Great Eastern FX Co's Design-A-Drive is a Distinctly Innovative Overdrive with 2 Really Smart EQ Controls

David Greeves’ second overdrive pedal is another monochrome 4-knob circuit, but with somewhat more specialist controls. While the original Small Speaker Overdrive had the more conventional High and Low 2-Band EQ controls, his new pedal has Edge and Width - both of which are rather more multi-faceted in their tone-shaping.

Controls - Gain, Edge (2 High Frequency Filters with Clipping Attack), Level, Width (Notched 6-Position Lower Mids + Low Fatness control).

’Edge’ consists of two high frequency filters, one more of a soft roll-off, and the other a touch more acute, but also connected to the clipping attack of the circuit - where you can get more bite, grit and presence too.

The notched 6-position ’Width’ control simply adds in Lower-Mid and Low frequencies by degrees - as you crank the knob to the right. When fully CCW those elements are largely dialled out and the output is tighter and more focused, while moving the dial in a clockwise direction results in incremental girth and fatness!

It’s not the first pedal to have Edge and Width controls per se as far as I’m aware - but it’s nevertheless pretty distinct and incredibly powerful in how it shapes the output and character of the overdrive.

I’ve long sung the praises of the Redbeard Angry Rhubarb with its single-band Parametric EQ and twin Gain controls. The Design-a-Drive is similarly successful in what it delivers - possibly with even more nuance in its EQ section, while the Angry Rhubarb still has the advantage of more granularity in its gan-staging. Both are really great examples of truly smart and distinct everyday overdrive pedals.

The Design-a-Drive is for sure an innovative and worthy everyday overdrive, and possibly even more appealing that David Greeves’ original Small Speaker Overdrive. Its output certainly sounds impressive - really bluesy and textured!

I’m for sure tempted to go for one - which is priced at the new kind of standard boutique price of £229 for UK customers, £191 for overseas (ex VAT / Tax) - available right now from the Great Eastern FX Co. Webstore and at leading dealers.

For sure another pretty unique overdrive for the roster - this will surely be in the reference collection soon enough.

What think you dear readers - is this different enough for you to warrant must-buy acquisition status or more of a. ’nice-to-have’?