Addrock Ol Yeller

I believe every reviewer is entitled to have opinions, and hail this forum that allows that exact thing to happen. With due respect to the previous reviewer's opinion, I have every reason to believe that every review on this page, and on the builder of Addrock pedals is legitimate. There are only FOUR stores at the time I write this review, that sell Addrock products. There is a very good chance that if you own one of these pedals, you have personally talked to HL Wilson. Particularly when you consider that this is a one-man operation, and that these pedals are hand built, one at a time. He is the guitar guru at Alpha Music in Virginia Beach, VA. I have bought several things from this outfit, including boutique guitars. And let me tell you, customer service is KING at this joint. I am in no way related to HL or have any interest in his sales, but IMHO, these pedals are genuinely great and people should know about it. I own two of them and I think they are fabulous. I am just a guitar enthusiast that cares about good gear, and if there is someone building it, they will have my business.

As easy to use as any ordinary overdrive- the usual three knobs for volume tone and drive.

Sounds harsher than my Maxon OD-808 overdrive. I use a Gibson Les Paul Standard into a Marshall AVT 50 watt amp.

Standard boutique build.

I am very suspicious that most of the reviews here for this pedal where written by the same person, as they all single out the pedal maker and say what a swell guy he is. I own two dozen overdrive pedals and I have never needed to contact anyone about the pedals, so I find it ridiculus that every single review here specifically mentions this pedal maker by name and insists you should buy this pedal because the guy deserves business for being so nice..

I picked this pedal up used on ebay. I play blueds and rock and thought i would wail with this pedal, but its just a tubescreamer clone and no better than my Blues Pearl Blue Screamer or my Maxon OD-808 overdrive.

It's got output, tone, and drive controls...couldn't be much simpler for an overdrive pedal.

I run an American Strat through a Fender Deville 4x10 and a Deluxe Reverb Reissue. It's a very responsive, transparent unit. Sounds way better than any tube screamer I have ever heard. It's got a more smooth tone as opposed to the harshness of a lot of other overdrives.

I haven't had a single problem thus far. I'd say you wouldn't need a backup. If by chance it ever broke I would not hesitate to get another one.

I have talked to H.L. Wilson (maker of addrock products) on the phone several times. He seems like the type of person you'd like to deal with as far as customer service goes. However I have had no reason to call him about anything except info on the pedal.

The Ol Yeller fits right in to pretty much any style of music...blues, fusion, country, rock etc...Love the transparency of it. Pretty much the shit as far as I am concerned.

Pretty easy to use straight out of the bag and allways consistent. Very basic, no hidden trim pots or anything.

I mostly use Strats through old Fender amps but Ive played it through many different amps with various guitars and had great results. I have used this as my main overdrive for over a year and havent found anything else to replace it. I just recently got another one to use in series and the two together produce very cool tones. The general sound is very tubey and transparent. It always has a nice crisp quality, never flat or dead. You dont get near the midrange boost or bottom end loss as you do with many other overdrives. It sounds great with a clean amp or set low gain and bumping an already dirty amp.

Very reliable, never had a problem with any of my Addrock products.

Ive spoken to H.L. Wilson who is the man behind Addrock a couple of times over the phone and he was very helpful in answering any questions I had and is a great guy to deal with. Im sure if I ever had any problems I wouldnt have any troble getting help. Also, Ive heard H.L.'s playing on record and it was killing, great tone too.

I think overall this pedal works for me for most everything I do and it consistently gets a great tone. I would surely buy another if it were stolen. I would recommend this pedal or any Addrock product to anyone because you cant go wrong with them.

Not all that easy. Like many Tube Screamer variants, it can get real muddy when the "drive" knob is cranked high. You can try and offset that by turning up the "tone" knob but that can get overly bright. So you gotta work with it. That said, there's a lot of tones in the pedal. More than you'd find in the average TS-9, that's for sure.

Well let's see, first the bad news: you lose some low end for sure. You also get a touch of treble and the most subtle midrange bump I've heard in an OD of this ilk. Would not call it transparent and would never use it as a clean boost. You step on it and it changes your amp's tone for sure. I found myself turning up my amp's bass knob to compensate for the loss created by the pedal.

The good news? It sounds very natural and amp like. As mentioned above, it can get muddy when the "drive" knob is cranked up high but so do most tube amps, y'know? I've been keeping the "drive" knob pretty low (9 o'clock) and getting some terrific amp-like OD. Truly sounds like my amp turned up. Hot and punchy. Sparkly. Crisp. Those words come to mind.

I'm using a Telecaster and Flying V through various amps (6V6, 6L6 and EL84 tube amps). The real surprise (and delight) here is that the pedal works wonderfully with my EL84-based amps. You can't say that about a Tube Screamer (trust me, I've tried). I also have a Hot Cake, a pedal known for being a good match for EL84-based amps. Different tones from both these pedals but great tones. A keeper right alongside by Hot Cake.

I hope it holds up well. It seems well constructed. Curiously, it contains a PCB, something I wouldn't expect from such a high-priced, "boutique" pedal. Nevertheless, if it sounds good it sounds good.

The pedal came with a note about the warranty. Seems pretty good (everything's replaced for free except the switch at any point in the pedal's lifetime).

Not a perfect OD but I'm enjoying it for now. A tad bright, some low-end loss. But I'm digging the tightness and crispness that results from these "faults." Extremely amp-like -- at least at decent amp volumes. At home, with the amp's volume set quite low, it did seem a tad artificial and fizzy, but I think you could say that about nearly any OD pedal. It really helps to have the amp cooking. I love OD pedals and have owned about a dozen over the last few years. I like having different tones and flavors to turn to for various gigs just for the sake of variety. This is not the be-all end-all of OD pedals but it's a nice flavor.

Finally, I want to get a little superficial and congratulate the maker on designing a cool-looking pedal. I nice bright yellow box. It's a fat metal enclosure with a nice switch. The name is hip in a corny way. The designer seems like a clever guy with good taste in design. Something other pedal makers should take note of (in other words, put some decent paint and silkscreening on your $200 pedals! And give them cool names!). Maybe some of you nerds would prefer a pedal called the "anal nuclear ripper" or something, but that's not my bag.

The pedal is very easy to use. Does not come with a manual, but you don't need one. A nine due to the fact you need to set the tone control on 0 and go from there. After you get that this pedals setup is a 10!

I play thru a 1-12 Boogie MK-4(which I had Larry Rodgers build for me)in stereo with another 1-12 boogie thru a Chandler Echo. With this rig I don't need any overdrive pedals. But from time to time I do small blues gigs with other bands. I really can't take my full rig. In turn I needed an overdrive pedal to use with my Blue Angel. I bought a reissue TS-9 and it was one of the worst tones I ever had. No bottom end and midrange that killed all tone of the amp. So I needed to find a good overdrive pedal. Got on Harmony Central and ask a few Questions. Of course Klon kept coming up, but I don'y see the need of spending 300 plus dollars for a pedal. I knew there was someone out there making great pedals I hav'nt heard of. And I was right. His name is H.L. Wilson of Addrock. I contacted him and ended up buying two of his pedals. By the way his Electric Smile pedal is unreal. The Ol' Yeller is just the overdrive I needed. It is not noisy in the least. You will not change your amps tone when not using it. I found for my taste running the output level on 10 the and drive on 0 you get a great boost in your amps tone. The tone control is a little different in that I found it to work best on 0 and then SLOWLY turn it up till you get the tone you want. It will make you want to use it more and more. I found there is not a great blues tone you cannot get with this pedal. Just fantastic.

Lifetime warranty. I only carry this pedal to gigs.

H.L.Wilson is just the kind of person you dream of dealing with.

Again I do alot of blues gigs, but with my band we do some Santana, Allman Bros., Govt. Mule Ect. This pedal works well on all of these styles. You can call up Billy Gibbons in a snap! If it were stolen yes I would get another one. I love everything about this pedal. H.L. is just the best to deal with. If your looking for a great overdrive that will help your tone, unlike the over hyped and tone sucking TS-9, the Ol' Yeller is a great choice.

Basic tube screamer like tone,drive and volume.
I have used the unit mostly for studio and live recordings.

I have used this overdrive pedal with different amps(BognerXTC,traynor CV40,marshalls and fenders).This is the best overdrive pedal I have ever played.
I will soon order another one to have a darker tone-more gain unit and a brighter tone-less gain one.This last set-up sounds really good for chording and arpegios passages.The darker-more gain set-up will go from a great crunch-power chord sound to an amazing singing solo sound.
This pedal is like a great sounding 808 with more volume and gain and fantastic transparency.
The pedal is also very responsive to the volume changes on the guitar,giving you different shades of sounds.

Just had it for a month but the pedal is build like a tank.

I met H.L on the phone while ordering pick-ups at Alpha music.
H.L as answered my emails promptly and as been really helpfull.
After trying this pedal i can also say that the guy has great ears.

Like I mentionned before H.L was very helpfull and patient on the phone,when we talked,and when he mentionned that he was building pedals and that i should visit his site I took a look a it and decided to take a chance and bought the pedal.I also read the other reviews to see what people where thinking.
So I am writing this to say that I agree with all the other people who gave a 10 to this pedal.It is the best overdrive pedal i ever tried period.For my usage i think the Ol yeller is better then the few original 808 I tried,because it is more versatile and has a greater range in volume tone and drive.
The best chance i ever took!

This pedal is so simple and straight forward that the Taliban leaders could figure it out!Plug it in,turn up the drive and output,turn the tone down to 2 or 3,and rock the house!

I play a 50's reissue strat through a tube works rt-913 tube driver into a Hism Scism(original name before Germanium Fuzz)into an Ol Yeller into a digitech hotbox delay and into a marshall valvestate 40v and/or a pro reverb.I have been searching for the ultimate Eric Johnson tone for years.I got my Ol Yeller a couple of weeks ago and plugged it in.I use the tube driver conservatively and drive the Ol Yeller wide open with the tone at the two o'clock position with the delay set to echo.As I rip into the intro of "Cliffs of Dover" my wife yells "turn the radio down".I can't believe how well this pedal sings violin tone.No crunch,no metal,no nonsense,just the most incredible overdrive I have ever played!H.L.Thanks for your efforts in making me sound like the "Tone Ranger".

Haven't had it long enough to comment.

H.L.Wilson treats his pedals like his kids,he will not stand for them to be sick.He repaired my other Addrock pedal once for me. I don't recall the problem but the pedal has worked fine since then.

Like to play rock,blues,jazz,country.Been playing for 18 years.I wish I had another one to play with different settings through my Pro Reverb for a dirty rhythym tone.

Volume, tone, drive. Can't get a bad sound. There's also a standard 9-volt input.

There are a number of overdrive pedals out now that are in the same league as the Holy Grail Ibanez TS-808. This one's so close that you have to do serious a/b testing in a quiet room to tell the difference. Testing the Ol Yeller against a very good 808 indicated that the Yeller had a bit more transparent sound with a hair less emphasis on the mids than the 808. There is also less compression than the 808 for more dynamic playing. The 808 sounds a tiny bit "smoother" or "softer," but the superior dynamics of the Yeller counterbalance this. Accurate recording might reveal these differences, but with a band you'd never know the difference. I can't say that one is "better" than the other; they are so close that the differences make it a wash.

Unlike the 808, the Yeller has a 9-pole switch (like all Fulltone pedals) for true-bypass with LED indicator. The Tube Screamer line doesn't suck your tone like other non-bypass pedals, but it still changes the sound a bit. The Ol Yeller does not.

I give it a 9 because it's as good as a good 808, which also rates a 9. The only overdrive pedal that rates a 10 is the original 3-knob Fulldrive, and those are scarce as hen's teeth.

Only had it a few days. If you are familiar with Fulltone construction, this one is definitely on a par. Cast aluminum Hammond box, Switchcraft jacks, neato wiring throughout. I'd definitely play it without a backup.

Never tried. The website (addrock.com) is uninformative, no address or phone or product info, just some pictures of the various pedals.

Anything you can do with a Tube Screamer, you should be able to do with this pedal. People pay obscene prices for the 808 (I suppose be cause Steevee used it), but here's a better-made brand-new alternative. I've tried most of the cool o.d. pedals out there, and this one's definitely to be considered. With a Strat it warms up the clean channel of a Marshall, and with humbuckers it puts out plenty of Texas tone for rock or blues, and has enough for heavier stuff if desired (no metal or death tones here). I traded for mine, but I think they sell new for over $200, so at this price level there's some serious competition, notably from the Fulldrive. The Yeller is comparable to the Fulldrive-2 in sound, quality, and price but the FD2 has two channels plus clean boost. I'll use my Ol Yeller in place of my TS-808, which is over 20 years old and starting to show its age. There's really nothing to hate about it. The best feature is true bypass with LED indicator. Only thing I wish it had would be a bit more gain, but if it had much more, it'd be too saturated and mush out and you'd lose all the dynamics. Definitely an OD pedal to be considered.

I give it an 8, really between 8 and 9, because it virtually clones the 808 tone in a well made package. The Fulldrive 2 has more features for about the same money. It also takes up more real estate on the pedal board and won't fit into your guitar case like the Ol Yeller. Take your pick.

This pedal is 'guitarist proof'. Works just like a tube screamer (but that's where the resemblance ends).

I met this guy H.L Wilson (the creator) over the phone. I was looking for another type of effect. We got to talkin' and he suggersted his overdrive. He said John Scofield had just traded in his ProCo Rat for an Ol' Yeller. Hell, my ears perked up. If Sco' likes it, then chances are it would have a place in my tone arsenal. So I pulled the trigger on one (H.L actually offered to send it to me and let me try it). I plugged that sumbich in and smiled- I now use my TS-9 and Klon Centaur to keep cats out of the yard (I throw 'em). I run a vintage egoblaster through a 40's one jack head. (Seriously, Strats and PRS McCarty through Fender blackface), and this little pedal fits the bills. Plenty of sustain and drive while maintaining the tone of the guitar. THIS IS WHAT I HAVE BEEN LOOKING FOR!!!!.

Don't know- only had it a few days. I like this pedal so much i have been compelled to crow about it on this stupid website. I need a real life.

H. L. seems like a cool guy. I don't know how he would be in a firefight.

Worth every goddam penny. No hype no bullshit- a great O/D pedal. Throw your TS-9 (or whatever) at the cat. This is the shit. Makes me sound like Warren Haynes (and I'm skinny).