The Keeley Super Phat Mod started as a modification to the Boss BD-2 Blues Driver. This was a circuit that became one of the most requested mods in the world of boutique pedals.
The Super Phat Mod is that same circuit built from scratch, with one difference. A hand-selected Toshiba JFET transistor is at the heart of things to give the correct harmonic content. Finding one made the Super Phat Mod possible.
The Keeley Electronics Super Phat Mod delivers a natural break-up that just feels good and lets you express yourself. The dynamics make it feel alive and part of your fingers. It emulates old tube amps in a unique way
The Phat / Flat Toggle
This is worth understanding. Flat mode gives a more neutral bass response where the overdrive sits cleanly across the frequency range without adding low-end weight.
Phat mode adds a slight bass boost, originally voiced for Strat and Telecaster player,s who wanted a small push in the low mids without muddiness.
In practice, Flat works better with humbuckers Phat suits single coils.
Features
- JFET overdrive built on the legendary Keeley Phat Mod circuit
- Hand-selected Toshiba JFET transistors — the component that defines the pedal’s character
- Four controls — Level, Tone, Drive, Flat/Phat toggle
- Flat mode: neutral bass response, works well with humbuckers
- Phat mode: slight bass boost, voiced for Strat and Telecaster players
- Full range and highly responsive — cleans up well with guitar volume control
- True Bypass
- 9V DC centre-negative — current draw not published by Keeley
- Made in the USA
Controls
- Level
- Tone
- Drive
- Flat / Phat toggle switch
The Super Phat Mod has a wider dynamic range than most overdrives and is responsive to playing styles. It naturally cleans up when you back off the guitar volume. Dig in and it breaks up.This is what transparent overdrive actually means in practice.
It covers a lot of ground. Country picking at lower Drive settings, blues at moderate settings, rock wailing with the Drive up.
What it doesn’t do is the mid-focused, slightly honky sound of a Screamer-style overdrive. If that’s what you want, look elsewhere – eg tubescreamers! If you want something more open and full-range that works with your guitar rather than imposing its own character, this is the territory.
Phat Mod History
AS we said above , the Phat Mod started life as a modification Keeley applied to the Boss BD-2 Blues Driver. This mod gave the pedal two modes of bass response via a switch. The boosted mode became known as Phat mode.
From that original mod came the Luna Overdrive — which won a Gear of the Year award in the UK — and later the Katana Blues Drive, which added active bass and treble controls and extended the gain range slightly.
The Super Phat Mod returns to the original Phat Mod circuit, rebuilt part-for-part with one significant change: the hand-selected Toshiba JFET transistors that Keeley spent years tracking down. The right JFET, with the right harmonic character, is what makes this version of the circuit work the way the original did.
FAQs
The Keeley Phat Mod. This was a modification to the Boss BD-2 Blues Driver.
It switches between two bass response settings.
There is no mid boost that is naturally voiced in the tubescreamer style pedals
Yes. Just set Drive low and set the level at unity gain.
Yes.
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