Find Your

so, played with this thing for a while. what I liked: 1) the expressionramperesque lfo ranges. It can go very, very slow (the number we have in the ramper's manual is "approximately .0013Hz" for a cycle). if you know, you know. 2) random vibrato. 3) the fact that there's an option to make its tremolo work for both channels in sync without panning. coupled with the slow LFO it gives interesting options for background ambiences showing and hiding them for a while. at least, it could (see below). CONS or what I didn't quite like: 1) the biggest bummer that makes me think if it's a keeper of not: the chance knob is hard-tied to the LFO speed without subdivision/multiplier options. What I mean: if you do want to use slow modulations (slow random vibrato or a slow trem like in the example above) once the algorithm decides to let your signal into the delay line, it can be there for minutes, because it erases (or decides to stay) each LFO cycle. And this makes slow mods practically unusable. I assume, very fast rates won't quite do either: for example, if you want a very fast trem while having the delay thing to stay for a while, most likely it will be erased very soon. The delay time subdivisions alter the delay time, but not how the chance work. 2) the second is crucial too: no way to untie the glitch knob from the LFO speed, it always messes with the LFO. I mean, yeah, doubling the trem speed occasionally could be cool, but when you can't control it this could be undesirable – if you want a steady modulation with a glitchy delay speed, it's not possible. Example: when I use vibrato I prefer pretty high depth which sounds cool and not obvious at low rates, but when it changes the speed it gets seasick. Or it could be a side-chain-like pump made with a reversed saw trem which should be rhythmic, steady and entrancing, but, well... Allowing to decide if the glitch just pitchshifts or not could definitely find its uses. And when it does change the rate it could nice to let user decide to what subdiv/multiplier according to whatever speed: like, doubling it for the octave ups seem logical, but the contrasts work well too, so slowing down a trem + octaves up could musically work too, no need to lock the player in the cliches. 3) below noon chance sets a chance for an old or a new signal to slip into the delay line, always 50-50. maybe an alt control for the 50-50 thing could be musically useful too, who knows. 4) LPF and HPF don't work simultaneously which could be helpful for a tighter control in the mix. But even without that, the unit could seriously benefit from binding filters' settings to speeds, because octave ups are always seem too harsh and ear pearcing – I'd really love to apply a specific LPF setting just to tame that, or to add even more glitchy feel. ALL IN ALL: it seems like just adding a couple of alt functions could make it way more usable in scenarios where you want it to behave in some specific musical manner, but without the LFO-related options (on/off/subdivs/multipliers) the usage narrows down to a glitchy machine that works in a pre-programmed way, so it will sound basically the same in every setup. 3 stars is not particularly "bad", but the mod side of it doesn't allow a player to freely and creatively use the glitch side and vice versa. No new sounds needed, just more control.

Drunk Beaver, one of Europe's best boutique pedal builders, is launching its budget-friendly XR pedal series with this TS-9-inspired overdrive. More specifically, the XR series aims to revive the spirit of the old Exar pedal line. Exar was well known in Poland for producing affordable pedals at a time when brands like Boss, DOD, and MXR were difficult to find in Eastern Europe. The OD-1 is essentially a Tube Screamer, but like the Boss SD-1 it uses asymmetrical clipping instead of the original green pedal's symmetrical clipping. The other key difference is the tone control. Turning it clockwise adds bass, resulting in a fuller sound than a traditional Tube Screamer, which can sometimes feel a little thin. That said, fuller isn't always better when you're trying to cut through a band mix. For that reason, I think it's best to keep the tone control fairly low when using the OD-1 as a boost, which, in my opinion, is exactly what this pedal excels at. It may not be the greatest standalone overdrive, but I don't think it was designed with that purpose in mind. It's meant to push an already overdriven amp or pedal, and that's how I've been using it. It pairs particularly well with my GupTech Donut, a Crowther Hot Cake clone, adding a pleasing extra layer of grit without overwhelming the core tone. It's also dirt cheap and built like a tank. I love the knobs, which are fairly original, as well as the fact that it has top-mounted jacks, making it more pedalboard friendly than Ibanez and Boss pedals. Also, it comes with an additional circuit (if you want to try to do it yourself) and with a barefoot button. What more could you ask for?

Is it the best drive in the world? No, however, you can pick these up for as little at £20, so really you can’t complain for that. It’s nothing to go crazy for but it is a decent pedal. I have a soft spot for pedals that aren’t a one trick pony. The crazy cacti has a bunch of tonal options to suit different, players, music and rigs. I particularly liked how it had the addition of the boost circuit. Wish we could see more of that on other drive pedals. For me the boost meant that when money was tight I only needed the one overdrive pedal, which saved time, weight, money, and space.

For many years I desired this connecting link from guitar & bass.

In the short few months of having this, I have used it on several client jobs as well as it sparking sundry ideas!

These are notorious for coming with horrible setups, bridges and just ok pickups though for the price, it is great and you can find a decent luthier or tech or friend to get you sorted unless you are adept at this art.

I paid about $400 for mine and am glad I held out for so long as this one is magical.