Tone City Model M V1 – Rediscovering a Forgotten Gem
Around five or so years ago, the Tone City Golden Plexi was making waves. It started popping up on budget boards everywhere, gaining a reputation as the “must-have” mini pedal of the moment. Naturally, I had to try one. To be honest, though, I walked away a little underwhelmed. It wasn’t bad, but the gain knob seemed to start off too dirty and just got dirtier from there, without much room for subtlety. Add in a touch of background noise, and the whole thing just didn’t click for me. It found its way onto the “to sell” pile pretty quickly.
Fast-forward a few years, and I spotted that Tone City had updated the formula with the Model M. This new version promised dual gain controls and even included a built-in boost. That sounded like exactly what the Golden Plexi had been missing, so I snapped one up on the used market at a decent price. When it arrived, I plugged it in for a quick test drive… and felt the same shrug I’d experienced with the Golden Plexi. So, into the cupboard it went, gathering dust among the forgotten toys.
Then came a late “spring clean” in September. I unearthed the Model M, plugged it back in, and — well — I must have been having a bad day the first time, because this time the pedal absolutely sang. What came out of my amp was the gritty, dynamic, amp-like drive tone I’d been chasing all those years ago. There was this beautiful fuzzy edge, a responsiveness to my playing, and suddenly it clicked. I was wrong about this pedal, plain and simple.
The Gain Section – Crunch vs High Gain
One of the most interesting features of the Model M is the dual gain setup. Instead of one generic gain control, you get two: Crunch and High Gain. A little toggle switch decides which mode you’re in, and the corresponding knob becomes active.
In Crunch mode, you can roll the gain almost all the way back, giving you that slightly pushed-clean tone with just a hint of grit. Dial it up, and you’ll find classic British-style crunch that works beautifully for blues, classic rock, and anything that needs an “amp just starting to sweat” vibe.
Flick over to High Gain mode, and things get rowdy. This setting picks up roughly where Crunch leaves off, delivering a more saturated, aggressive tone. It’s not modern metal levels of gain, but it’s got that modded JCM800-at-full-tilt energy. Think classic hard rock, early heavy metal, and fat, roaring leads.
If there’s a small downside, it’s that the mode switch is a toggle rather than a footswitch. You can’t switch between Crunch and High Gain mid-song without bending down. That said, the pedal has a trick up its sleeve that makes up for it.
The Built-In Boost
The second footswitch on the Model M engages the Boost mode. This is a simple one-knob affair that always runs before the drive section. It’s not designed to give you an independent clean boost or EQ tweak; its job is singular — push the amp circuit harder.
The boost itself is pretty transparent, but as you turn it up, it slams into the drive section with more intensity, essentially giving you a “second channel.” It’s like going from crunchy rhythm to searing lead at the tap of a switch. For all intents and purposes, the pedal becomes a two-channel Plexi-in-a-box.
Would it be more versatile if you could choose to run the boost after the drive, adding volume instead of gain? Probably. But honestly, that’s not the spirit of this pedal. The Model M is all about unapologetically British, amp-style drive, and the boost being pre-gain plays into that beautifully. It’s Nigel Tufnel territory — when you need that extra push over the cliff, the boost takes you straight to eleven.
Tone and Noise
If there’s one part of the pedal that doesn’t quite keep up, it’s the tone control. At the lowest setting, things can get a bit woolly before it starts to clear up. From there, though, it does a solid job, never getting too piercing at the top end and keeping things smooth.
The other slight nit-pick is noise. Push the gain hard, and you’ll notice a bit of background hiss — which, to be fair, is par for the course with mid-heavy British-voiced drives. According to Tone City’s website, the Model M V2 addresses some of these issues, which makes me think this V1 review might just be the first chapter in a two-part story.
A story of redemption
The Tone City Model M V1 is a great example of a pedal that deserves a second chance. On first impression, it might not blow you away, but give it time and it can reveal itself as a dynamic, amp-like drive with real character. Between the dual gain modes and the built-in boost, it offers plenty of flexibility for players looking for that classic British roar without the volume of a half-stack.
Sure, it’s not perfect — the toggle switch instead of a footswitch limits on-the-fly versatility, and the tone knob could be a little more refined. But overall, this is a pedal that captures the magic of cranked British amps in a compact, affordable format.
If the V1 was this good once I gave it another shot, I can only imagine how much further Tone City took it with the V2. Maybe that’s a story for another day.
The V1 doesn't exist anymore, but the V2 is available and for sale here (affiliate link):
https://thmn.to/thoprod/540179?offid=1&affid=2735
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