Barber Electronics Direct Drive

3 knobs, pull the tone knob for fat harmonics. Pretty simple if you can hear.

I'm using it with Strat's and BF Twin. Strat's have Dimarzio VV's and VV Blues'. I love it. Nice and thick, warm, doesn't color the sound of the guitar. I can dial in a clean drive to a Plexi. Well almost a Plexi, after all the amps are Twins. The true-bypass is always a good thing and just as important are the cables you use.
I replaced an original TS-9 and OD-1 with this. I tried an FD-2 and opted for this because of its sound.
I don't know much about the other Barber stuff though he has set the standard on this one for me.

It looks and feels solid. Hammond style case the same as my Phase 100 that Ive had for 20+ years. The inside is extremely clean. If he built aircraft, I'd fly on them.
I have and will gig without a backup.

Never spoke to them, but based on the people before me I wouldn't worry about it either. The company I got it from in Canada was awesome.

I play pretty much everything and use it for nice tight overdrive. I still use my Rat for distortion and TS-808 for a clean boost. I have been playing for 25+ years and so far this seems to be one of the keepers along with a TS-808, Rat, Mutron III, MXR 100(script), AD-9, Analog Man Chorus, RMC-1, and OC-2. I love that it's creamy amp overdrive from a pedal. Like I mentioned, I compared it to an FD-2, TS-9, OD-1 and liked this much better. Interestingly enough, I just got the OD-1 off of ebay because of all the hype. I think the TS-9 is better and this blows both.
It definitely inspires me as it doesn't clutter up the sound like the OD-1 and TS-9. You can articulate each note nicely with this.
I'd like to share the pedal with you though I probably won't see you for a while.
For 99 bucks I don't see how you can go wrong.

Easy as turn and listen. Nice tonal variety. Manual recommendations are on target. I can tell a lot of research and thinking went into this box.

Wow! What an improvement. Against my TS-808, Howie and FD2, this pedal kicks butt. I just don't even bother with those pedals anymore. The DD does all that and more. Amazingly quiet and organic-sounding. From the clean drive to the Dumble, it's all there. I gig this pedal with my Carr Rambler and Clark Beaufort and it puts a real tiger (Marshall, Dumble) in the tank.

Yes, solid box. Too new to comment, though.

Barber helped me through deciding on this, but @ $99, I shouldn't have wasted his time (sorry David). He's totally cool - and one smart mofo.

By trade, I'm a jazz player, but to pay the bills, it's SRV and Robben Ford-type blues w/ some other stuff. I recommend this pedal for blues, rock, rockabilly, country, fusion - and anybody who wants their rig to get up and go, but wants to keep nice natural note and chord articulation.

Easy to use.......Good info in the manual, for gettin' started. Stock Direct Drive. Not an SS.

I'm trying all of 'em....Any and every distortion/overdrive dedal out there. All the Rats , MXR , Marshall, Boss(fake sounding, even my old OD-1 just sucks. I can't believe Boss is on so many pedal boards!?) , Digitech(like Boss but more fake? you tell me) , Visual Audio J&H(sent it back),and some Maxon's. If I did'nt talk smack , than I liked 'em. Some better than others. Waiting on my Pharoh Sweet Cheetah 2, and a McFuzz Hot. I'm trying them all alone , no chain . Just to compare. With different guitars(a few Gibson's, an American Strat, and a modified Yamaha w/ Fender lace P/U's and a Dimarzio Multibucker, and others. With my strat in the tasty front pickup setting, Nothing touches the Direct Drive. It's just too rich in wonderful harmonic tone. Mabe they all don't quite sound the same. My two Maxon D&S 2's had some of thier own character. This Barber DD Rules!

Still new..... third week, it's solid.

Called for power supply advice......Dude was way cool ....on a Saturday!

I teach and play many styles. I play Manual Rodrigues , Cordoba 30F, Ovation Custom Balladeer, Gibson, Fender. ..and more. 19 years playing . Rock , Blues , Classical , Flamenco, but my band now Worm Wagon , is Alt.Hard Rock, of some sort. Most fulfilling! This pedal does the blues better than ANYTHING I have heard. I want to find which pedals can give you a good sound anywhere, anytime on anyones rig. For 100 bucks , this pedal is truly a no brainer. Props to Barber on winning my 03' head to head pedal fest! SIB, Black Cat, Fulltone, Atomic, Frantone,(on and on it goes) .......can you guys answer Barber or what? I read that the gauntlet was thrown down with this pedal........that guy was right!!!

Easy. 3 nice looking knobs. Vol. Tone Gain Tone pulls out
for a mid boost.

Fat sounding. Nice full overdrive but not a huge amount of gain.
I felt I could duplicate and surpass it's sound with my Digitech tone driver. Not alot of bite.

A very handsome and solid unit. I'm sure it will last.

no comment

Very nice but not as good I feel as the hype. I often feel Guitar
Player rates very highly on appearances and vibe and this thing has it. However, as I said I was able to duplicate the sound with my Digitech tone driver and I also feel that the Boss OD-3 is better with a "glassier" tube tone.

Pretty easy. Push/pull adds nice harmonics. Easy and versatile. Hard to find an unuseable setting.

Wow! Dumble - yes. Marshall, vintage Marshall - yes. Tweed OD - yes. This box says what it will do and does it in spades. My Marshall 412, Dumble ODS, and K&M Custom have a hard time distinguishing themselves from the DD through a Silverface Fender at high volumes. I have all of these amps and more in the studio and even the best players in the studio guessed right only half the time. Pretty darn good for $99! If you can't get this pedal to do what you want - from blues to rock to fusion and in-between, well, then tone truly is in the hands isn't it? If you don't have the chops, don't expect this pedal to do that for you, but it's about the only thing it doesn't do.

Opened it up. Very nice. Smart layout. Barber knows what he's doing. Solid.

Yep. I've spoken w/ the Barber people many times - always good. Good people over there.

C'mon, for $99? Who can match or beat that? 25 years of playing clubs and 16 in the studios and this pedal is a first. Inexpensive, versatile, classic tones....what's not to like? Flat out, a 10.

It is as simple as most OD's. 3 Knob with Pull/Push Pot for Harmonic boost. Simple and easy to Mod with info on builders site.

Ok I will give it an 8. I personally don't care much for the unit and I will sell it on eBay, but its not a bad OD, well its not much of an OD. Its more of a distortion as it does not sound much like any of my tube amps cranked up. It has FAR more gain then a TS9. But very little air between the sound so things can get muddy really quick. Works well as a Clean Boost and for Blues guys its got depth in that mode. There are better units for that function however, some more some less expensive then the Direct Drive. There is a little Bass loss but not too much. Compression is not over done, but when its cranked up I think there is quite a bit of compression going on. Rolling back the Gain Knob will reduce gain, but feels as its choking off High end to do so. There is the standard loss of textures that comes from using a OD pedal regardless of setting but its not huge and does not color the natural tone of your instrument too much. I can say that this unit can take your 20w deluxe reverb and make it sound like your playing it through a 4x12 cab with a good amount of British crunch. It can sound huge, but more like a Crate then a Marshall. Not amazing, but useful. The Direct Drive gets lots of tones, sadly none that I like. The Pull Pot Harmonic boost is cool for bringing an amp to feedback quick. Some people think that this unit sounds "Dumblesque" Don't believe it for a second. It can sing but sounding like an Overdrive special. I doubt it. Anyone who says that has never heard an OD Special up close. All in all for 99 bucks its cheaper then a TS9 with more options. If your a blues guy, this is not for you. If your a rocker, you might find something in the box to work for you. Not a bad deal, but not the last OD your ever going to buy.

Seems well built, not a true PTP as a PCP is inside, but the pots and switch are not connected to the board directly so repairs and reliability should be no problem

Pretty good 48 hours to get an email reply. Not bad

Its OK...it falls in line with the TS9, Nobles, BOSS and others. Not an amazing sounding pedal for my needs, but it has purpose. You can get what you put into it your rig and your hands will tell the tail. I used this only for a couple of days and let several players us it at jams. Not once did I hear anything that made me sit up and take notice. I did however hear a Fulldrive II sound amazing durring those jams, and that pedal I really did not like when I bougth one from Fulltone. I Sold it fast as I could, so as with all things here on HC, take it with a grain of salt.

Three knobs with one having a pull switch. Set your distortion level, adjust the tone and your volume. Pretty darn simple!

I'm using this with a hardtail Strat-like guitar with a P-90 at the neck and a Duncan JB at the bridge. Other pedals are Dyna-comp > Ibanez TS-5 > Boss DC-2 chorus > Ibanez Volume Pedal > Boss DD-3 > Mesa-Boogie Studio .22+ amp. The DD goes after the comp and before the TS-5. The DD give me a brighter distortion tone then the TS-5 with lots of sustain. I tried one in a store and to my ear it sounded a little different then the one I have. But it's growing on me and making me happy. Especially after gigging with it.

Built like a friggin' tank! Unless you jumped on it with some big ol' clod-hopper boots, it'd be hard to do damage to this pedal.

I'd give an "11" if I could! I got a DD in a trade. It sounded raspy in the high end with some "artifacts" that I didn't like. A harshness that I couldn't dial it out. So, I contacted Barber and he had me send it to him. He didn't think anything was wrong, but to make me happy he sent me a brand new pedal! Now THAT'S customer service.

I play roots rock, Americana, world beat, intergalactic calypso pirate music and blues based rock.
Tone is subjective. The first DD that I tried in a music store, as I remember it, sounded a little warmer and smoother then the pedal I have. Maybe it was the guitar and amp I tried it with. But it's really a great pedal. Not my holy grail, but I find it extreamly usable and it will remain on my pedal board. I'm still learning what it can do. There are tweaks that I might try on the Barber website. I want to try it with my lap steel. I like it much more then the Keeley modded Metal Zone that I traded for the DD. But the guy I traded with loves it, so it all worked out in the end. Anyway, the Direct Drive doesn't give me exactly the tone that I'm after. But it's one I didn't have before and I can make good use of it. That's why it get's an "8."
If I were to lose this pedal, I'd probably buy the DD SS with all of the trim pots to tweak things out. I just can't stop fiddling with my gear.

the direct drive is a breeze, in fact its hard to get a naff sound out of it. i use mine with my boogie mk1 reissue , turn the drive to 2 o clock and level to 3 o clock and it screams...unit also cleans up marvelously. i think even my granny could have gotten killer tones with the barber.

increase the gain and listen to the compression take over.....yeah most pedals.....NOT the barber. beautifully transparent from gain meltdown to cleaned up strumming. i sold an analogman ts9/808 brown mod which slayed because the direct drive outperformed it totally.

waited 3 months to get it from usa........no probs so far, hope to have none either, too soon for objective comment on this.

spoke to dave barber on phone, nice guy and very helpful, purchase completed without any hassle whatsoever.

i dont hand out 10s if they arent justified, the direct drive is simply the pedal ive always been looking for. its brilliantly put together, has tones by the bucketload and fulfills every need i could have from a drive stomper. completely and utterly recommended from me.

It's easy to get a good sound out of this pedal, and the 3 controls on the face of the pedal are easy to operate. However, the 3 trim pots are only accessible by removing the bottom panel (4 screws). It was probably the most economical approach to have the trim pots where they are located, and it allows for a simpler circuit.

This is a comment/review of the Direct Drive SS (Super Sport) - $129 + shipping. I'm borrowing this pedal from a friend. I think many will be impressed (like I was) with the 3 trim pots that allow more presence, harmonics, and deeper bass to be dialed in. I've never heard the standard DD, but with the trim pots turned all the way down the sound is supposed to be the same as the standard DD (though the harmonics pot can be turned up a bit since the standard DD had a pull-harmonics tone control). I definitely like having the presence and bass pots turned up at least 1/2 way, and haven't decided on where I like the harmonics control yet.

Haven't had this long enough to give a rating, but it looks like it's built like a tank and is carefully constructed and soldered inside. I don't foresee any problems occuring.

Quick and friendly response to an email question I had.

It's probably worth the extra $30 over the $99 standard Direct Drive model to get these adjustable trim pots. There are mods (tweaks) that can be performed on the standard drive drive, but these pots allow for more fine tuning and more range. This pedal is a great value.

3 knobs with a push pull for the tone

I'm using this with a Parker Nitefly or Jackson RR into either a Reverend Hellhound or Marshall Jubilee Series. I wanted something to provide a full on lead sound for the Hellhound and the Marshall needs no more overdrive but I always use an overdrive pedal for solos just to focus and fatten the sound. The Direct Drive is somewhat successful for my purposes.

The lower overdrive settings are uncompressed and full, particularly with the Harmonics mode engaged. The higher gain settings are plenty saturated, and the pedal becomes somewhat compressed. But to me the higher gain settings are still not meaty or amp like enough for me. My Direct Drive sounds a litte flat on the high end, without the extended highs of say the Visual Sound Route 66 pedal.

There is no bass loss on this pedal (something I cursed about several other tube screamer products I have owned). This pedal is interactive with the guitar volume knob as well.

To me this is extremely well built.

na

I was extremely impressed with this when I first received it. Since then I've had good days and not so good days with it. For me the tone control could provide a little more grit, it's to me more of a presence adjustment. The highs could also be a little more open sounding. Yes I am being picky. I have owned Boss OD1, Crowther Hotcake, Route 66, Vox Valvetone, etc and this to me ranks with the best of them.

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!

simple enough, Don't like the push pull thing for the fat harmonics on the tone control. But no real complaints

I have a very good ts9 with the 808 mods and many other mods I have done myself. I run both pedals side by side into a Fender Hotrod Deville 4x10. I really do like the sound of the DD, however I have to admit that it is very TS9 like. There is just enough difference in the overall quality of the sound to make it stand out, at least to me. The DD is a smoother, with more harmonics, there are some sweet spots with this pedal that I just can't get with my TS9, and BTW my TS9 has the second harmonic mod, which should make it even closer to the DD. So I would think that the DD would stand out even better when comparing to a stock TS9.

One thing I did discover is the DD is very sensitive to low power, battery or other. So I would make sure that you have a fresh quality battery. This would lead me to belive that if you ran the DD at 18Vdc you should hear even more of a difference in sound making the pedal all that much smoother, but this is purly speculation.

I can't understand the 1 ratings for sound? This is a high quality pedal designed by a guy who knows what he is doing. Is it TS9 like, yes but this is not a bad thing. It is more transparent that the TS9 with better harmonics and less mid hump, however I think the compression is about the same.

I love the way this pedal sounds in the mix, the harmonics are what make it stand out. It has this sweet singing voice that just isn't the same as my TS9, for cording with both single coils and humbuckers it works well.

Should be fine, but some of the lettering is falling off?

Been playing 20 years,
Currently there is a lot of hipe around this pedal, and for good reason. It is inexpensive and it sounds great, making this pedal a bargain when compared to the competition.

If you own a TS9, save your money and get it modded, it will be 90% of what the DD is. If you don't and are looking for a great OD this is one pedal that you should definitely consider.

As other reviewers said, very straight forward. 3 knobs and a push/pull knob for emphasized 2nd harmonics. I've heard complaints about the tone knob not having a broad enough sweep, but I think the sweep is just fine.

Through my goldtone and my gibson lp classic, the direct drive sounds great. I find the mids are emphasized a bit, but it doesn't bother me at all, especially when I'm playing with the band. It helps me cut through a little. It certainly isn't as big of a mid hump as a tubescreamer. I don't think this pedal sounds artifical or buzzy at all. To me and my friends this pedal sounds like an amp that's been fronted really hard. I use it a higher voltage which changes the tonal characteristics a little. I'm not sure how to describe it, but it seems to make it sound fuller.

David Barber seems to have made this pretty well. I don't expect any problems.

I e-mailed David Barber about running the direct drive at a higher voltage and he responded the next day. Good enough for me.

I'm not really sure how anyone can think this sounds like they're playing through a telephone. Maybe this pedal is pretty setup sensitive, but through my rig it sounds fantastic. The direct drive took the place of a voodoo labs sparkle drive, which was also a pretty good pedal, but the direct drive has just so many more sweet spots. It seems like it would be a pretty good clean boost as well. Not as transparent as a Klon, but for $99 it can hold its own in that area. I really like the tones I get out of this box. If I lost this, I'd definately find a way to get another...I hate that 5-6 week backorder though.

Easy to use, not so easy to get a decent sound out of.

Very disappointing. You would think that a 6-8 week wait would be for something grand, but this is like playing through a transistor radio with a 2" speaker. Any more mid-range honk and it would be a goose. No highs or lows. I A/Bed it with my Route 66 and my TS-10, plus my new ZOOM PD-01. They all blew it away. The TS-10 was embarassingly better. Another reviewer said it was like playing through a telephone. Good call (no pun intended!). Certainly no Marshall roar here, more like the Nashville ultra mid-range honk.

Built like a tank. Beautiful handwired workmanship. For what, I don't know. Huge true-bypass switch. It will last somebody a long time.

Called while looking for one. barber told me they were backed-up two months and he was hiring more pepole to keep up with the demand. this further fueled my desire to get one. They seem very nice and eager to please. Sorry for the dis.

I am selling it. Keeping my TS-10 and Route 66, plus I got a ZOOM PD-01 and Hyper Lead on closeout. These are KILLER pedals. I fell victim to the Guitar Player magazine review hype and backorder situation on the Direct Drive. It HAD to be good. I have been very disappointed. For me, it was unusable.

3 nobs with a pull out boost, very easy to use as discribed by others

I am using the direct drive with a american standard strat. with fralin pick-ups into either a Budda Superdirve 30 or a Top Hat Club Royal. The DD is very much like a tube screamer with more gain and harmonics. The pedal pruduces a big fat round sound, however it is very, very dark. I'm a little disapointed by this procuct. The tone control is no help in dialing out the large mid-range hump. On the bright side the pedal seems to be built well and is reaonable for the quality.

Seems dependable, built well but I've only had it a month.

They were responsive in answering questions. They got the pedal to me a week early.

I play primarily blues and rock. I've been playing about 8 years. There are several products on the market that cover ground similar to the DD. There are several effects that I'm familiar with that I feel are superior (in no particular order)Tonebone Classic, Klon, Sparkle Drive, Fulldrive 2. If lost or stolen I wouldn't re-purchase. It's not a bad distortion effect (at $100) just not a great one. I really don't get the Guitar Player review on this thing.

Pretty easy, but, if you ignore the manual like I did, it takes a while to figure out. Many cool and authentic-sounding settings. This pedal has a lot going on. Shoulda read the manual first!

Too many sounds to cover, but what a useful pedal. The best tones are Marshall-like, nice and creamy, a surprisingly accurate Dumble, a nice overdriven Fender, a TS-killer for sure, and a beats-all clean drive. This is much more of an overdrive than a distortion pedal. Very sweet and smooth. Natural as can be. Between my Two Rock Custom and the Direct Drive with fat harmonics engaged through a loud Fender Vibrolux, it's a dead heat for the Dumble tone. This is the most capable pedal I've heard. This pedal can bark, bite, growl, and howl. Bass is full, mids are sweet and pronounced, highs are smooth, not rough-edged.

I have owned the Direct Drive for 4 months. Haven't even replaced the battery, but looked inside. It's immaculate and solid.

David Barber is the best. He talked me through my tone questions and guaranteed delivery by a specified date. Also promised to take back the pedal (unharmed) if it didn't do what he said it would. 10 is not high enough.

One of my favorite settings has to be the clean drive. It is so pure and devoid of noise. Sweet as can be. I wish the pedal came with 2 channels for rhythm/lead and I would like it if he moved the on light so I could see it better, but I'm not complaining. I can tell when it's on.

I own so many pedals now, maybe 40 - yes, a gear freak. Half are overdrives. The Direct Drive doesn't do everything, but it almost does - it does much more than any 3 overdrives put together. For Marshall, Tubescreamer, and Dumble tones, it kills the 3 Menatones and the Keeley I once had which were supposed to be improved direct-knock-offs! For $99, a lot of faux-boutique pedal builders should be looking at themselves in the mirror. The best overdrive pedal ever at a price that is 1/3 of inferior pedals. Yes, I'm diggin' it!