The Acorn Amplifiers Solid State Preamp is an Acorn Amplifiers preamp pedal, currently around $179. Close alternatives include the Peavey Bandit Supreme Teal Stripe Preamp and the Boss BD-2W Blues Driver Waza Craft. It pairs well with the Behringer Chorus Symphony and the Catalinbread SFT.
Acorn Amplifiers Solid State Preamp
Acorn Amplifiers · pedal
The Acorn Amplifiers Solid State Preamp reimagines the company's original Solid State Amp/Preamp pedal, itself built around the same TDA-series class-AB power amp circuitry found in the vintage Peavey Decade, an unassuming solid-state practice amp that gained cult status as Queens of the Stone Age's Josh Homme's self-described secret weapon. Where the original pedal included two output jacks and a toggle to use it as either a standalone 10-watt amplifier or a pedalboard preamp, this slimmed-down preamp-only version drops the power amp stage entirely for a smaller, more pedalboard-friendly enclosure at a lower price, running on 9 to 18 volts DC with true bypass switching and foot-switchable Normal and Saturated channels replicating the Decade's wiry cleans and tightly coiled, aggressive gain.
- preamp
- wiry
- stage
- drive
- tight
- aggressive
- gain
- clean
Price updated Aug 27, 2026
Pedals that stack with the Acorn Amplifiers Solid State Preamp
Behringer Chorus Symphony
Behringer
21% matchLayer the Chorus Symphony's liquid, warm modulation after the Acorn's own wiry, tight stage drive for width without losing definition.
Catalinbread SFT
Catalinbread
21% matchThe SFT's warm, compressed overdrive rounds off the Acorn preamp's wiry, tight edge with something smoother.
Suhr Woodshed
Suhr
19% matchRun the Woodshed's smooth, American-voiced compression before the Acorn preamp's own wiry, tight stage drive kicks in.
One Control Lingonberry Overdrive
One Control
18% matchThe Lingonberry's musical, responsive overdrive rounds off the Acorn preamp's wiry, tight edge with something more vocal.
Line 6 DL4 Delay Modeler
pedal
12% matchKeep the DL4 after the Acorn preamp — the wiry, tight stage drive stays defined and the delay's warm repeats trail behind it. — goes in the amp's FX loop (or last, into a clean amp)
Caroline Guitar Company Kilobyte
Caroline Guitar Company
12% matchKeep the Kilobyte after the Acorn preamp — the wiry, tight stage drive stays defined and the delay's warm digital repeats trail behind it. — goes in the amp's FX loop (or last, into a clean amp)
Tone City King of Blues
Tone City
tonal matchTone City King of Blues is voiced for a clean amp's front end — Acorn Amplifiers Solid State Preamp gives it exactly that
Carl Martin THE Fuzz
Carl Martin
tonal matchAcorn Amplifiers Solid State Preamp leans into a clean amp's front end, precisely the platform Carl Martin THE Fuzz wants
Cheaper alternatives
Boutique & premium upgrades
Similar charactersee all similar tone character →
Peavey Bandit Supreme Teal Stripe Preamp
Peavey
66% similarityShared character: solid_state, aggressive_playing, stage
Boss BD-2W Blues Driver Waza Craft
Boss
65% similarityShared character: bright, gain
Wampler Paisley Drive Deluxe
Wampler
65% similarityShared character: aggressive_playing, bright, gain
Snouse BlackBox Overdrive 2
Snouse
65% similarityShared character: bright, stage, gain
Airis Effects 51-Filthy
Airis Effects
90% similaritysimilar tone character
Bixonic Expandora
Bixonic
90% similaritysimilar tone character
See all alternatives to the Acorn Amplifiers Solid State Preamp (cheaper + boutique) →
Questions people ask
What are good alternatives to the Acorn Amplifiers Solid State Preamp?+
The closest matches in character are the Peavey Bandit Supreme Teal Stripe Preamp, the Boss BD-2W Blues Driver Waza Craft, the Wampler Paisley Drive Deluxe. Budget picks: Wampler Paisley Drive, ProCo RAT 2, Boss BD-2 Blues Driver. Boutique upgrades: Pete Cornish SS-3.
What pairs well with the Acorn Amplifiers Solid State Preamp?+
Strong matches from rig and tone-complementarity evidence: Behringer Chorus Symphony, Catalinbread SFT, Suhr Woodshed — Layer the Chorus Symphony's liquid, warm modulation after the Acorn's own wiry, tight stage drive for width without losing definition..
How much does the Acorn Amplifiers Solid State Preamp cost?+
Around $179 (live listing price, updated Aug 27, 2026).