Carl Martin Hot Drive n Boost

The effect pedal is very easy to use! There is only one bottom that is improtend, the wave bottom.

It has a warm and tight sound, a sound that I love and has looked for for many months.

It is almost perfect for my kind of music, Rock alternative Rock.
I love the Boost bottom....

Easy to get a good sound. Creamy distortion from slight breakup to full on O.D. Great for blues. I got it used with no manual, and I think it is very easy to set up. Use the boost for db gain going in and out of solos without touching your guitar, or use it to overdrive your amp. The LED's are B R I G H T and you can definately see them on stage, almost too bright in fact.

My set up is American Strat, G&L Classic Tele, and Guild Bluesbird to Boss tuner to Hot Drive N Boost to Boss Chorus to 65 Re-issue Twin Reverb. I realize the Twin isnt the best amp to get a distorted sound from, however the covers my band does require more clean than drive sounds. This pedal is not at all noisy unless you push it all the way to max settings. The pedal works just fine for what I need.

They built this like a tank, the AC cord is fool proof and it has held up to the rigors of countless bar gig set ups and tear downs. The paint is starting to chip a little, and I had to re-solder a LED after it got stepped on, other than that no backup needed and it's always reliable.

No Opinion on this one.

I play blues, rock-a-billy, classic rock, country. I have been playing for 34 years and currently gig with a band 5-6 times a month. This pedal is exactly what I need for it's reliabiltiy and tone. My suggestion is BUY ONE! I would get another if it were lost or stolen.

basic set up in-out. very simple.

my set up is a 74 paul gold top deluxe to boss chorus ensemble to boss digital delay to carl martin hot drive n' boost to a/b out to alpha 112 and fender preformer overdrive channel.
average on noise, although quiet compared to most.
warm, creamy and very tube like. the best thing is the boost feature. saves you from adding more units to your chain for soloing.
and it has a self contained power plug.

seems built to last. just got it, but the metal chassis seems like it could take the rigirs of the road.
would use it without a back up.

havent dealt with them yet

i play funky rock with an edge, but classic feel. so the warm tube sound is exactly what i was looking for. and believe me, i looked.
i wanted the classic tube, but not a replica. something that seemed new and updated. so the way i split it through a fender and a alpha sunn 112, it is classic but original.

Very easy to use.

Tried it with a Carvin DC-400 Koa, through a Carvin MTS-3212 and the clean output through a Tech 21 Trademark 10.
I was checking some of my pedals (Fulldrive II, Tone Pump II, PE Germ, and TubeWorks Real Tube ovedrive), and I wonder why the Carl Martin is not used by more people. This is a fine sounding pedal.

I don't foresee any trouble.

I had a couple of questions before buying the pedal. I sent them an email and got a response a couple of days later.

I have a bunch of overdrives, and the Carl Martin is definitely a keeper. It's versatile, offers a boost, and a clean output. I'm glad I bought it.