Chandler Tube Driver

I have the rack version of this pre-amp
You can't really get a bad sound out of it. I like it because there's a little more control(bias and contour controls and of course the Boost switch) than the pedal version

There are very few pedals/preamps that I would rate a 10 in sound quality. This is it for distortion or overdrives.

I can only describe the tone as awesome. Just everything I want in an overdrive. It has a crunch that you can't get in any other preamp or pedal. The best way to descibe this is through Eric Johnson.just add a decent delay and chorus pedal. Listening to his Bloom album pushed me over the edge of being a tone freak.

The only issue I ran into with this is using other distortions/fuzz/overdrives in the line with it. For some reason it just doesn't jive right with distortion pedals that well. It sometimes gives a little buzz. Tubescreamer-like overdrives usually do fine, but with the Boost switch on the rack version, don't really need an additional boost.

For a while I was using a Ruby tube (not too sure who makes them) but I think I put a Sovtek in it a couple years ago. That or a J/J. I guess to a degree its all hearsay. I'm not sure anyone listening would give a **** what kind of tube you're using regardless of the sound difference you think it makes... so maybe I'm not that much of a "tone freak"

I blew a fuse once at a show, thats when I was relieved to discover it's true bypass. At the time I was using a Boss SD-1 in front of the Tube Driver, so I just cranked up the drive and I stayed in business. If I had a spare fuse on me at the time it would have been a 10 second fix.

That coupled with the freak possibility of blowing a tube, or shorting out for some reason (I think its at least 25 years old) I'd have to say its a bit less reliable than most overdrive/distortion units

I kinda support myself these days

If I lost both my arms, I still wouldn't sell this unit. I might let my little brother use it... but only under my supervision. I honestly don't think the modern emo junkies and metal head high schoolers would find any interest in stealing this type of equipment. It looks old and beat up. these new kids just want anything that says Mesa on it. ::rant complete::

I've been playing a mex strat with some Dragonfire pickups in the neck and bridge and a DiMarzio Blue Velvet in the middle. Pretty much using the Fender Blues Jr amp, but occasionally I'll use a Fender Bassman 50. I once ran the tube driver through a Roland Jazz Chorus, and really liked what I heard, but not near as much as the fender tube amps.

At first I was afraid this unit would limit me to playing classic rock or blues, but I actually played some newer cover songs with it and people really loved the sound. My initial fears of this being a one-trick-pony were quickly absolved.

I'm interested in trying the Butler Audio reissue. They've supposedly done some nice improvements. If anyone has one and wants to trade out for it, I got a closet full of effects pedals I'm ready to get rid of. just email me

This is a mid eighties model, the Chandler by Butler, not the wall wart version. I bought it new and I still like it best, above all the zillion other distortion stompboxes I have and it never let me down. Now, after 25 years, it is available again by the original designer so suit yourself.

It took some time to get a good sound out of it. A bit fizzy, as I recall, but the glowing tube had some magic and it had some tuby sound qualities the sillicon/transistor squad just didn't provide. At one time I replaced the original tube -still have it, it is chandler branded- for a old amperex at7 or something like that. You get less distortion but a broader range of clean to overdrive. Or maybe because it's old and all the values have shifted but it sounds better than ever. I recently bought the old 19 inch version, just for backup. Never really tried that one, lying under the sink, just in case..

Oh yeah, I never give 10's. Don't trust those reviews..

Well, how does this thing sound? Well, glad you ask.. you caught me in the middle of writing this review....
The funny thing are the smart tone knobs, no fender style (where they act like volume pots) but the Vox way. Treble does high or mids, Bass does low-end or no-end, they are interactive.That makes a difference. Turn everything on zero -like Eric Johnson- and you got still a great sound, try that on your fender.
But it doesn't sound Voxy or fenderish, it sounds euh... Marshally or, more exact, trainwreck alike. Strong open lower mids and smooth highs that goes into violin Hendrix teritory when pushed. It can growl, there is some nice medium thick grind in there but they show up only when playing Gilmourisch slide on a strat, it will sound more throaty with a Les Paul junior. I hear a bit difference when I try to match the clean sound but that's okay, we are not talking digital hifi here.
And yes, I agree with the poster a few reviews below. The underated Vox bulldog sounds pretty goed in the same way but lacks the lower mid oomph and sounds a bit thinner and "colder" overall.

In 30 years it had one repair, some loose jackets.. no biggie.

Never contacted Mr.Butler. He seems reluctant to repair products he never sold and never gave warranty to (Gee, how strange..)
I dont think the Chandler company would service either...

Though the Butler tube driver is still my main stompbox, there are some great devices out there. For a great strat sound I would use my old TS808 into a Fender amp, a tellie and a Vox AC-15 sounds great with a treble booster and my 335 loves my Zendrive. The tube driver is not a "specialty" box, it also not like a Matchless Hot box that make every amp sound like a angry hooligan from Liverpool. It does the Billy Gibbons very well but for me it exels in bluesy poweramp sounds that puts a baby to sleep or starts a mayhem with just a turn of your guitar volume knob.

Very easy to understand, only 4 controls and very basic. Output level, hi/low eq, and tube drive. My unit is an early rev, but not the first run. I have the one Eric Johnson uses (the originals were a bit different, and the rev3 versions had the wall wart).

The sound is great, but it's very iffy depending on the preamp tube used. Case in point - I ripped out the original tube years ago and put a Sovtek (I think it's a 12AT7)in place of it. I then ignored the pedal for the longest time because of scratchy pots, etc... that I was apparently too lazy to look into. I eventually changed that tube to a Groove Tube 12AX7 which, quite honestly, sounded terrible. Very high gain, crunchy tone, not what I was looking for. Up until the other day I had that same crappy tube in there until I decided to find the old Sovtek and put it back in. I also cleaned the pots and switch. WHAT a difference. Now I can actually use this pedal and it sounds exactly like it should; warm and punchy. Add this next to a TS-808 and you have great overdrive. The thing about this pedal that I think makes it versatile is that you can vary your tone based on the tube. The Sovtek is very warm and smooth, and doesn't have a dirty gain, but once it's boosted you can hear the warmth come through. It's a very pleasant sound. The manufacturer didn't really intend for the end-user to change the tubes, but I found it to be pretty easy and non-threatening to the unit, and in the end I'm much happier.

The pedal does have some hum, but it goes away sometimes. I'm leaning more towards thinking it's a grounding issue but I can't figure out why.

I give this a mid-rating because it's old, and even though it seems to function better since cleaning the controls, there's still that chance that it won't operate perfectly the minute you have an audience. I generally have another overdrive in the chain anyway so if I needed to it would make a worthy backup.

Never dealt with Chandler, but they were just the distributors. BK Butler is the brains and hands behind these pedals. His design; hand-wired and very well made. These pedals turned up for a while under the Tube Works name, as miniature versions of the original, and the same concept is in the Tube Works Blue Tube. The Chander version is designed better, IMO. BK is actually re-issuing these pedals under his own name but in the same outfit and design as the originals. I would think if you needed support he would be the one to talk to, and from what I've read he's very friendly and answeres all his e-mails.

Overall a great addition to my setup; gives my overdrive a warmth that is missing from most solid-state pedals. I originally bought it about 8 years ago because Eric Johnson uses it, and I figured I'd get magic tone..heh. Well, that never happened but I've found my own settings that work well with it and sometimes can get that velvety, violin-type tone when used with the right combination of instrument/amp. Besides the Tube Driver, my chain of effects are: Ibanez TS-808, ProCo RAT, EH Small Clone, EH Small Stone, MXR 1500 Delay, and MXR Analog Delay. My amp is a Fender Deluxe Reverb re-issue, and my guitars are: 68' reissue Stratocaster, vintage blonde Telecaster, Gibson SG standard, and an Ibanez AEL10 acoustic.

My Tube Driver pedal is an original B.K. Butler that I purchased in 1987. Four controls (Output, Hi EQ, Lo EQ, Gain). One foot switch with an indicator light to tell whether it's on or off. Very simple to operate, although it does take a little tweaking to get "your" tone. Have to be careful with the Hi EQ because it will produce a grating, shrill sound that will annoy you.

There is no substitute for this pedal. My chain is: Eric Johnson signature strat > Crybaby Wah > Tube driver > all tube Marshall JTM 30 (usually clean channel only). Have a Memory Man deluxe reissue and a TC Electonics Chorus plugged into the effects chain. Am I trying to duplicate Eric Johnsons signal chain...YES! Can I get his tone...NO! That's 75% fingers and skill rather than equipment, but that's another story. I can get my own approximation of his tone and to my ears, it's awesome. The tube driver produces a very warm, mid range boost to a slightly over driven amp that cannot be duplicated. You have to be careful with this pedal because it won't hide your sloppy playing like a lot of distortion pedals. Every note is clearly defined but fully distorted, if that makes any sense. The pedal is not noisy at all, even at ridiculous volumes.

I've owned this medal for almost 20 years. Used it with a variety of different amps, guitars, bands, indoors, outdoors, etc. It's a tank! About 10 years ago, I replaced the tube and that was it until about 2 years ago. Then it started getting flaky - pots didn't work or produced scratchy sound; footswitch didn't work, tube sound was awful.

See above. To make a long story short, I contacted Mr. Butler himself (the man who originally designed and produce the Tube Drivers). I sent him my aging pedal and he completely refurbished it; new pots, footswitch, tube, etc. He sent it back and its like a completely new pedal. He also wrote a note telling me what year and batch my pedal came from and signed the bottom of the pedal. Needless to say, I rate customer support 110% (even if I've only had to use it once in 20 years!).

I've been playing the guitar for over 30 years and now I play mostly 70's and 80's rock; heavily into Rush, Led Zep, etc. Also play covers and anything else that strikes me as interesting (yeah, including EJ). It would kill me if I lost this pedal, not only because of the sound but because I've had it so long it's an integral part of my chain. I've priced these pedals on ebay and they're going for $600 bucks or more for the orginal versions. Supposedly you can get reissues from Butler Electronics for a reasonable price. I would definitely buy another one if this one disappeared or crapped out completely. It gives you the sweetest, warmest tone you could ever possibly want.

I picked up this pedal recently (4months ago)after searching for one for a while.. I use this daily, mostly for recording. Expensive, but the search for tone can be that way. Can not get much easier... dial in your tone to taste. It's important that you pair this pedal with a compatible amp..

Simply put, this is perfect tone for my needs. Smooth overdrive, incredible sustain.... and no added noise... I use it with a Bassman LTD or my vibrolux and it gives me the earlier break up I am looking for. Super smooooth and creamy.... Guitar wise, i'm a big fan of Gibsons with P90's. I really can't speak to this pedal in conjunction with Fender guitars, but it seems pretty friendly with any guitasr I've fed it

Considering the age of this pedal, I would have to give high marks on reliability. I have had zero issues (knocking on wood)and I have a fairly early model

n/a

Overall, I love this pedal. Probably (ok, it is..) overpriced, but there is a reason they are sought after by some. I also dig the "hugeness" of the pedal, you can't miss it in a crowd.

At least as simple as most amps today to operate.

Paired with a MARSHALL JCM OR JMP it gets a 9. I have tried it on a 78 TWIN REVERB with dismal results. This thing was designed around the older Marshall tone, as a supliment to a slightly overdriven Marshall. I imagine it would sound great on any Carvin, Laney, Hiwatt or the like. With a slightly overdriven Marshall, the Tube Driver WILL DELIVER THE REST OF THE GOODS IN A FRIEGHTLINER.

If you're a 40 something, still enjoy the REAL monster George Lynch or Satriani sound, and have a suitable amp to accomodate the Tube Driver, Buy one! But if you are using a 70's fender silverface, Berringer, or Peavey solid state combo, get a Boss Metal Zone or something. You're only gonna make the Chandler mad at you. It's just not intended to co-exist with this type of amp.

There solid enough if you don't bash 'em around. There's still a lot of them around. It seems guys who have them don't come off of them too readily.

c'mon!

Very easy to use. Level, hi, lo, and Drive controls. I believe its true bypass switching. Got it used.

Great sound quality. I used to have one back in the late 80's, not sure which model it was but remember it had a really cool vibe to it, but not exactly my cup of tea at the time. I was more into the metallica super smooth heavy metal at the time. I think I had a later version which don't sound too hot.

This review is for the original 1987 "designed by BK Butler / San Francisco" model which are the ones demanding top dollar. $450 -- (Ouch!) but cheaper than the ones going to full auction on Ebay. They can top $500. Is it worth it...who knows, it depends on what you're looking for. This thing has a really cool vibe to it, it squishes a bit and is very thick sounding with a nice lower mid hump to it. I really like the sound. Up until now, my fav tube distortion pedal was my Vox Big Ben. Side by side, the Big Ben is more Voxy sounding (upper mids, treble)and thinner sounding than the Chandler. The Big Ben hands down beat all the other pedals I've owned - Peanut Butter, Barber-LTD,DD,SS, Ibanez ts808 - modded and stock, Vox Valvetone, Tube Driver (later 5 knob versions), Hot Box, etc. etc. The Chandler holds the title now. The leads are singing, thick, chewy, etc. At low gain settings and with a 12au7, its without a doubt the best sounding blues pedal i've ever heard. I see a 4558 op amps chip in there, but I don't beleive its the gain unit, but the boost to drive the tube into overdrive. Could be wrong though, don't matter, the pedal rocks.

Only negative is that it can be a little noisey. Also, if you pick one up - make sure you change the power chord to a 3 prong for safety. There's a reason for 3 prong plugs and your life shouldn't come second to resale value!!!! If you play out, you can't be sure if the house wiring is properly grounded!!

Not sure, haven't had it too long, but its a 1987 and its all original except for the power chord (was a two prong shocker!).

Don't know, got it used.

Great pedal. The best I've played. I own a Fuchs OD50 and a handmade Princeton clone amp. PRS, vintage Aria guitars and a Cort hollowbody guitars. Excellent pedal and I'm sure it will continue to go up in value.

really easy to use. All you need is to know what your after. Many paople are looking for the holy grail of tone and when they are asked what or who they want to sound like, they have no answer. well, this is easy enough for even those people to get great tone.

so, the one i have is the rack mount version made in about 1983. and, i play bass, so iam using a fender usa 2001 passive 4 string to drive it. it came with a 12ax7 and it sounded great but i use it for more a pre-amp and then use the overdrive as an added effect to freak people out. well, i put a 12at7 in and it seems to have given me a bit more headroom and it isn't as dirty when it's as saturated as it can get. it was a huge improvement on an already great tone.

i haven't had any problems with it. also, changing out the tubes is five year old easy.

they are closed....

it works great as a bass preamp. i've been playing professionally 5 years now. it is quite a unique application that i use for...think about it, a guitar tube driver! but as a bass preamp, it makes an swr pro series tube preamp head just sing.

I have the old, white, non-wallwart, made in San Francisco Chandler Tube Driver pedal. I bought it used without a manual, but it's easy enough to figure out and get good sounds from it.

I run the Chandler Tube Driver through an odd mix of equipment: '87 Fender Strat (made in Japan) with the EMG DG20 "Dave Gilmour" electronics package into the Chandler Tube Driver, then into a POD XT, out of the POD XT to a Rockman Stereo Chorus, then a Rockman Stereo Echo, plugged into a 120 watt Behringer keyboard amp with a big 15". The Chandler isn't really noisy, less than most stock distortion pedals, I'd say. I must say, though, that I have played a bit with four different tubes, and I'm most happy with the following two tubes: 1) an Electro-Harmonix 12ax7EH sounds great for higher gain rhythm crunch, and 2) a NOS Tesla ECC802S (12au7), which is GREAT for smooth leads - the Tesla is really, really nice. I can go from a smooth overdrive for blues, to ZZ Top grit, to Gilmour leads, and classic rock rifs with this thing when using a clean amp setting.

I haven't had it very long, so I don't know how much longer it'll last, but it's lasted this long, so I'd say that it has a good track record. Would I gig without a backup? Hell No! Backup isn't an issue, though, since I'm using a POD XT to begin with, but pedal wise, I also have some other very nice pedals.

Chandler doesn't exist anymore, so I can't comment on their customer support.

I mostly play blues and blues based music, and the Chandler Tube Driver is a great match. I've been playing for about 15 years, and my gear includes a whole rack full of Rockman half rack modules, a POD XT, Rockman X100's, a Keeley Compressor, a customized Keeley Phat BD-2, a Keeley modded MT-2, a stock TS9, and other assorted gear. If the Chandler was stolen or lost I'd probably try to get another one, because I really dig the smoothness from it. This pedal definately helps me make music rather than getting in the way.

I like the knobs and feel of the unit - no need for a mid setting. The newest versions (generation 3 as taken over by tube works) have graduated rotations - seems better for setting levels. Wouldn't need a manual unless it had guides for various settings but this can be figured out easy enough

I've compared three generations of this pedal: (1) as released by Chandler with no wallwart (2) second generation (I assume) with wallwart) and (3) as taken over by tube works with three-prong plug (no wallweart).

I am fond of using Gibson acoustics (J200, Southern Jumbo and a Sheryl Crow Country and Western issue) through a tube pre-amp through a host of effects (chorus, compression, trem, vibe, phsae wah etc) to a tube amp. The distortion is middway through the chain and I've treid all kinds of pedals and configurations with it. (I'm inclined to prefer what David Gilmour is using as in Compression Boss CS-2 and Boss Chorus version 2 and P90 phase etc). I've also just used the Chandlers separate to everything for testing purposes. The tube pre-amp is a presonus pretube unit with a 12ax7. As last in the chain is an aphex sound exciter (adds nice punch but has a very cheap on/off foot switch - BEWARE)

While most of the reviews here have either a love of the preamp tube inside (or prefer to change it for less gain), I've found the only realy difference is in the gain. The 12ax7 vs 12au7 overall tone is not really that different but the gain is quite different altogether as you'd expect. What is different is the generations of the unit themselves in what they offer the tube!

The first generation is in the middle (call it a 7) while the second is quite weak (5 or worse). The Tube Works version is actually best which I found surprising. What can I say? Side by side test confirm the Tube Works has the most versitile sounds. Everything from hard bass to light treb with all in betwen and what I like most is that it doesn't colour my sound unless I want it to. I can drum up the distortion with on change in tone. If I treb up the signal I get some real nice cut through. Really it does everything I want it to.

Even with out the tube amp it sounds great. (The tube amp I'm using is a custom "kit" amp made in Montreal in 1944 that my Dad giged with back then (some 60 years ago!)- just had it rebuilt for guitar at 25 watts out - I imagine it's very close to what an old Gibson sounds like - not too dirty unless you want to blow your ears - the tube drive supplys the dirt).

The 10 rating is for the tube works version of this drive. The Wall wart is lowest for sure at about a 5. The original Chandler would be a 7 or 8 on a good day.

The original Chndler goes back a very long time (to mid 80 I guess - bought used as were they all). This one has original Chandler preamp 12ax7 tube in it and sounds quite fine. I think tells how sturdy it is.

Have no opinion to offer here since the originals can't be serviced by the original manfacturer. It looks like a failry simple set up though if other than the tube were to go.

By the way the electric tele that I have sounds great through it too. If you are like me, though, and interesteed in having an acoustic sound (true sound) that can ramp up all of sudden to distortion for blues, then the unit is quite good. Listen to David Gilmour's unplugged show on DVD from a few years back and you'll hear what I'm after - he ramps it up quite nice on a few of the songs using just his Martin and effect.

I've also tried Ibanez, American Women, Boss, Muffs, et al and nothing offers up the range ('cept maybe the American Women pedal) as the tube driver. No doubt the tube is one of the reasons. Nothing quite beats the tube sound from a tube amp (though I have solid state Fender Princetons as well). When you add the Chandler leading to the signal of the tube amp you really get classic sounds.

I've worked hard at getting the tone I want and for sure I'm satisfied now with the tube drive. i bought the tube works version from a store whereas the others were over e-bay. It was the cheapest, I could try it out and was really surprised how much more punch it has. Though the Chandlers are harder to find in used shops it may be worth the search to try it out before you buy it. I would have saved around 600 bucks if I could have landed on the tube works version first.

Finally, the reviews may mislead somewhat based on subjectivity. I was going on two things: David Gilmour's taste and the reviews. I was avoiding subsequent generations of the unit based on the opinion from these pages. All I can add is that perhaps side by side comparisons were not done by anyone else of the same units. So, don't let the collections aspect deter you from trying a newer generation of the product. I guess up to the present time tube works offers a version of this drive. While normally the older the unit, the better, I can't tell you how pleasantly surprised I am with the third generation version.

I would add that even at a 5 the worst of the units still sounds great compared to the other pedals I've tried. I would take the 5er over the Ibanes DS9 (reissue but colours you) and BOSS and even the muff (harder to dial in the ranges). My only disapointment with the weaker units is the lack of bass punch - it flys off somewhere and you have to do a lot of tweeking at the amps, eq or pre-amps to get some bottom end back. That's why I like the last tube works one so much 'cause all the bass is still there when you switch on.

Sorry for any spelling errors in the above - need a spell check as much as I need another pedal.