Reviewers of the new Fender pedals have been uniformly impressed, and I'm no exception. It would be no stretch for me to buy a PJ IV, a Tele, a Pugilist, and a Marine Layer, and call it a day with an all-Fender rig.
More pedal-obsessed players might value specifics features of the Fender units and add them to their pedal boards. There's no doubt that the new lineup is priced right, and in particular the Santa Ana Overdrive seems like an insane bargain at $200, given its capabilities.
The pedal market is pretty weird. There are big names like Boss, selling numerous pedals that have been showing up boards for decades, along with other guys such as MXR. Then there are boutique pedals, which appeal to the true effects junkies, or to those folks who just obsess over a particular type of distortion or overdrive.
The three pedals I sampled are truly sweetspot stompboxes for Fender, designed to be interesting enough to stand out, but not so focused that a player would get bored with the effect and move on.
My favorite was the Pugilist, but that's because all I need is a clean tone and a dirty tone, and with an amp like the PJ that doesn't allow for switching, a good distortion pedal is my ticket. At $150, the Marine Layer Reverb is priced right, but I wouldn't end up using much of what it has to offer. In fact, I didn't even chain it in with the Pugilist because I didn't really feel like I needed any reverb to achieve a tone that I liked.
The pedals are solidly built, and they have cool features, such as a Fender jewel light and dials that can be illuminated — all to assist gigging musicians on stage. I stomped all three of the pedals I checked out and I stomped 'em good, and they held up beautifully and showed no indications of failing. If you put them on a board, they're likely to return the investment as far as durability goes.
For Fender, the move into pedals is bold and serious. And the products live up to the ambitions of this legendary company.