Barber Electronics Direct Drive

Three knobs, no waiting. Pull pot for the tone harmonics thingy. This unit does not contain a bad sound when used with the right amp/guitar combo.

I had originally tried this pedal out at Tonemerchants and was NOT impressed. I tried it through a univalve with a CU24. I thought that the pedal sounded thin and lifeless. Fast forward one month.... I picked up a unit used after hearing the steelbender clips and thinking that it sounded better when Jason played it. I am using a germino lead 55 and a variety of different pedals, currently a RC boost and a MXR micro amp share the OD duties on my board with the DD.

I don't know what I was thinking before. This pedal with my Grosh into my Germino is heaven. The harmonics switch engaged is my favorite setting. Usually between 11 and 1 oclock on the gain and 12 on the volume. VERY articulate both with chords and single notes. I wish I had purchased this before I picked up the RC Boost. If I had my board would consist of 2 DD's. For 99 bux this pedal can't be beat.

Seems to be built very well.

Never had to deal with Dave.

This is a great meduim gain pedal that makes a great amp sing. I think this pedal may be very amp dependant though. Kinda like adding garlic to a recipe. Works great as long as you aren't trying to bake a cake.

Yeah I am gonna buy another one, even if it wasn't stolen.

Simple intuitive layout with 1 page manual. Similar Vol. Tone, Drive knobs as on other OD/distortion/boost pedals available these days. Pull function on the tone knob introduces unique "fat harmonics" mode. Nice smooth action with turning the knobs, footswitch seems rugged, case, jacks are all sturdy.

I use this device in a pedalboard setup in this order: Boss Compressor-Direct Drive-TC Electronics SCF-Boss DD5 Delay-Alesis Nanoverb. It only gets minor hiss with the fat harmonics mode at high gain settings. Main guitar is a 1995 Gibson ES 335 Dot Neck, amp is a Boogie MK III Simulclass w/no name 112 cab loaded with an Altec 417 12" speaker.
I didn't have much of a chance to fool with the Dierct Drive before taking it on a gig. When I first fired it up at club volume it was kind of trebly for my tastes so I rolled the tone down to about 9-10:00 with it pulled to fatten the sound. Drive was set about 12:00, volume at 11:00. This is where I found the sweet spot for my setup.
I still had to roll my guitar's tone down to 1/2 on either pickup but the sound was sweet and full with nice sustain. The good part about having that much bite is that if you need to cut through keys or horns there's plenty of it in this pedal, just turn up your tone knobs.
One of my all time favorite guitar tones is the sound Larry Carlton got on his "Last Night" album. I was close to getting this tone with the Direct Drive. Of course without Larry's fingers, mind, soul and no Dumble OD Special (modded for him) it's not likely to clone his tone anytime soon. But, compared to all the other pedals of this type I've tried or owned it's the only one that doesn't over compress the guitar's signal nor does it muddy up your tone with Tube Screamer inspired mids. And, it has plenty of gain so when you use your guitar's volume it will clean up enough for rhythm when down.
I've been using a well known boutique OD pedal for about 5 years that I've been very happy with. However, it doesn't have the clarity or range of overdrive of the Barber DD. Hey, for $99 how can you go wrong! You have to wonder about some of the prices being charged for other boutique pedals out there.
I'm giving it a 10 because of it's versatility, ease of use, and value for the price.

No problems yet. I always travel with a Boss Be 5 (simple non-programmable multi effects unit) for a backup as it works well going direct into the board if need be. You just never know.

I dealt with their sales guy one time when calling for availablility. Was very helpful, answered my questions, very personable. All I've heard are good reports about David Barber getting on the phone to resolve any issues.

I play "classic rock" and a mix of everything else in a function band but also work with a trio that does blues/fusion/jazz stuff. It can handle about any mild-moderate-hi gain overdrive/distortion sounds. When they say "direct" they're not kidding! If you want this pedal to be in your face like cranking up a Hiwatt, it will do it. It will also be softer, more compressed as well but not muddy or be tone challenged as some other pedals. I think it's more "amp" sounding and less processed. Some settings were giving me a sound similar to an old BF Deluxe Reverb with a rectifier tube with volume on 8-9. Nice singing overdrive with a little rectifier tube sag.
If I were stranded on a desert island with a 335, Deluxe or Super Reverb and a Barber DD I could be happy!
I would definitely replace this pedal if lost or stolen.

Very easy to use, like basically any other stompbox on the market. The push/pull tone is something quite unique, though, and to me adds a lot of useful vibe. Was sent a pre-release manual with some sample settings, but just fiddled with it like anything else.

I have a few different setups for different situations. My main setup which I use this with is this: Fender Strat with mods (roller nut, sperzels, Dimarzio HS-2's and Graph Tech string savers) >> modded Wah Dunlop (true bypass and added capacitor) >> Whirlwind A/B box (one input into tuner, one to effects) >> Barber DD >> Keeley modified Boss BD2 with Phat Mod >> self modified Ibanez TS-9 (808 specs) >> Ibanez DC10 Chorus >> Korg Dynamic Echo >> then into one of two amps, either a Tech 21 Trademark 60 (which I run direct) or a late 70's Silverface Fender Twin w/JBL's miked with a SM-57. I use the pedal with nearly maximum overdrive, because I use it for playing solos. I use the TS-9 for solos as well, and sometimes the TS-9 in conjunction with the BD2 for mad saturation. To me, this pedal has an overdrive that is VERY similar to that of the modded TS-9, with some exceptions (good ones). First, there is much more bottom end. It seems as though it fills up a sonic spectrum much more, whereas the TS-9 is midrange heavy. I can understand where some people whine that it is close to the TS-9, but it is more complex and MUCH more flexible. The overdrive is very clean, much more than that of the TS-9 and with the push/pull option, already it is in a class much higher than that of normal tube screamer type pedals. Pulling the tone knob seems to make it much fuller and definitely gives it 'cut'. I have to say, though, when I use it with the amount of drive that I do, there is some noise. But I don't step on it and then set down my guitar to go to the bathroom, so anyone with a bit of 'skill' can use a pedal in a manner that doesn't freak out on them. It took me a little while to get used to it, but that's because like any other guitarist, I am so used to typical tube screamers and all that, and this can give you anxiety option. It always sounds great. I gave it a '9' because I use it primarily for soloing, not for rhythm. I really like Robben Ford, and although I don't have have his gear or fingers or studio captured sound, you know, this thing does a pretty fair approximation of getting that real nice warm, fat, sweet sustain that he has. For some reason, when I use that TS-9 with the BD2 to get maximum crunch, I want to play more 80's metal type hair rock stuff. With this, I want to play artful, melodic lines.

This thing seems solid. I build (or try to) my own stompboxes, so I understand the parts pretty well and what's good and so on. This thing of course takes a while to build because the parts are not cheap. I don't need a backup for this, unless it gets stolen, but I can't see something really happening to it.

Okay, there seems to be a lot of whining about getting these pedals. It even says on the site that it takes a while to get them. Why do you think? They are probably made in Barber's garage or something. When I ordered mine, the site said a 6 week wait and when 6 weeks rolled around, the site said 8 weeks. Well, I got it in 8 weeks, and I felt like the rest of the whiners, because there were so many gigs gone that I wanted to use this on and I felt disappointed and so on. You have to remember, these things have become very popular (for a good reason), and supply is greatly outweighing demand. Don't let the fact that you have to wait for this pedal make you think that it affects the sweet tone that rolls out of it. I got mine in late February (it was a Christmas present from my wife), and had to gig every weekend with it before I could finally write a review for it here in June. Before you write a review, get over the fact that you had to wait like everyone else. These guys answered all of the email that I sent, and I called once (they are busy, don't bother them) and got prompt, friendly replies without sounding rushed or anything. There is no need to upgrade this thing, and if you decide to do that, go to the website. What other pedal builders do that? I give them a '10' for customer support, because they do what good customer support does. Order a transparent Porsche and see how long it takes. If you build your own pedals, you will understand this all.

You know, I give this pedal a '10'. I play in a rock band (classic and new stuff) on the weekends for clubs full of sorority chicks, a semi-touring gospel band, straight ahead and fusion during the week and some studio work. This works for it all. I really like Eric Johnson, Robben Ford, Michael Schenker and my newest hero, Carl Verheyen (that guy is the final chapter in guitar playing!). I would like to get their sounds sometimes, and like I mentioned, it gets a nice Robben Ford type fat sustaining drive. If you want GNR or Nu Metal, look elsewhere (get a Tone Jam modded DS-1 ,good sound for this type of thing and good price). I've been playing for 20 years, lots of touring experience internationally and I own a lot of gear. I am really happy with this, I may try a mod when I decide I want something different out of it, but right now, I'm happy. Look at it this way, how much does an Ibanez TS-9 cost? Add a modification by Keeley or Analog Man or Kevin at Tone Jam, and you're looking as some bucks (or go to Tonepad.com and find out how to EASILY mod it yourself, thanks FP!). This thing is $99!! For what you get from this, it's well worth. Maybe the price makes up for the waiting. I don't think that I would change anything about this (like stated before, there are mods on the website), it does what it does extremely well. If you are into tone and sonic inspiration, this is for you.

Best Sound I ever had. Gibson 56er Historic, LuK Strat, Barber Direct Drive, Princton Reverb amp, Bogner Cube (Celestion Greenback). Nothing else.
Barber Direct Drive: Volume 3, Tone 4, Drive 2
You can control the soound perfectly with the Guitar Potis nothing else

I play bluesrock since 25 Years. I do not need anything else.
2 Guitars (Gibson Les Paul and Fender Strat Modell), Barber direkt drive, Princton Reverb amp and Celstion Greenback Speaker. This gives vou any sound you need to make this kind of music.

Getting great tones is a snap as it has a familiar Volume, Tone, Drive
layout. The only twist to that is the tone knob's pull function for added harmonics.

I'm mainly using the Direct Drive with a couple of other effects into a Fender Blues Junior. My main guitar is a Reverend Rocco(I've gotta do a review for the Rocco too...it's killer!) but I also have a nice Tele and a Reverend Slingshot. First off, I've gotta say that this is by far the quietest OD pedal I've ever heard. As far as tone, my idea of a great rig is a simple setup of Fender clean and Marshall dirty. IMHO, I'm as close now as I'll ever be with a small, simple rig. The Direct Drive sounds superb into my Reverend Hellhound as well but right now I don't need it's volume(church band-everyone else goes direct to P.A. including drummer). Ok, back to the tone. Warm, creamy,
liquidy, golden lead tones with sweet sustain and clarity that clean up VERY nicely when you dial down the volume on the guitar. This is probably not the OD for everyone however. It was designed to emulate EL34 output tubes(Marshall) and that's not for everyone. It's PERFECT for me though!

Seems extremely well made using quality parts but anything can fail. I'd probably wanna have a backup just in case.

Sent a couple of emails prior to purchase and got very prompt replies.

I play blues and a sorta blues/rock/jazz hybrid and have played for 30-35 years. I'd buy this again at twice the price! Great crunch tones
and killer blues. It just gives me such a sweet singing tone that my Reverend Drivetrain and Crowther Audio Hotcake are collecting dust. For MY needs, I can't imagine anything better.

3 knobs,Volume,Tone with pull switch for more harmonics,Drive;
easy to use,it takes a few minutes to find the right sound.

after testing a lot of stompboxes over 20 years and many of them were
very expensive I will stick with this box.It's quiet,the quality of
the sound is better than I expected.I A/B ed it with some of my
favourites,they ALL ended second place.I play a HUBER Orca with Tim
White pickups and use a ALLEN OLd Flame with KT66 and two Celestion
Century speakers,pure tube,no IC's.I can have a Peter Green sound,
be on the FREE ride and pull the tone and blow like Santana or Gary
Moore with tons of sustain.
For the price of $99,- any serious guitar player should have one.
If anyone complains a bad sound with the Direct Drive,something is
very wrong with his gear.

build like a tank;you can even change the chip without problems.

I didn`t need it yet;David Barber even has a mod section on his website.

I play since 40 years mostly rock and blues,sometimes rock`n roll for
fun.I went through tons of equipment-I wish I`d never sold them.
The Direct Drive replaces all other overdrives;if stolen,I would buy
it again the same day.

3 knobs. Vol/tone/drive. Easy.

Nice juicy boost, good sustain/drive pedal. Kinda noisy full on - duh. Using it in a pedal board w/Nobels Booster, DOD Compressor, Dan-O Tremelo & Rotary Speaker pedals, Boss Delay, DOD Slapback, Boss NS & tuner; MIM Strat, CIJ Jazzmaster, Dan-o baritone. And lighten up fellas - a steal for the money. Can do everything from Robben Ford juice to SRV sweat to Ramones grind.

Built Ford tough.

Haven't called - haven't had to.

I play surfabilly/cowpunk/severe blues/crime jazz.

Here's my combo (cut and paste):
http://www.dillengers.com

Here's a tip for the pull knob hassle: remove the knob (loosen set screw) and pull pot up into "harmonic boost mode"; put 2 or 3 flatwashers w/1/2" diameter opening over the stem; put knob back on & tighten set screw. I did that cause I like the boost mode a lot more and I leave it on all the time, that way I can't turn it off when I'm fooling with the controls with my feet (which I do all the time).

I'd get another if it got swiped.

Three knobs. Everybody has owned a lime green overdrive with three knobs (gain, tone, volume), so if anyone is left confused by the setup there isn't anything that can be done to help them.

Here is where I feel absolutely compelled to respond to some earlier posts. I have owned everything - Matchless Hotbox, several Klons, TS-808's, three Fulldrives, Sparkledrive, Rat, etc., etc., etc. I don't think it is fair to bash a $99 pedal for not sounding like a $350 pedal. Whoever gives this pedal a "1" because they expected so much more out of their $99 investment should get a grip on reality or stick with the boutique boxes. With that said, I A/B'ed the Direct Drive with a TS-9 reissue ($175) with a 'brown' mod (another $35) and to my ears, the DD is a better pedal at half the price. They sound different, but the harmonics, smoothness, and fullness of the DD is better. I am extremely impressed, and that isn't easy to do. IMHO this pedal is everything it is supposed to be (and better than many others on the market) at a screaming price, and you get true bypass to boot, which the TS-9 doesn't give you. If you are looking for Metallica, Pantera, etc. forget it. Won't get it here, but that's not what I wanted. If you want Robben Ford, it gets you a lot closer (before anyone reacts, I am well aware that this pedal won't give you a $10,000 Dumble amp for your $100). But it is very, very good. Try one out and see if it lights you up. And the previous reviewers that give this pedal a low rating are still disappointed, write me. I'm interested in buying a few more of these as backups....... But the way you have described it, you certainly won't be looking to get your full $99 investment back out of it, will you......

Looks like it is built like a tank. Don't like the knob used for the pull-compression (it is a little hard to grab hold of), but I can live with that in light of the tone.

Don't know.

Unbelievable value for the money! I play rock and blues, and it does exactly what I was looking for. If there is a better value out there, I would love to know what it is. I would probably have paid $150 for this one and not had any complaints. Not only would I replace it, but I have a few pedals that will be going on the market to make room for at least one more of these on my pedalboard.

Its a snap to get very good sounds. Its hard to get a bad sound, its just what you are looking for. I am not an "over the edge " guy, so I like the vo. at 1 (o'clock), the tone in the 9 to 12 range, and the drive in the 8 to 11 range.
Manual is one sheet- could be a bit more, but this keep the costs down, and we all benefit

Sound is great-very musical, very useful. The controls produce immediate results, and its dead quiet in the bypass mode, with no signal loss. The drive ranges from a mild overdrive to a high gain roar, with a lot in between. It could have more sustain in the low drive settings, however, but that is the nature of the beast. I compensate by using a compressor to remedy this, and it works fine

I' had it a day. and it blew out on me. However, sent it back to David , who fixed it free and fast, and now all is well.
Its built very well-sturdy, full metal box, nice tight wiring on the inside.
I'm powering it with a adaptor (negative tip ring only), as experience tells me batteries fail when you don't want them to, and this unit requires four screws to replace the battery-not the thing to do when you are playing in front of people.

Great support- see above. David Barber is a throwback to individual craftsmen who care what they do, and care that their customers are satisfied. I would buy another product in a minute fro Barber Electronics

I play rock, blues, etc.
I use a Tele, a PRS CE, a Heritage 535, all sound great.
I got this as the distortions in my POD2 weren't doing it for me. I run the DD into the POD, and use the POD for reverb, and other effects. and some compression.
I play through a original 65 Deluxe Reverb, and a Hot Rod Deluxe- both sound fine.
If lost or stolen, I'd get another.
I'd love to see David combine the Direct Drive with the Tone Press(compressor). That would be a pedal and a half!!!!

no problemo 3 knobs, turn em,

This a very high quality TS9 like pedal with more distortion and better harmonics. My TS9 is not very inspiring, basically dull and lifeless. The DD is a much clearer, fuller, more dynamic with much better harmonics that a stock TS9 re-issue.

This pedal works great with my tube amp and my SS amp. Also works equally well with single coils and HB's.

No complaints! Very rich and full sounding pedal.

No problems

Don't know

Great value when comparing to the TS9 type OD's on the market. For $99 you can't go wrong.

All manufactures could learn something from Barber. Build a quality pedal and sell it at a resonable price. Not everyone can afford $200 for one pedal.

Some have given this pedal low ratings for sound quality, I really don't know how, I have been playing for 20+ years and can find no fault with the DD. I can only guess that anyone giving it a low rating was using weak batteries or bad power, this is one thing I did notice. When using the pedal with a weak battery the sound was very fuzzy.

Good pedal and a great price. Thanks Dave!