If you play guitar and use the Interwebs, there’s a pretty good chance you’ve seen at least one review from Gearmanndude (love those boots, man!), but did you know he makes a pretty smooth overdrive pedal, too? The Luther Drive is based on a vintage TS808 Tubescreamer, with a few modifications along the way to make it just that much better. It feels kind of odd giving a review to a reviewer, but what can you do? Here we go!
First off, the craftsmanship on the Luther is excellent: everything looks great, the enclosure is about as sturdy as they come, the inside wiring looks awesome, and the simple cursive “L” on the outside is a perfect match to the subtlety and smoothness of this overdrive. This pedal is actually 2-in-1, as Gearmanndude combined the original design with the LoudMod version, accessible by the small toggle switch under the control knob on the right side. The LoudMod just gives the pedal a little extra boost in volume, perfect for sending your signal into the Strat-osphere.
Volume, Tone and Gain controls are easy to use, and sound phenomenal. This pedal will not give you any sort of distortion, as it is more of a tone shaper, very subtle and slick in it’s delivery. Built with a classic RC4885P chip, the Luther has just enough bite and slight crunch to really beef up your signal, and has clarity and presence up the wazoo. The Tone knob has great range as well, with a low end that won’t mud up on you, and highs that cut through the mix, but not your inner ear cavity.
The Luther Drive is a great additional to any pedalboard, especially if you need a pedal that will boost your tone but not color your sound. Gearmanndude, it turns out, makes a pretty nice drive pedal, and we hope he’s been working on something new in his laboratory. Make sure to check out his site and his pedal demos, you won’t be dissapointed!
Submitted by Mike B, Website
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