Overdrive pedal effects designed to simulate the creamy sound of an overdriven tube amp or to giving a taste of gain boosted tube amp.
Overdrive pedals are the classic sounding, one of the most used tone-shaping tools for guitarists, for every kind of genres. The basic use is to increase the amount of gain, mimicking the sound of a cranked tube amp rather than a clean sounding.
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The most fundamental sounding, while in the other hand, most copied pedals ever are Ibanez TS-808 and TS-9 pedal effects (including the original contractor; Maxon equivalent), which first showed in the mids 70’s. After that, companies like Boss, MXR, Fulltone, and Marshall are started making their own version of Overdrive pedals although basically sharing the same tonal characteristics of the tube overdriven sound.
The Tube Screamer pedal was the “safe” option to give your brand new transistor amp – the tubes magic. Giving you that vintage tube sound, harmonically rich and crunchy sounding in a small footprint, while the flexibility may suit your many needs as a guitarist.
Many modern “boutique” pedals are based on the anatomy of TS OverDrive.
One of the significant character of the famous overdrive circuit is to preserve the tonal, frequency characteristics of the guitar and amplifier while keeping the guitarist dynamic expression. The base of the sound itself are obtained from an op-amp Japanese JRC-4558 chip and using two silicon diodes to produce soft, symmetrical distortion stage.
Over the years, pedal builders were changing the clipping stage in the overdrives from silicon to led diodes or germanium ones which gives the feeling of saturation only achieved in the real tube amps while the overall “feels” changes from component to component. For example, LED diodes known to give more headroom and less compressed feeling.
Many models are offering different clipping stages to choose from, using switching system between different diodes. The famous OverDrive was brought to the listeners and guitarists by Stevie-Ray Vaughan in late 70’s, which later become one of the most iconic guitar sounds ever made. Get a Fender, an amp with nice tweed voiced clean channel and put your OverDrive pedal in front and you will get instant SRV tone in seconds!
Later in the years they began to show up in many modern guitarist pedal boards as rhythm and solo boosters. Helping many shredders and Guitar gods getting their tone to the next level, a huge high gain with endless sustain. Today’s Djent-centric 8-to-9 strings guitarists will be lost if these pedals don’t exist. The low end produced by these guitars is always controlled and shaped by TS based overdrive pedal in front of high gain amp to keep the low end tight and well pronounced.
But basically, their original purpose are helpful to shape your bluesy – rock tone, try them in your clean channel and you will get that vintage tube like saturation with a little tweaking of your amp settings and pedal. Most of the time you will see the OverDrive with settings like: Drive-Gain knob at zero, Tone at middle and Volume knob almost at max in front of a tube amp, transistor or modern software amp simulator, giving a tight low end or screaming full with harmonics rich lead tone. When your amp needs a little magic or your solo tone has no sustain, the overdrive pedal is the only gear you’ll gonna need.
So, as you can see, its one of the most used tool from 70’s to present days, an essential in every pedal board to give more distinctive voice and “rootsy” sound.
Kuassa Efektor OD3603 Overdrive
One of the first distortion effect series from the 360 collection. Efektor OD3603 Overdrive were designed to cover your every needs of Overdrive effects; whether a hard and thick one, to a warm and tight sounding one. Originally modeled after 11 kind of most sought after effect pedals, we picked only the best, then narrow down all of them into 5 types of overdrive pedals which can incorporate the sound of all overdrive pedals. All the varying parameters are streamlined into a uniform 3 knob parameters plus 1 dry-wet knob, to cover every tone which are essentials for any guitarists (even synth-players). Basically one versatile device you’ll ever need for overdriven tone!
Efektor OD3603 Overdrive plug-in is now available to purchase via our website and selected resellers for an intro price at $19 (excl. VAT) each and the bundle of all three, namely Efektor Distortion Bundle will be available at more reduced price during intro: $45 (excl. VAT) for one month after release (normal price: $25 each, $59 bundle). Intro price valid until August 15th, 2017.
Rack Extension version is also having a discount and (now) a bundle version of all three also at intro price same with the Plug-in version. Available through Propellerhead Shop.
