Empress Effects Heavy Overdrive Pedal

£294.00

Also available on — Gear4music, Andertons, Reverb, Amazon, eBay

This is a real tasty overdrive. A solid overdrive and boost it stands out amongst other Guitar Pedals on the menu. Empress Effects make great Guitar Pedals, so If you like overdrive then this Empress Effects Heavy Overdrive Pedal is the perfect overdrive to order in. Read More details Below.


Description

This is a real tasty overdrive. A solid overdrive and boost that stands out amongst other Guitar Pedals on the menu. Empress Effects make great Guitar Pedals, so If you like overdrive, then a Empress Effects Heavy Overdrive Pedal is the perfect overdrive to order in. The Empress Effects Heavy Overdrive offers a huge range of high gain tones. This versatile pedal delivers many different tones such as crisp mid-driven 80s metal to modern down-turned brutality. The Heavy Overdrive benefits from having two independent channels which can be voiced similarly so that one channel can be used as a solo boost or they can be voiced entirely differently by using the mid range control in conjunction with the 3 position mid frequency select switch. Separate weight controls can be added in to shape the low end response of each channel and a global hi/low eq section that allows you to fine tune your particular amp and cab combination. With all these great features it is a worthwhile investment for your pedalboard.

Brand

Empress Effects

Empress Effects is a Canadian manufacturer of high-quality guitar and bass effects pedals, known for their innovative designs and exceptional sound quality. The company was founded in 2009 and quickly gained a reputation for creating pedals that combine top-tier craftsmanship with user-friendly functionality. Empress Effects is particularly well-regarded for its attention to detail, versatile features, and the ability to produce pedals that suit a wide range of musical styles.

The brand’s products include a variety of effects such as overdrive, distortion, delay, reverb, modulation, and multi-effects units. One of their standout products is the Empress Tape Delay, which is praised for its realistic vintage sound and versatile control options. The Empress Reverb is another popular offering, known for its rich, atmospheric sounds that can cater to everything from subtle room reverb to deep, expansive hall sounds. Empress Effects is celebrated for producing pedals that meet the needs of both professional musicians and hobbyists, often incorporating advanced features like MIDI control and preset storage, making their products suitable for both live performances and studio work.

Category

Empress Effects

Tags

Boost

A boost pedal does one simple thing brilliantly — it makes your signal louder, stronger, and more alive. Whether you’re pushing a valve amp into natural breakup, lifting a solo above the band, or adding a touch more presence to your core tone, a clean boost gives you extra headroom without changing your character.

Use it at the front of your chain to drive other pedals harder, or after your gain stages to raise volume without adding distortion. Subtle or powerful, transparent or slightly coloured, a boost is one of the most useful tools on any pedalboard — small box, big difference.

EQ

While Ed Sheeran primarily relies on the natural sound of his acoustic guitar and vocals, he occasionally uses EQ (Equalization) to shape and enhance his tone during live performances or in the studio. EQ pedals or onboard preamps can allow him to adjust the frequency response of his guitar signal to suit the acoustics of different venues or to achieve specific tonal characteristics. Here’s how EQ might be utilized in Ed Sheeran’s setup:

1. **Tonal Shaping**: EQ can be used to adjust the balance of frequencies in the guitar signal, allowing Ed Sheeran to shape his tone to his liking. For example, he might boost the midrange frequencies to bring out the warmth and presence of his acoustic guitar, or cut certain frequencies to reduce any harshness or mud in the sound.

2. **Feedback Control**: In a live setting, EQ can help control feedback by notching out problematic frequencies that might cause the guitar signal to feed back through the amplification system. This can be particularly useful when performing in venues with challenging acoustics or high volume levels.

3. **Room Correction**: In situations where the venue’s acoustics are less than ideal, EQ can be used to compensate for any deficiencies in the sound. By adjusting the EQ settings, Ed Sheeran can tailor the guitar tone to sound more balanced and natural, regardless of the room’s acoustic properties.

4. **Matching Gear**: EQ can also be used to match the tone of Ed Sheeran’s guitar to the sound of other instruments or equipment in his setup. For example, he might adjust the EQ to complement the tonal characteristics of his vocal microphone or to blend seamlessly with backing tracks or other instruments.

Overall, while EQ may not be a central component of Ed Sheeran’s guitar effects setup, it can still play a valuable role in shaping his tone and ensuring that he achieves the desired sound in different performance environments. Whether used subtly for tonal shaping or more aggressively for feedback control, EQ allows Ed Sheeran to tailor his guitar tone to suit his musical vision and performance needs.

Guitar Effects Pedals

Guitar Pedals

Your pedal is like a signature dish for your sound — a flavour-packed creation that transforms the bland ingredients of your guitar into something unforgettable. Each one adds its own seasoning, texture, and heat, turning a simple meal into a feast of tone.

These tasty little boxes sit in a row, like plates on a buffet, letting you mix and match flavours as you play. With one tap of your foot, you can swap sweet for spicy, subtle for smoky, and serve up something completely new. From the comfort food of warm overdrive to the fiery kick of fuzz, from smooth jazz sauce to heavy-metal spice, pedals give players a full menu of options to express their taste.  And just like with food, once you’ve tried one dish, you’ll want to sample them all.

Collecting, trading, and discovering new flavours soon becomes part of the joy of being a tone-loving gourmet geek with a guitar.

Overdrive

Like a golden layer of melted cheese — warm, gooey, and just put it all over. It adds just the right amount of richness and grit, turning a clean signal into something smooth and savoury. Designed to mimic the natural breakup of a tube amp pushed to its sweet spot, overdrive delivers the flavour of classic rock and blues in every bite. From creamy mid-gain warmth to crisp edge-of-breakup sparkle, it’s the comfort food of guitar tone — simple, satisfying, and endlessly versatile. Whether it’s a mild crunch or a full-bodied roar, overdrive is where good taste begins.