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Average Price: $219
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$60
$151+
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Description
The Durham Electronics Sex Drive is a versatile boost effects pedal designed to enhance your guitar's natural tone while offering a touch of grit when needed. Known for its high-quality JFET transistors, this pedal provides a clean, transparent boost that can push your amplifier into overdrive, or simply add clarity to your sound. Ideal for guitarists seeking a pedal that delivers subtle to significant sonic enhancement, the Sex Drive maintains your instrument's original character without coloring the tone excessively.
This pedal is a favorite among musicians for its ability to go from a clean boost to a light overdrive, making it perfect for a wide range of genres and playing styles. Its intuitive control interface includes Volume, Gain, and Tone knobs, allowing for precise adjustments to achieve your desired sound. The Sex Drive also includes a unique toggle switch for selecting between boost and compression modes, providing additional flexibility for your performance needs.
Whether you're looking to cut through a mix or add a touch of warmth, the Durham Electronics Sex Drive offers a reliable solution with its robust construction and straightforward operation. It's a pedalboard staple for those who appreciate quality craftsmanship and nuanced tonal control.
Key Features:
- High-quality JFET transistors for transparent boost
- Volume, Gain, and Tone control knobs for precision
- Toggle switch for boost and compression modes
- Durable construction suitable for live performance
- Maintains the natural character of your guitar's tone
Product specs
| Brand | Durham Electronics |
| Model | Sex Drive Overdrive/Boost |
| Finish | Silver |
| Year | 2010s |
| Made In | United States |
| Categories | Overdrive and Boost Pedals |
FAQs
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What type of sound can I expect from the Durham Electronics Sex Drive pedal?
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The Durham Electronics Sex Drive provides a transparent boost and light overdrive, enhancing your guitar's natural tone without coloring it. It's ideal for adding sustain and clarity to your sound.
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Is the Durham Electronics Sex Drive suitable for use with both electric and acoustic guitars?
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Yes, the Sex Drive pedal is designed to work well with both electric and acoustic guitars, offering a clean boost and subtle overdrive to enhance your instrument's natural sound.
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Does the Durham Electronics Sex Drive pedal work well with other effects pedals?
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The Sex Drive is known for its ability to stack well with other pedals, particularly overdrives and distortions, making it a versatile addition to any pedalboard setup.
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What power supply does the Durham Electronics Sex Drive require?
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The Durham Electronics Sex Drive pedal requires a standard 9V DC power supply, which is common for most pedalboards and effects setups.
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Can the Durham Electronics Sex Drive pedal be used as a standalone overdrive?
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While primarily a boost pedal, the Sex Drive can be used as a standalone overdrive for adding light grit and sustain to your tone, making it versatile for various playing styles.
Videos
ProGuitarShopDemos
Durham Electronics Sex Drive Clean Boost Pedal
Reviews
PROS
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Adds a "glassy" bump to tone, enhancing sound quality
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Provides a clean, organic boost without altering natural amp tone
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Features both "soft" and "hard" compression options
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Can be left on continuously for a consistently improved tone
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Functions as an effective volume increase with minimal gain adjustment
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Offers a natural-sounding, unobtrusive boost
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Boasts a high-quality buffer, ideal for long pedalboards
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Described as having a special, almost magical effect on sound
CONS
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Interior build quality may appear subpar or used
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LED light excessively bright for some settings
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Considered overpriced by some users for its functionality
Owner Insights
We analyzed real musician discussions from forums and Reddit to find what players love, question, and tweak about Durham Electronics Sex Drive.
Features and functionality
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The tone knob has a narrow sweet spot that enhances highs, aiding in cutting through live mixes, though excessive use can lead to harshness.
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The LED is notably bright, prompting some users to apply Rockboard LED dampers for reduced glare, comparable to the EQD Sea Chorus brightness.
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The Sex Drive is praised for its beautiful and simple design, which appeals to users seeking straightforward pedal options.
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Use cases and applications
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Valued for bringing Stratocaster output to match humbuckers, it excels in achieving edge-of-breakup tones at lower volumes, often used as the final gain stage in pedal chains.
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The Sex Drive is often used as a clean boost, particularly favored for its ability to enhance clarity and presence without altering the guitar's natural tone.
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Comparisons
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The Durham Electronics Sex Drive is favored over other clean boosts like the RC Booster and Fender Engager for its simplicity and effective performance.
Source
5.0 out of 5
Based on 2 Reviews and 2 Ratings
12
Special Sauce is right
When players talk about magical pedals that provide that "something extra" or "special sauce," one can be forgiven for some eye rolling. But the truth is, some pedals really do have that mojo goin' on. This pedal brings the mojo - hard. I used to use it as a lead boost until I realized I simply HAD to leave it on all the time. It's that good.
Artist usage
Add artist
In this article, Music Radar interviews Edge's guitar tech Dallas Schoo and details his touring rig for 2009's "360° Tour." It lists the Sex Drive among his effects.
According to a post by Zac Childs on Ask Zac, Brad Paisley used a Durham Electronics Sex Drive pedal in 2005.
Rich Robinson is associated with the Durham Electronics Sex Drive pedal. Originally designed to meet the specific needs of musician Charlie Sexton, this clean-boost pedal enhances bottom end and sustain without altering the amplifier's natural tone or adding unwanted nasal qualities. The Reverb listing confirms Robinson's ownership of this pedal.
The Durham Electronics Sex Drive pedal is listed in this article by Premier Guitar, in the sidebar, among the effects that Williamson has used.
"Captain" Kirk Douglas uses a Durham Electronics Sex Drive on his live pedalboard rig for The Tonight Show Staring Jimmy Fallon. It is shown [@ 2:30] in the video.
This pedal was also mentioned in the 2019 Premier Guitar interview..
Shown within multiple rack setup designed by FREE THE TONE for LIVE 2017 25th L'Anniversary LIVE Event as per photos published on FREE THE TONE's blog (2017).
The second is an acoustic board designed for Colin Hay of Men at Work. Colin wanted a very versatile system that was state of the art. It allows him to blend his dry acoustic sound with stereo effects.
A custom box was built by Martin to allow a DI feed and stereo XLR through the pedals to the house as well as a mono amp send. The box also allows a master mute of all outs to the tuner and a mute of the XLR's and amp send individually. The XLR's are ISO'd with two Jensen Transformers.
The signal chain is as follows: Custom switching box---Demeter Tube DI---EBS Comp----Durham Sexdrive----Fulldrive II----Boss Loop Station---TC Modulator----TC Nova Delay---Swith box.
The Demeter tube DI is an incredibly natural sounding piece. The TC pedals blended in stereo are amazingly spacious.
According to Guitar Geek's rig diagram, Ekstrom uses Durham Electronics Sex Drive Pedal.
Album Usage
The Durham Electronics Sex Drive has been featured on the following albums:
Genre Usage
Based on how artists on Equipboard use this gear, it is most commonly found in the following genres.
Used With
Based on how musicians on Equipboard use Durham Electronics Sex Drive, it is most commonly used with the following gear.
Community setups
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