Boss FDR-1

Hey, it's a food pedal. About the only non standard thing is you can use the switch to set tap tempo on the tremolo. It's supposed to emulate a Fender Deluxe Reverb.

First off, the reverb is horrible, very "boing-y", and at anything above the lowest level is just unlistenable. A "Holy Grail" just walks all over it, as do the reverbs in a V-amp and POD. Since half the reason I bought it was to use with amps that don't have reverb, for me this was a fatal flaw. The kindest thing I can say about it is that you can tell that it's supposed to simulate a Deluxe Reverb. But compared to a POD, for example, I don't think it captures the essence of the DR nearly well, particularly when it's set on the edge-of-distortion. You can get some real unpleasant sounds out of this, harsh and buzzy. If it was the only device that could do it, maybe it would be worth having and someone who wasn't expecting a lot might find it satisfactory. I was mainly going to use it at home to practice and warm up a solid state amp. The Tremolo sounded nice and was the best thing about this pedal. Somehow, I thought the Fender name on the device would indicate that it was somehow superior to the other devices that always seem to have the DR as one of the models.

I've found Boss stuff to be reliable and well made. This looks like it would be road worthy.

I took it back to the store. I've been playing for years, mainly at a bar band level, and I've owned an actual Deluxe Reverb (A silverfaced one). I wanted this to sound good, and I had hopes it would provide an easy way to get Tremolo, Reverb, overdrive and some EQ in an easy to use pedal. I'm not a "purist": I have a Jimi Hendrix pedal that I use in a similar manner, and it works great. It doesn't sound a like a real Marshall stack (etc.), but the reverb in it is nice and the sounds are not anywhere as artificial sounding as this one. Maybe it will work for you. I'd just make sure the store where you buy it has a good return policy.

This is the new "Fender Deluxe Reverb" pedal that Boss and Fender collaborated on. As with most Boss pedals, it's pretty easy and intuitive to operate. It has concentric knobs for gain and volume, single knobs for treble and bass, and another concentric set of knobs for reverb and vibrato (tremolo). The vibrato knob controls the intensity by default, and when the main footswitch is depressed and held, this same knob adjusts the speed. You can also do a tap-tempo speed adjustment with the main footswitch. Basically, you have all of the same controls as are found on an actual Deluxe Reverb, with the addition of a master volume.

I was pretty sure that I wouldn't like this pedal before I tried it. After all, the concept of having the sounds of one of the best guitar amps ever made, in the form of a pedal, just seemed pretty far-out to me. And I haven't been really sold on "modeling" technology so far. But, I figured it was worth a look. So as soon as I could get my hands on one, I gave it a try. I spent an hour demoing this pedal through a Fender Pro-Junior. While I won't say it sounds quite as good as an original Blackface Deluxe Reverb, I will say that through the Pro-Junior it sounded just as good as a Deluxe Reverb Re-issue. I play through a Bassman 10 most of the time, which is a fantastic guitar amp, but has no reverb or tremolo. I was planning on buying a tremolo pedal, but decided to wait until I could try the FDR-1. I'm glad I did. The vibrato (tremolo) sounds very convincing. It's pretty easy to get a sound much like the vibrato on a Blackface Deluxe. Then I tried the reverb. And I will tell you that I have never bought a pedal reverb, because none of them really sound much like Fender spring reverb. This one sounds extremely close. You start wondering how they got the springs in that little pedal. I found that the setting I liked on the pedal was about the same as the setting I usually use on actual Deluxe Reverbs. I tend to set the reverb around 3 or 4. I liked the fact that the knobs on this pedal were incremented closely to the actual amp. The tone controls do what they are supposed to do. It works best to set your amp tone controls flat, and set your tone on the pedal. The gain control on the FDR-1 is a real added jem. If you like the sounds of an overdriven Deluxe Reverb (and who doesn't) you will like this aspect of the FDR-1. It's better than most of the overdrive pedals I have heard. If you play through a dry amp like a Bassman, this pedal is a tremendous value.

I have only had this unit for a few days, but typically Boss pedals are very reliable. It has the same bullet-proof case as all their other pedals. It's small, so it doesn't take a lot of room in your pedal board. It's easy to change batteries, so I don't think there is much to worry about.

I've owned several Boss devices over the past 30 years, and I've never actually needed customer support. But the company is probably the most reputable effects manufacturer in the business, so I don't think customer support would be a problem.

I play a wide range of music, including Blues, Surf, Classic Rock, Rockabilly, and Country. I'm 55 years old, and have been playing for 40 years. I use many different guitars, including Les Pauls, Strats, Telecasters, ES 335, and some Ibanez models. I play through only tube amps, including Marshall, Mesa, and Fender. I like traditional guitar sounds. If the FDR-1 had sounded like a cheap imitation, I wouldn't have bought one. It really surprised me. This pedal has great tones, and basically replaces three other effects in most signal chains (reverb, tremolo, overdrive). Considering you can buy one for $150, it's a fantastic bargain. I don't think anybody is going to get rid of their vintage '64 Deluxe Reverb, and replace it with this pedal. But if you don't have a BF Deluxe Reverb, and don't want to spend outrageous money to buy one, this pedal will make you happy. It's very versitile, full of classic sounds, and simple to use. There is nothing else like it, and if it were stolen, I would order another immediately.