Guyatone PD-1 Flip Valve Power Drive

Very easy to use 3 knobs ....but ypu'll need a power supply

Awesome pedal ...i agree with the more detailed descriptions here

wide range of good overdrive sounds ...from crunchy rhythm to fulll on screaming

i have an old 70's BC108 fuzzface which it compares well with ....

also as good as my Boss DS 1 which is one of my favourites

also in terms of looks it's pretty original with a sort of black and blue zebra paint job

very 80's i think!!

it's extremely well made very solid ....

bought it second hand so don't know

very good ....very flexible and exciting pedal to play

even when you've got a good sound ...there' loads more level.. gain ... and tone if you need it

and bags of sustain even at low levels

i would highly recommend this pedal

i was lucky to find one here in the UK ....bought it from a guitarist who had toured in Japan

don't think they were ever released in the uk

if you see one buy it i don't think you'll be dissapointed

Very easy, 3 knobs Drive, Color, Level

Unbelievable! Lots of sounds from this tube pedal. Like previous preview. It's true!It's true!

Metal case. Yes, I would use it without backup.

Emm.. No opinion

What else can I say, a great rare Japanese tube pedal! If you find it, grab it!

Three knobs - Drive, Color (Tone) and Level. Standard Boss-style AC jack. No battery.

This is a great, rare tube pedal! I agree with the previous review: the Power Drive is a mix between an overdrive, a Triangle Big Muff and a Fuzz Face, with a unique character of his own. Endless sustain! It is my main distortion pedal, incredibly versatile!
Five main settings:
- Drive:1, Color:6, Level:8,5: clean boost
- Drive:2, Color:6, Level:7: crunchy overdrive
- Drive:4, Color:6, Level:6,5: overdrive. Better than my Ibanez TS808 (the PD-1 has a tube while the Tubescreamer hasn't, so this is... where the tube really screams! It has a fatter sound than the Ibanez - it doesn't cut your low end as the TS808 does - more sustain and obviously more gain)
- Drive:7, Color:8, Level:5,5: Fuzz Face sound
- Drive:10, Color:4, Level:5: Big Muff sound with zero noise! But it won't replace my Triangle Big Muff, because the combination Muff+crunchy Power Drive (after the Muff) ROCKS, just like the different flavour combination muffy Power Drive+crunchy TS808.
I know you can replace the tube with a different type to get a different overall sound, but I still haven't done it because its tone is so good I don't know how it could be improved!

Sturdy metal case, think this pedal will last forever. I am playing with it since 3 years and have had no problems at all.

I would give a 1 to Guyatone because they released this pedal only in Japan, so it is very rare, but I give a 10 because it is fantastic.

I don't even wanna think about my PD-1 being stolen, because I don't think I will ever find another one. I paid quite a lot of money for it, but it is worth the price. It is essential to my rig. I play everyting that can be labeled "rock", from Pink Floyd to Metal, and this pedal fits all my needs. I placed it on my pedalboard between the Triangle Big Muff and the Tubescreamer, so I have a wide range of combinations under my feet. However, if I were to choose one of the three, I would definitely choose the Power Drive, because of its versatility.

The good thing with this pedal is that you can't really get a bad sound out of it - for me, that makes it very easy to use!

I'd say this was more of a fuzz pedal than a distortion - certainly at lower gain levels you do get a nice, tubey overdrive sound - but above 12 0'clock it gets all warm and fuzzy, and actually not miles away from a good, germanium fuzz face. Like a good Ge fuzz, backing off your guitar vol really cleans it up.
Not really heavy enough for metal but, as stated below, great for those big, fuzzy, Dave Gilmour Big Muff type tones.
I tried a couple of different 12AX7s in it and there was no obvious change in sound - maybe going to a different type of tube altogether (eg. 12AU7) would make more of a difference.
Very little noise, and great transparency.

Seems pretty tough, but can't really comment as only had it a few months so far.

Quite a unique pedal - as I said, kind of a cross between an OD and a Fuzzface and a triangle Big Muff. You don't see these very often (I got this one off eBay and haven't seen one since) but they're not that expensive so you could grab a bargain as no-one really knows about them.
Overall I'm very pleased with - I'll be getting rid of 2 of my 3 fuzzes and possibly even my original 80s RAT to make space for this, and that's some commendation!

As with most OD/dist boxes, this features the usual drive, tone (actually labelled 'color') and level knobs. Other than that there is simply the LED, in and out jacks and 9V DC jack (standard Boss style).
As it features a 12AX7/ECC83 pre-amp valve it will not run on batteries, and changing the tube itself is a very easy affair.
Getting a good sound requires pretty much no effort as this is a great pedal.

I'm not surprised that I'm the first to review this - I'd never seen one before, and only once seen one come up on eBay since I got it.
I took a chance with this pedal; it could have been rubbish, but thankfully I'm totally impressed with it.
Of all the dirtboxes I've used previously, the one the Power Drive sounds closest to is my original MK1 Marshall Guv'nor, but the Powerdrive is so much more transparent, and has an extra 'fatness' that no amount of tweaking the Guv'nor's EQ controls can match.
I'd say it gives you a very transparent, light OD up to about 9 o'clock on the drive control, after which it starts to fuzz up a little and takes on heavier Marshall type tones. The color knob is usable throughout its entire range (unlike most dirtboxes) and there is enough overall volume on tap to kick the backside of any well meaning amp.
What impresses me most is that, even at the highest drive levels, you can still really hear your guitar coming through which, in my opinion, makes it ideal for getting those huge Dave Gilmour tones, and using alongside another OD pedal (it works especially well with a tubescreamer type pedal).
I haven't yet tried using different tubes but, if it is like most other tube driven OD devices, doing so should make a fair bit of difference, and hopefully make for even better tones.
Finally, in true Japanese fashion, it is not at all noisy.

Very rugged, no worries here

This pedal was, I believe, only ever sold in Japan, and went out of production years ago, but Guyatone's distributor, Godlyke, are helpful and answer e-mails quickly and helpfully.

It's not really a do-it-all OD/distortion device, and its sound is definitely in the Marshall/Soldano camp, but it compliments my existing set-up (Strat -> lots of analog pedals -> Fender Twin or Deluxe) perfectly, its transparency meaning that, even at high gain, my sound never turns to mush and those lovely position 2 and 4 tones on my Strat come through clearly.
I recently had it modded to true bypass and the guy who did it, who runs a busy studio, said he couldn't believe how good it sounded and offered to take it off me. The fact that no-one else I know of has even heard of this pedal makes me want to keep it even more. If you come across one definitely give it a chance as you, too, might be surprisingly impressed!