Have you ever seen LOST? Were you on the edge of your seat, week after week, on Thursday nights for way too many years? If you didn’t watch this miraculous television phenomenon, well, you missed out, plain and simple. Plus, you won’t really understand the clever name, sweet graphics and subtle show inclusions that are present in today’s review pedal: the Dharma Drive from WychElm Effects.
Graphically, the Dharma Drive is a nod to the LOST subgroup The Dharma Initiative, which I sure as hell am not going to try to explain here, but, if you were an avid fan, you’ll recognize instantly. The layout of the pedal also pays homage to a main story line of the show (re: “The Button”), but we’ll get to all that in a minute. Level starts us off in the control room by adjusting the overall volume output of the Dharma Drive, while Gain adds in the grit and grime you’re seeking in an overdrive pedal. I like the EQ section here, too, as there are separate knobs for the Lows and Highs, which always puts a smile on my face, and my guitar’s as well.
The Constant knob is basically a mix or blend control, allowing for easy adjustments when balancing the levels of the wet and dry signals. “The Button” is the second footswitch after the Bypass, and it works with the 4 8 15 16 23 42 control knob directly above it (HUGE reference to LOST here, in case you’re thoroughly confused, but you’ll have to Google that on your own). These two produce a Boost for the pedal, with 4 being a slight, minimal boost, while 42 gives your tone another level of punch and grit. There’s also a mini-toggle that goes back and forth between symmetrical and asymmetrical diodes clipping options, for more flavor and pizazz to beef up the sound a wee bit.
Sonically, the Dharma Drive has a boatload of options, and can be a great addition to your drive section. The ability to mix the Gain, Constant and Button controls together opens up the floodgates for a vast island of combinations, and is a perfect pedal to place at the beginning of your chain, to enhance your tone and add in some grit, without being overpowering, or coloring your original tone. Thanks so much to Norman and Matt from WychElm Pedals for sending this over to us to check out – since this is an awesome flagship pedal, we’re on the edge of our seats to see what rad gear they come up with in the future. Cheers!
Submitted by Mike B, Website
Demo Rock pedalboard by West Coast Pedalboard
