The Black Arts Toneworks Forest is a Black Arts Toneworks overdrive pedal, currently around $189. Close alternatives include the Greer Black Mountain and the Sonicake Rude Mouse Distortion. It pairs well with the Hiwatt Custom DR20H and the Fender Twin Reverb Head.
Black Arts Toneworks Forest
Black Arts Toneworks · pedal
The Black Arts Toneworks Black Forest is an overdrive and fuzz pedal inspired by the classic Colorsound Overdriver circuit, featuring a six-position selector switch that controls gain staging, voicing, and low-end content. Through a clean amplifier the Forest functions as an overdrive; through a dirty amplifier it transforms into a super-raunchy, high-saturation effect. The six-way selector covers multiple rock voicings from vintage overdrive through to heavy fuzz character. Suited for classic rock, stoner rock, and heavy psychedelic applications.
What stands out
“Suited for classic rock, stoner rock, and heavy psychedelic applications”
— from the listing
“Colorsound Overdriver-inspired overdrive and fuzz with a six-way selector covering a wide range of rock gain voicings from vintage overdrive to heavy fuzz, with the amplifier context determining whether the pedal behaves as OD or extreme sa…”
— from the community notes
“the six-way selector covers multiple rock voicings from vintage overdrive through to heavy fuzz character”
— from the listing
“and low-end content”
— from the listing
“Used for classic rock, stoner rock, and heavy psych where different songs or amp settings require drastically different gain characters from one pedal”
— from the community notes
Trade-offs
“the six-position selector provides genuinely different tonal personalities that extend beyond simple gain increment”
— from the reviews
- classic rock
- fuzz
- overdrive
- rock
- low end
- gain
- vintage
- stoner rock
Price updated Oct 24, 2026
Genres the Black Arts Toneworks Forest is commonly used in
- Classic Rock
- Rock
- Stoner Rock
- Alternative
cited
Inferred from shared tonal signals, not a stated genre tag. - Blues
cited
Inferred from shared tonal signals, not a stated genre tag. - Blues Rock
cited
Inferred from shared tonal signals, not a stated genre tag.
Amps that pair well with the Black Arts Toneworks Forest
Hiwatt Custom DR20H
Hiwatt
28% matchpushes an already-dirty tonePushes an already-dirty tone harder and tightens it up. (saturated → tight)
Hiwatt Custom DR20H takes that saturated character and pushes it toward tight
Comes later in the signal chain
Fender Twin Reverb Head
amplifier
28% matchsits in the right chain slotPlaced for where it does its job cleanly in the chain, not for a tonal interaction with the anchor. (fuzzy → modulated)
What Fender Twin Reverb Head brings here leans toward dynamic — that's worth building a pairing around
Comes later in the signal chain
Gibson Les Paul LP-1 Preamp
Gibson
tonal matchComes later in the signal chain
Gibson Les Paul LP-1 Preamp stacks modulated on top of the fuzzy already here
Magnatone 510
Magnatone
tonal matchComes later in the signal chain
Magnatone 510 stacks modulated on top of the fuzzy already here
Pedals that stack with the Black Arts Toneworks Forest
Beetronics Buzzter Boost Preamp
Beetronics
20% matchgain stackingStacks two gain stages for more saturation than either produces alone. (fuzzy → clean boost)
Beetronics Buzzter Boost Preamp layers clean boost onto an already fuzzy signal
Walrus Audio Ages
Walrus Audio
20% matchgain stackingStacks two gain stages for more saturation than either produces alone. (fuzzy → clean boost)
Run fuzzy into Walrus Audio Ages for more clean boost on top
Caroline Guitar Company Parabola State Tremolo
Caroline Guitar Company
19% matchsits in the right chain slotPlaced for where it does its job cleanly in the chain, not for a tonal interaction with the anchor.
Put Caroline Guitar Company Parabola State Tremolo after Black Arts Toneworks Forest in the signal chain, clear of Black Arts Toneworks Forest's own gain stage
Comes later in the signal chain
Keeley Bassist
Keeley
11% matchshapes the dynamic responseShapes how the tone responds to picking dynamics rather than its frequency or gain.
Keeley Bassist leans toward compressed, and that's a real, usable character to pair with
Comes earlier in the signal chain
Crazy Tube Circuits Echotopia
Crazy Tube Circuits
10% matchsits in the right chain slotPlaced for where it does its job cleanly in the chain, not for a tonal interaction with the anchor. (fuzzy → modulated)
Crazy Tube Circuits Echotopia's analog warmth voice goes after Black Arts Toneworks Forest in the signal chain — it's not there to compete with Black Arts Toneworks Forest's own fuzzy character — goes in the amp's FX loop (or last, into a clean amp)
Comes later in the signal chain
Walrus Audio Melee Wall of Noise Black
Walrus Audio
10% matchsits in the right chain slotPlaced for where it does its job cleanly in the chain, not for a tonal interaction with the anchor. (fuzzy → octave)
Put Walrus Audio Melee Wall of Noise Black after Black Arts Toneworks Forest in the signal chain, clear of Black Arts Toneworks Forest's own gain stage — goes in the amp's FX loop (or last, into a clean amp)
Comes later in the signal chain
EarthQuaker Devices Swiss Things
EarthQuaker Devices
EarthQuaker Devices Utility Series Buffer Preamp
EarthQuaker Devices
tonal matchComes later in the signal chain
EarthQuaker Devices Utility Series Buffer Preamp stacks clean boost on top of the fuzzy already here
Cheaper alternatives
ProCo Lil Rat
Proco
59% similarityShared character: fuzz, overdrive
Maxon FEA-10 Fuzz Elements Earth Overdrive
Maxon
58% similarityShared character: fuzz, overdrive
J. Rockett Broverdrive
J Rockett
58% similarityShared character: wide range, classic rock, overdrive
TC Electronic Cinders Overdrive
TC Electronic
54% similarityShared character: fuzz, vintage charm, classic rock
TC Electronic Grand Magus Distortion
TC Electronic
54% similaritySimilar voicing: harmonically rich, full
Black Country Customs Monolith
Black Country Customs
54% similarityShared character: different songs, gain, vintage charm
Boutique & premium upgrades
Similar charactersee all similar tone character →
Greer Black Mountain
Greer
59% similarityShared character: fuzz
Sonicake Rude Mouse Distortion
Sonicake
53% similarityShared character: wide range, fuzz, gain
Black Arts Toneworks Dual Revelation Custom
Black Arts Toneworks
50% similarityShared character: simple, fuzz, gain
MXR M104 Distortion+
MXR
50% similarityShared character: wide range, simple, gain
Dunlop Way Huge WM31 Supa-Lead Overdrive
Dunlop
50% similarityShared character: simple, gain, response
NuX Brownie
Nux
93% similaritysimilar tone character
See all alternatives to the Black Arts Toneworks Forest (cheaper + boutique) →
Questions people ask
What are good alternatives to the Black Arts Toneworks Forest?+
The closest matches in character are the Greer Black Mountain, the Sonicake Rude Mouse Distortion, the Black Arts Toneworks Dual Revelation Custom. Budget picks: ProCo Lil Rat, Maxon FEA-10 Fuzz Elements Earth Overdrive, J. Rockett Broverdrive. Boutique upgrades: JHS PackRat 9-Way Rodent Distortion, T-Rex DR. Swamp.
What pairs well with the Black Arts Toneworks Forest?+
Strong matches from rig and tone-complementarity evidence: Hiwatt Custom DR20H, Fender Twin Reverb Head, Gibson Les Paul LP-1 Preamp — Hiwatt Custom DR20H takes that saturated character and pushes it toward tight.
How much does the Black Arts Toneworks Forest cost?+
Around $189 (live listing price, updated Oct 24, 2026).
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