Marshall Guv'nor

My model is an early 90s model; black slanted box with red stripes. Looks dated now!!
Op amp design with LED symm clipping.
Very easy to use - standard in/out jacks and bypass switch. Vol, Gain, Bass, Mid, Treble controls.
Pedal also has a "loop" stereo jack so you can run other pedals into the Guv'nor and switch then on/ff globally via the Guv'nors bypass. Sounds great but I've never used that particular function!!

I bought this pedal over 10 years ago when I was just startin out playing electric guitar. I used to use it to beef up a crappy Zoom FX unit, and it did a very commendable job (IIRC!!). I put the Guv'nor in the cupbard when I bought my Laney 50w combo, as the Laney provided my main distortion.
I've dusted the Guvnor off recently - plugged it in a was really..... dissappointed. It sounded flat and fizzy compared to any other pedal I've used. No matter how I set the Gain and EQ, it kept the same weedy, thin base sound. I couldnt get a pleasing sound from it. Instead of adding to natural tone of my amp, it robbed it of all warmth and made it sound like a cheap tranny amp.
Not sure what else to say. My amp loves pedals; I've got several OD units including many "standards"; Boss SD1, 0D3, DS1, TS clones, MXR Dist+, Big Muff, Rat etc. The Guv'nor is the worst of the bunch.
I dont think is malfunctioning, but I am gonna open it up and take a peep to make sure.
I will add here that I have never owned a Marshall amp, and therefore if Marshall are trying to model a classic Marshall sound I aint gettin it !!

The sound is poor but the unit has been dependable. I gigged with it though my early teen and it worked fine then and still does now. Never used a backup.
It still works after being put away for a number of years. Pots were ceased but nothing a drop of lube won't fix.
I was always vary about the cheap jack sockets - but they have last the test of time so far.

Nothing to report - never had to deal with Marshall.

The Guv'nor is heralded as a classic... but I don't think it delivers. Lots of people still own the original "blackies", but I wonder how many of them (like me) have woekn up to realise that this pedal is ok at best.
I wonder whether the newer gold guvnors are better? May be worth a shot considering the price.
I reakcon I'll check the circuit, and if it's working I may mod it to breathe some life into it, or build a new pcb based upon a bluesbreaker for a change.
If all elase fails it'll end up on ebay.

This is a very easy product to use as are most pedals, the only negative comment I can make is that the two double knobs (for bass/deep and middle/treble) were slightly hard to tell the difference between what controls what but I overcame that after a couple of days by quickly looking in the manual. One thing I like is it is very easy to change batteries on the pedal, because you can use a pick of coin to open and close the compartment, instead of having to go and look for the right screwdriver.

I play a Les Paul into this and it sounds excellent with the treble up and the bass and deep pulled right back I compare this setting mostly to an early Eric Clapton in the Bluesbreakers and in Cream. But with the EQ controls you can archive the likes of AC DC and a lot of classic rock. You can push it to the max and you'll get something similar to the early metal bands of the 80s like Metallica, Ozzy Osbourne and Iron Maiden. I mainly play blues and I've played strats and teles through it and it has the power and thickness that every fender player wishes for. My only bad point here is only that it is at times too thick for humbuckers.

This is a robust metal solid unit I wouldn't expect it to break, but I did get a lead stuck in it that was a bit of a scare but it wasn't this unit's fault it was my fault as the lead was broken and snapped off into the pedal.

I play blues and occasionally rock and Hard Rock and this is the perfect pedal for me. It has the right amount of gain, but if your a metal freak I wouldn't buy it there is not enough gain for that stuff. It's basically three pedals in one an EQ, overdrive and boosting unit. Been playing for 4 years, and if it broke I would get another one asap. I love the EQ control as it is unique and you can control if you wanna drive the treble mids or bass. I compared it the the bluesbreaker pedal, Boss SD and a danelectro pedal and chose it because of the eq setting and the high amount of gain compared to the SD and BB but the BB is a better boost pedal. The Danelectro is nowhere as good. I couldn't wish for anymore.

The Guv??nor is a 5 knob Overdrive/Distortion Pedal. With the EQ you have a lot of possivilities, but it`s also a spoilt for choice. I wish this pedal had more lowend. The Loop is a good idea but you need a special cable.

I use the pedal with a Les Paul or a Strat into a Hiwatt or a Marshall and it always sound great. I use it for a light crunch. It gives a very natural overdrive.

Never a problem.

Perfect for light overdrive. I just with it had a little more bottom.

Very easy to get get a good sound out of this unit. gain, bass, middle, treble, and level knobs.

It is exactly like an old Marshall 50 watt plexi cranked! You get note separation even at higher gain volumes, and at lower gain volumes you can pick through clean and get your dirty when you dig in. it's seriously a little amp in a box, and although it sounds best through a tube amp, it still has fabulous tone through a solid-state. plenty of headroom for anyone.

i play a epiphone sheraton II, and a gibson les paul standard through
ernie ball EV-pro volume pedal, boss TU-2 tuner, electro-harmonix LPB-1 linear power booster, ibanez tube screamer, marshall guv'nor, seymour duncan shape shifter tremolo, boss CE-2 chorus (japanese made silver pin series), boss DD-5 digital delay, and a line 6 echo park delay. and all of this goes through either a 72' fender pro reverb or a twin.
the LPB and the tube screamer give me plenty of grit, but the guv'nor is what i go to for leads, its perfect!

i got it off ebay from a gentleman in europe who had not taken it out of the box. it was still in it original packaging, so i dont expect it to crap out on me any time soon.

i've never dealt with marshall, but this pedal isn't made any more so i dont expect to.

i play mostly classic rock and blues, but i am doing indie stuff now and it works great with almost anything. if i lost it or it was stolen i would hunt down another one of these little treasures.
it's a lot like a pro-co rat in the sense that it can get down right nasty, but the rat will never sound as good. when i play try to be as tasteful as possible with leads and hooks, hence all the other drive pedals, but when i do use it i never really want to stop.

With most pedals you get a Gain, a Level, and a Tone control. The tone control usually just changes from dark to bright. With the Guv'nor you have a 3 band EQ, which actually makes this pedal extremely versatile and usefull. It is easy to get a wide variety of sounds from this pedal.

I built a clone of the original Guv'nor from scratch and added a few slight differences.

One difference was in my use of a 100pF Gain capacitor instead of 120pF. I could only find a 100pF. This should mean my pedal build is slightly brighter, and possibly more "fizzy" than a standard Marshall unit.

Second, I added a switch to go from the standard LED clipping diodes to 1N914 diodes and back. The 1N914 are less gainy, but I tend to prefer the switch on the normal LEDs like Marshall uses.

As far as sound, the Gain control seems to be very sensitive on the last third of it's sweep. Between that small area a lot of different shades can be dialed in though - from warm overdrive, to insane heavy metal crunch. The EQ can change the entire character of the pedal. You can go from a thick, throaty, growl with the Mids turned up, to a scooped Pantera metal sound (Treble and Bass maxed and Mid turned all the way down).

There was little noise until really cranked up, which is normal for distortion pedals. It amplifies single coil hum as well, which is also normal. I plugged this pedal into a few of the tube amps I've built and used my Les Paul Junior and my '57 reissue Les Paul Custom. They sounded great in a Fender tweed Deluxe (5E3) clone I built!

To really appreciate this pedal, you have to play with the tons of combinations the Level/Volume, Gain, Treble, Mid, and Bass can give you. The controls interact with each other to give you a lot of sound options.

I built this myself with parts from a local electronics shop and RadioShack. I got a schematic and went from there with my soldering iron. I couldn't tell you how the Marshall pedal's reliability is.

Homemade clone, so I have no opinion on Marshall's support. Their amps have never died on me, so that says something.

This pedal can cover a lot of ground. I build my own tube amps and have about 12 now. I wouldn't need it with my Marshall-ish builds, but this pedal is great for bringing to jams where you're not sure what you'll be playing. I've also built a Mosfet clean boost, a Rangemaster clone (a warmer Germanium boost that kicks the treble up a bit), and a TS808 Tubescreamer clone. I like the TS808 for more subtle Blues-Rock or Classic rock stuff, but the Guv'nor can do that decently, as well as many other styles. It is the most versatile distortion pedal I've used or own.

I generally plug my guitar straight into the amp and dislike using a lot of effects, but this pedal is usefull for all kinds of music projects - live or recording.

The only perfect 10 as far as pedals go for me.

Not much to say in this category. I mean, it's pretty hard to screw up with a distortion pedal. Insert a battery or adapter, connect it to your rig and flick the amp from standby to on.

The only thing that one may bat an eye at is, due to the limited space, the deep and mid controls are positioned behind the bass and treble controls (sounds wierd, but difficult to explain). Otherwise, as simple as it gets.

Let me start out by listing off my favorite artists / influences

Obviously, I have to start with the Beatles, everybody does.

I take alot from Jimmy Page; he's slightly slower-handed than most, but he can make one note mean more than 10 coming from anyone else.

Hendrix. Nuff said.

I'm actually one of the few who willing say this, but the White Stripes? Killer band. Jack White is my personal guitar hero.

So I guess it's obvious that I'm into edgier, dirtier blues-rock.

My rig is as follows:
Crate V18-212 (all tube, superb sounding amplifier) --> Digitech Whammy IV (only buy this if you absolutely need it, most of the time you most likely won't) --> Dunlop Jimi Hendrix Wahwah (a really fierce wah pedal) --> The Gov'Nor --> Epiphone Les Paul Classic with a few minor upgrades.

Without the Gov'Nor, my rig is pretty mellow sounding, perfect for a brit-blues tone, but, simply put, this pedal lets me hammer out anything - some pretty heavy stuff to some pretty crunchy, classic stuff. After getting this pedal, I can say that I finally have "that sound" (guitarists of the world, you know what I mean).

Just fiddle around with the eq on the amp and the box itself to avoid a colder, nu-metal-esque tone (I shiver at the very thought).

The Gov'Nor is, to say the least, solid. I've had it thrown around on tour, and nothing's come of it but a couple of paint scratches.

I've actually had to replace the stupid little nut that lies between the mechanism and the box itself, but that costs what, a hefty 25 cents to buy the part?

I would use this without a back up any day.

Can't say with this product. Marshall is usually really good for amps, but I haven't experienced it first-hand to know.

Havent needed to ;)

This pedal is amazing. I got it as a gift, but sometimes I wished that I could have bought it instead of the whammy and had an extra 100 or so dollars in my pocket haha.

The guy in the store won't try to sell you this pedal. He usually brings out some boss or digitech toy that doesn't even come near to the sound produced by this thing.

I think that's all I have to say.

Cheers.

Easy to use, 5 controls - Gain- Bass- Mid -Treb - Vol
Input, Output, Loop, 9v battery or power supply input.

Well Im impressed; I use this for boosting and for a light overdrive.
Stands up very well to these duties, better than a Maxon 808, to my surprise.

The EQ controls can make quite a difference with some tweaking.
Great for Blues, Jazz, Rock , Metal

Well I purchased mine second hand and it looks very sturdy. Its practically armoured thick steel case.
And its classic old Marshall.

Marshall has great customer support had a few amps serviced with them. Top notch.

Gonna give this top marks for a pedal that has seen alot of use it is still going strong and looks immaculate inside.

Has the classic controlls gain and level, and additional a 3-band-EQ.
The EQ is not too easy to set to the settings i like, therefor only 8 of 10. Treble control doesn't controll the highs but the upper mids, imho.

The Gov'Nor can be used in front of a clean amp. I do not likethe higher gain settings, but with gain at 10 o'clock or below it gives you a very superb marshallish crunch sound. This sound fit well for rock. The sound is typicall of older Marshalls: middy, grainy and rough. With the EQ you can give your sound (more than) enough bass and upper mids.
The Gov'Nor sounds good in front of a clean amp, but it does sound great in front of an overdriven tube amp withnot too much tube distortion. The Gov'Nor (again with not too much gain) vaccinates the tube amp sound with the typical Marshall dirt, it gives the sound of your tube amp the Marshall bite, the driving mids and a tad more gain.
And this sounds absolutely great for harder blues and (classic hard-)rock. Fine AC/DC-sounds are possible.
The sound has balls, definitely!
For the sound in front of clean amp i'd rate the Gov'Nor 8, for the sound in front of a slightly overdriven tube amp the Gov'Nor deserves 11 points, so i rate 10 all in all.
I have tried diverse overdrive/distortion pedals, but the Gov'Nor is the only one that gives my tube amp the extra kick it needs.

It isn' made anymore, and older Gov'Nors sometimes show problems: input jack gets lose, controls start to scratch. Therefor only 7.

don't know

The EQ isn't tha easy to set right, and the reliability could be better, but the sound is so good (if you like older tube Marshalls and their dirt 'n bite) that i have to rate it 9 all in all.
If you find one in good condition, beg borrow or steal ;-)

Is it easy to get a good sound out of it??? Hell yes!!!
It is just great! plenty of room for choosing your wanted sound, very easy to use, very, very friendly!

I own a Epiphone Valve Junior (with a few minor mods - Mallory 150s caps, lo and hi switch...) and i run it with a American Stratocaster (upgraded pups to Texas Special), and when i plug in the Guv'nor i just can't stop playing!!!
It is excellent, makes any tone u need! i was really happy with that Sultans of Swing sound with just a bit of gain, and a fat bluesy sound with gain at 12 'o clock(Sunshine of Your Love - for example), but then...
trying to get that Gary Moore (example - Empty Rooms) sound!!!
IT BLEW MY MIND!!! So good that i still can't believe!
Makes my relatively low power single coils sound like proper humbuckers! Really really good tone
All from light bluesy tones to Steve Vai and Satriani.

If you can connect it to a radio, it will make it sound like a JCM800 :)

Looks really well made, looks nice! I opened it, looks like nothing can go wrong :)

never had need to and i guess it will stay like that!
just visit their site...

I've been playing for just under a year, and as mentioned above own a Strat with Texas Special, played thru Valve Junior Combo. I play classic rock, blues mostly, and that is the best pedal for those kind of sounds!
Don't be fooled and buy BluesbreakerII, this is way better than that - for the same money.

Mine is the Guv 2.
Very good EQ section, alot of gain and level. Very easy to get a good tone from the pedal. Easy to use.

I use a number of guitars but mainly live a use Jap tele's with a seymour duncan buckers at the neck (very cool). Amp wise i use a fender vibroloux with my pedals being Boss tuner, crybaby, TS9, Aramat Green machine, Soul Fuzz, Guv 2 and Boss DD3 Delay.

I used to be anti OD pedals prefering the tone out of the amp. But i got fed up with changing rig when i wanted a new sound so i brought a vibrolux and use a few pedals to get different sounds.
I tried a JCM 800 and thought it sounded great but did'nt want to change my vibrolux and carry a cab around for gigs. I tried the Guv and this is a jcm 800 in a box!!!

Great marshall stack sounds, loads and loads of bottom end and it feeds back in a great way as well. Big, meaty sounds, really clear notes never mucky. Really great cost.

Good so far. Marshall are buit very well although this is made in the far east. Time will see. Although at under ??45 would not cost too much to replace.

The switch is a little fragile. Not as bad as an old BB1 pedal i had though.

Have dealt with in the past and very good.

I play rock and this pedal is perfect for that. Not suited to metal really. I wanted the Slash from G'n R sounded. Big, smooth and ballsy.
I'm pleased to say this pedal is it.

It's a great match with Fender non master tube amps. Very clear sounding and does that classic 80's Marshall tone. As i stated before i wanted a marshall sound with the added size of a rig. Now i have a jcm 800 at my feet!! Excellent.

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.

N/A

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.

N/A

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!!!!!!!

It's a distortion stompbox. Easy to use.

What the heck are all these people talking about? Fuzzy? Bland? Thin? Are you folks playing through the same pedal???

Mine was bought circa 1995-1996.

This is one of THE rock pedals of all time for me.

My set-up with the Guv is: SG into Guv'nor into clean Laney. The Guv'nor is set as follows: Bass @ 3 o'clock, Mids @ 9-10 o'clock, Treble @ 7-8 o'clock and Gain at about 8-9 o'clock.

CLASSIC 70s Marshall and humbucker bark! AC/DC, Montrose, Thin Lizzy, 70s era Alice Cooper, Zeppelin, Purple,... The list goes on. They're all in here.

I will agree that it doesn't seem to like single coil guitars. So if you plug your Strat/Tele in here, my guess is you won't like it.

It's all metal. It's lasted me 10 years. Sounds like new. Knobs don't crackle or nothing. Killer. This will still be kicking ass in my future grandson's rig when I'll have gone the way of the dodo.

I'll give it a 9/10 because it DOES prefer humbuckers, but hey... I got a FullDrive 2 for my Strat.

With the gain at about 8 o'clock I've even used this as a clean boost. Works fine, although there are probably better options for this purpose.

Gain halfway up till all the way up is rock territory. Even some old-school heavy metal (Maiden, Priest) is possible.

To me this is THE classic rock pedal to use with LP/SG type guitars.

Angus would be proud. Let there be rock! Let there be Guv'nor!

Super easy to use. And while we are at it: this pedal needs to be used in front of a TUBEAMP ! ;-)

Features are a 3 band eq, level and gain pots. The bypass is a bypass - not sure if "real" true, but opposite to a SD-1 it doesn`t color the sound when not in use. Also there`s one (stereo) jack which can be used as a loop (lets say when you just need your delay pedal when soloing thru the Guv'nor). Nice feature - tried it, but since my delays are in the loop I don`t use it.
Also a 9V DC jack of course . . .

Excellent - of course at higher gain settings there`s hiss - but which pedal doesn`t add hiss when it adds gain?

What I like the most about it is its mid character and that its possible to add a lot (but not too much) bottom end when soloing.

I`m using it mostly with a 1970 SuperBass for solos (thru a Marshall 1960A or a Diezel 2x12") or with my Diezel Einstein Proto Head. Axes are a 1976 LPC or a Schecter C1 BJ.

I set it with the Sb like this:
level - full
bass - noon
mids - 75%
treble - 30%
gain - noon

This way with a Lester Gary plays thru your Marshall ;-)

Compared to the (tube-amp "driver") 'standard' Boss SD-1 it does the same 80s attack thing, just a bit better, because
- no coloration when in bypass mode
- better eq-control possible
- more bottom end when "on" - if thats what you are looking for
- more reliable due to its built-style

Built like a tank. This pedal is full metal - so what could ever happen to it?

No idea

I`m playing hard rock a la Moore, Sykes, Lizzy and so on. Since 25+ years now thru Marshalls and Diezels with Les Pauls (or LP-ish guitars).
If it would brake or whatever it would be definitely replaced. My all time favourite when it comes to OD-pedals.

I am using this original Guvnor MK1 pedal with a Peavey Duel 2x12 6L6 valve amp straight into the clean channel. Couldnt be simpler to operate.

I was so excited about this pedal. I was expecting the ultimate Marshall in a box since guys like Gary Moore used it. Well in reality I found this is just a booster pedal. The distortion is bland and transistory with not that much gain available. Little character in the pedal. I guess the blandness lets a crunched up tube amp do its business with minimum colouration?

I wanted a beefy Marshall tone from the clean channel of my amp and this is not the pedal for it.

The Zoom Hyperlead knocks it for six in super high gain Marshall department. And the Marshall DriveMaster Mk1 has so much character like a real Plexi for blues and character rock tones (like early Van Halen), a touch more gain too.

Unless people are using this as a characterless booster I cant understand all the hype?

I got this unit used,no manual-but its an overdrive ... gain,bass,mids,treble and level.

sound quality is very good, early marshall jmp1-jcm800 tones came out fairly easy. nice clean up when rolling back vol. on guitar. I was a little dissappointed at first that it never got real hot, but thats not its purpose,and I have other things to get that. This unit is,however absolutely great for turning your fender tube amp into a marshall! My rig? 57 r.i. strat or epi sheraton w/ gibson PAFs> mr crybaby vol/wha>boss line selector>guvnor>dano daddy-o>mxr phase 90 (r28 mod)>dan-echo. #2 from line sel. goes either straight into vib/rev chann. of either 66 BF pro reverb,or A plush p1000s or to rp100 1st. #3 goes to tu-12 tuner. this rig really gets it for me.zep,VH,Black crows,JIMI,p-funk,cream,j.brown!

as they say like a brick

havent dealt w/ them

I play mostly bluesy rock, classic rock(early) funk,classic R&B,but really improvisational.NOT trying to sound like the record so much, but definite vintage tones,techniques. dont be looking for a modern sound (hi gain) w/ this. in those days,people w/ marshalls still used fuzzes,amp boosters,and distortion boxes in combination to get there sound. (R.Rhodes- dist+,Jimi- Fuzzface)This will give you either the stock marshall tone,or on lower sett. drive ur tube amp.Three band tone is crucial!! the switch kinda feels fragile,but all in all,I really dig the transparency,doesnt destroy guits. tone like a big muff,more natural than any boss unit,more gain than ts-9.ive been playing since 1978 and my first rig was BF champ,univox superfuzz,ross comp.(Iwish ikept them)

Couldn't be simpler really. Play with the levels on each dial until you get a sound you like.

I use a '72 thinline telecaster and a Les Paul Custom with a Marshall Valvestate 265 and the pedal sounds fantastic. I needed a distortion pedal which isn't too 'metally' for playing classic rock and this really fits the bill. If you want a good metal pedal try a Boss Metal Zone MT-2. I use a 9 volt battery so I haven't come across any hum others have experienced with an adaptor.

Haven't had it long - only a month but haven't had any problems and certainly seems sturdy enough. I've used it for gigging with no problems

Never had to deal with them so wouldn't know

I'm not an expert on guitar effects by any means. I just wanted a decent sounding distortion pedal suitable for classic rock and some blues. For this its ideal and for the price it seemed a lot cheaper than than its competitors - i.e Boss. It has genuine bypass capablilty and doesn't seem to weaken the guitar signal noticeably. I was really pleasantly surprised when I tried it for the first time. If you're wanting a pedal to play thrash, speed metal this probably isn't the one for you but for standard distortion/overdrive effects its excellent.