The Vs Audio BlackBird Deluxe is a drive and tremolo pedal from Greek maker Vs Audio, introduced on July 6, 2022. It is an amp-in-a-box circuit built to replicate the tone of Brownface and Blackface Fender amps, and it expands on the company's earlier BlackBird overdrive by adding a true bias tremolo, a Bright channel voice, and a passive effects loop1.
The drive side carries over the same medium gain, natural compression and dynamic, touch sensitive character as the original BlackBird, while the tremolo side is voiced after the tremolo circuit of the Brown Deluxe and behaves the way the famous power tube bias tremolo circuit does in those amps. Premier Guitar describes the tremolo as a true bias tremolo, using MOSFET and JFET technology that modulates the bias voltage of the output stage of the pedal2.
An amp-in-a-box drive with tremolo
The idea behind the BlackBird line is to put two vintage Fender amp eras in one box. Both Blackface and Brownface voicings are available, selected by a toggle, so a player can move between the two amp styles without changing pedals3. Vs Audio says the original BlackBird also performs well as a preamp when stacked after other pedals, giving the driven sound the character of the selected Fender amp style4.
The Deluxe adds the tremolo. Delicious Audio's Paolo De Gregorio describes it as "Voiced after the liquid-sounding and touch-sensitive tremolo circuit of the Brown Deluxe"1. Because the tremolo modulates the bias voltage of the pedal's output stage rather than chopping the signal in a later stage, it works the same way the power tube bias tremolo circuit in those amps behaves2.
A passive effects loop sits between the two sides, which grants versatile rig-integration options and lets each side be employed independently in a pedalboard friendly size format1.
The controls
The Deluxe keeps the knob layout of the original BlackBird, Volume, Drive and Tone5, and adds the tremolo controls and several switches.
| Control | What it does |
|---|---|
| Volume, Drive, Tone | The familiar trio from the original BlackBird overdrive5 |
| Intensity and Speed | Set the tremolo, on the left of the pedal1 |
| Era switch | Toggles between Brownface and Blackface tones1 |
| Channel toggle | Selects Normal or Bright, a new Bright voice just like in the Brown Deluxe amps1 |
| Bypass switch | Dual-mode: Low Gain for the softer edge of breakup, High Gain for more edge and higher output1 |
| Tremolo footswitch | Its own separate footswitch, so the tremolo can be switched independently1 |
The Channel switch is worth a note for players who know the amps it references. Premier Guitar describes it as a choice "between Normal and Bright channel like the original '61 Deluxe amp"2.
Power: 9 to 18V DC
The BlackBird Deluxe runs on a 9 to 18V DC supply for maximum headroom1. The original BlackBird runs at 9V or 18V, with 18V giving more headroom, on a center-negative supply67, and the same center-negative convention applies across the line. There is no battery option mentioned for either pedal, so it is a power-supply pedal.
Running at 18V is the way to get the maximum headroom Vs Audio designed the pedal for. A standard 9V center-negative supply works, but the higher voltage is what the maker points to for headroom16.
History: from the original BlackBird overdrive
The BlackBird Deluxe expands on the BlackBird overdrive, which Vs Audio released in 2021. The original is an all-analog amp-in-a-box overdrive inspired by the sound of Brownface and Blackface Fender amps7, aiming to recreate the overdrive sound of both vintage brown-panel and black-panel Fender amplifiers4.
Its Era toggle switch chose between Blackface '65 or Brownface '63 style sounds5, the two voicings Vs Audio named for the two amp eras3. MusicRadar's Jonathan Horsley framed the pedal as "a cunning solution for fans of vintage Fender"6.
Delicious Audio found a second life for the original beyond straightforward overdrive duties74:
"Placing the BlackBird further down your effects chain reveals its ability to function like a true preamp, giving other overdrives and dirt boxes a glassy blackface or a spongy brownface touch."7
Paolo De Gregorio, Delicious Audio7
The Deluxe, introduced July 6, 2022, keeps that preamp character and adds the bias tremolo, the Bright channel, the dual-mode bypass and the effects loop12.
How the Deluxe differs from the original
The short version: same core sound, more features. Delicious Audio puts it as "the same medium gain with natural compression and dynamic touch sensitive character but with more features"1, and Premier Guitar likewise notes the same medium gain as the original BlackBird with natural compression and dynamic touch sensitive character2.
What the Deluxe adds over the original BlackBird:
- A true bias tremolo with its own footswitch, set by Intensity and Speed12
- A Channel switch for Normal and Bright voices, like the '61 Deluxe amp2
- A dual-mode Bypass switch for Low Gain and High Gain modes1
- A passive effects loop, so each side can be used independently1
Videos
Pete Thorn
AndyDemos
Kris Barocsi
Questions
Can the drive and tremolo on the BlackBird Deluxe be used separately?
Yes. The tremolo section, which Vs Audio calls Vibrato, has its own separate footswitch and is set through the Intensity and Speed knobs on the left of the pedal. A passive effects loop also lets you place other effects between the two sides, so each can be used independently in a pedalboard friendly format.
What is the difference between the BlackBird and the BlackBird Deluxe?
The BlackBird Deluxe keeps the same medium gain, natural compression and touch sensitive character as the original BlackBird overdrive but adds several features. These include the bias tremolo with its own footswitch, a Channel switch for Normal and Bright voices like the original '61 Deluxe amp, and a passive effects loop for independent use of each side.
Does the Vs Audio BlackBird Deluxe sound like a Fender Deluxe amp?
It is an amp-in-a-box circuit built to replicate the tone of Brownface and Blackface Fender amps. The Era switch toggles between Brownface and Blackface tones, the Channel switch adds a Bright voice like the Brown Deluxe amps, and the tremolo is voiced after the tremolo circuit of the Brown Deluxe.
What does the Era switch do on the BlackBird Deluxe?
The Era switch toggles between Brownface and Blackface tones. On the original BlackBird overdrive the same switch chose between Blackface '65 and Brownface '63 style sounds, so it carries that amp-era selection over to the Deluxe.
Sources (7)
- Vs Audio BlackBird Deluxe Drive + Tremolo, Delicious Audio, 2022-07-06
- Vs Audio Effects Unveils the BlackBird Deluxe, Premier Guitar, 2022-07-06
- VS Audio Blackbird Overdrive: Two vintage Fender-style amps in one pedal, gearnews.com, 2021-05-25
- VS Audio’s BlackBird Overdrive packs two Fender-amp-style overdrives in one box, Guitar.com, 2021-06-04
- Vs Audio Effects Unveils the BlackBird Overdrive, Premier Guitar, 2021-05-21
- VS Audio packs two flavours of classic Fender-style tones into the Blackbird overdrive, MusicRadar, 2021-05-25
- Now Shipping: VS Audio Blackbird Overdrive, Delicious Audio, 2021-09-23
