Jade Electric Pedals The BlackBoard Outlaw Overdrive

Earlier this year, I got to check out the first effect from Jade Electric Pedals, the J-6 Dynamic Overdrive. Today, I have the pleasure of helping to welcome into the world their newest creation, The BlackBoard Outlaw Overdrive, a gritty but smooth beast with a great backstory and killer tones throughout. Grab your favorite Telecaster and classic country albums, we’re diving deep into this one…

The BlackBoard is an outlaw overdrive that features simple, effective controls that put a world of tone at your fingertips. This pedal was built as a tip-of-the-hat to a small, semi-rough music venue in Bakersfield, CA, that opened in 1951, aptly named The BlackBoard. Buck Owens and Merle Haggard played there, and the smooth, orchestrated “Nashville Sound” was not what you heard – cranked amps produced a little bite, a little grit, and twang that stayed clear even when the room was loud. “The Bakersfield Sound” was born at this venue and rooms like it (The Lucky Spot, The Clover Club), changing country music’s direction, and running counter to Nashville for the next two decades.

The BlackBoard itself is long gone now, torn down, but the sound it helped forge is still the reference point for anyone chasing that honest, Telecaster-first tone. This pedal mimics that of a Tele that stays clear and articulate, but picks up some dirt and push when you dig in. You get lower gain, warmth over aggression and note definition that’s preserved even when you’re driving it hard – it plays real nice-like with other pedals as well. This one is built for players standing in for the ones who made a rowdy honky-tonk into the birthplace of a sound.

It always amazes me when pedals with a simple control layout and no switches or extras of any kind can have so much tonal range, and The BlackBoard Outlaw Overdrive certainly produces a broad spectrum of sounds. Give your tone some love, give your amp some oomph, give your sound a much-needed overall enhancement – whatever you need, this one has got you covered. Thanks once again to Danny for sending this new machine of his my way – be sure to visit the Jade Electric Pedals website for more info and ordering – cheers!!