American TrueTone : How is it this good?

I was hoping to find a cheap pedal-style amp sim for times when my backline amp is not such a practical choice. After coming across this pedal I was initially skeptical about how good it could be so I did my research.

I was very surprised with the number of positive reviews I found and the video reviews online also seemed to be the same. I took a chance and purchased the American pedal to try it out for myself.

I've built a number of pedalboards over the years (both for myself and others) many of them have featured well-known high-end boutique pedals and to be honest, the build quality of this pedal is equal to theirs in many ways.

As far as DI'ing the pedal into the PA system as it was quite noisy. If I could add a noise gate after it then I think that would solve the issue but I don't own one of them yet.

I had recently been unsatisfied with the overdrive sound I was getting at low volumes from my overdrive and distortion pedal with my amp - my trusty old Mesa Boogie DC5. Today I took the American pedal to try out with my amp in band practice. I was absolutely blown away by the quality of the sound. I then used this when playing a live set later and just cant get enough of it.

This is now living on my pedal board as my main overdrive pedal. It also responds fantastically if I push the pedal with a transparent overdrive pedal or a Boss DS1 (or both).

This pedal is simply amazing. I can't believe the results this produces, especially for the low price.

The budget price equipment market has caught right up with the more high-end brands and is now an option all players should give serious consideration to adding to their rigs.