The Fender Smolder is a Fender overdrive pedal, currently around $164.99. Close alternatives include the Dunlop WHE207 Way Huge Green Rhino Overdrive and the Colorsound Power Boost. It pairs well with the PRS Archon and the Revv Generator 100R MkIII 3-Channel Head.
Fender Smolder
Fender · pedal
The Fender Smolder is an overdrive pedal from Fender built around a JFET circuit that delivers warm, tube-style overdrive character with a full-frequency response and independent Treble and Bass controls. The Smolder covers clean boost through medium saturation, providing warm, harmonically rich overdrive character suited to blues, classic rock, and country applications. The JFET gain staging produces a soft-clipping character with the warmth and natural compression associated with tube amplifier saturation, and the separate Treble and Bass controls enable precise frequency adjustment without a mid-only Tone control.
- overdrive
- saturation
- jfet
- tube
- treble
- clipping
- frequency
- warm
Price updated Aug 27, 2026
Genres the Fender Smolder is commonly used in
- Classic Rock
- Country
- Blues
- Alternative Rock
- Indie Rock
cited
Inferred from shared tonal signals, not a stated genre tag. - Rock
cited
Inferred from shared tonal signals, not a stated genre tag.
Amps that pair well with the Fender Smolder
PRS Archon
PRS
28% matchRun PRS Archon after it and the bright edge settles into something more smooth
Revv Generator 100R MkIII 3-Channel Head
Revv
27% matchRun Revv Generator 100R MkIII 3-Channel Head after it and the bright edge settles into something more smooth
Mesa Boogie Lone Star Head
amplifier
tonal matchVoiced for Fender-style amps
Marshall 2245 JTM45 Head
Marshall
tonal matchVoiced for Fender-style amps
Fender Vibrolux 6G11
amplifier
tonal matchVoiced for Fender-style amps
Fender '68 Custom Princeton Reverb 12W 1x10 Tube Guitar
Fender
tonal matchVoiced for Fender-style amps
Amplified Nation Trem-Drive Deluxe Combo
Amplified Nation
tonal matchVoiced for Fender-style amps
Mesa Boogie Rectifier Badlander EL34/100 Head
Mesa Boogie
tonal matchVoiced for Fender-style amps
Pedals that stack with the Fender Smolder
Xotic BB Preamp
Xotic
26% matchXotic BB Preamp leans smooth right where the bright tone needs it
Paul Cochrane Timmy
Paul Cochrane
24% matchRun Paul Cochrane Timmy after it and the warm edge settles into something more bright
Crazy Tube Circuits Golden Ratio
Crazy Tube Circuits
22% matchCrazy Tube Circuits Golden Ratio's own tight character is the real reason this is worth trying
Anarchy Audio Flutterby Tremolo
Anarchy Audio
18% matchRun Flutterby's optical tremolo pulse after Smolder's treble-forward JFET saturation settles, so the modulation moves a defined tone.
Mooer woodverb
Mooer
14% matchKeep Mooer woodverb after Fender Smolder in the signal chain, clear of Fender Smolder's own gain stage — goes in the amp's FX loop (or last, into a clean amp)
T-Rex Replica Delay
T Rex
12% matchT-Rex Replica Delay's pristine voice goes after Fender Smolder in the signal chain — it's not there to compete with Fender Smolder's own saturated character — goes in the amp's FX loop (or last, into a clean amp)
Catalinbread Wiio
Catalinbread
tonal matchVoiced for Fender-style amps
ThorpyFX The J Tweed-Style Overdrive was
ThorpyFX
tonal matchVoiced for Fender-style amps
Cheaper alternatives
Dunlop MXR Timmy Overdrive, sold as Dunlop CSP027
Dunlop
72% similarityShared character: boost, treble, bass
Behringer OD300 Overdrive Distortion
Behringer
72% similarityShared character: single_coils, full, boost
MXR CSP039 Duke of Tone Overdrive
MXR
71% similarityShared character: boost, compression, classic_rock
Fender Breakup Drive
Fender
96% similaritysimilar tone character
Electro-Harmonix Nano Operation Overlord
Electro-Harmonix
95% similaritysimilar tone character
Fender Engager Boost
Fender
95% similaritysimilar tone character
Boutique & premium upgrades
Benson Amps Preamp
Benson Amps
74% similarityShared character: boost, treble, warm
Dallas Rangemaster Treble Booster
Dallas
71% similarityShared character: boost, treble, compression
Dophix Michelangelo Overdrive Plus
Dophix
71% similarityShared character: full, treble, warm
Death By Audio Thee Treble
Death By Audio
94% similaritysimilar tone character
Similar charactersee all similar tone character →
Dunlop WHE207 Way Huge Green Rhino Overdrive
Dunlop
71% similarityShared character: single_coils, boost, compression
Colorsound Power Boost
Colorsound
71% similarityShared character: boost, treble, compression
JHS Charlie Brown
JHS Pedals
70% similarityShared character: full, boost, compression
Ibanez Tube King TK999OD Overdrive
Ibanez
69% similarityShared character: boost, classic_rock, warm
Electro-Harmonix EHX Tortion
Electro-Harmonix
96% similaritysimilar tone character
EarthQuaker Devices Westwood Translucent Drive Manipulator
EarthQuaker Devices
96% similaritysimilar tone character
See all alternatives to the Fender Smolder (cheaper + boutique) →
Questions people ask
What are good alternatives to the Fender Smolder?+
The closest matches in character are the Dunlop WHE207 Way Huge Green Rhino Overdrive, the Colorsound Power Boost, the JHS Charlie Brown. Budget picks: Dunlop MXR Timmy Overdrive, sold as Dunlop CSP027, Behringer OD300 Overdrive Distortion, MXR CSP039 Duke of Tone Overdrive. Boutique upgrades: Benson Amps Preamp, Dallas Rangemaster Treble Booster, Dophix Michelangelo Overdrive Plus.
What pairs well with the Fender Smolder?+
Strong matches from rig and tone-complementarity evidence: PRS Archon, Revv Generator 100R MkIII 3-Channel Head, Mesa Boogie Lone Star Head — Run PRS Archon after it and the bright edge settles into something more smooth.
How much does the Fender Smolder cost?+
Around $164.99 (live listing price, updated Aug 27, 2026).
Compare
- vs Electro-Harmonix EHX Tortion
- vs EarthQuaker Devices Westwood Translucent Drive Manipulator
- vs Fender Breakup Drive