Product: ToadWorks Leo Jr American Overdrive
Price Paid: 80
Submitted
12/03/2007
at
05:12am
by
Ed Mardell
Email: ed_mardell<at>hotmail dot com
Ease of Use
:
9
Very basic, these things don't even come with a box! Instruction manual is stuck to the inside of it; you have to unscrew the back plate just to figure out how to use it! Having said that, you don't really need to use the manual. A great boutique pedal. Mine's #42, a pretty damn sexy smaller version of the Leo Overdrive.
Gain and level pots, pretty simple, very sturdy too!
Sound Quality
:
9
I'm running this pedal into a Vox AC30. I have to say, it sounds miles better on the FX loop. Without the FX loop you can't really turn the level beyond 1 o'clock without getting some serious hiss. Whack it through the loop however, and you get some great tones, it's also a fantastic boost pedal, just remember the FX loop!
In my opinion, this pedal sounds great all round, but where it really has its strengths are with the mellow bluesy break up you can get by having the gain pot on about 12 o'clock, and the level on about 1 o'clock. Having the amp completely clean with this is great, driving the amp a little more gives you a good SRV kinda tone.
This pedal's always on in my set-up, it's just really really nice. A damn nice item to add to your collection.
I'm a blues guitarist and this pedal is awesome for just that. Try to crank it up for metal and you'll get quite a deep fat sound, so it's not really suited for that. It's a bluesman's pedal.
Reliability
:
10
I've only had this pedal for about a month and a half, and although there is a slight "swoosh" when pressing the pedal down, it's held up well. No problems what so ever. It is however, VERY light. I didn't realise it was metal until I put my teeth to it (if you're unsure if something is metal or not then just bite it a little - you'll know if it's metal or not". Pretty sure it's built to take a bluesman's wear - so there'll be no jumping up and down on this little black box.
Customer Support
:
No Opinion
Overall Rating
:
10
For a blues player, this is fantastic. I tried out a T-Rex Alberta before this pedal and I'm glad I didn't get it. I'm sure that whatever amp you mix this little beauty with will work with it fantastically. It has a really distinctive tone - clarity and prominence are what this pedal is about. I've played for around 7 years now and I've tried every boss pedal, a few T-rex's, EHX, Marshalls and this is by far the best. If you've got the money then go Boutique. It's just brilliant! I'd go straight back out and buy this bitch if I lost it! Without a doubt! This pedal should have at least ??50 added to the value, it's such a good piece of kit.
