GEAR REVIEW
WARM AUDIO WARMDRIVE | Michael Hodge
• Classis Zendrive Re-creation
• 2N7000 MOSFETs , NE5532 Op-Amp
• Carbon Resistors , Germanium / Schottky Diodes
• True Bypass
KEY FEATURES
Warm Audio has done it again ! They have taken the time to faithfully re-create the classic Hermida Zendrive pedal . This legendary drive is known for its smooth , amp-like tone and is hard to find . It ’ s been nicknamed ‘ the Ampin-a-box ’ and was specifically designed to get that fantastic Dumble-amp sound . Warmdrive has tons of sustain and a wide range of classic vintage tones from light breakup to roaring distortion . Warmdrive immediately got my attention since I have an old Zen and was excited to hear the difference . Several famous players are hip to this sound like Robben Ford ,
John Mayer and Eric Clapton .
OUT OF THE BOX : Warmdrive is slightly larger than the original . It ’ s more of a standard small form-factor metal casing . The four tapered knobs on top are Volume , Gain , Tone , and Voice . The silver top and Zen logo are faithful to the original but Warm Orange instead of black . They also chose a red LED instead of blue . In and out are located on the sides with a 9vDc Boss-type jack on the right . It weighs in at about ¾ of a pound and feels solid .
Warmdrive has a wide dynamic range in saturation details . It ’ s a unique design with two distinct tone circuits . One comes before the Clip / Distortion stage ( Voice ), and one comes after ( Tone ). The pairing of these two parameters makes for a wide combination of tones along with adjusting Gain and Volume . You can get a light breakup to a singing solo tone , or even gritty distortion . This explains why it ’ s been such a beloved pedal design . When opening the case there ’ s not much to see but the back of the circuit board . Hidden are the low-noise NE5532 Op-Amp , Germanium / Schottky diodes , and 2N7000 MOSFETs with Carbon Resistors . Warm Audio made sure to exactly match the components .
IN USE : I set up the two pedals side by side in a loop going into a ‘ 62 Fender Deluxe . This is a perfect amp for the studio , and pedal-friendly . I found both pedals to be very close in how they sound and behave . The Warmdrive pots aren ’ t scratchy like the OG . Warmdrive has a little more output . There are several things I love about this pedal . It ’ s exceptionally transparent yet “ warm ” in the lower distortion settings . You ’ ll find there is a special interactive relationship between Voice and Tone . Turning up the gain for what I ’ d use on crunchy rhythm ,