When I first picked up Fourth, I expected to hear a high-quality boutique guitar pedal, maybe with decent drive, but probably not very suitable for bass.
The name Solid State Distortion was slightly misleading.
All the more surprising was when my Sadowsky JJ suddenly sounded vintage — almost like an early-1970s Fender Jazz Bass.
Focused mids, tight attack, and a “wooden” feel under the fingers — it quickly became clear: Fourth is not just a distortion, but a tonally rich instrument, working with mids, lows, and attack far beyond what its name implies.
The pedal is controlled by three knobs — Gain, Volume, Shape — and has three toggles, each shaping the circuit’s character.
Reference Pedals
Hudson Broadcast — discrete transistor overdrive inspired by studio broadcast modules. Dense, slightly gritty mids, springy attack. Functions more like an amp stage than an effect.
SS/BS Mini — one of the widest-ranging pedals: from transparent low gain to dirty, almost console-like drive, and even gated-fuzz states.
Fairfield Barbershop — low-gain overdrive with focused mids and gentle compression. Almost like a mini-preamp: subtly thickening the tone, adding warmth and body without overwhelming it. Works perfectly for rhythmic layers or mix parts where a clear midrange is needed without harshness.
JHS Colour Box — a console channel in pedal format. Neve-inspired architecture: saturation, compression, distinctive mids. Can be clean or dirty, but always studio-oriented.
Electronic Audio Experiments Model FET — built around a Sunn transistor amp concept. Tight, solid lows, dry and firm mids. Excellent for stacking other pedals, holds pitch well at high gain.
EBS The Drive — low-gain overdrive with soft yet confident attack. More of a gentle warmer than a traditional effect. Gain stage before preamp shapes the amp-like feel.
SolidGoldFX Beta V — big, inflated low end, warm character, fine-grained drive, but fully capable of turning aggressive. GOAT pedal.
Moog MF Drive — thick, viscous overdrive with Moog ladder filter. Dense, stretching tone with analog inertia. More texture than articulation.
Fourth surprises with its vintage midrange, tight low end, and lively, responsive attack.
Unlike most reference pedals, it doesn’t erase the character of the instrument — whether a Sadowsky, Fender, or any other mid-focused bass.
It responds to the subtlest nuances: light finger touches, dynamic playing, and arpeggio variations are immediately reflected in the tone.
In different contexts, Fourth behaves differently: it can sit in a dense rhythm mix, create a solo midrange, or add unexpected textures and experimental layers.
Other pedals — boosters, drives, fuzzes — can be stacked through Fourth while it retains clarity and control, keeping its tonal identity intact.
It responds beautifully to both clean and more aggressive basses, offering possibilities across genres: progressive and space rock, jazz-fusion, avant-garde, and experimental textures.
Full lows, pronounced mids, and precise attack make it an instrument for crafting musical lines where every detail is audible, yet delivering a complete, powerful tone.
Fourth is not just a pedal — it’s an instrumental voice that unfolds through playing and truly “lives” with the music.
The name Solid State Distortion was slightly misleading.
All the more surprising was when my Sadowsky JJ suddenly sounded vintage — almost like an early-1970s Fender Jazz Bass.
Focused mids, tight attack, and a “wooden” feel under the fingers — it quickly became clear: Fourth is not just a distortion, but a tonally rich instrument, working with mids, lows, and attack far beyond what its name implies.
The pedal is controlled by three knobs — Gain, Volume, Shape — and has three toggles, each shaping the circuit’s character.
Reference Pedals
Hudson Broadcast — discrete transistor overdrive inspired by studio broadcast modules. Dense, slightly gritty mids, springy attack. Functions more like an amp stage than an effect.
SS/BS Mini — one of the widest-ranging pedals: from transparent low gain to dirty, almost console-like drive, and even gated-fuzz states.
Fairfield Barbershop — low-gain overdrive with focused mids and gentle compression. Almost like a mini-preamp: subtly thickening the tone, adding warmth and body without overwhelming it. Works perfectly for rhythmic layers or mix parts where a clear midrange is needed without harshness.
JHS Colour Box — a console channel in pedal format. Neve-inspired architecture: saturation, compression, distinctive mids. Can be clean or dirty, but always studio-oriented.
Electronic Audio Experiments Model FET — built around a Sunn transistor amp concept. Tight, solid lows, dry and firm mids. Excellent for stacking other pedals, holds pitch well at high gain.
EBS The Drive — low-gain overdrive with soft yet confident attack. More of a gentle warmer than a traditional effect. Gain stage before preamp shapes the amp-like feel.
SolidGoldFX Beta V — big, inflated low end, warm character, fine-grained drive, but fully capable of turning aggressive. GOAT pedal.
Moog MF Drive — thick, viscous overdrive with Moog ladder filter. Dense, stretching tone with analog inertia. More texture than articulation.
Fourth surprises with its vintage midrange, tight low end, and lively, responsive attack.
Unlike most reference pedals, it doesn’t erase the character of the instrument — whether a Sadowsky, Fender, or any other mid-focused bass.
It responds to the subtlest nuances: light finger touches, dynamic playing, and arpeggio variations are immediately reflected in the tone.
In different contexts, Fourth behaves differently: it can sit in a dense rhythm mix, create a solo midrange, or add unexpected textures and experimental layers.
Other pedals — boosters, drives, fuzzes — can be stacked through Fourth while it retains clarity and control, keeping its tonal identity intact.
It responds beautifully to both clean and more aggressive basses, offering possibilities across genres: progressive and space rock, jazz-fusion, avant-garde, and experimental textures.
Full lows, pronounced mids, and precise attack make it an instrument for crafting musical lines where every detail is audible, yet delivering a complete, powerful tone.
Fourth is not just a pedal — it’s an instrumental voice that unfolds through playing and truly “lives” with the music.
