Pricing and availability
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Average Price: $244
High-end/Boutique
$50
$176+
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Budget
Standard
High-end
Price History
Based on price data from 1 merchant for "Hermida Audio Zendrive". Prices shown reflect NEW condition. Tracking began Apr 7, 2026.
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Description
Hermida Audio Zendrive is a trustworthy companion for musicians seeking to emulate the legendary Dumble Overdrive Special's sound. This pedal is best known for its meticulously replicated compression and saturation characteristics. As a testament to its authenticity and high-performance, it has been the go-to choice for the renowned guitarist Robben Ford, a regular Dumble user, during his tours.
Key Features:
- Emulates the distinctive compression and saturation of the Dumble Overdrive Special
- Endorsed and regularly used by famed guitarist Robben Ford
- Ideal for touring musicians due to its reliable performance
- Belongs to the esteemed category of Overdrive Effects Pedals
- Part of the high-quality product range from Hermida Audio
Product specs
| Brand | Hermida Audio |
| Model | Zendrive |
| Finish | Silver/Black |
| Year | 2010s |
| Made In | United States |
| Categories | Overdrive and Boost Pedals |
FAQs
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What kind of tones can I expect from the Hermida Audio Zendrive?
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The Hermida Audio Zendrive is renowned for its smooth, dynamic overdrive tones that emulate the sound of a Dumble amplifier. It is particularly well-suited for blues and fusion styles, offering a warm, articulate sound with excellent touch sensitivity.
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How does the Voice control on the Zendrive affect the sound?
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The Voice control on the Hermida Audio Zendrive adjusts the midrange frequencies, allowing you to tailor the pedal's response to match different amplifiers and guitars. This feature helps you achieve a more personalized and versatile overdrive tone.
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Is the Hermida Audio Zendrive suitable for use with both single-coil and humbucker pickups?
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Yes, the Hermida Audio Zendrive works well with both single-coil and humbucker pickups, providing a smooth overdrive that enhances the natural character of your guitar's pickups without overpowering them.
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Does the Hermida Audio Zendrive require a specific power supply?
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The Hermida Audio Zendrive operates on a standard 9V power supply, making it compatible with most pedalboard power sources. It can also be powered by a 9V battery, which requires removing the pedal's base to access the battery compartment.
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Can the Hermida Audio Zendrive be used as a clean boost?
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While primarily designed as an overdrive pedal, the Hermida Audio Zendrive can be used as a clean boost by setting the Gain control low and adjusting the Volume to taste, providing a subtle enhancement to your guitar's natural tone.
Videos
intheblues
Hermida Audio Zendrive Pedal
Reviews
PROS
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Produces a rich, harmonic overdrive, ideal for Dumble-style tones
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Versatile: great for both lead boosts with sustain and light dirt for rhythm
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Exceptional dynamics, highly responsive to playing intensity and guitar volume
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Warm, creamy overdrive sound that works well with various amps
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Maintains a fresh, dark core sound across different guitars and pickups
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Suitable for achieving a wide variety of tones, beyond Robben Ford comparisons
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Preserves rich harmonic content, offering gritty, smooth, and complex tones
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Highly sensitive to attack strength, enhancing expressive playing
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Voice control adds presence, ensuring tone cuts through the mix
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Handmade versions are particularly praised for their quality and tone
CONS
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Price can be a deterrent, especially for the pre-Lovepedal versions
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May not outshine newer overdrive pedals for some users with evolving tastes
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Some users find it doesn't mesh well with every setup
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The intensity of the blue LED can be uncomfortably bright for some
Owner Insights
We analyzed real musician discussions from forums and Reddit to find what players love, question, and tweak about Hermida Audio Zendrive.
Use cases and applications
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Robben Ford and Ben Harper are known users, pairing the Zendrive with Dumble amplifiers for signature tones.
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Brad Paisley reportedly uses two Zendrives, suggesting versatility and preference in his setup.
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Users have successfully integrated the Zendrive into complex pedalboards, stacking with pedals like the Soul Food and Tube Screamer for diverse tonal options.
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Lower gain settings (around 9 o'clock) are often recommended to find the Zendrive's sweet spot, particularly effective when stacked with other pedals.
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The Zendrive excels in boosting other overdrives, especially when pushing a low gain OD for warmer, smoother tones.
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Users commonly stack the Zendrive with other pedals like the KoT and Broadcast, using it primarily for solos and mid-focused tones.
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It's often used with humbuckers into Fender Bassmans for both low and high gain sounds, adjusting gain settings based on pickup type.
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Comparisons
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Eric Johnson opts for the Zendrive 2 with a tube, indicating a preference for a different tonal quality in his fly rig.
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The J Rockett “The Dude” is recommended as an alternative Dumble-style pedal, praised for exceptional amp-in-a-pedal performance with humbuckers into an AC30.
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The Zendrive's gain structure is noted to be higher than the normal version, influencing user preference based on tonal needs.
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User experience
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An owner reports having used the Zendrive for 16 years, highlighting its longevity and enduring appeal.
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Owners note significant low-end presence, contrasting the typical mid-heavy Tube Screamer sound, requiring adjustment for optimal balance in tone.
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One user transitioned from using an Xtomp Zen Clone to a Zendrive Clone for lead tones, indicating a preference for the Zendrive's unique tonal character.
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Features and functionality
Critic Reviews
5.0 out of 5
Based on 6 Reviews and 30 Ratings
304
Amazing Dumble Sim pedal
These are quite possibly the best Dumble sim in the world. I've tried amps meant to sound like Dumbles, preamps meant to do Dumbles, but none of them really get the overdrive right. This pedal, only like 250 from Lovepedal, does it perfectly!
Preferred Settings + Usage:
Vol at 11, Tone at 12, Voice at 8, and Gain at 230
94
The absolute best
This is my favorite pedal. Especially the original handmade versions. It absolutely sings! It has this amazing sense of compression and dynamics. It also preserves a ton of rich harmonic content. The tone is somehow gritty, smooth, and complex. It’s a box of contradictions!
Preferred Settings + Usage:
Volume at noon, gain at 11, voice at 3, tone at 4
79
Once it's warm, I can't stop playing it
It's simply the best overdrive pedal I ever played. No matter what pick up (bridge/neck - SC/Humbucker), guitar, guitar or amp volume levels you set, the tone always kidnaps you... I would change only the intensity of the blue LED. You need sun glasses to protect your eyes :-)
Hermida Audio Zendrive Overdrive.
My good friend Alf Hermida invited me to his house and let me try out his custom line of pedals. I was looking for a Robben Ford, Larry Carlton vibe in a pedal and this does it awesome. For me I find this pedal works best with Humbucker Pickups. Alf built me one while I was at his home. Customer Service is A+.
148
Artist usage
Add artist
This pedal is featured in rig rundown of Premier Guitar. The pedal is also mentioned in the 2019 Premier Guitar interview with Clark.
“The Hermida Audio Zendrive immediately appealed to me. The Zendrive has found a way to reduce the compression I hear in a lot of other pedals, creating a more natural sound. I use the Zendrive for overdrive, a TC Electronic Hall of Fame reverb pedal, the Strymon TimeLine delay, and the Vertex Boost.”
Brad Paisley's use of the Hermida Audio Zendrive is evidenced in MusicRadar's feature on professional guitarists' pedalboards.
This article by Premier Guitar reveals that Vince Gill uses a Hermida Audio Technology Zendrive Pedal Boost.
"Alfonso sought me out a long time ago to try out the Zendrive—a great pedal—and we stayed friends."
Andy Latimer used the Hermida Audio Zendrive overdrive pedal during the Moonmadness 2018 Tour, as detailed in the Latimerish: ANDY'S Setup.
Kaukonen uses Zendrive pedals from mid 2000s onwards, as they were recommended to him by Robben Ford. In 2023, Kaukonen used Zendrive on both Gibson Firebird and Gibson Chet Atkins SST for Hot Tuna's "Last Waltz" tour.
Robben Ford turned me on to those back in the mid 2000s, and I was very fortunate that I was able to get four or five of them direct from [Zendrive designer] Alfonso Hermida back in the days. They weren’t cheap back then, but they were nothing like they are today. They’re not vintage for me. They’re just old because I bought them new.
In this video Dave Kilminster plays through his rig used with Steven Wilson. The rig includes this item too.
At 17:15 in this rig rundown video Sonny shows his Zendrive stating that if he could use only one pedal than this would be it. He also mentions that it is a high gain modded version of the original.
In this instagram post, he shares one of his finished pedalboards featuring the Zvex Fuzz, Pedal Power 2 Plus, Line 6 M9 (he says it's convenient), a Zendrive, King of tone Analogman, OCD drive, Boss DD-7 and a Big Sky.
"I use this one for solos and when I really want to stand out." - Nalle Colt.
Album Usage
The Hermida Audio Zendrive 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 Hermida Audio Zendrive, it is most commonly used with the following gear.
Community setups
Show yoursSimilar
Add recommendation11 alternative and related items for Hermida Audio Zendrive, curated by the Equipboard community.
$369.00
A higher gain sibling to the Zendrive, the Mosferatu takes the Zendrive's overdriven Dumble sound, and pushes it further towards Marshall territory.
$199.00
A similarly Dumble inspired pedal, the Simble is a different take on this concept, but can achieve many of the same tones.
$259.00 - $289.00
A dual overdrive pedal, with the right side based on the Klon Centaur, and the left a Zendrive/Dumble amp style circuit.
$111.00 - $149.00
Mass produced version from the masters of cheap and great sounding gear. If you have a hard limit of 170, get this. If you have the extra money, get the Lovepedal for the extra 80 bucks.
$55.77
JHS test https://youtu.be/pFOD6s0IRoM?si=w8fFYjzFqj-7sBGj
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