Product: Carl Martin DC Drive
Price Paid: USD 92
Submitted
06/27/2009
at
04:25pm
by
Me
Ease of Use
:
9
Basically no problem - Level, Tone, Drive plus a "Fat"-switch and a adjustable boost-level. So it`s pretty straightforward.
Sound Quality
:
9
Playing direct via a Tech 21 Liverpool pedal or through a PCL Vintage Amp Combo. Very dynamic, warm and round. No in your face metal-stuff. More of a great rock sound with a healthy dose of low end.
Very amplike feel and sound. Rather picky when it comes to boost pedals. Like it best boosted with a Maxon 808 Tubescreamer-Clone.
Reliability
:
9
I never gig with some kind of backup, but no probs so far, seems well built and reliable.
Customer Support
:
No Opinion
Never have dealt with the company.
Overall Rating
:
8
Not the right choice for Metalcore but for more traditional rock/pop/blues sounds one of the best pedals available, imo. A total steal for the prce asked. Can get into Highgain/Modern Lead-territory with an additional boost pedal in front.
Product: Carl Martin DC Drive
Price Paid: UNKNOWN
Submitted
05/01/2009
at
03:28am
by
Guido
Ease of Use
:
10
Very easy to use - four knobs (Drive, Tone, Level, Boost), one switch (Reg - Fat), two footswitches (Bypass, Boost).
Sound Quality
:
10
This little device simply kicks **s! Compared to the Carl Martin Plexitone, the DC Drive sounds like the first channel of the Plexitone, with a little more bite and a little more compression. It's kind of rougher, thou it has not as much gain. With the manual switch in the position "Reg" it sounds a bit like a full tilt 100 Watt Non Master Marshall, very amp-like; and it reacts very well to the guitar volume. The Switch in "Fat" position adds more lows and low mids and a bit extra gain. Both positions are very usefull, I am simply not able to dial in a really bad sound... ;-)
Very british sounding device, no modern NuMetal Rectumfire in here. Good old (Hard) Rock sound.
And - BONUS - a clean boost up to 12db, either for the bypass or the effekt sound. Great for solos.
I don't know if it's true bypass, but that doesn't matter to me, as I have it on all the time; I clean up my tone with the guitar volume.
Reliability
:
10
I have this thing for two days now, so I can't tell. But the other Carl Martin pieces I have give me the idea that even the DC-Drive would survive an atomic war.
Customer Support
:
10
Until now I didn't need it. I have a great dealer, he will manage this in case I need it.
Overall Rating
:
10
I play hard Rock music, from old fashioned 80's Rock to 90's Grunge to modern stuff like Foo Fighter. If you have a good tube amp (in my case it's a Laney GH100L), the DC-Drive up front does anything you want. More gain? Just add a Booster or light Overdrive.
Not noisy, just great clear fat tone. One of the few overdrives that does not cut the lows.
But: no Metal in here!
I bought the DC as a "lightweight" alternative to my "big" pedalboard which has a MXR Boost, a Carl Martin Plexitone, tuner, analog Chorus, analog Delay and other stuff on it. So if I don't want to carry around ab truckload of effects and amps and cabs, I grabb the DC Drive and my guitar, use the ANY amp - and MY sound is there.
If this thing was stolen, I'd buy a new one at once.
