Voodoo Lab Sparkle Drive

It took me about a half hour to figure out that the best use for this pedal for me would be as a booster.

I have a Vox Valvetronix amp 60 watt amp, various fx, and Ibanez 7 string (magenta crush) and a Jackson Dinky (with the sustainiac which is killer).
The all out fuzz on this thing is ok - not great but not bad. I use it as a booster which has become very useful to me. If the fuzz/dry control is turned all the way to clean, there seems to be a little coloration but not enough to make me upset. My boss where I teach guitar tried it; he's quite the conservative purist when it comes to tone and he loved how it added grit and presence to his 59 Fender Bassman. There are probably boosters out there that are a bit more transparent but I don't feel the need to seek them out. The Sparkle Drive has become an integral part of my rig.

No problems yet - seems sturdily built.

Called once - don't even remeber why - but whoever I spoke with was friendly enough.

I play alot of different styles (not necessarily well) but my favorite stuff is 70's progressive. This pedal increases the flexability of my rig, sounds great and is built well. Definitely worth the money to me

Functions are simple, but the addition of the clean knob takes some tweaking to find the desired sound. Also the knobs are put too close to each other and the screws to change the battery are not easy like in most other pedals.

At first I was disappointed because it sounded not as smooth as my TS9/808 and has clearly less gain/drive, which was even less when blending in the clean function. However, after playing it for a year (at home and occasionally at blues sessions), I like it more and more. The lack of smoothness actually goes together with much better difinition and responsiveness to high frequencies giving it a cutting and singing edge, if desired. The tone knob full CCW removes the edge/definition to a more TS-smoothness.
The clean boost only is very good and transparent. Yet there is a audible difference when switching the clean-only on and off with drive full down, but different, not necessarily bad sounding.
The gain up and clean down gives the classic TS sound, including loss of lows, compression and mid-hump, but with crispier highs and more definition (or cutting edge if you want). VL claims they have the TS sound using the 4558 chip, but: ?.....upgraded other components such as using high pricicion metal resistors and modern polyester film capacitators....? (From manual sheet). Like in a TS, the lows get lost. Here the clean can be dialed in. It reduced the gain but, though not sounding as two amps, a layering is audible which gives it a certain ?spacyness? which I like. It is like jumpering the channels on my two channel fender.
The tone knob works fine. It has a broad range like the TS, but above 2 o?clock I barely use it as it gets too trebly. It would be nice if the range of the tone knob was shifted towards the CCW side, more close to the TS tonal range, but its not an big issue for me.
I play a ?75 tele custom through either a fender ?76 sf princeton (with PI-mod and weber C10Q) or a ?64 bf fender tremolux trough a open cab with 2x12 ?74 celstions G12H?s, with an upgraded OT in the tremolux. Both amps have a great, but clean sound, so for overdrive/disttortion I have to rely mainly on pedals (fulltone soulbender > TS9/808 w/true bypass > sparkle drive, that?s all).
I think these HC reviews are generally very helpful, but sometimes I miss a clear description of the guitars/amps used and, more important, the sound levels played at. I think this is very important because a overdrive can sound almost fuzzlike at bedroom volume but can loose its drive when playing at gigging levels through a almost clean tube amp like I do. Putting a TS9/808 and the sparkle drive in series solves the problem, but lows get lost even more and the sound is overcompressed with a huge mid-hump. Also, I agree with a previous review that at gigging levels, it is very hard to hear the difference between a TS and a sparkle drive, while at bedroom volume, there?s a clean difference with the sparkle more articulate (or harsh) and the TS more warm (or muddy).

I rather use a soulbender for the leads instead of the TS and the sparkle drive in series in this case as it retains the lows and has a much more balaced response (and more gain), and I reserve the sparkle drive for clean boost and/or overdrive. A previous review complained that Jeff Beck?s ?rock my plimsoul? sound is not possible with the sparkle drive. I don?t see how you can arrive at that with the sparkle drive. IMO you need a tonebender (clone) or overdriven amp with tone contrals turned backwards and magic fingers. You can not blame the sparkle drive for not delivering that particular sound.
Still I wished the sparkle drive had more gain without sacrificing its pefect clean/low overdrive charcteristics.

Seems to be very well made. Plastic plugs should be metal and the rubber pad is crap. But no big issues for me. Don?t keep it plugged in not even overnight! Next morning the battery will be empy.

Never dealt with them

Can be harsh sounding if your setup is less than good. Invest in good tube amp plus guitar if you want to hear the sparkle drive?s potential.
For me this pedal is a very subtle effect, especially since my ears get ?bigger? with the years. I?am playing jazz for almost 25 years so I think I can say what the search for great tone is. However, blues/rock on stage is not my main experience, so read this review accordingly. Apart from jazz, I like: Neil Young; The Who, Bowie, CSN&Y, Gatemouth Brown, Buddy Guy, Hendrix, (Jeff) Beck, The Presidents; just to name a few (& I dislike disco/synthy; my God, did I suffer in the 70's and 80's!!!).
Overall, I?d pick the sparkle drive over my TS9/808 for the reasons outlined above. Still the TS is a great pedal, much better than the Boss, DOD etc. ones I played. No experiejnce with other TS-clones, or high-end overdrives (Fulldrive, Klon etc.), but I?m happy now: Great pedal for the money; it is definetely a keeper for me!

Easy enough to use except that the knobs are too close together and are labelled above rather than below (not stage friendly) and the battery is changed by removing 4 screws and taking off the bottom of the unit....also not stage friendly.

Not good.
I use Telecasters thru a Fender Blues Junior. I used to use a HotRod Deluxe but got the BJ to be able to play at lower volume, and to save my back. I love the overdrive sound on channel 2 of the HRDx (changed the middle preamp tube to a Tesla) and I wanted something similar for the BJ. I was using a Boss SD-1 Super Overdrive which was OK except that it didn't have a true bypass and badly compromised the tone of the amp when it was turned off. I find a tele thru a BJ wonderful but add a pedal and it just becomes 'an amp'. With and without a pedal in front is like the difference between a Yamaha acoustic and a Taylor. Subtle but very important. (I wish BJs had an effects loop.)
Anyway, I got the Sparkle Drive because it has a true bypass. I'd once tried a friend's old Ibanez ST-9 SuperTubescreamer and was impressed and I assumed that an Ibanez TS-808 (and hence the Sparkle Drive) would sound similar.
I was wrong. The Sparkle Drive is way too sharp and trebly. Even with the tone knob totally off the sound was thinner and sharper. Adding the clean signal made it even sharper yet. The clean boost alone was the same, even with the tone right down. And turning up the tone made it painfully sharp and glassy. I can see how some people would like this sound but I want an overdrive sound that is rich sounding. Think of the tone that Jeff Beck had on 'Rock My Plimsole' (if you are old enough to remember...). That's what my setup sounded like with the St-9 SuperTubescreamer, and that's what I want. If I turn the BJ right up so it overdrives naturally it doesn't lose bass and get glassy. It gets deep and rich. I want a pedal that makes this happen without having to crank the amp, and the Sparkle Drive doesn't do it.

Very well built so I'm assuming it's worth a 10.

No idea.

I play abit of everything in a wedding/pub band. I need to go from one type of music to another quickly without a sudden huge volume or tone change and I like to keep things simple. A good guitar with a good amp with an overdrive for solos and raunchy songs, and maybe a little chorus sometimes. An overdrive pedal that changes my EQ characteristics when I turn it on is useless to me so I've sent the Sparkle Drive back. I'm not sure what I'll be getting next. I might try a Marshall Bluesbreaker 2.

Very easy to use. It's hard to get a bad sound although I must say that I don't like the sound with gain set to the max...but that's just a matter of taste.

I play a G&L Asat Special and an Asat Z3 > Boss Compressor > Sparkle Drive > Carl Martin Delayla into a Fender Vibroverb RI or a Fender Pro Junior. I play Rockabilly and Country but I'm not into vintage sounds. With gain set to 10 o clock and clean set to 12 it just gives me the extra drive I want.

Seems to be a well-built pedal. I leave it on most of the time so the switch will last forever I think.

I once mailed them for a cable for my Pedal Power II but never got a reply.

I mainly play Rockabilly and Country-type of music...or call it roots-rock if you want :-)
I would buy it again if it got lost or stolen. I've only compared it to the regular Boss, Ibanez and DOD pedals but they're just not my piece of cake. The Clean-control is a genious option I think.

Super easy to set up and dial in some great sounds.

Here's my rig: a '72 telecaster w/ Lindy Fralin pickups, Boss TU-2, MXR Dynacomp, SparkleDrive, and a Danelectro Delay into a slightly tweaked '65 Deluxe Reverb Re-issue with a Weber P12N speaker. I had been using a Mesa Boogie V-Twin for several years in more modern rock bands, but I've been slowly switching my rig over to a more vintage sound. I needed a pedal that could emulate the sound of my amp cranked to '11'-and this pedal does it in spades.
It's utterly impossible to dial in an unusable sound with the thing. Plus, the ability to blend back in a boosted clean signal adds a lot of complexity to the overall sound.
I've tried nearly everything on the market except some of the most expensive units, and the thing that grabs me the most about the Sparkledrive is that there is none of that 'boxy' mid-range honk that seems to be the major character of most 'tubescreamer' type stomp boxes. This pedal is tonally VERY subtle. It sounds like your good old tube amp cranked.
It is a little noisy as you crank the gain, but aren't they all? If you're doing a roots rock, soul, country or blues thing this is ideal and won't kill your budget.

Built like a tank. I haven't needed a back-up, although I always carry an extra stompbox just in case.

Haven't had to deal with them at all.

I play what you could basically call hot rodded 'Americana' music; a blend of country, roots rock, blues-rock, and hard rock. I'm a big believer in turning a small amp up to just-barely-breaking-up and relying on my touch to clean up the tone. I needed something to transparently boost the drive, and this thing does it right. I'd replace it in a heartbeat.

Very easy to use just remember there are lots of options with all blends that are available

Excellent for my use. (a Suhr Classic and a 67 super reverb) Far out does my TS9's all were moded and this pedal removes the mid boost, bass loss of the TS9 with the blend. Now understand this. Its a blues tone I was after and a blues tone I got. just a little crunch and gring with NO COLOR in my tone if the clean is blended in right. If you removethe clean blend it sounds just like a TS9 with the mid hump and tone change. But boy with that blend its amazing and just what daddy wanted!! NO HEAVY overdrive unless you want to color your tone

Looks and feels like a tank...but we will see

Not sure....there getting kinda big now so we will see.

For a blues player this is the stuff to have on floor. Since it blends tones, it controls the loss of quality that was what you bought your rig for in the first place. But it adds sustain and control that you can not get from a normal OD Pedal. I am not sure what this would do for different styles. But if you want that cranked tone with out blowing out the windows. Its here and worth the money. If you rig sounds poorly now, I doubt this is gonna fix it.

Well Let me start out by saying that this pedal is very sensitive, and it will magnify every mistake you make, although that is a chance I am willing to take. Because the tone is outstanding, it kicks my ts-808 out of the arena. and the knobs are easy to use and very functional. I am giving it an 8 because you have to tweak a while to find the sweet spot.

The sound is absolute king, with a rich yet nasal tone that screams out of my blackface pro reverb, and slverface twin. The tone makes my fenders sound almost like a dumble.

10 all the way

this unit is, well like a tank, I is heavy with reinforced metal casing. Can't bust it

Don't know, Don't need it

I am giving this pedal a 10 because it beefed up my sound giving me the confidence to be a better player. and get the tone I so desired

Easy, intuitive. I like the manual; no longwinded explanations, no useless "recommended tone settings" (anyone who does not experiment with their effects to get their best sound is a doofus, IMO).

This is a brilliant take on a tubescreamer clone. Good stuff. Sounds better than my reissue TS9, plus is has a great, clear clean boost that can be blended in or used alone. I often use the clean boost alone with weaker pickups for a stronger signal. Doesn't QUITE sound like tubes because it doesn't use tubes, but it cops the 'screamer vibe quite well. I give it a 10 for accomplishing exactly what they say it will do.

Tough. You could play this at a gig, beat someone up with it at the setbreak, and it would still work for the second set. Reliability: ask me in 10 years, but I am confident.

No idea. Never spoke with them.

I play all kinds of music, I've been playing for about 12 years, numerous amps, guitars, effects. I would buy another if lost/stolen. This pedal makes the tubescreamer obsolete, and it was cheaper than my TS9 reissue. I give it an 9 because of small design/ergonomic issues (battery access, knobs kinda close together).

As far as overdrives pedals go, you'd have to be an idiot to mess this one up. I like the layout of the pedal and the position of the knobs. The clean boost is totally awesome. I can't believe that this isn't done more often. If your into blues/rock and love those tones associated with that than this is the pedal you need.

I play US vintage reissue strats with Van Zandt pickups through a '59 bassman reissue. The tone I am going for is pretty cut and dried. When I bought this pedal I had 3 pedals in mind to choose from. The Fulltone 2, the maxon 808 and this one. After playing all three extensively I felt that this pedal was the overall best for what I do. I loved the tone of the maxon but it doesn't have the versatility of the sparkle drive. Granted, it's hard to beat the fulltone, but for price and ease of use I went with the Sparkle Drive. The drive on this pedal seems to have more definition than any other in it's tonal class. I now use 2 and I use one as a muddy boost and then I have the other set on full overdrive with only the clean set on about 2. The tones are very layered this pedal and seem to really have alot of life. With most overdrives, when you push the limit on the drive the definition tends to get lost. This pedal keeps it's clarity throughout. I think a large part of this is the addition of the clean boost. I play alot of Texas style blues and this pedal seems as though that's what it was made for. If you love SRV, Chris Duarte and even Ian Moore, this is a great pedal

The only trouble I have ever had with this pedal was something that to this day I don't know what happened. For a period of about 2 weeks I couldn't get a sound out of it when I engaged the pedal. I could never find a bad connection on my pedal board and I tried each pedal individually so it was the sparkle drive. One day it worked again. I still don't know. Since then I haven't given it a second thought

When the pedal began to act up, I was going to call but I never got around to it until the pedal began to work again. This cat. remains to be seen.

I hate to rate this a 10 because nothing is really perfect. But, when you consider the price and the quality of the materials, it really is a great value. I now own two and I would replace both if they got stolen. I love the clean boost most of all because it really adds life especially at high volumes when it pushes the amp. I think this pedal as really made me better because I am so comfortable with the tones that I get out of it. I never catch myself preocuppied with the pedal during a show. I've used alot of overdrives (blues driver, SD1, TS9) and for the value this pedal is by far the best.

the sparkle drive is THE overdrive for recording for me so far. The clean knob was a brilliant addition. I am a pedal freak. This is my "go to pedal". My one complaint...the words level, tone, drive...should be BElOW the knobs guys didn't you R&D this??? Fulltone DID!!

Sound quality is great, super warm/smooth. I've used it with various amps vox, fender, bogner, Meas boogie, trace elliot(vellote), crate (vintage club), seymour duncan... And guitars: Les pauls, Rickenbackers, Fenders... sounds great every time! I love the Beatles and classic rock, new artists that are inspired by the bands of the 60's (who isn't?)... Sheryl Crow, Jellyfish, wallflowers, Hendrix.....

It's built like a tank!

N/A

I play rock, pop, etc... Playing for 20 years, own a recording studio...would replace the minute if it was stolen, I love the clean knob, Don't love the artwork ( the whole "voodoo scheme" looks goofy).
Compared to Fulltone Fulldrive 2, Menatone, Maxon, Ibanez...
Definately the most helpful pedal I own to date! (the Bosstone runs a close second).

4 knobs. Gain, Tone, Clean, and Volume. Start with low settings, ring a couple of adjacent strings, and bring each knob up at a time until you find your sound. Do this for each knob trying different combinations until you find the right ones.

I play a Jay Turser JT-135 into a Line6 1x12 60Watt combo amp. The sparkle drive has true bypass and is as quiet and covert as the amplifier. I can get from classic Rock (Eagles) to Blues (you know the ones) with this pedal. A quality sound at any setting.

Hand made in California. Analog Circuitry. I should not need a backup for this.

Have not had to deal with them.

I play Contemporary Christian (Third Day, Audio Adrenaline) to classic 70's Rock (what a decade!). Been playing for 30 years and this pedal can cover the styles I play. If it were stolen, I would get another Sparkle Drive. I love everything about this pedal.

4 knobs. Gain, Tone, Clean, and Volume. Start low with guitar ringing, bring one knob up at a time to where it is to your liking. Keep tweeking different combinations 'til you find the right one.

I play a Jay Turser JT-135 through Sparkle Drive into a Line6 combo with the amp delay around one second. This pedal has true bypass. It is as quiet as the amplifier. Nails classic Rock (Eagles) and Blues (you know the ones).

Hand made in California. Analog Circuit. A high quality unit.

I have never dealt with them.

I play Contemporary Christian (Third Day, Audio Adrenaline) and classic 70's Rock riffs (what a decade!) I would buy it again if it were stolen. Losing it is not an option. I love everything about this pedal.

Very easy to get the a great blues or rock tone. I haven't found a setting that wouldn't sound great for something.

I keep it pretty simple: American Fender Texas Special --> Voodoo Lab Sparkle Drive --> Teese Wah RMC1 --> Peavey Classic 50 2X12 (I know it's a Peavey, but I thought it was better than anything else out there in the same price range).

I bought the Sparkle Drive over several others for a two major reasons 1) I thought it sounded just as good as the Maxon OD808, but thought the Sparkle Drive was more versatile (i.e. I can get the SRV sound very easily, but can get more grit as well) and 2) the Sparkle Drive is True Bypass. This pedal gives me SRV, Clapton, Hendrix, Buddy Guy, you name it. I am very happy with the sound.

Light gigging (for the last 3-4 months) and I play without a backup. Come to think of it, I can't think of anybody I know in the whole "band scene" who has a backup for their pedals. I think I can depend on it.

No need yet.

Been playing poorly for 20 years, some gigging, but mostly a hobbyist. The more I play, however, the more concerned I've become with the tone (i.e., I'm always looking for THE tone). I tweak the settings on the pedal occasionally, mostly the "clean" knob, and have never ended up with a tone that I didn't like. If you're looking for SRV, Clapton, Hendrix, Buddy Guy, etc. this is a great sounding and incredibly versatile pedal.

Very easy to get a great tone from this pedal. Really no bad sounds.

Unbelievable tone with gain at about 85%, tone at 70%, clean knob at 20%, and volume knob at least half way. I play a Godin Solidac into a Tech 21 Trademark 60 and this pedal is UNREAL for getting a really compressed, clear-sounding, bell-like tone that sustains for days. I've had two Tubescreamers and various other overdrives/distortions, and this one honestly blows them all away.

Don't really know, but have heard alot of good things about them.

Seriously, as for the tone, I'm DONE looking for overdrives. This is it. The only thing I could nit-pick about is the fact that you have to unscrew 4 screws to change the batteries. That's the only bad thing. A very versatile pedal.

It's got 4 knobs. If you don't know how to turn a knob or step on the switch, then pedals might not be the way to go for you. If you need further explanation, the instructions explain stuff pretty clearly.....if you are literate.

I've read both positive and negative reviews. Some may be manufacturers, some may be experienced players, some may not know what the hell they are talking about. All pedals are different and unique. I think a good sounding pedal doesn't take away from the amp's natural tone. I doubt all these tone experts know what good tone is. I see people describing their rigs who say the Sparkle drive lacks tone and they have a whole load of effects and other crap in their rig. Most of these people don't realize that they are playing through crappy amps and they probably don't realize the lack of tone is in their fingers!

I have tried many different setups over the years. Currently I use a Matchless cheifton from 1995 and a New Fender "evil" twin. I only use the clean channels(Matchless is only one channel, and the Twin's clean is the only one worth a damn.) I have a '57 reissue custom strat and a custom les paul. My old setup was a mesa triaxis and 50-50...etc. I have become disillusioned with modeler and rackmount "amps".

I think the sparkle drive sounds great. I'm not sold on the clean blending, maybe because it doesn't suit my particular style(mostly pop/rock and rock.) I beleive in playing dynamics. I crank my amp so that it sounds clean when I play soft and slightly dirty when I pound on it. By the way, to achieve this, you need a good amp. Class A is the way to go , but any tube combo may be sufficient. Definately get away from solid state or modeler amps. The sparkle drive adds just enough overdrive so that it sounds slightly dirty when you are soft, and nicely distorted when you play hard. The true bypassing is the way to go if you don't want big changes in tone when you shut off the pedal.

Here is a bit of experience coming at you. When I've been in the studio or working with a good producer, I noticed that they know what amps sound good and most producers know what sounds they are looking for. Try binging in your line 6 or triaxis to the basics session. It helps to lighten up the mood. I got my best "distorted" tones ever from a 63 Vox Ac30 and a 95 Matchless dc-30. Clean channel, cranked. Now thats distortion. The sparle drive is not the same overdrive as a fully cranked amp, but it gives you good distortion at lower volumes.

As far as live is concerned. Again, its all about a good amp and a good ear. Every live situation is different. You won't know an original ts808 from a sparkle drive from your ass live, and anyone who says he does, needs to try playing live. The best rigs are simple. Guitar, amp, a good overdrive and effects sparingly. Raw cuts through the best. People who use tons of crap that muddy the dynamics need to see what "the pros" are doing. You'd be surprised.

I know I haven't talked much about the sparkle drive. I like it. I'm using it on an indefinate trial basis. If it suits my needs, it will be in my rig until it doesn't. I read all these reviews and many others, as well as talked to people who have used it. I'm happy I bought it.

I hope I can depend on it. Things aren't made like they used to be. If you want one that is, original ts808's are going for $500+ on ebay right now.
If I have issues, I'll give Voodoo labs a chance to right it and update my review here.

Irrelavant, but I've heard good things.

I think if you've read this far, you know where I'm coming from. Try stuff out. It may or may not be for you. Remember that simplifying is the key. Start with a good amp and guitar. If you are happy there then start adding stuff. If you aren't happy, nothing is going to help it, like many say.
Try thinking about dynamics, clarity, and musicality. If you aren't sounding good clean, practice.

If you buy it, submit a review. I've found some of these to be helpful. You can tell who are the honest submitters.( I think the guy from New Zealand is hallarious!)

If you are playing solid state amps, or using digital modeler anything, this pedal isn't for you.

Straight foward to use. Anybody 6 years old or above could use this.

With a reissue Fender deluxe reverb and an older Les Paul Classic, it gets a great overdriven tone. I mainly use tube screamers (TS10's). The Sparkle Drive can give a little more breakup and distortion. I don't think it has quiet as much midrange punch, but it comes very close. Overall in a band situation, I don't think you could hear the difference. Its that close. Crank up the volume to the 2 o'clock position and set the gain at about 11 o'clock, tone at 10 o'clock and clean at 9 o'clock. It sounds great with the Deluxe Reverb and Les Paul.

I don't see how anything could go wrong with the Sparkle Drive. Solid metal housing and heavy duty switch. I really like TS10 tube screamers but they are not very solid. I've had to resoilder the input,output and 9V battery jacks a dozen times. The Sparkle Drive is pretty much a TS10 but built to last.

Never had to deal with.

I play anything from southern rock, classic rock, country and blues and this pedal does them all very nicely. I've been playing for 26 years and half that on the road. I wish I had bought one of these before I did. For the price, if it were stolen, I would definitely buy another one. Just remember when you buy a pedal, alot of the tone and sound comes from the amp and guitar, but most of all the one playing it.No pedal will do miracles.

4 knobs to do so little is a bit of overkill

Absoute crap. I read everything I could about this pedal before having it shipped to me in New zealand and found it has lived up to none of it's expectations. Tone control is piss poor and the overdrive effect is mush. I now seriously question the authenticity of "rave" reviews at sites such as these.
I tested it through a Marshall 50 watt tube combo with a Rickenbacker 330 and a Gibson 335.

I'll never use it enough to find out how long it lasts

The only good thing about this was how quickly they shipped it out to me in New Zealand. If I built crap like this I'd want it out the door as quick as possible too.

I've been playing for 25 years and have tried loads of these pedals and this rates as one of the worst. Do not buy this pedal. Get either a Tube Screamer of hunt down a Hot Cake (hand made overdrive pedals that beats them all-hands down) from New Zealand

There are Four Controls which make it a little more challenging than your average Overdrive pedal, especially since it allows you to mix in a clean signal. Overall though, you can get the hang of it in about 15 minutes, but sometimes you may be tempted to back off of the tone control or add with the tone control without simply adjusting your clean level to add dullness or brightness.

This was a good idea for an overdrive, unfortunately it didn't quite give me the results I was looking for. I a/b 'd this against my current re-issue Ibanez TS-9 (un-modded) and the TS9 won out. The Sparkle drive definitely has the TS9 vibe in the distortion end. I could almost clone the sound of the TS9 with the Dparkle Drive, but the Sparkle Drive has some added headroom in the highend whereas the TS9 is very midrangey and throaty. If you need a little more high end, this may be the pdal for you- I use a Danelectro U3>Maxon CP101 Compressor>TS9>Boss NS-2 Noise Supressor>Fender Princeton Chorus>Voodoo Lab Tremolo and Akai Headrush in effects loop. I have the sparkling high end covered and I am looking to my overdrive to add fullness to the rig. One reviewer mentioned that the OD sounded "fizzy" on this pedal, well, overll it sounds very good-but yes the top end sounds "fizzy" to me as well. I wanted to like this pedal more- I LOVE the Voodoo Lab tremolo, it sounds like part of the amp! But I'm sending this one back and trying a modded TS9 (I recently sent back the much hyped Maxon OD808 as well) I still haven't quite got the Overdrive I want, but my TS9 reissue is still beating more expensive pedals in my (very clean solid state) rig.
If you are using tubes or humbuckers, maybe the tonal response would work better. I like my solid state rig, although it could use a little tube-like warmth, the TS-9 has done it best so far.

I like the way Voodoo Labs constructs their gear. Good warranty, made by hand in USA. Good, true bypass switches, nice cases. I trust it.

Never dealt with except one email-they were lightning fast with a response so I'll give it a 10.

Overall, this is a decent pedal-the blending of a clean signal was a good idea, it just didn't compliment my rig the way I wanted it to. 13 years on club circut, owned a bunch of stuff-I sent this back. i'm going to check out a Keeley moded TS9 or maybe go back to a Real Tube (had one once-sounded great, just a little heavy I remember...) Voodoo Lab makes great stuff and their tremolo is awesome (4 knob version) so try this out next to your OD, it mey be just what you need.

Simple. Tone control only effects gain though. Probably a good thing
since the clean boost is so transparent.

I run a variety of guitars into a Line6 DL4>Sparkle Drive and into
either a Fender 4x10 Hot Rod DeVille or a Mesa 1x10 Suway Blues driving a 2x12 close-backed cab. The "DRIVE" channel of the Fender is
pretty nice, but a little loud if you want to balance it with the superb clean channel of the 4x10. The Sparkle delivers a wide range of
great overdrive tones which can be matched with the excellent lower-
volume range of the clean channel. The Mesa Subway Blues 1x10 and cab
is a great combo, but the dual EL84 single channel amp prefers certain
sweet spots on the volume dial which don't always cut through a noisy
band. Now I can dial-in the sweetest low-gain tones for either my single coil or humbucker guitars than simply boost the clean signal until the amp lights-up. Sweet. Never buried again and the signal, clean or gained, is more than enough to make any good valve amp start to sweat. Now I can take my "little" rig to play out and cut-through
easily with room to spare in most situations.

No problems so far. Voodoo has a pretty good rep when it comes to build quality, reliability and service.

Never had any experience with Customer Support

This is an incredible buy for 119.00. I play Surf/Blues/Roots music and enjoy clean tube tones, juicy reverb and twangy echo. The Sparkle
rules when it comes to articulate, lower-gain overdrive and is a godsend for those who have a great little tube amp but need a potent
clean boost to kick it up a notch. BAM!

Very easy and intuitive knobs. A short manual is included.

Awesome. I brought my fulltone dp-1 into a store to compare to the sparkle drive because I wanted to hear if I could get my dp-1 to mimic a smooth overdrive. When testing the two I found my dp-1 to sound harsh and choppy and within 2 minutes I knew this pedal was what I wanted. It gave a smooth overdrive with the ability to blend in a clean sound, it doesn't sound like two amps but it sounds very good. I can get clapton(the man) to hendrix (god) to srv (demi-god). Actually, it doesn't sound like any of them, but it sounds damn good. I can't hear any annoying amount of noise from it either.

I don't know yet, but it seems as sturdy as any other good pedal.

Man, what a pedal. It's not as versatile as the dp-1, but it sounds so much better. I traded the dp-1 straight for it and lost 100.00 in the process. I wish I hadn't bought into the hype surrounding the dp-1 , but this pedal makes up for it. I run my clapton strat into this into my 71 deluxe. I'm a very happy man, dialing in the clean with the overdrive is sweet but the overdrive alone is worth the money.

Extremely easy to use. It has 4 knobs - Gain, Tone, Clean and Volume.

I use an Ibanez (like a Gibson 335) and a Washburn Nuno through a Peavey Delta Blues amp. The amp's clean is excellent, but the overdrive is pretty bad, so I needed an overdrive pedal. The only noise I get from the Sparkle Drive is when I turn everything up, which I really never do. I listen to Jeff Golub, Chuck Loeb, Larry Carlton , Terry Haggerty, James Vincent, and a variety of others, from jazz to blues to rock. I love a nice crisp, clean sound, as well as overdrive and sustain. The Sparkle Drive is perfect. It does exactly what I was looking for. I had tried the Boss BD2, Ibanez TS9, Marshall BB2, Mesa Bottle Rocket, and others. But this one nails what I hear in my head. If you're looking for very clean and crisp, but also want a nice crunch or smooth sustain, this is your pedal.
All other pedals made my sound muddy or were not very versatile. This one does it all. And it's true bypass.

I haven't had it that long to know if it will last forever, but it seems to be built very well.

Haven't had to deal with them...and I hope I never will.

I play light jazz and blues mainly. This pedal, I would think, would be great not only for the music I play but for rock too. I first picked up the guitar 37 years ago. If the Sparkle Drive were lost or stolen, I would definitely would want another. I haven't found anything near as good in this price range...or even a little more expensive. I love the tone. It's all about tone, and this has it! The clean has a nice bite, and the overdrive is smooth.

Simple layout, 4 knob control just like other Voodoo Labs Pedals. Gain, Tone, Clean Blend and Level.

I use various guitars, PRS, Ernie Ball, Tele's and Godin's. Planet Waves cables, Fender Tube Reverb unit, Phase 90, Various SansAmp products, Soldano HR50XL head and a Marshall 212 cab with Green Backs. I got this pedal to use on the lo-gain input of the Soldano, I like that input cause it gives me more of an old Marshall Tone I also have a reissue TS9, the Sparkle Drive comes thru cleaner and clearer with more presence and cut than the TS9. Nice and quiet with its hard by-pass. I run it with the power supply .It adds a nice crunch, I don't go for the heavy saturated lead tones, although I have them on tap with the lead channel of the Soldano. Each guitar comes thru with it's own character clearly. I set it from clean boost, to a dirty crunch. The best feature is the clean boost , I can blend the clean guitar signal into the drive which again helps the character of each guitar come thru.

I took it apart and its clean and tough. I dont mind the battery access cause I use an adaptor anyway. Im a big guy so I need to make sure when I stomp down on something it is going to survive. Having looked inside, I know it will survive a pounding, I treat my gear with respect and with care. It will last.

I bought it from Long & McQuade Scarborough Ontario. I also deal with Digital Music Corp on a regular basis. They are great to deal with. John A has been a great help. I know they woulden't leave anyone high and dry when it comes to their products. Im planning on adding more of their effects to the lineup. I wish they had a Phaser ( to replace my MXRthe Microvibe and Chorus pedals dont do it for me) and an analog delay like a good MemoryMan.

I play blues and rock. It fits perfectly. I would buy another if it ever went missing. I compared it to a TS9 reissue, several Boss pedals, Marshall and various other boutique items. Cost, sound and build quality all make it a winner. Its a single effect pedal so it gets a 8 .

Four control knobs, vol, gain, tone, and clean and true bypass. The clean control obviously is what blends in the boosted clean signal. The gain, and tone controls do not effect the clean boost, which is how you want it to be.

This pedal deserves the ten mark here. A chameleon it is. There are numerous sounds to be had with this pedal. Many different shades of overdrive, edgey clean, and even a bit of crunch using the tone and gain controls. However the magic really is with the clean boost. Have all the overdrive you want, and add in just the right amount of clean boost, well...you can hear everynote in the cord with just as much gain as you would ever use. My setup is Les Paul, TX Spc Fat Strat, into Vox wah, Sparkle Drive, VL SuperFuzz, straight to a Peavey Classic 30 1x12 w/1x12 ext. The Sparkle drive does great things when used infront of my Superfuzz as well. I have honestly never used an original 808 unit before, but they say this is basically the same guts with more tonal range and the clean boost added. Who knows if it is, I do know this pedal smokes like popeye.
This pedal with its array of incredible usable sounds, is suited for everything from, blues, jazz, funk, to rock, also a nice feature is to use it as just a solo boost with the gain at 0 and the boost turned up as needed. Remember the gain and tone controls do not effedt the clean.

Reliable? Do you take care of your the things you own? The unit is built as tough as they come, as strong as any Boss pedal or better. Metal casing, heavy plastic knobs, switches seem durable. The knobs are not to big, and shouldnt get in the way much to be kicked. With a five year warranty, you cant go wrong.

Have'nt had to call.

Like I said, an array of sound to be had with this pedal. I'm into playing blues, classic/hard rock, Hendrix, Stones, Aerosmith, STP, Alice n' Chains, Allman Bros.,Clapton ,Zepplin ,Nirvana etc. Great for this music and more. Again, never played a real 808, but this is what I have been looking for. The price and the warranty combined with outstanding sound makes it a winner. Two of thes would be really cool, using one for clean boost only.

Im not kidding. I got my "grail" tone in 20 secs. This pedal is absoulutely amazing. I could kick myself for not getting it sooner

Great! It was just what I was not looking for at all..but I found it anyway. I went to the voodoo site and listened to it, and it hit me: this is "THE" pedal. I love it...can you tell. I set the gain at 9, tone @ 12, clean @ 1-2, vol @ 12. I think it is every bit as good as my Fulltone Fulldrive, and at $120 you cant go wrong. This thing is sonic butter

ehh...It is good as long as youre gentle (just dont beat it to a pulp)

I highly recommend this pedal. I got it here in town at guitar heaven. I got 3 overdrives: FD2-SPARKLEDRIVE-voodoo overdrive. This is my favorite. It makes my strat and PRS sing.

Fairly straight forward Drive Tone Clean and Volume. Nothing to get lost on. Getting a good sound is another matter. No manual with the one I have. I'm not aware of any upgrades.

Very much a let fown. I had heard all the hype and, in theory it sounded good. The 'ol blend of a clean sound with dirty to get that SRV "Little Wing" thang, yadda yadda... Having had several nice Tubescreamers of various vintages including a TS-808, and having several BF Fender amps and a decent Strat or two I can say with assuredness, the Sparkle Drive aint no Tubescreamer. More like cheesy fuzzy buzzzy noise. IMHO there is nothing "sparkly" about this unit. Then again, I generally think of amps when I think of sparkle. Good BF or Tweed Fender or Groove Tubes Soul-O comes to mind to name a couple. The unit is reasonably noise free, but I can't help it, it's also "tone free" as well. In fairness I suppose the buzzy tone it renders could be good for something, though nothing I can imagine for my own use. I wouldn't use it for a good blues tone or a good rock tone. Maybe something experimental? I tried it with my BF Deluxe Reverb and Super Reverb with equally dismal result. I have a Marshall Super Lead, but after the Fender run I just didn't have the heart to continue. Maybe I missed something huh?

Very well made. Nice compact package, good layout, though the knobs are fairly close to one another. It seems dependable enough.

No opinion. Never dealt with them. Because I tried another Sparkle Drive other than my own I knew I didn't have a dud. So, I never bothered to call them. Any mfr can rationalize why a particular person doesn't care for their products. I fully understand that others may greatly appreciate the same tone I find to be lousy.

I play mainly Blues, Rock, and Jazz/Blues. Been playing for 25 years, and presently have a '59 Tweed, '65 BF Deluxe Reverb, '66 Super Reverb, '70 Marshall Super lead, '74 Boogie MK I, a nice Les Paul and Strat and a pack of pedals. Honestly, I don't know what I would compare with the Sparkle Drive. I can only describe it as a somewhat compressed fuzz with no real definition like one might expect from a Tubescreamer or comparable OD pedal.