Shift Line releases smart, compact Stages Dynamic Drive Multi-Stage Overdrive

I’ve featured a few of Shift Line’s pedals over the years, where my hitherto champion of theirs has been the now discontinued super-versatile Termofuzz Variable Mode Fuzz.

I’m always a sucker for a great gain machine - and Shift Line’s new Stages Dynamic Drive allows you to cleverly and easily shift up through the gears - as you ramp up the number of cascaded gain stages.

The pedal also has very smartly calibrated 3-Band EQ with Active Treble and Bass, and a handy sweep in the Middle Frequencies section of 600-800Hz. You can Boost/Cut the Treble within a 11dB range, and the Bass within 13dB. Note that there is also an internal charge pump which increases the output voltage to a maximum 36Vpp (+24dBu) - where the input Voltage is 9V or 12V DC [-].

You then have a 3-position STG Gain Stages switch - which has the least number of Stages when down, and the most in the up position. And you can tighten up the low-end response via the HPF Low-Cut switch - which variously shelves the lower frequencies at below 25Hz, 400Hz, and 200Hz. So the perfect complement of controls really to get the maximum impact out of this Drive unit - with the minimum of fuss.

Controls - Treble (10Hz), Middle (600-800Hz), Bass (80Hz), Level (+24dB), STG (Stages) : 3 / 2 / 1, Gain (Final 10% Xtra Boost), HPF (Low Cut) : 25Hz / 400Hz / 200Hz.

Note also that when cranking up the Gain dial - the final 10% activates a sort of Xtra Boost circuit to really punch the output signal - should you need to go to 11!

This looks like it’s properly compact pedal with some unique dimensions of - 68mm x 108mm x 55mm.

Most of the demos are in Russian - bar the couple I found below. It sounds suitable impressive to me to warrant a place on the wishlist.

With the whole Ukraine situation this is all a very sensitive area where I’m not sure how I feel about the wisdom of sharing this - of course I want to give individual citizens the benefit of the doubt - while as such I will probably hold off any acquisition attempt until things are more settled. I have so many Ukrainian friends that I don’t wish to upset - while I’ve also known Shift Line’s Oleg Barinov for a while. I see that my friend Vitalii Bobrov liked the Instagram post for this release - so I’m assuming I’m OK to share!

It’s not like I need another overdrive - but this one looks particularly handy - and I really like the combination of controls here. Would have been even cooler if the STG Stages were ramped up via a second Footswitch - so you could very easily stomp / punch in a boosted solo - maybe an idea for the V2!

Pedal builders should really consult with me before release - as I frequently have ideas on how to improve the playability and practicality of such pedals!

Anyone here tempted by one of these?

Available on the Shift Line Webstore for $229 right now - while there are some logistics restrictions seemingly in place!

Features & Specifications

• Fully analog signal path
• ±18V internal power (studio gear level) for the best dynamic response
• Wide gain range : from clean boost to thick overdrive
• 3-band EQ for precise timbre control
• Switchable number of gain stages and high-pass filtering for the distorted signal
• Xtra Boost on final 10% of Gain knob range
• Compact and lightweight aluminium enclosure with top-mounted jacks to save pedalboard space
• IN: 6.3mm, mono, unbalanced, 500kOhm input resistance
• OUT: 6.3mm, mono, unbalanced, 100Ohm output resistance. Max output voltage can reach 36Vpp (+24dBu).
• POWER IN: 9V DC 180mA or 12V DC 140mA, negative tip, 2.1/5.5mm. The pedal has no battery slot. Use a regulated PSU only. NB: The Stages has a high current draw. It can malfunction or refuse to turn on if the PSU isn’t powerful enough
• Dimensions : 68mm x 108mm x 55mm.
• Weight: 310g
• RRP : $229