Uncle Ernie's Effects LiveDriver

I must first say that I am the designer/ builder of the OverDriver so I won't put down any numbers to change the opinion averages.

Easy, Three controls, Volume, Tone and Gain. Two pushbutton switches for Bypass and Hi/Low and another switch for Bright on the Hi Channel. There's an additional mod available for Flat-Mids. It takes seconds to find a usuable sound from the pedal and with all the variation that's available several will be found.

The basic idea of all Uncle Ernie's Effects distortion pedals is to provide a three channel, or more, set up to a single channel tube amp. These are designed with high end tube amps and the professional user in mind. They come stock with velcro instead of rubber pads on the bottom as these pedals are meant to go into a pedal board but also stick to a carpeted stage nicely.

All Uncle Ernie's Effects are designed for the highest quality sound available and are hand built one at a time and tested one at a time for sound quality. The original proto-types are kept and used for sound reference to keep the units sounding the same unit to unit. There has been a lot of time put into lowering the noise of the units and that's why higher end opamps and transistors are used. All the parts used are top of the line using SwitchCraft jacks, Alpha pots, and Electro Harmonix 3PDT switches for true bypass switching.

Every effort has been made to make a duralble product. In doing so we stand behind or products with a 5 year warranty, parts and labor so long as it's not obvious abuse.

At UEE we pride ourselves on being what the big money companies in America have forgotten. Customer oriented. We need your business and respect your needs. Without this we're doomed. As owner, I'm available by email or phone pretty much 24/7 and usually contact people the same day as contacted.

This pedal was designed to take advantage of the many mods that are popular with pedal modders. The one thing that is different about the pedal from all the other TubeScreamer clones is the Hi/Low channel switch and the Bright switch on the Hi channel. Otherwise, it's very similar to the TS series pedals with better bass response, lower noise and a bit better fidelity. There are many companies that make similar pedals but we're the only one making them individually for YOU! There are several unique pedals out there as can be seen on our website and many others that are highly modified versions of our standard models.

Simple enough, 3 knobs and a switch. Any confusion should be easily cleared up by the information included in the box.

What the pedal is is a relatively simple clean boost and a "hard-clipping" distortion (modeled after an MXR +) in one enclosure. The boost works like you'd expect, but also has a side-mounted switch that turns it into a treble boost as well. There is tons of range on hand with the boost, and easily puts my Fender 4x10 Deville into a really beautiful saturated area when the volume is down, and into some nice natural overdrive as i start to crank it. I dont generally engage the treble boost as my setup (the Deville and a 72 Fender Tele Custom Reissue ) is pretty bright as it is. I could see perhaps using it for some really nasal sounds with a full band though. I also imagine it would be very nice for darker, humbucker equipped guitars.

The second footswitch and the other two knobs (gain and volume) are dedicated to the distortion. The MXR Dist. + is what i believe these are modeled after, so thats a good reference point. The MXR is a good pedal, but is unfortunately not very "tweakable". This sounds like my MXR but richer (better parts) and seems to have alot more harmonics. The area where this pedal shines though is when the boost is engaged along with the distortion. Here there is a great range of distortion, with plenty of gain to spare (depending on how hard you drive the boost)and the aforementioned bright switch. This really sounds great at bedroom levels as well as with the Deville up about halfway, which i did briefly so i didnt incur severe hearing loss

Seems very well-built but i've had it for only a short while. Again, looks like it will hold up well though. I'm a little concerned with the side mounted toggle for the boost, as it is small and could potentially break off, but really this should only happen if your really abusing the thing.

I contacted the owner/designer Tim Wagoner to tell him how much i liked the pedal and to inquire about the possibility of him ever making a Big Muff clone. He responded the next day in a very friendly manner, and was more than willing to chat. I dont doubt that he would stand behind his pedals. Seems very up-front.

I play a wide variety of music, from psuedo-experimental textural stuff to simple and ballsy rock (think Iggy and the Stooges i suppose) and this pedal seems to have a wide enough range to cover anything i would need. I play a Telecaster and a Fender Deville 4x10, and it really can get into metal territory. However, i'd blame this on my guitar and amp, as the pedal has plenty of gain (particularly with the boost), and im sure you could get some good metal sounds with a humbucker equipped guitar and a different amp. This isnt my cup of tea though. Has temporarily replaced my Zinky True-Grit as my go to OD/Distortion pedal, and I love that pedal.