Drive

A drive pedal adds grit, warmth, and harmonic richness by gently overdriving your guitar signal, simulating the sound of a tube amp pushed into natural breakup. It works by boosting the signal until it begins to clip softly, producing smooth, musical distortion that enhances dynamics without overwhelming the original tone. Drive pedals are perfect for adding sustain and body to clean tones or giving solos extra bite and presence.

There are many flavours of drive — from transparent low-gain pedals that subtly enhance your sound, to midrange-heavy overdrives like the Tube Screamer that cut through a mix. They can be used to push an amp harder, stack with other pedals, or simply shape the foundation of your tone. A good drive pedal responds to your touch, letting you control everything from gentle crunch to singing sustain just by adjusting your picking dynamics or guitar volume.