About This Item
Description
Belle Starr is Drew Shirley of Switchfoot's signature overdrive, built around a MOSFET clipping circuit instead of silicon diodes to recreate the smooth, natural breakup of a small tube amp run wide open.
Why guitarists choose the Belle Starr
- A MOSFET clipping circuit, instead of the silicon diodes used in most overdrives, produces smooth, amp-like breakup rather than hard-edged clipping.
- Gain is spread evenly from clean to a cranked-small-amp character with no abrupt jumps as you turn the knob.
- An active BODY control gives +/-15dB of bass shaping with a center detent, while a passive Vox-style TONE control cuts treble.
- Low GAIN with high VOLUME turns the pedal into a powerful clean boost with full tone-shaping control.
- Developed and tested across Fender, Marshall, Vox, and Jackson amps so it plays well with virtually any rig.
Controls and switches
- VOLUME — Overall output level; combine low GAIN with high VOLUME for a boost-style clean push.
- GAIN — Sets drive amount from clean through cranked-small-amp breakup.
- BODY — Active EQ on low frequencies, +/-15dB boost/cut with a center detent.
- TONE — Passive treble control voiced like a Vox-style cut knob, with a center detent.
Power and pedalboard compatibility
Runs on a 9-18V DC center-negative supply (do not exceed 18V) drawing a maximum of 20mA. No battery operation is published for this pedal.
Technical specifications
| Model | Jackson Audio Belle Starr Drew Shirley Signature Overdrive |
| Effect type | Low/mid-gain MOSFET overdrive |
| Controls | VOLUME, GAIN, BODY, TONE |
| Bypass | True bypass |
| Input impedance | 1000 kΩ |
| Output impedance | 100000 Ω |
| Power | 9-18 Volt DC |
| Current draw | 20 mA |
| Enclosure dimensions | 12.38 x 5.59 cm (2.2" x 4.875" published footprint) |
| MPN | belle_starr_stainless_WEB-1 |
| GTIN | 302128186124 |
| ASIN | B07XPDXT2Z |
| Warranty | 5-year Jackson Audio VIP Warranty |
FAQ
Is Belle Starr a high-gain overdrive? No. It is a low/mid-gain overdrive designed to recreate the smooth, natural breakup of a small, low-wattage amp run wide open, not a high-gain distortion.
What makes the clipping different from other overdrives? Belle Starr uses MOSFET transistors instead of traditional silicon diodes for its clipping, giving an evenly spread gain range and a smoother, more amp-like breakup.
What does the BODY control do? It is an active bass EQ with +/-15dB of boost or cut and a center detent, separate from the TONE control.
Can I run Belle Starr on 18V? Yes, it accepts 9-18V DC center negative; do not exceed 18V.
Who is Belle Starr named after? Drew Shirley of Switchfoot named the pedal after a historical female outlaw from his family line.
What is the bypass type? A mechanical true bypass switch.