When is an overdrive more than an overdrive? When it touches on distortion and fuzz as well.
Wide range of dirty tones. Touches on the fuzz spectrum.
Can’t use boost circuit on its own.
$269
Silktone Overdrive+
silktone.org
What’s the difference between overdrive and a distortion? For some, the two terms are interchangeable. But the line that divides them can be tricky to find and personal. I take comfort in my own definition: Overdrive feels like an amp stretching its powers and distortion feels like the sound of exploiting those powers. Silktone’s Overdrive+ lives comfortably with one foot on each side of that fence—with a hint of fuzz thrown in for good measure. According to designer Charles Henry, the Overdrive+ is an original circuit that uses a collection of JFETs, op-amps, and diodes to create a wide variety of dirty tones. Even though the Overdrive+ covers a lot of ground, it doesn’t come off as an everything for everyone pedal that will satisfy no one. At its foundation, it’s an amp-like overdrive box, but with Henry’s unique take, it becomes much more.
Double Duty
The Overdrive+ control setup includes the three very standard controls (volume, tone, and gain) along with individual switches for bass cut and clipping modes. A second footswitch introduces the boost section, which includes another toggle for two different modes: strangle and raw. Without touching the knobs you can get several boost, overdrive, and distortion variations that are all incredibly useful.
I feel like I’ve seen a wave of dual-function boost-and-drive pedals in recent years. That’s a wave I’m willing and happy to ride. And the Overdrive+ is an especially appealing and flexible option because the boost circuit adds more than just gain. Let’s start with the main circuit. I reached for an SG with P-90s and a Bad Cat Cub 15R set to a clean tone. After setting the knobs at noon, engaging the bass cut, selecting asymmetrical clipping (in the fashion of a Boss SD-1), I was surprised to hear how much gain there was compared to most overdrives. Henry’s creative design and the extra gain at what would be conservative levels elsewhere highlights the Silktone’s aggressive side. As I reduced the gain and increased the output, the pedal felt more tube-like, like a great overdrive pedal should. It was thick and tight in the low end and midrange heavy. At 1 o'clock and beyond the gain control generates aggressive distortion, heavy with harmonics, that would fit in with drop-D doom metal riffs.
In symmetrical clipping mode, which is akin to the clipping scheme used in an Ibanez Tube Screamer, among others, the high end smoothed out considerably. I found almost Dumble-like tones at slightly lower gain settings with the tone on the darker side. The bass cut was a welcome addition to rhythm parts—especially with a Gibson Les Paul. According to Henry, the cut, which he dialed in by ear, shelves frequencies around 1000-1200kHz. Mixing and matching the clipping with the cut let me tailor the dynamic response quite a bit. I found the asymmetric setting a bit more responsive to dynamics, while the symmetric clipping offered more compression.
Boost or Bust
Even though Henry’s creative names for the boost modes—strangle and raw—aren’t too descriptive, you can basically think of raw as the more open, full-spectrum option and strangle, which uses inductor-based filtering, as the more focused. In strangle mode, you get a pile of harmonics that (depending on your amp setup) generates rich, controllable, and musical feedback. Although I favored this setting for screaming leads, it was quite fun just to hold a note or chord and see how the feedback varied in different parts of the room. I also appreciate that the strangle option took all the guesswork out of nailing a cool cocked-wah tone, which made me want to revisit those Rudolf Schenker’s classic UFO sides.
The Verdict
If you happen to have a slight bias towards either overdrive or distortion, don’t let the name fool you. The Overdrive+ does far more than your standard 3-knob dirt boxes. Henry’s design covers miles of sonic territory and gives you the power to effectively turn a single-channel amp into a three-channel wonder. Blues and classic rock players will dig how nuanced the lower-gain settings are. Those that like things more aggressive will appreciate its hot and smooth characteristics. The Overdrive+ makes a strong case for itself as the only gain device you’ll need on your pedalboard. That’s an impressive feat.
Based on a completely original circuit, the Overdrive+ is designed to cover both classic overdrive and refreshingly different tones.
Its straightforward control set allows you to quickly dial in your preferred sound – everything from low-gain, always-on tonal enhancement to ripping high-gain lead fury.
In addition to standard VOL, TONE, and GAIN controls you'll find a pair of two-position toggle switches that provide extra tone-shaping power: a bass cut switch for perfectly tightening up the low end; and a clipping mode switch that allows you to select between symmetric or asymmetric clipping styles (symmetric is smoother, asymmetric is more natural and textured).
The Overdrive+ also features a unique twist: the Strangle/Raw dual-mode boost is where things get really cool. Think of this as the “+” part of Overdrive+. It’s a very colorfully voiced dirty boost that adds gain and a ton of 2nd harmonic distortion to your signal. A two-position switch allows you to select your preferred mode: STRANGLE uses a resonant filter for a subtle cocked wahsound; and RAW removes this filter, turning it into a full range boost.
The pedal’s diversity is due to a combination of JFETs, op-amps, and diodes. The op-amp is used for gain and buffering and is raised to around 30 volts so it never clips, even when another pedal is stacked in front. All clipping is crafted from the JFETs or the diodes.
Each Overdrive+ pedal offers the following features:
- Unique Strangle/Raw dual-mode boost for turbocharging your sound
- Two-position toggle switches for engaging bass cut and selecting symmetric/asymmetric clipping modes.
- True bypass on/off switch
- 9-volt operation and standard DC input, no battery compartment
- Made in USA
The Silktone Overdrive+ carries a street price of $269 and can be purchased at silktone.org.
For more information, please visit silktone.org.
Week 3 continues with SIX more chances to win! Enter below for your shot at pedals from Eventide, Flamma Innovation, Karma Guitar Amplifiers, Silktone, Source Audio, or Universal Audio! Ends October 2, 2023.
Enter here but check out the prizes below!
Pedalmania 2023 Week #3Eventide TriceraChorus Tri-chorus Pedal
Inspired by the classic Tri-Stereo Chorus and stompbox choruses of the 1970s and early 1980s, the TriceraChorus pedal pairs rich Bucket Brigade-style chorusing with Eventide’s legendary MicroPitch detuning for a lushness that rivals the jungles of the late Cretaceous Period. TriceraChorus features three chorus voices and three unique chorus effects which can be used to create a wide stereo spread with pulsing waves of modulation. The innovative “Swirl” footswitch adds psychedelic flanging, phasing, and Uni-vibe-style tones. It has never been easier to dial in syrupy smooth, deep modulation on guitar, bass, synths, strings, vocals, and more.
FLAMMA FS02 Reverb
This compact reverb pedal crams seven distinct digital reverb effects in to a sturdy, metal shell and several control features. The various reverb effects aim to simulate different environments from a small room to large, open cave. More niche effects are also included such as studio-style plate reverb, classic spring reverb effect, and the more far-out modulation reverb effect. Each effect can be modified with the Hi-Cut, Lo-Cut, Decay, and Pre-Delay knobs and then saved to their own save slot. An effect trail feature can be toggled on and off to have each effect fade out naturally after being switched off.
Karma MTN-10
The Karma MTN-10 is a much-improved clone of the revered but long discontinued Ibanez Mostortion, a must-have favorite of many Nashville session players.
The Karma MTN-10 is true-bypass and uses advanced construction techniques, including much sturdier and more reliable pots, switches, and enclosures. The elusive CA3260 IC chip used in the originals is a key component used in the Karma. All circuit board design and pedal assembly is done in the United States.
Silktone Fuzz
The Silktone Fuzz is a modern marvel with exploding with vintage tones.
"Cons: none:" writes Premier Guitar in the Fuzz's perfect score review. That was designer Charles Henry's favorite part, what else can we say?
At it's heart are two germanium transistors in the classic fuzz face topology, tweaked to get a huge array of tones and fix all the annoyances you get with a typical germanium fuzz. We wanted to nail the awesome tones everybody knows and loves when these transistors are biased to their sweet spot… and also when they’re not. With our active bias monitor you can easily hit them all. Want that oh, so sweet sweet sweet spot? Dial it to ~4.50. Prefer some fat sticky fuzz? Dial it past 7.50. Want spitty gated fuzz? Cool, me too - dial it to ~1.10.
Combine this with the onboard pickup simulator to place this fuzz anywhere in your chain without the normal issues and a cleanup knob to get you into drive territory that rivals the best overdrives out there with beautifully musical germanium color - and you have one of the most useable, versatile fuzzes to date with sooo.. much.. texture.
Source Audio Ventris Dual Reverb Pedal
Create rich, spacious reverberations with the Ventris Dual Reverb. The Ventris features 14 meticulously crafted reverb engines built on two completely independent 56-bit signal processors, essentially housing a matching pair of high-powered, stereo reverb pedals in a single box. The pedal’s dual DSP architecture provides massive processing muscle, adjustable preset spillover time, and advanced dual reverb effects. Step into a vast realm of ambient space.
Universal Audio UAFX Orion Tape Echo Pedal
Emerging from UA's flagship Starlight Echo Station, Orion Tape Echo gives you the magical hazy delay effects of vintage ’70s Maestro Echoplex EP-III tape delays, in a classy, compact package.*
- Create with a stunning emulation of the iconic vintage tape echo hardware
- Craft eccentric effects with authentic wow, flutter, and tape types
- Fatten your tone with a perfectly captured EP-III analog preamp
- Rely on timeless UA craftsmanship, built for decades of rock-solid performance
*All trademarks are property of their respective owners and used only to represent the effects modeled as part of Orion Tape Echo.