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Average Price: $95
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Description
The Voodoo Lab Sparkle Drive is an exceptional overdrive pedal that brings a new dimension to your guitar sound. It's not just another '808 clone, but a unique blend of clear tones and overdrive effects. This pedal features a unique 'clean' control that lets you add a touch of transparency to your overdrive, maintaining the attack and feel of your original sound that usually gets lost in other, high-compression pedals.
The magic of the Sparkle Drive is its ability to simulate the layering of two amps - one clean, and one saturated. With the clean control turned all the way down, you have a classic overdrive tone. Turn it all the way up, and you have a 100% clean boost, as transparent as they come.
Like all Voodoo Lab pedal effects, the Sparkle Drive is built to last. It's constructed from the finest components, and features true bypass switching, a heavy-duty metal switch and on/off status LED. This pedal is hand-built and backed by a 5-year warranty. Voodoo Lab effects are 100% analog, handwired, and housed in robust, die-cast aluminum cases with heavy-duty metal switches.
Key Features:
- Unique 'clean' control for transparent overdrive
- Simulates the layering of two amps - one clean, one saturated
- True bypass switching
- Heavy-duty metal switch and on/off status LED
- Hand-built from the finest components
- 100% analog and handwired
- Backed by a 5-year warranty
- Housed in a rugged, die-cast aluminum case with heavy-duty metal switches.
Product specs
| Brand | Voodoo Lab |
| Model | Sparkle Drive |
| Finish | Black |
| Year | 2010s |
| Made In | United States |
| Categories | Distortion Pedals, Overdrive and Boost Pedals |
FAQs
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What type of overdrive tone does the Voodoo Lab Sparkle Drive provide?
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The Voodoo Lab Sparkle Drive offers a classic '808-style overdrive tone, characterized by its smooth, vintage warmth and dynamic response.
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Can the Voodoo Lab Sparkle Drive blend clean and overdrive signals?
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Yes, the Sparkle Drive features a unique clean control that allows you to blend a clean, boosted signal with the overdriven tone for added clarity and punch.
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Is the Voodoo Lab Sparkle Drive suitable for both rhythm and lead guitar playing?
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Absolutely, the Sparkle Drive's ability to blend clean and overdrive tones makes it versatile for both rhythm and lead guitar applications, providing clarity in chords and sustain for solos.
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Does the Voodoo Lab Sparkle Drive work well with other pedals in a signal chain?
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Yes, the Sparkle Drive is designed to integrate seamlessly with other pedals, enhancing your overall tone without losing clarity or character.
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What power supply does the Voodoo Lab Sparkle Drive require?
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The Voodoo Lab Sparkle Drive requires a standard 9V DC power supply, commonly used with most guitar pedals, ensuring easy compatibility with existing pedalboard setups.
Videos
ProGuitarShopDemos
Voodoo Lab Sparkle Drive
Reviews
PROS
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True bypass maintains signal integrity
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Blend feature allows mixing of clean and overdrive tones
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Effective with both tube and solid-state amps
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Versatile, suits blues, country, classic rock
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Quality build, expected to last long
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Can achieve tube-like saturation without fuzziness
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Low self-noise, ideal for boosting tube amps
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Offers a range from clean boost to heavy overdrive
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Preserves signal quality, more so than comparable pedals
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Unique ability to blend attack and decay tones
CONS
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Clean tone doesn't blend well at high distortion settings
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Pure overdrive tones perceived as weaker by some users
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Price may be higher compared to some Boss pedals
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Battery compartment not convenient for live gigs
Owner Insights
We analyzed real musician discussions from forums and Reddit to find what players love, question, and tweak about Voodoo Lab Sparkle Drive.
Features and functionality
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Owners appreciate the clean blend option, which allows for mixing clean signal with overdrive for a versatile tone.
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The Sparkle Drive Mod version offers four distinct overdrive modes, including an original mode, providing versatility akin to having multiple Tube Screamer variants in one pedal.
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The Boss LS-2 allows blending clean and wet signals with any drive, offering versatility beyond just overdrive applications.
Source
Comparisons
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Users suggest alternatives like the Earth Drive or Nobels ODR1 for those seeking more aggressive overdrive tones than the Sparkle Drive offers.
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The EHX Operation Overlord is considered a viable alternative, offering dual boost/overdrive features and stereo inputs/outputs, similar to the Sparkle Drive's clean blend capability.
Source
Use cases and applications
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The Sparkle Drive is favored by some for gigging setups, particularly for its ability to retain clarity and presence in band mixes.
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A user pairs the older Sparkle Drive with a Fender Meteora through a Bass Big Muff for a unique overdrive and fuzz combination, maintaining clean tones with a dry switch.
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LS-2 users have successfully blended clean tones with mod pedals like flanger and phaser, but caution against blending vibrato due to pitch-shifting conflicts.
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Combining LS-2 with Klon and Blues Driver clones for experimental tones, even with potential for unusual results.
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User experience
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Some players find the mid-heavy tonal profile of TS-style pedals, like the Sparkle Drive, better suited for band contexts rather than solo play.
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The original Sparkle Drive with a Keeley mod is praised for its sound quality, particularly when used with Fender amps, though newer mod versions may not match this perceived quality.
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Mods and upgrades
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Some owners of modded versions have experimented with swapping diodes to alter or enhance the pedal's clipping modes, particularly for similar-sounding modes.
Source
Critic Reviews
4.5 out of 5
Based on 5 Reviews and 23 Ratings
Man Do I Want one of These
I borrowed one from a friend, and he was about ready to break into my place to get it back. I know why; its as if the pedal splits your output, making channel A overdriven and channel B clean and compressed. Its like you're jamming with yourself; one clean and one distorted. And you can play with the blend, as well, making the attack more distorted than the decay, or vice-versa. Amazing pedal.
Great For Clean Boost
I love the clean boosts I get from this thing. The only downside is that, in my opinion, the more it goes into pure overdrive territory, the weaker the tone.
41004
its a TS9 with a blend control, if you are blending all of the OD out its basically acting as a clean IC-based boost with a mid hump... there are lots of better ways to achieve that, but whatever floats your boat
The key to my thick-ass acoustic tone for Ghostwitch
Offers great signal boost and I love being able to blend the clean tone in with the fuzzy shit. This is the magic bullet.
148
Awesome Overdrive
I love this overdrive so much. And it is so much cooler because you can blend in the clean as well. Great feature, great pedal!
Artist usage
Add artist
The Voodoo Lab Sparkle Drive can be seen just above the Memory Man w/ Hazarai on the pedalboard on the left in this photo of Ed's Pedalboard from 2008.
According to the Sonic Youth website, Lee Ranaldo used a Voodoo Lab Sparkle Drive in Sonic Youth's MURRAY STREET SUMMER TOUR.
Full article here
On this photo you can see Peter's pedalboard which includes Voodoo Lab Sparkle Drive. Original article here
Chino Moreno used the Voodoo Lab Sparkle Drive during the Deftones' Diamond Eyes Tour in 2010, as detailed on A2aThoT's official website.
"That whole run of ’58 and ’59 Twins is unbelievable. Pedal-wise, the Voodoo Lab Sparkle Drive and the Schaffer Replica are on a bunch of stuff."
Vince is constantly switching pedals on and off his board but you can see in this pic he is running the Voodoo Labs Sparkle Drive. He was using the Sparkle Drive when I saw him in 2012 as well.
According to the pedalboard section in the Premier Guitar article, Mason uses the Voodoo Lab Sparkle Drive.
Effects are a Boss TU-2 tuner, Prescription Electronics’ Yardbox and Experience pedals, Electro-Harmonix Deluxe Memory Man, and some variety of a Tube Screamer. At the moment my favorites are the Maxon OD 808 and Voodoo Lab’s Sparkle Drive. There are a few other things I use quite often, like a Voodoo Labs Analog Chorus and Pedal Power, Prescription Electronics Germ, and either a Carl Martin compressor/limiter or Boss CS-3 compressor/sustainer.
Philip Jamieson shared on Twitter that he uses the Voodoo Lab Sparkle Drive overdrive pedal.
Album Usage
The Voodoo Lab Sparkle 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 Voodoo Lab Sparkle Drive, it is most commonly used with the following gear.
Community setups
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