Dirty Boy and Warm Audio Launch Junior Series, Bringing Boutique Pedals Down to $169

Dirty Boy, the California pedal builder whose hand-wired units have landed on boards belonging to Neal Schon and John Frusciante, is stepping into a new price bracket. In partnership with Warm Audio, the brand has introduced the Junior Series—a trio of pedals priced at $169 each, less than half the $349 tag of their hand-built counterparts. Founded by Alex Saraceno, who originally made pedals for his son, former Poison guitarist Blues Saraceno, Dirty Boy has long occupied a rarefied niche. Now, under owner Danny Gomez, it’s aiming at a wider audience without outsourcing the circuits’ identity.

The three pedals distill Dirty Boy’s most characterful designs. The Jr Booster mirrors the Ball Buster, delivering 10 dB of analog gain with a three-way Frequency switch and active Bass and Treble controls. The Jr Fuzz adapts the Afro Fuzz, offering a simple Level and Fuzz setup plus a six-way Frequency selector; it cleans up like a well-sorted vintage Fuzz Face. Most adventurous is the Jr Overdrive, which packs the Preamp circuit—the first pedal launched under Gomez’s stewardship—with tube amp emulation.