Six Slick Drives
As varied as the Overture can be, the main control layout is pretty straight ahead. There are knobs for gain, volume, bass, treble, and pre-boost. Just below those knobs you can select from the Overture's modes—clean boost, classic, boutique, versatile, smooth, and crunch—by using a small button. The two footswitches are on/off and solo. The latter switch, which is called "bank" in the newest production run, lets you select from preset banks 1-4 when disengaged or 5-8 when engaged. The bank switch effectively lets you switch between two presets in the two different banks.
Ernie Ball/Music Man Axis Sport and a Fender Super-Sonic combo for both clips.
Clip #1 - Classic Gain 3 - 00, Treble (Tone) 11 - 00, Volume 12 - 00, Pre - Boost OFF
Clip #2 - Crunch Gain Max, Bass 1 - 00, Treble 11 - 00, Volume Noon. Pre - Boost Off
The Overture's programmability is a big part of its convenience. The unit allows up to eight presets. And if you really want to geek out and stretch the Overture's potential, you can use the pedal's MIDI functionality and, with an external controller, can store up to 100 additional presets and control parameters. The programmable aspect of the Overture isn't immediately intuitive and I had to consult the manual to get up and running. But in general, it's fairly simple once you learn how it works.
I got rounder, slightly softer transients, but a big buttery sound that was more than a little Dumble-like.
To access presets 1 though 4, you have to press the on/off and solo buttons simultaneously to scroll. To access presets 5 through 8, you press the solo button again to select that bank of presets, then scroll with the on/off and solo buttons. To save changes, you hold down the overdrive mode mini-button for three seconds, and it will save to the selected preset location.
To access a specific preset within a bank, you have to scroll through all the presets sequentially in ascending order. So you can't quickly switch from, say, preset 2 to 1. You have to scroll all the way from 2 through 4 before reaching 1 again. To get the most out of the Overture, it's worth looking into integration with one of the excellent MIDI foot controllers in RJM's product line.
Overdriven Overture
While space in this review doesn't permit covering all six Overture modes in depth, there are distinct highlights. Three of the modes—classic, boutique, and versatile—are based on TS and modified TS circuits. In classic and boutique mode, the bass knob is inactive and the treble knob functions like the single tone control on a TS. With the gain around 11 o'clock and the treble knob at noon, classic mode generates very sweet lead voices that are open and refreshingly robust in the low end for Tube Screamer-style stomps, which are famous for their midrange. It also sounded more articulate and spacious than many original Tube Screamers I have heard. The versatile mode is similar to the boutique mode, but its active bass control permits more tone-shaping flexibility. Switching to smooth mode with the same settings (and the bass control active and set at noon), I got rounder, slightly softer transients, but a big buttery sound that was, surprisingly, more than a little Dumble-like.
Engaging the clean boost with pre-boost at noon (the pre-boost control allows up to 12 dB of pre-overdrive boost) and gain set low coaxed stinging bluesy tones from single-coils. At the same settings, bridge humbuckers generated beautiful clean rhythm tones. And even a basic open-position G chord sounded majestic and responded dynamically to extra pick attack, with rich overdrive breakup.
The Verdict
It's hard to find a bad sound in the Overture. Even at lower gain settings, the pedal shines—lending a bright, lively edge to basic guitar tones. If all you need is a single overdrive pedal, this might be overkill. But if a single OD leaves you wanting, the Overture can make a lot of high-quality overdrive sounds without taking up a ton of space.
Pedaltrain Classic 1 & Tour Case with BTPA Side Panel and Voodoo Lab Pedal Power 2 + and Pedal Power Digital. 10ft PowerCON Cable
Best-Tronics Pro Audio (BTPA)
$665
Large G-TOUR Pedal board with Wheels
Stomp box security is tighter than ever with the G-TOUR PEDALBOARD-LGW large pedal case exclusively from Gator Cases. Plywood fabrication and aluminum edging combined with Heavy-duty Gator signature red hardware offer rock-solid protection. The 3M "Dual Lock" ™ fasteners make installation a breeze together with Gator's removable 24″x11″ pedal board surface. Pedal protection continues with Gator Cases' pro-grade shock-absorbing EVA foam interior. Even your connecting cables, picks and accessories stay neatly organized in the lower portion of the G-TOUR™ case. Pedal transport is a breeze on the ground or in the air with convenient retractable town handle and inline wheels. The ATA-rated G-TOUR PEDALBAORD-LGW large pedal case from Gator is literally ready to rock and roll!
Gator Cases
$329.99
MXR Raw Dawg Overdrive
Eric Gales serves up some of the tastiest licks in the business, and he needs to have just the right seasoning on hand when it's time to turn up the heat. The MXR Raw Dawg Overdrive is designed to do just that. A custom circuit, this pedal is based on a classic OD famous for its grit and crunch—but we balanced out the midrange and bumped up the gain for a sweeter, more natural sound even when cranked. The simple three-knob interface of Output, Tone, and Drive controls is all you need to perfect your own recipes. In an MXR mini housing, the Raw Dawg Overdrive delivers tons of sonic flavor in a pedlaboard-friendly package.
Dunlop
$119.99
Magma57
TRUE PITCH MODULATION, IN A PEDAL!
Combine lush, shimmering vibrato with a smooth, clear overdrive tone and you've got a sound that has inspired both legendary guitarists and renowned amp designers. MAGMA57 brings the best of the Magnatone® 200 Series amplifiers to your pedalboard—delivering everything from warm, jazzy clean tones to full-on swirling psychedelia.
Origin Effects
$$459
G3 Pedal
Revv Amplification's Purple Channel 3 is one of the most unique tones in modern amps. Extremely tight & clear with the right amount of saturation for any situation. Now that tone is available to everyone in an amp in a box format that's versatile & feels great under the fingers.
Plays nice with:
Combos, Heads, Pedalboard Rigs, in Effects Loops, w/ Cab Modeling.
Form Factor:
Small Single-Space Enclosure, Standard 9v Power (center negative 9v external power supply only), Durable Construction, Top-Mounted Jacks, Blue LED, Laser Etching.
Mix-Ready --- Smart filtering keeps lows tight & highs present with no mud or ice.
Feels Great --- Constant revisions ensured Revv pedals have inspiring attack & bloom, like your favorite amp.
Versatile --- Fat and warm or tight & bright. Heavy amp-like saturation or light overdrive.
Integrates Into Any Rig --- "Amp in a box" in front of a clean amp, another flavor of gain with a multi-channel amp, easy traveling, great studio tool, works great with analog & digital.
Revv Amplifcation
$229