resonance position sets the voicing to
flat for a more neutral, uncolored sound
that blends seamlessly with the amplifier.
Other cool features include a footswitch
that engages its pre-drive boost section
(for kicking up both saturation and
volume), and an excellent speaker
simulator for using the pedal direct to a
mixer or recorder. As I mentioned, the
Vintage Pre-Drive has been discontinued
by TC, but used models are fairly
abundant, often selling for 100 bucks or
less, and offer an inspiring and
affordable respite from the forlorn honk
of the Tube Screamer.
DEMETER DRV-1 OVER DRIVEULATOR:
Demeter has been rather quietly making
some of the best, most innovative guitar
effects around for over 30 years.
Perhaps it’s just a lack of advertising, or
a desire to let the products speak for
themselves, but the company’s
stompboxes tend to routinely fly under
the popular radar. This is a shame,
because more players should know
about Demeter’s DRV-1 Over
Driveulator. This simple, unassuming
black box can bring a world of rich,
organic dirt from its uncomplicated
controls, from clean boost and tube-y
drive sounds, to high-gain crunch and
hairy, germanium-tinted fuzz. The driving
force behind this broad tonal spectrum
and wide-ranging dynamic response is a
side-mounted toggle that switches
between “tight” silicon diodes and
“loose” germanium ones. Flipping this
28
TONE TALK //
switch affects both the tone and feel of
the pedal, and lets it go places that your
average overdrive cannot. The DRV-1
nicely encapsulates Demeter’s penchant
for clean, functional designs and exciting
diversions from standard guitar effects.
The Over Driveulator eats Tube
Screamers for breakfast, and poops
them out after lunch.
When shopping for a new overdrive, it
can be challenging to avoid the hordes
of Screamer clones out there, as not all
of them are painted green to let you
know where they’re coming from. Many
are gussied up with banks of knobs and
switches and adorned with fancy paint
jobs to throw you off, when lurking
under the hood, they ain’t nuthin’ but a
TS9! Despite this, doing a little extra
legwork and seeking out original circuits
is well worth the effort, with tone and
inspiration being the ultimate reward.
Good luck.
5 Killer Overdrives that Aren’t Tube Screamers