andrew_millar

The VPD-1 is a versatile, high-quality piece of gear. It does low-gain overdrive very well, and can push into a hot solo. It defers to your guitar's tone - the tone knob feels subtle, as does the bass knob that's active in the Boost mode. No mid hump here. When Boost is engaged, you have the option of a Top Boost or Mid Boost via the toggle switch. I've never found these to be usable, which is why I gave this four stars instead of five. The Top Boost might help you stand out in a mix, but both options are pretty extreme. I use this as my foundational drive and run other drive pedals into it, and it sounds amazing. The speaker simulator is handy for recording, too. I get the sense that this pedal was just a little too expensive at the time it came out, and the pushed it as part of the G-System, and the extras (speaker sim, toggle switch) didn't hit the market right. How else to explain why an incredible-sounding piece of gear is used by so few? It's the cornerstone of my pedalboard.

It's hard to complain about a classic pedal that inspired some of the earliest pedal-driven tones. Putting this in front of a clean amp sounds surprisingly good. It can be a bit brittle sometimes, but sometimes that's good. With the Gain knob around 1:30 or more, it sounds great. The trouble is that the Gain knob changes the tone, and the tone only opens up after 12:00, making lower gain settings unusable. This pedal doesn't work well as a boost, but it does work well into a fuzz (for metal tones) or after a fuzz (for incredible, rich sonic destruction). I wouldn't be pleased to pay the recent aftermarket prices I've seen and get one sound, an 1/8" power supply socket, and no indicator light, but I won't be getting rid of mine.