Gatekeeper GK-Drive Boost Overdrive (Porter Pickups)

I’ve known Brian from Porter Pickups since we met while I was still living in Boise, Idaho, back in 2016. He and his team put some wonderful pickups in a couple of guitars of mine, with the Classic/Smooth humbucking combo in my PRS CE24, which you’ve heard on the majority of my demos over the last 6+ years. Today, I’m excited to help spread the word about their first effects pedal offering, coming via their subset company, Gatekeeper, in the form of the GK-Drive Boost Overdrive.

The Gatekeeper drive is a versatile overdrive pedal that works well with all pickup types and is a secret weapon for your pedalboard. It features medium gain capabilities and can also be set as a boost pedal, thanks to the versatile sweep of the Tone and Gain knobs paired with the Lift/Clip switch. Keep it as a clean transparent boost to fatten up your signal, or use it for leads and riffs with the gain cranked.

The goal with this pedal is simple: do several things and do them well. As you try different pickups, you will further see the ability of this pedal to thrive in any playing situation. It pairs well with other pedals (before or after) and can find a spot on any players board. Experimentation is encouraged here, using different pickup configurations, guitars and the Gatekeeper GK-Drive find your unique sound.

Knowing how good Porter Pickups are at building pickups, I knew this pedal was going to be special, and couldn’t wait to plug it in and crank it up. It did not disappoint, working beautifully with humbuckers and split coils alike, for a wide variety of gorgeous tones. Always-on, clean boost, lead flavor and more: the GK-Drive has got all your bases covered. Thanks again to Brian for sending this over for me to check out – be sure to visit the Porter Pickups’ website for more info on the Gatekeeper GK-Drive and that line of affordable pickup sets, along with the Porter line of high-end pups as well. Head to YouTube or just watch below to see and hear how the GK-Drive can transform your tone…cheers!!

I recently sat down via the Interwebs to chat with Brian about all things Pedal of the Day – click below to hear our entire conversation: