Electro Harmonix East River Drive

After a period spent focusing on effects other than distortion, Electro Harmonix in 2013 seems to have shifted its attention back to what made it famous in the early days.

After repackaging their classic 70s Hot Tubes pedal in “nano” format, the NYC-based builder has released a brand new distortion called East River Drive, named after the trip New Yorkers take when going from Manhattan to Queens (where the EHX factory is based) or Brooklyn.

Based on a JRC4558 integrated circuit and designed by Analogman’s Mike Piera, this overdrive delivers classic symmetrical overdrive from mild edge to classic distortion. The three knobs are for Volume, Tone, and Drive.

Here are the videos of it!

Electro Harmonix East River Drive, Builder’s Notes

The EHX East River Drive is a JRC4558 IC based pedal that’s as bold as New York City. Symmetrical overdrive adds edge and gain without compromising tone. Volume and Drive take it from sweet to searing while Tone lets you dial in just the right amount of bite to cut through the mix. No matter how hard you drive it, you’re always in control. True bypass and tone that is absolutely unflinching at a musician-friendly price!

Great for getting some dirt out of a clean amp or pushing your dirty amp over the top
True Bypass
Tough, compact die-cast chassis
9V battery included

SPECIFICATIONS

  • Circuit: Analog
  • Bypass: True Bypass
  • Audio: Mono
  • Power Supply: 9V battery included (optional 9.6VDC-200mA power adapter not included)
  • Dimensions (in): 4.5 x 2.75 x 2.1
  • Current Draw: 6mA
  • Year Released: 2013