Way Huge Smalls Deep State Conspiracy Theory Diodes Overdrive

The Way Huge Smalls Deep State Conspiracy Theory Diodes Overdrive is a limited edition take on the company's Conspiracy Theory overdrive, designed in collaboration with Joe Bonamassa. Jim Dunlop, Way Huge's parent company, describes it as "a modified version of the of the Conspiracy Theory Overdrive," and the modification is all about clipping: the pedal features a special diode with what the maker calls a magical-sounding voltage drop, delivering "smooth, velvety clipping that responds to playing dynamics like you wouldn't believe."¹

Only 550 of these pedals exist. Each is numbered and, in Jim Dunlop's words, "signed on the inside by the not-so-top-secret guitar player's own hand," and the company is plain that once they are sold out, "they're gone for good." Distribution is narrow too: the pedal is sold exclusively at Joe's Reverb store, Bonamassa's shop on the Reverb marketplace.¹

The clipping diodes, and why they matter

In a Klon-style overdrive, the clipping diodes shape how the circuit breaks up your signal, and players and builders have long argued about which diodes sound best. The regular Conspiracy Theory Professional Overdrive, released in April 2019, is an overdrive that Jim Dunlop says "infuses your guitar signal with rich harmonics for smooth, transparent overdrive."³⁴ Premier Guitar's reviewer noted of the Conspiracy Theory that "It uses modern surface-mount parts, except for a pair of NOS germanium diodes," the NOS (new old stock) germanium diodes being the exception in an otherwise modern circuit.⁵

Mike aNaLoG.MaN of Analog Man, whose own Klon-style diode upgrades are well known, wrote in 2025 that "We also found the Way Huge Conspiracy Theory could be improved with germanium diodes," noting a mod was available.⁶ The Deep State takes that idea in-house: rather than sending the pedal out for a diode swap, Way Huge and Bonamassa built the special-diode version at the factory.

Deep State or regular Conspiracy Theory?

The two pedals share a family and a basic circuit, and differ in the clipping and in how you can get one¹⁵:

Background: the Conspiracy Theory family

The Conspiracy Theory line began with the full-size Conspiracy Theory Professional Overdrive, announced by gearnews.com in April 2019 as "the release of a new overdrive, the Conspiracy Theory Professional Overdrive!"⁴ Guitar.com covered the launch that May, calling it a covert release "fresh from Way Huge's corner."⁷ Guitar World's Paul Riario reviewed the Smalls version in November 2019, listing the manufacturer as Way Huge.⁸ Bonamassa himself has been documented using a Way Huge Conspiracy Theory on his pedalboard, which gives the collaboration some grounding beyond a signature badge.

The Deep State sits alongside the standard Smalls Conspiracy Theory in the range: same family, different clipping diodes, and a much smaller production run¹⁵.

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