Marshall Guv'nor

Pretty basic stuff... Stacked pots can be space efficient but can be a little difficult to adjust on the fly. I tend to adjust mids more than anything else, too bad mids are stacked with treble.

I tried the pedal out at a Guitar Center and was impressed enough to make the "curiosity" purchase. One of the problems with demo'ing products in "noisy" Guitar Centers is you really don't know what your getting until you get the product in your own environment. First off... I noticed that the box doesn't really sound like a Marshall JCM900 when played on a Fender HRD or any of my Fender tube amps. It's an "OK" sounding pedal, nothing great, and reminds me a lot of MXR Distortion+ type of voicing. When I tried a test recording in my home studio, I found the overall tone to be lacking. It lacked fidelity and reminded me a little of a PodXT (somewhat processed and a little sterile). I compared it with my Visual Sound JekyII & Hyde and J&H was lively, crisp, and hifi, meanwhile the GV-2 lacked in all these areas. There is also a noticeable lack of high-end which really eliminates the true guitar tones from coming through and made this box unusable for both recording and live in my rig. Be leery of those rating this pedal a "10" for Sound Quality.

Won't know... sending it back. However, it does look like it would be a very reliable pedal.

Won't know...

I play a variety of music but mostly Christian rock in more recent years. I been a active player since the 70's both professionally and studio work. I've been through an embarrassing about of equipment over the years and like many, have not seen anything too exciting coming from newer technologies (i.e. some of today's modelers and pedal gear). I'm always seeking and willing to try new gear when it looks interesting. Intrigued by the reviews, I thought I'd give the GV-2 a try. Like I mentioned above, it's an "OK" pedal but nothing great. Passing on this one... but it was worth a try.

I bought this used with out the original box and no manual to read but this pedal is very easy to use. gain, low mid and high knobs, and a level knob. thats it just find the right settings for your style, guitar and amp.

This pedal gives me that older classic rock sound ( CCR, Cream, and neil young ect...). I run this pedal in conjunction with a keeley modded tubescreamer, a guyatone compressor, and a boss ge-7. i run through a peavey classic blues 50 watt amp with a single 15 speaker and a peavey 115E cab. For guitars i use a dearmond m77-t and dearmond starfire custom, an american fender cal. series fat tele, and a fender 57' reissue strat MIJ w/ tex specials.

I have had it for 5 years and never had one problem with it. i gig about two weekends a month.

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I play original meterial which is a combination of classic rock, country, and blues. This pedal i the best for what i do. if lost or stolen i would replace right away. my sound would suffer with out this pedal so let me hope this never happens.

Good ole classic rock / hard rock tones.

If you like that classic Marshall midrangy tone (which is very different from the classic tubescreamer midrangy tone) then this or the new Guv'nor 2 might be for you.

I (and you) can approximate Gary Moore like tones with a shitload of different setups (guitars, pedals amps). However with this pedal this becomes a lot easier and closer.

Try this inexpensive pedal for that peculiar sound and remember none does it all.

I just wanted to add a couple thoughts :

- This pedal gives the classic rock/hard rock from the 70's & early 80's when plugged in an already mildly distorted amp.

- It's an overdrive !!! so it doesn't really have a color of its own unlike a distortion pedal. Don't expect it to turn the clean channel of your amp into a full tilted marshall whith all knobs on 10. It needs to work with your amp.

- I had a bunch of "incredible" pedals too like the aforementionned Zoom HL01, Boss metal zone etc ... While those pedals sounds exciting indeed at neighbour/mama/roommate friendly volumes, they sound like ass at gig volumes.
The guv'nor is as good (if not better) at high volumes. That makes one world of a difference ... to me at least ...

Plug it in, turn it on, turn the dials and find any number of distortion sounds from mild boost to trashy metal.

Currently using a Fender Telecaster into a 2 x 12 Marshall JCM900 combo. I use the Guv'nor as a boost for solos.

In the past I used it as a full time distortion pedal on a Laney Trany amp. It will never produce the sound of a Marshall Valve amp, but is about as close as you can get.

Been using it on and off for nearly 17 years, it's never let me down. Switch is still fine and the rotary knobs are crackle free. Can't get any better than that!

Never had to use them.

I've been playing for 22 years and never played with a better boost pedal than this. If it were lost or stolen, I would do my best to find a replacement.

THIS IS THE BLACK ORIGINAL GUV'NOR
Very easy.........level, EQ's, etc.......

The sound of this pedal is a nice crunchy Marshall Over drive sound. It is different than the tube screamers. I always come back to this pedal no matter what I might try. I do not turn the gain up that much. Just a little bite, turn the level up and it sounds awesome with my 1968 vibrolux reverb!!! Of course tone is an individual preference depending on your style but you can not beat this pedal!!

Well it is not the best. It is a metal housed tank with fragile plastic parts. I have replaced the switch, and the input jack. Since it is an odd part I moved the loop jack into the input jack!!!

Never tried!

I play rock, blues, country, jazz, and some heavy stuff. This can do it all. Just adjust the gain!!! I play mostly a Strat and PRS into a 1968 Vibrolux Reverb. OK I have owned just about every OD pedal. I have modded SD1, modded BD2, TS9, have owned boutique pedals and I ALWAYS come back to this pedal. My set up now is Fender tuner-Boss Wah(sometimes)-Guv'nor-Akai Headrush!!!! A overall 9 for the breaking parts!!!!

Gain, 3-band-eq, output level, easy.

It's vintage.
It can scream, but I use it mostly with the gain half open and a litlle boost on the bass. It's on an auxilary, I run drumcomputers and synths through it. I use it like I'd use peper.

Never had any problems with it.

About eight years ago I was in a band (playing the bass guitar) and we'd rehears in my garage. My friend and our beginner guitarist had borrowed this pedal from his uncle, and he left it there after the band split up. So I started using it in my set. He's ok with it, I never spook to the uncle.
It's been on the shelf from time to time, but especially the past 3 years, it's constantly been in my set-up. I like it a lot.
Roland tr707 with this overdrive: ... ACID!
I'd never sell it (I'd give it back though). I don't want to think about it being stolen or lost.

Watched this one in a small music store for 2 years before the guy marked it down to $75. It takes a good 10-15 minutes of tweaking thru my stage setup to find the sound I want. 5 knobs - Volume, Bass, Mid, Treble, Gain. Rotary knobs. Too easy. I had the box and instructions years ago, but...

Using a 2003 Standard American Tele (Natural Finish, Maple Neck) with NO MODS. Don't believe in 'em. Run this thru a 1980's "Acoustic" brand "brown cube" 50 watt amp. One 12' Force 12 speaker. Amp has an "Ext. Speaker" jack, so I also use a 1966 Fender Dual Showman cabinet with 2 - 15" original JBL's. Unbelieveable sound. The only other pedal I use in conjuction with this one is a Boss DM-2 Analog Delay. Beefs up an already incredibly thick sound to the point that the keyboard player doesn't matter during the solos. A slight 60 cycle "buzz" if I turn the treble past 10 o'clock (So I don't. Probably the single coil pickups.)

Bought this in the early 90's ('91 or '92) and used it from then until 1999. Went back to playing keyboards until 01/2005, when another band called for lead work. In the interim, the footswitch died, and the knobs are "scratchy", I'll have to clean them soon. Also, the case is starting to rust (probably 1990's beer) so I need to give it a tuneup. Never failed me yet. I DO gig without a backup. Never really worried about it dying in the middle of a gig. So, a "9" in reliability.

In early 2005, I contacted Marshall's website to see about a replacement footswitch. I was willing to pay for the switch. I got a polite email back saying they don't support this sort of thing, and I should look elsewhere for a switch. I did, and found one for $6. As I said before, I soldered it in myself. 5 minutes. Done.
So, a big "Zero" for Customer Support.

I've played rock and blues for 37 years (bars, weddings) like everyone else. Even big band and Jazz (on keys & bass). But for guitar, I'd say it's a very good match for rock & roll! If it were stolen or lost, I would definitely look for another. It's just a great pedal! It's incredibly easy to use, but I wish the knobs were ON THE TOP of the box, not FACING OUTWARDS BETWEEN THE INPUT/OUTPUT JACKS!!! I wanted the "Marshall Sound" without the expense of the "Marshall Amp", so this is the next best thing. With outrageous amp/cabinet combinations, it goes beyond what I feel it was originally designed for.

5 knobs - gain, level, 3-band eq. It's simple to find your sound, if only you know, what you want to get. You've just got to spend some time on matching pedal settings with your amp knobs configuration.

My setup is simple, really close to classic rock setup: Ibanez SZ 520 QM (with Invader B and SH-1N), very Gibson-like axe; Laney AOR Pro TUBE 50 Combo (all tube), pure british stuff.

Guv'nor is rather overdrive pedal than distortion unit. With the gain knob you can achieve sounds from light crunches, through thick overdrive, to sharp and noisy distortion-like sound. However, I turn gain knob up to 12 o'clock, because when more cranked, is too noisy and 'too solid' to me.
Guv'nor sounds delicious when it boosts crunch channel on amp. I usually set the pedal: gain - noon, bass - max, mids - 10 o'clock, treble and level - 1 o'clock. With the guv'nor turned off i can footswitch my amp between crunch and clean, and when I turn it on, I get very thick, Marshall sound, and (what is essential to me) VERY NATURAL OVERDRIVE. When used with neck pickup (especially with LP-like guitars), and levelled up a bit, you can solo like Gary Moore for a while. I have also posessed Ibanez TS9 for some time, and I must admit, that Guv'nor sounds really similar to TS, but can be used in much heavier stuff (not only as solo booster, but also as overdrive on clean amp channel). I've also used GV-2 Plus, but to me it sounds too sharp and 'vulgar'.
When you use Guv'nor with more gain, it sounds good when soloing, much weaker when riff playing.

There's something more about this, Guv'nor has its own effects loop, so if you want to play solo with overdrive and for example flanger, and delay simultaneously, just put delay and flanger into marshall's loop, turn them on, and with guv'nor switch, you can turn'em all on or off with one stomp.

Just like all old Marshall pedals - built like a tank. It seems to be unbreakable.

It's a vintage, second-hand stuff, so...

I really recommend this unit to these guitar players, who like classic rock sound, who want to make their weak tube amp sound like Marshall JCM. It isn't pedal for metal-massacre-maniacs, and nu-metal players.

Not too easy to find a suiting sound, but trying a little is worthy.
The 3-band-eq offers a lot of versatiliy, but it is not too easy to find the suiting settings of the eq in combination with drive and volume.
I rate it 7.

If you are looking for a marshall tube like crunch ir distortion, the Gov'Nor is the right stomp box.
It has some very good marshall-like crunch sounds (gain 3 to 5).
Very cool! There are very few distortion stomp boxes that offer this special tone!
At higher gain (lets say gain 4 to 6) the Gov'Nor still sounds good, but not as pleasant as in crunch sound.
I did not like tthe very gain sounds. In my ears it sounds too transistor-like if gain is more than 6 or 7.

The crunch sounds you can get are a full 10 without any doubt!
The distortion sound at medium drive level are 8.
What makes a 9.

I use the Gov'Nor in combination with humbucker guitars anda Engls Straight all tube combo.
I like most the combination of Gov'Nor at crunch level.
It turns the clean channel of the Engl into a crunchy marshall, and if the Engls distortion chanell has a gain of about 5, it addsan crunch sound the Engl doesn't have. If i combine the Gov'Nors crunch with the Engls tube distortion, i get a really good high gain marshal-like sound.

The bad side of the Gov'or.
After 10 yearsthe controlsare very noisy.
What is even worth,they do not work anymore in each position.
E.g. if i put volume to 5, the Gov'Nor is dead (as if volume was zero).
The same with treble control.
The Gov'Nor was one of the more expensive stomp boxes at this time. For that price i'd expect controls/potis of a higher quality.

Dont know

If everything still worked well, the Gov'Nor would deserve a 9, for its versatility, for the very good crunch sounds and decent medium distortion sounds.
The lousy reliability/durability deserves does not allow a good rating.
All in all i give it a 4.
The Gov'Nor (the old, black one, not the new silver Gov'Nor2) isn't sold anymore.
If you want to buy it second hand, DO test the controls carefully before buying it!

THIS IS A REVIEW FOR THE ORIGINAL BLACK GUV'NOR. Drive,level, mid, bass, treble, if you don't know what those are you shouldn't be on this sight!

A 1995 40th anniversary strat with powered EMGs, Gibson Les paul DC with Phat Cat p-90's, a PRS custom 24, and a Japanese strat with Rio Grandes, into a 1968 Fender Vibrolux. I do not understand anyone who thinks this is bad. The overdrive is fantastic. I guess if you want shred metal look for something else but with the drive on about 11 and the level at 12 and EQ depending on which guitar I use this thing sings!!!! Warren Haynes sound!!!! For heavier Ozzy stuff or ACDC I turn the drive to about one O'clock!!! In my opinion one of the best OD/distortions I have used, and I have used them all!!! I always come back to this one!!!!!

Over the years I had to change the switch. One of the jacks in the back broke. I just swapped it with one of the loop jacks......works fine. I always carry a modded BD2 or a modded SD1 with me for back up.

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I play in a band that covers everything from Garth Brooks and Pure Prairie League to Ozzy, Zepplin, ACDC, Foo Fighters. Name a style and we probably do it. Been playing for 32 years and have tried EVERYTHING!!!!!!!!!!!! PUE5 Tube, BD2, SD1, TS9, Boutique pedals, etc......... I always come back to this black box!!!!!!! I have a Prescription Electronics Germ pedal > Guv'nor(ORIGINAL) > Chorus(Boss-or Guyatone) > Akai Delay. I have the same Guitar sickness everyone else does and this pedal is great. I do not know anything about the new one but the original Guv'nor is well worth the investment!!!!!!!