The TWA FB-2 Overdrive is a compact overdrive pedal from TWA's Fly Boys range. It is made to sound similar to an Ibanez TS-808, the soft-clipping overdrive that set the template for this kind of pedal, and it keeps the familiar three-knob control layout of that design: Tone, Gain and Level1. For players weighing TS-style drives against each other, the Ibanez TS808 HW V2 is the original circuit in current form, while the FB-2 sits in TWA's own line alongside the TWA Fly Boys FB-02 Overdrive.
Controls and settings
| Control | What it does |
|---|---|
| Tone | Shapes the treble character of the drive |
| Gain | Sets the amount of overdrive |
| Level | Sets the output volume |
The pedal also has two voicing settings, Warm and Hot. Guitar World's reviewer, Billy Voight, described the difference: "Warm is for when you need just a little more to naturally overdrive a tube amp."1
What reviewers found
In his review of the Fly Boys pedals for Guitar World, Billy Voight put the Hot setting to work in a blues context: "I used the Hot setting with my Strat's neck pickup to get a thick, chunky blues tone."1
Where it sits
The FB-2 belongs to the broader family of overdrive pedals built around the TS-808 approach. TWA has continued in that territory since, most recently with the TWA Source Code, a TS-style overdrive designed by Susumu Tamura, the original creator of the Tube Screamer1.
Videos
The Tone King
Mike Hermans
Pedal of the Day
Sources (1)
- Review: TWA Fly Boys Effect Pedals by Godlyke, Guitar World, 2014-01-09
