The Westerlund ONE Preamp is the first pedal from Westerlund Audio, built by Matt Stansberry, Shane Henry, and Jim Robinson. Delicious Audio describes it as designed less like a traditional stompbox and more like a high-end studio preamp for your instrument, built around three unique FET-based op-amp gain stages and a FET tone recovery stage. It works as a preamp, an overdrive, or a clean boost depending on how you set its clipping toggle, and it carries a full three-band EQ plus an independent boost circuit.12
The controls
Guitar Pedal X's launch review lists the full control set: Bass, Middle, Treble, Gain, Boost, and Level knobs, plus the Clipping and Core Voicing switches.1
| Control | What it does |
|---|---|
| Bass, Middle, Treble | Three-band EQ for shaping the core tone1 |
| Gain | Sets the drive into the gain stage1 |
| Boost | Independent, adjustable pre-gain boost2 |
| Level | Output level1 |
| Clipping switch | Hard/Soft clipping, Ge/Si diode selection1 |
| Core Voicing switch | Bright/Dark voicing1 |
The boost deserves its own note: Delicious Audio describes it as "an independent, adjustable boost circuit that sits before the gain stage," and it has its own footswitch, so it can be used on its own or stacked into the gain stage.21
Germanium or silicon, hard or soft
The clipping arrangement is the pedal's most distinctive feature. A dedicated switch selects between germanium and silicon diodes, and a three-way toggle chooses between hard clipping, soft clipping, or disengaging clipping entirely.2 Together those give four clipping options: hard or soft, germanium or silicon.1
The third position of the toggle is Amp Mode, which disengages clipping altogether for a clean, transparent boost.2 In that role, Delicious Audio frames the pedal's range of uses as "a pristine, high-headroom line driver, a touch-sensitive overdrive, or a roaring preamp to punish the front end of your amp."2
What reviewers said
Guitar Pedal X's Stefan Karlsson reviewed the pedal at launch in November 2023 and highlighted "the combination of 3-Band EQ, 4 Clipping Options - Hard or Soft Ge or Si, Bright / Dark core voicing switch" as central to what the pedal does. On price, he wrote: "The $379 price tag I feel is a little on the higher side of things - where I personally would have expected this to come" in closer to $299.1
Delicious Audio's Paolo De Gregorio, writing in September 2026, said the pedal "captures a remarkably authentic, tube-like feel with massive headroom and exceptional touch sensitivity."2
Videos
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Questions
How much does the Westerlund ONE cost?
Guitar Pedal X's review of the newly launched pedal listed it at $379 USD. The same reviewer felt the price was a little on the higher side of things, saying he personally would have expected it to come in closer to $299.
What is Amp Mode on the Westerlund ONE?
Amp Mode is one position of the pedal's three-way clipping toggle. It disengages clipping entirely, so the pedal runs as a clean, transparent boost. Delicious Audio describes the pedal in this role as a pristine, high-headroom line driver, alongside its touch-sensitive overdrive and roaring preamp characters.
Can the Westerlund ONE boost be used on its own?
Yes. The boost is an independent, adjustable circuit that sits before the gain stage, and it has its own footswitch alongside the main Engage/Bypass footswitch, so it can be switched in and out on its own.
Is the Westerlund ONE a tube pedal?
No. It is built around three FET-based op-amp gain stages and a FET tone recovery stage rather than tubes. Delicious Audio says it nonetheless captures a remarkably authentic, tube-like feel with massive headroom and exceptional touch sensitivity.
Sources (2)
- Guitar Pedal X, Guitar Pedal X, 2023-11-02
- Westerlund One Preamp, Delicious Audio, 2026-09-23
