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gear giveaway

OVERDRIVE PEDALS

JHS Overdrive Preamp

The JHS Overdrive Preamp is a simple two-knob circuit inspired by the DOD 250 and featuring both gray and yellow versions, accessible through a switch. The builder's notes say its primary voice is based on a prototype of the DOD 250 from the '70s found by JHS owner Josh Scott,…... Click for more

JHS Overdrive Preamp

Colombo Utopia Overdrive

The Colombo Utopia is a 3-voice, hand-made, analog overdrive hailing from Italy. The 3-knob configuration gives access to the classic Volume, Tone and Gain (Overdrive) parameter, but it's the central toggle switch that opens up some interesting options: The Vintage mode delivers a tone in the style of a TS808,…... Click for more

Colombo Utopia Overdrive

Pedal Pawn Texan Twang Overdrive

Those looking for a pedal that encapsulates the essence of traditional Texan music may find what they need in the Texan Twang, a pedal by a company based in Cambridgeshire, UK. Inspired by a steady aural diet of Steve Ray Vaughan, this combo boost/overdrive pedal is a two-knob, treble booster-inspired…... Click for more

Pedal Pawn Texan Twang Overdrive

New Pedal: BSM Black Box

Designed by veteran stompbox engineer Bernd Meiser of BSM pedals, the Black Box is a treble booster variant inspired by the device used by AC/DC's Angus Young as a wireless system in front of his JTM amps: the Schaffer Vega Diversity System. The Schaffer Vega wasn't a transparent box, but…... Click for more

New Pedal: BSM Black Box

Pigtronix Gamma Drive

In the pedal world, overdrives are a niche that is for the most part based on technology that's not particularly innovative, but the folks at Pigtronix have gotten us used to devices the push the technological envelope: their Gamma Drive does just that, through a circuit that features a unique…... Click for more

Pigtronix Gamma Drive

Mojo Hand FX Sericon K-Style Overdrive

The Sericon, by Mojo Hand FX, is a device that inserts itself in the Klone saga with a very peculiar story. This pedal's circuit is identical to the very well-regarded ProAnalog Devices Manticore V2. The company commissioned Cusack Music (who owns Mojo Hand FX) to produce it but then went…... Click for more

Mojo Hand FX Sericon K-Style Overdrive

Ibanez TS808 TAMURA-MOD Tube Screamer

The world is full of Tube Screamer clones and variants, but the Ibanez TS808 TAMURA-MOD is a little more than that: a mod of the most popular overdrive ever by the engineer who designed the original circuit back in 1979! Mr. Tamura has spent the past three years analyzing hundreds…... Click for more

Ibanez TS808 TAMURA-MOD Tube Screamer

Crazy Tube Circuits Killer V Vibrato + Drive

Magnatone amps have gained some sort of legendary aura for their vibrato effect, which consisted in a very subtle modulation affecting the tone's pitch, rather its volume - the latter effect being later named "tremolo," while, in case you are wondering, the "uni-vibe" (aka vibe) was something else entirely. But,…... Click for more

Crazy Tube Circuits Killer V Vibrato + Drive

New Pedal: SolidGoldFX Commodore

The SolidGoldFX Commodore overdrive is the second pedal by the Montreal builder to feature a set of four sliders, after the Imperial MkII fuzz, which, is anything, is an indication that sliders on pedals are being welcomed by guitarists. This pedal ain't a fuzz, though, but a Marshall Bluesbreaker overdrive…... Click for more

New Pedal: SolidGoldFX Commodore

New Pedal: Rude Tech Falcondrive! | Aquabats! Signature Overdrive/Distortion

We always love it when legendary musicians collaborate with pedal makers in the design of new stompboxes, but we love it even more when the musicians in question, rather than celebrated masters of blues guitar, belong to a quirky and colorful rock'n'roll group that loves to wear costumes. Enter the…... Click for more

New Pedal: Rude Tech Falcondrive! | Aquabats! Signature Overdrive/Distortion

IK Multimedia X-Drive Multi-Mode Gain Pedal

Italian powerhouse IK Multimedia, a multifaceted builder of hardware and software for musicians, unveiled four new, multi-mode pedals powered by the algorithms of their popular audio plugin Amplitube. This post will take a closer look at the gain pedal in this line, called X-Drive. This is a multi-mode, do-it-all kind…... Click for more

IK Multimedia X-Drive Multi-Mode Gain Pedal

Blackstar Dept 10 Dual Drive

British manufacturer Blackstar Amplification initially made a name for itself for their point-to-point tube amps, and even though they expanded on that initial offer, their experience with tube-driven circuits remains an important part of their identity, as proven by the release of a series of tube pedals under the Dept.…... Click for more

Blackstar Dept 10 Dual Drive