Transparent and open.
Belle Starr Overdrive
$249
DREW SHIRLEY × JACKSON AUDIO
Small-amp soul.
Wide-open feel.
Belle Starr recreates the smooth, dynamic breakup of a small low-wattage amplifier running at full voice—from transparent boost to expressive medium-gain overdrive.
LOW / MID GAIN OVERDRIVE
MOSFET clipping
Active Body EQ
Passive Tone control
9–18V operation
01 / THE SOUND
Natural breakup, built one detail at a time.
Belle Starr was developed in collaboration with Drew Shirley of Switchfoot, whose signature sound comes from pushing small, low-wattage amplifiers hard.
Rather than chasing high gain, the circuit focuses on touch, dynamics, and the smooth transition between clean tone and natural amplifier-style breakup.
THE GOAL
Make a pedal respond like a small amplifier that has reached
its sweet spot.
02 / GAIN RANGE
One continuous, expressive sweep.
Gain is evenly distributed across the control, avoiding sudden jumps as the circuit moves from clean to saturated.
A hint of breakup.
Warm and responsive.
Full medium gain.
M
03 / MOSFET CLIPPING
Smooth where it matters. Responsive everywhere.
Belle Starr uses MOSFET transistors in its clipping circuit instead of traditional silicon diodes. The result is a softer, more amplifier-like transition into overdrive that follows the player’s touch instead of flattening it.
PLAY LIGHT
Clear and open
DIG IN
Warm natural breakup
04 / YOUR RIG
Designed to meet your amplifier where it is.
During development, Belle Starr was tested across American, British, and Class-A-style amplifiers to ensure its character remains useful across different rigs.
Add warmth and natural breakup to a clean foundation.
Push an already responsive amp into richer overdrive.
Retain chime while adding body and dynamic drive.
05 / CONTROLS
Simple controls with a wide working range.
Volume +
Sets the overall output level. Pair low Gain with high Volume
to use Belle Starr as a powerful boost with tone shaping.
Gain +
Moves smoothly from transparent boost through edge-of-breakup
tones and into natural medium-gain overdrive.
Body +
An active low-frequency control providing up to 15dB of boost
or cut. Its center detent returns you quickly to a flat setting.
Tone +
A passive high-frequency control voiced similarly to the Cut
control on a Vox-style amplifier, with a center detent for
easy recall.
Bypass +
A mechanical true-bypass footswitch removes the circuit from
the signal path when the pedal is off.
06 / POWER & FEEL
Choose your headroom.
Smooth compression and an earlier transition into overdrive.
Greater dynamic range and a more open response under the pick.
POWER NOTE
Use a regulated 9–18V DC, center-negative supply. Never exceed 18V.
07 / TECHNICAL
Compact and road ready.
Input impedance 1MΩ
Output impedance 100kΩ
Power input 9–18V DC
Polarity Center negative
Maximum current 20mA
Dimensions 2.2″ × 4.875″
★
JACKSON AUDIO × DREW SHIRLEY
Clean when you ease back. Alive when you lean in.
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