# What's your favorite Overdrive with a tube.



## Guest (Jun 4, 2009)

Hey guys,

What's your favorite overdrive with a tube inside. The one I really like are the Zendrive 2 and the B.K. Butler Tube Driver with the Bias.

What's yours ?


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## Rugburn (Jan 14, 2009)

The Radial ToneBone Classic hands down. I've tried many, many distortion/overdrive pedals and IMO this one is really tough to top. Canadian made to boot.

http://www.tonebone.com/tb-classic.htm


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## Vox71 (Mar 25, 2008)

I like the Vox Brit Boost


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## Sneaky (Feb 14, 2006)

I've tried a few and always end up selling them so I've sworn off buying any more, although I would like to try the Zen 2 just for the heck of it (already happy with my Zen). I don't know why but they never sound that great to me, at least not any better than a regular ss one. I've had Boogie V-Twin, Hot Chili Tubester, and a couple others I can't think of now. 

I do have a tube wah pedal that is pretty cool though.

Pete


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## theelectic (Mar 11, 2006)

Without a doubt, the Bad Cat 2-Tone. It will turn even the cleanest amp into a high gain monster.


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## bannahz (Apr 16, 2009)

+111 on the tone bone classic.. so tweakable :bow:


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## sproul07 (Jun 23, 2007)

There is no better than the Tube Driver. The warmth, clarity and bite of that pedal make it head and shoulders above the rest of them


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## Mr Yerp (Feb 24, 2006)

I use a Maxon ROD 881. it kills through a couple of Guitarmates.:smile:


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## mrmatt1972 (Apr 3, 2008)

I don't know if it really counts as a distortion box, but I had a Hughes & Kettner Metal Shredder which was footswichable (on/off) so it could be run into the front of an amp or through a loop and used that way. It was REALLY good for heavy tones. Also had a tonne of other features. Fairly cheap on the used market too.

matt


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## david henman (Feb 3, 2006)

...i keep rediscovering my radial tonebone plexitube. its actually quite scary what this pedal can do. i was this close to selling it when i tried turning down the drive control. when you do that, it becomes ultra-sensitive to changes in volume and pick attack. this pedal covers a huge range of distortion textures.

-dh


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## Head (Feb 10, 2007)

English Muff'n...mm.


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## Matsal535 (Apr 26, 2009)

Classic tonebone without hesitation


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## Dom Polito (Jan 8, 2016)

The BK Butler for me. Although back in the day I got some great tones from the Koch Pedaltone I.


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## troyhead (May 23, 2014)

Kingsley Minstrel.

I also had an Effectrode Tube Drive once upon a time, and while it has three tubes, I found the pedal good at one sound, so it wasn't that versatile for me.


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## SaucyJack (Mar 8, 2017)

Danelectro Cool Cat V1.


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## Grab n Go (May 1, 2013)

I was really impressed with the Kingsley Jester when I had it.

More of a preamp, but I think the Victory V4 Countess is great.


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## zztomato (Nov 19, 2010)

Was this in the recommended reading? It's from 2009. 

My favourite is the Kingsley Constable.


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## cboutilier (Jan 12, 2016)

sproul07 said:


> There is no better than the Tube Driver. The warmth, clarity and bite of that pedal make it head and shoulders above the rest of them


It is great. I have the 100W combo amp with the built in Tube Driver circuit.


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## matt-griffin (Jan 17, 2021)

Kinglsey Page is where I’ve landed for low gain overdrive. Super transparent, like my amp breaking up at low volumes, and the feel is all there under the fingers. You can go from clean to drive with touch dynamics. Push it with another boost or drive and you get into heavier territory (in using a Hudson broadcast so I can cut some lows and it works beautifully, never flubs out).

I enjoyed the Minstrel as well, but the low gain range of the Page and neutral EQ is just perfect for me. Simon really knows what we’s doing. Also Kinglsey is Canadian!


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## player99 (Sep 5, 2019)

Nice try Necro Thread.


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## guitarman2 (Aug 25, 2006)

matt-griffin said:


> Kinglsey Page is where I’ve landed for low gain overdrive. Super transparent, like my amp breaking up at low volumes, and the feel is all there under the fingers. You can go from clean to drive with touch dynamics. Push it with another boost or drive and you get into heavier territory (in using a Hudson broadcast so I can cut some lows and it works beautifully, never flubs out).
> 
> I enjoyed the Minstrel as well, but the low gain range of the Page and neutral EQ is just perfect for me. Simon really knows what we’s doing. Also Kinglsey is Canadian!


The page is also my favorite. I've owned several Kingsley pedals and the page is the one I kept and its a part of my basic tone. I'd have likely kept the minstrel or even the Jester but my focus now is on the smallest pedal board I can live with.


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## cboutilier (Jan 12, 2016)

I have a local built tube MIAB that I like, but the front end of my Tube Driver combo blows it out of the water.


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## mhammer (Nov 30, 2007)

I have an Eleca clone of the Butler unit that Steve at Small Bear sent me to try out, when he was thinking of carrying it. It has a few additional features that the Butler never had, but I couldn't find any particular magic in it. Perhaps I should give it another try.


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## matt-griffin (Jan 17, 2021)

guitarman2 said:


> The page is also my favorite. I've owned several Kingsley pedals and the page is the one I kept and its a part of my basic tone. I'd have likely kept the minstrel or even the Jester but my focus now is on the smallest pedal board I can live with.


The Page is pretty revelatory. I had the Minstrel for a while, as well, but if I had to have only one drive pedal it’s the Page, no question. As a base low-gain drive tone into a clean amp it’s a beautiful thing.


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