DRV2

BLACK enclosure with White print

(photos coming soon)

Ships in 2-3 weeks

Ok so I’ve already started messing with my new circuit. I had honestly never tried LED clipping in the circuit of the original DRV, but this pcb has an extra slot for it, so I figured why not? I had originally wanted to stay far away from any common or widely used “RAT MOD”. So if you’ve tried this on say, a RAT or a DS-1, you will get an idea of what I’m talking about here. This is a really cool sound! I think the biggest advantage to this approach is how much more so you can hear notes within complex chord voicings. Also, it’s LOUD AF! For real. This thing gets about as loud as a standard DRV, when the VOL is just past halfway. I’ve heard some people describe this sound as “uncompressed”, but I prefer to call it “extremely punchy”. It has a slightly different midrange character, but still sounds good through the range of the circuit. I’d say that this tweak causes the circuit to have lower gain throughout, in the higher and lower settings of the DRV knob.

anyway, snatch one of these up! I’m only making a few

Be one of the first! The new enclosure is so tight. A lot lighter, stronger, and no sharp edges lol.

This will be in a brand new type of enclosure, still handmade in the USA, just slightly different, and it may or may not end up being the final version. Will be slightly different than the pedal pictured, but "about" the same size and shape. A cool piece of history either way!

Just doing this for fun, in case you’re interested / want to join in! Don’t be mad at me lol. I wouldn’t even really call this a soft-launch. It’s the DRV2, get it? V2 of the DRV. Just to be clear, this is not the “next best thing” or any kind of marketing lingo. It is the future direction of the DRV. I may or may not still do some though hole V1 DRVs, and actually you can still order one of those now if you prefer.

So I’ve been working on this V2 circuit of DRV for more than a year now, and I finally got it right. Instead of trying to exactly copy the original circuit, I decided to make some changes. I’ve used this version for multiple shows and rehearsals with my band, and I absolutely love it. The sound of my guitar is the best tone I’ve ever had, and it has been an exciting change for me. I even find myself using DRV on songs where I typically would favor LVL.

I had this idea to send a few units out to friends with just the labels, as a final test of the circuit, to get any final thoughts, and I thought to myself, “ya know, maybe some other people would like to join in on this”. Do you?

I’m only doing a few of these. This will be the only opportunity to be one of the first to grab this pedal. Two options available, one will be only marked with the label maker (I get that I’m going kinda nuts on this theme, but I think it has a vibe), and one will be a traditional No3 enclosure on white, only with a small “2” next to the DRV knob marking (pictured).

That said, getting to the PCB, it is now in SMT (surface mount) format. Redesigned and engineered by resident genius John Snyder of Electronic Audio Experiments (who also did the LVL circuit). At first, I was really concerned with exactly replicating the original DRV sound, but after getting some time, I thought of a few things I’d like to alter. I won’t even go into all the specifics of it here and now, but it can now run at 9v or 18v. It is much quieter, as far as the noise floor of the pedal, but it’s still a distortion, which is actually mostly noise haha. I realize that some of you may have preferences against the surface mount format, and this one is not for you! I really enjoy things about through hole, but mainly the nostalgia and the romantic feeling about it. And does it sound different? I think so, but see for yourself.

The low end has a lot more thump to it. The palm mutes are deeper, thicker. A nice fat-ness overall, you know. It isn’t the same sound as the MOD 1 or PROTOTYPE, it is actually the standard circuit otherwise, but there are some changes. The sweep of the CUT knob is slightly different, and is considerably less bright, which I think is kinda nice. You can actually pull the CUT knob back below halfway and it doesn’t take your head off with high frequency content.

These pedals (from this batch) will be hand assembled by Jack and I, in Nashville, TN.

Will ship with standard packaging materials, including a screen printed bag.

Runs on 9v standard (boss style) power. Battery clip or power supply is not included. An isolated power supply is recommended.

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As you may be aware, international shipping has been incredibly slow. Due to the state of things in the world right now, I feel that it is most wise to change shipping carriers for all international orders. This will unfortunately cause the shipping to increase, even charging slightly less than actual cost. I am also doing my best to supply international retailers, so hit up your local shop! EU orders will be responsible for VAT taxes, and all countries are responsible for knowing the import tax laws within your country.