dash_r's Reviews

Versatile and gig-ready dual drive

After getting into the Strokes and discovering their use of this pedal (the V1 in particular) I got the V2 used as my first drive pedal, and I've kept it to this day with zero regrets. It's a wonderful introduction to stacking drives, and each side offers a unique take on the drive sounds they attempt to emulate (the Jekyll being a TS808 clone and the Hyde a Shredmaster) with additional controls, such as a bass boost switch and a sharp/blunt toggle, enabling you to dial each effect differently based on the genre you're going for.

The Jekyll could be used as a boost to a cranked amp like how you'd use a Tubescreamer, but with the bass boost on and a bit of tweaking could also serve as a great base overdrive sound for a clean channel. The Shredmaster on its own gets you a Marshall sound; you could dial in some punk (think 90s Green Day), but it works best for replicating Jonny Greenwood's distorted tone as he uses a Shredmaster, which is what this circuit emulates. The pedal works best with both sides engaged, using one side as your base sound and the other a boost, and the Strokes really proved this.

My only caveat is its size, which could occupy too much space on a pedalboard build, but I'd much rather have two pedals in one enclosure than two pedals taking a bit more space and using an additional power cable. All in all, the Jekyll and Hyde is a very versatile pedal, with plenty of range on both sides, and I could not recommend this enough to anyone who's just getting into stacking drive pedals.

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