-Style Pedals & Vox-In-a-Box Overdrives In 2024, Delicious Audio, 2024-12-02
- Guitar Pedal X, Guitar Pedal X, 2025-06-24
