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Conjure ‘90s-era Blues Breaker drive tones with Fredric Effects’ Blue Monarch

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New pedal features redesigned layout, increased gain and switchable boost

Fredric Effects' Blue Monarch conjures '90s-era Blues Breaker tones
(Image credit: Fredric Effects)

Fredric Effects has introduced the Blue Monarch, a new drive pedal based on the ‘90s-era Blues Breaker overdrive, with the mods offered by the King of Tone version of the circuit.

In Fredric’s hands, the overdrive is joined by a redesigned layout with all four controls – gain, volume, tone and treble boost – presented as external knobs, with an added toggle that replaces the DIP switch functions.

There’s also a switchable boost stage, and Fredric has slightly increased the maximum gain available as well.

THE BEST BLUES BREAKER PEDAL OUT THERE?! Fredric Effects Blue Monarch Overdrive (Demo) - YouTube THE BEST BLUES BREAKER PEDAL OUT THERE?! Fredric Effects Blue Monarch Overdrive (Demo) - YouTube
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The Blue Monarch is available for £125 (approx. $165). For more information or to purchase, head to Fredric Effects.

Richard Bienstock
Richard Bienstock

Rich is the co-author of the best-selling Nöthin' But a Good Time: The Uncensored History of the '80s Hard Rock Explosion. He is also a recording and performing musician, and a former editor of Guitar World magazine and executive editor of Guitar Aficionado magazine. He has authored several additional books, among them Kurt Cobain: Montage of Heck, the companion to the documentary of the same name.