The DELUXE55 is our all-analogue tribute to the legendary Fender® 5E3 Tweed Deluxe from 1955. With a complete valve amp signal path recreated in miniature using carefully crafted transistor-based circuitry, this compact pedal nails the sound, feel and personality of one of history’s quirkiest combos.
The DELUXE55 recreates everything that’s great about the Tweed Deluxe amp circuit. From articulate edge-of-breakup tones to thick lead sounds and all-out, about-to-explode fuzz, this no-nonsense tone fits into just about any genre. Warm yet cutting, soft yet punchy, its natural compression and hugely responsive overdrive made the Tweed Deluxe sound a real players’ favourite, and this rough-around-the-edges, unsung-hero identity is exactly what we’ve captured in the DELUXE55. Is it sophisticated and refined? No. Does it get the job done with style and bags of character? Absolutely!
This compact pedal simulates 6V6 power amp overdrive, valve rectifier sag, ragged phase inverter distortion, and the fat gritty tone of the Tweed Deluxe’s unconventional preamp – including different valve types. It’s all here in the DELUXE55, ready to drop into any rig. Get the whole experience of playing one of the most unique vintage amps. All you need is one pedal!
Starting with a real Tweed Deluxe, we began an extensive process of testing and measurement to understand every detail of the circuit. From here, we redesigned our all-analogue Amp Recreation circuitry to mimic the exact behaviour of this amp. The DELUXE55’s push-pull output stage overdrives in exactly the same way as the 6V6 power amp in the real amp. We’ve even included a reactive load to simulate the interaction between the amp’s power amp and speaker, a crucial part of valve amp “feel”. The cathodyne phase inverter and the famously unconventional preamp design are also recreated with equal accuracy, right down to the TONE control which adds gain as you turn it up.
The DELUXE55’s Amp Recreation circuitry features a PREAMP switch, mimicking the effect of swapping a 12AY7 preamp valve for a 12AX7 – a popular mod among Tweed Deluxe owners. This switch takes your tone from a bright, articulate crunch to a warmer, higher-gain tone, unleashing a collapsing wall of fuzz with all the knobs cranked!
An Amp Recreation pedal only makes sense if you can use it in a modern rig, so we have equipped the DELUXE55 with our Post EQ circuit. This filter comes after the Amp Recreation circuitry and ensures compatibility with traditional amps, modellers, power amps and cabinet simulators.
Designed and built in the UK to our exacting standards, and housed in a brushed stainless steel and aluminium enclosure, the DELUXE55 is ready for a life on the road, serving up vintage Tweed amp tone night after night.