The Tone City King of Blues is a Tone City overdrive pedal, currently around $78.98. Close alternatives include the Pigtronix gamma drive and the One Control Cranberry Over Drive. It pairs well with the Boss Acoustic Singer Pro and the Vox AC15CH Custom 15W Head.
Tone City King of Blues
Tone City · pedal
The Tone City King of Blues is a mini-format overdrive aimed, as the name suggests, at blues-oriented drive sounds — the lower-gain, amp-pushing end of the spectrum rather than heavy saturation. Tone City build compact pedals at accessible prices, and this model has been revised into a V2 version sold alongside it. Independent coverage of the original is limited, so this description does not assert control layout or circuit specifics.
What stands out
“The Tone City King of Blues is a mini-format overdrive aimed, as the name suggests, at blues-oriented drive sounds — the lower-gain, amp-pushing end of the spectrum”
— from the listing
“Tone City build compact pedals at accessible prices, and this model has been revised into a V2 version sold alongside it”
— from the listing
“The King of Blues delivers warm blues overdrive character at budget pricing in Tone City's compact format”
— from the reviews
“Tone City's budget blues overdrive, praised for warm blues-style character at very accessible pricing”
— from the community notes
“Build quality is adequate for the price”
— from the community notes
- blues
- overdrive
- warm
- drive
- spectrum
- tone city
- blues overdrive suits
Good for
- Busking
- Live
Price updated Oct 24, 2026
Genres the Tone City King of Blues is commonly used in
Amps that pair well with the Tone City King of Blues
Boss Acoustic Singer Pro
Boss
28% matchfills a frequency gapFills in a frequency range the other side doesn't cover, instead of piling more onto what's already there. (warm → bright)
Boss Acoustic Singer Pro leans bright right where the warm tone needs it
Comes later in the signal chain
Vox AC15CH Custom 15W Head
Vox
28% matchfills a frequency gapFills in a frequency range the other side doesn't cover, instead of piling more onto what's already there. (warm → bright)
Vox AC15CH Custom 15W Head leans bright right where the warm tone needs it
Comes later in the signal chain
Laney Richter
Laney
tonal matchComes later in the signal chain
Where this leans warm, Laney Richter answers back bright
Mesa Boogie Subway D-350
Mesa Boogie
tonal matchComes later in the signal chain
Mesa Boogie Subway D-350's bright balances out the warm tone
PRS DG
PRS
tonal matchComes later in the signal chain
Run PRS DG after it and the warm edge settles into something more bright
Vox MV50 Brian May
Vox
tonal matchComes later in the signal chain
Vox MV50 Brian May's bright balances out the warm tone
Fuchs ODH
Fuchs
tonal matchComes later in the signal chain
Fuchs ODH leans bright right where the warm tone needs it
Soldano SLO-30 2-Channel 30W 1x12 Combo
Soldano
tonal matchComes later in the signal chain
Run Soldano SLO-30 2-Channel 30W 1x12 Combo after it and the warm edge settles into something more bright
Pedals that stack with the Tone City King of Blues
EarthQuaker Devices Chelsea
EarthQuaker Devices
17% matchfills a frequency gapFills in a frequency range the other side doesn't cover, instead of piling more onto what's already there. (warm → bright)
Where this leans warm, EarthQuaker Devices Chelsea answers back bright
Comes later in the signal chain
Catalinbread Galileo
Catalinbread
17% matchfills a frequency gapFills in a frequency range the other side doesn't cover, instead of piling more onto what's already there. (warm → bright)
Run Catalinbread Galileo after it and the warm edge settles into something more bright
Maestro PS-1A Phase Shifter
Maestro
13% matchsits in the right chain slotPlaced for where it does its job cleanly in the chain, not for a tonal interaction with the anchor.
Keep Maestro PS-1A Phase Shifter after Tone City King of Blues in the signal chain, clear of Tone City King of Blues's own gain stage
Comes later in the signal chain
JHS 3 Series Compressor
JHS Pedals
13% matchfills a frequency gapFills in a frequency range the other side doesn't cover, instead of piling more onto what's already there. (warm → bright)
What JHS 3 Series Compressor brings here leans toward compressed — that's worth building a pairing around
Comes earlier in the signal chain
Chase Bliss Automatone CXM 1978
Chase Bliss Audio
8% matchsits in the right chain slotPlaced for where it does its job cleanly in the chain, not for a tonal interaction with the anchor.
Keep Tone City King of Blues's warm voice out front: Chase Bliss Automatone CXM 1978 goes after Tone City King of Blues in the signal chain so its pristine voice doesn't muddy it — goes in the amp's FX loop (or last, into a clean amp)
Comes later in the signal chain
Alexander Pedals History Lesson Vol. 2
Alexander Pedals
8% matchsits in the right chain slotPlaced for where it does its job cleanly in the chain, not for a tonal interaction with the anchor.
Run Alexander Pedals History Lesson Vol. 2 after Tone City King of Blues in the signal chain, clear of Tone City King of Blues's own gain stage — goes in the amp's FX loop (or last, into a clean amp)
Comes later in the signal chain
Alchemy Audio HBE Detox EQ
Alchemy Audio
tonal matchComes later in the signal chain
Alchemy Audio HBE Detox EQ's bright balances out the warm tone
CALIFORNIA WUB Continuum EQ Galaxy Man Edition
California Wub
tonal matchComes later in the signal chain
CALIFORNIA WUB Continuum EQ Galaxy Man Edition's bright balances out the warm tone
Cheaper alternatives
TC Electronic El Cambo Overdrive
TC Electronic
73% similarityShared character: blues players, warm, overdrive
NUX Steel Singer
Nux
70% similarityShared character: blues players, warm, overdrive
Tone City Blues Man
Tone City
63% similarityShared character: blues players, warm, overdrive
NuX String Singer Overdrive
Nux
61% similarityShared character: blues players, warm, overdrive
Donner Blues Drive
Donner
58% similarityShared character: blues players, overdrive
TC Electronic El Mocambo Overdrive
TC Electronic
56% similarityShared character: blues players, warm, overdrive
Boutique & premium upgrades
Providence RED Rock OD ROD-1
Providence
63% similarityShared character: blues players, warm, overdrive
One Control BJF Series Strawberry Overdrive
One Control
59% similarityShared character: blues players, warm, overdrive
SolidGoldFX Commodore Breaker Overdrive
Solidgoldfx
59% similarityShared character: blues players, warm, overdrive
Wampler Clarksdale
Wampler
58% similarityShared character: blues players
Walrus Audio Warhorn
Walrus Audio
57% similarityShared character: blues players, warm, overdrive
T-Rex Hobo Drive
T Rex
56% similarityShared character: blues players, warm, overdrive
Similar charactersee all similar tone character →
Pigtronix gamma drive
Pigtronix
57% similarityShared character: blues players, warm, overdrive
One Control Cranberry Over Drive
One Control
53% similarityShared character: blues players, warm, overdrive
Tone City King of Blues V2
Tone City
93% similaritysimilar tone character
Mr. Black JDS-50 Drive
Mr Black
89% similaritysimilar tone character
Donner Overdrive
Donner
88% similaritysimilar tone character
One Control Super Apricot OD
One Control
88% similaritysimilar tone character
See all alternatives to the Tone City King of Blues (cheaper + boutique) →
Questions people ask
What are good alternatives to the Tone City King of Blues?+
The closest matches in character are the Pigtronix gamma drive, the One Control Cranberry Over Drive, the Tone City King of Blues V2. Budget picks: TC Electronic El Cambo Overdrive, NUX Steel Singer, Tone City Blues Man. Boutique upgrades: Providence RED Rock OD ROD-1, One Control BJF Series Strawberry Overdrive, SolidGoldFX Commodore Breaker Overdrive.
What pairs well with the Tone City King of Blues?+
Strong matches from rig and tone-complementarity evidence: Boss Acoustic Singer Pro, Vox AC15CH Custom 15W Head, Laney Richter — Boss Acoustic Singer Pro leans bright right where the warm tone needs it.
How much does the Tone City King of Blues cost?+
Around $78.98 (live listing price, updated Oct 24, 2026).