clean boost, selectable at
the push of a button. The
pedal sports a three-band
boost/cut EQ section and
independent controls for
volume and gain.
With the OD/Boost
switch engaged running
into a clean amp, you’ll
hear an added tube-like
compression that’s natural
sounding and pretty darn
tasty. With my single-coil
and P90-equipped guitars,
I was able to get a touch
of grind going around 10
o’clock on the gain knob,
but the Il Torino really is
a low-gainer. Even with
the Gain knob cranked, it
isn’t likely to overwhelm
you from a saturation
standpoint. But there is a
decent amount of range
through the Gain knob—
from clean or just a hint
of drive to fairly hairy—so
I’m sure this could work
for stackers, tweakers or
players looking for a lowgain drive option with lots
of tonal control.
On the boost side, well—I
can’t think of many options
out there that give you a
full range of EQ controls on
top of enough decibels to
push your amp into sweet
sounding overdrive or fullon bedlam if it’s already
cranked up. Disengaging
the OD mode increases
the volume a touch, but
significantly elevates the
headroom and provides
a cleaner palette to work
with. And that’s the main
focus here—lots of volume
and plenty of control.
The overall sonic footprint
is somewhat Marshallinspired to my ears a