We recently had the chance to check out one of the latest offerings from Sentimental Bob Electronics, the Tephra Distortion, and it was gloriously dirty and loud. Today, we take things down just a little bit and move into overdrive and boost territory, via the Albert Overdrive. If you’re in the hunt for an OCD-style drive with a TON of sonic options, this might be exactly what you need…
The Overdrive section of Albert is based on a high-quality and high-cost op-amp IC OP275 from Analog Devices: “This new front end design combines both bipolar and JFET transistors to attain amplifiers with the accuracy and low noise performance of bipolar transistors, and the speed and sound quality of JFETs. Total Harmonic Distortion plus Noise equals that of previous audio amplifiers, but at much lower supply currents.” There are 2 clipping modes here as well – the first mode features standard Mosfet transistors, and in the second mode soviet germanium diodes are added to the circuit. The two modes are very similar, but the Ge mode has slightly less compression and a slightly brighter attack.
A Std/Fat toggle switch adds in more low frequencies, making the Tone knob more flexible. The LP/HP switch shifts the peak of the Drive knob from low to high, going from a more natural sound to a more aggressive and marshaloid sound. The Boost section is not an independent effect like in Tephra, it just enhances your tone and volume when engaged. The Drive knob adds gain to the value set by the Boost knob when the Boost switch is activated.
There is a voltage doubling circuit inside the pedal with additional power filter, so when the supply voltage is 9V, the operational amplifier in pedal is powered by 18V. The bypass is made on Japanese latching relays, which consume current only at the moment of switching. Albert mutes the pedal output when the bypass is switched to remove any clicks.
Yes, there’s a lot going on here, but the Albert Overdrive is really a user-friendly, plug-and-play type of pedal. Boasting a wide range of tones to experiment with, this one sounds great on its own or when stacked with your other favorite dirt machines. Thanks to Sentimental Bob Electronics for sending this guy across the pond – be sure to check out their Reverb shop for more info and ordering, and don’t forget to watch our demo vbideo below!! Cheers!!
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