Yerasov PD-5 Ptero Driver

This is a full tube preamp from the Russian company Yerasov. It's got 2 channels ( both of wich have overdrive, seperate volumes and Lo/Hi switch ) Verry easy to operate actualy. It's not difficult to find the sound you want. I got this preamp for many reasons and it does the job verry well! The device itself if very easy to use, you just need to warm up the tubes for a wile before you use it, but that is much better than digital technology.

Well the clean channel is indeed clean, sparkling and bright. No problems there. When you fire up the overdrive on that channel, it has alot of aldskool hard rock charme! And I like the fact that there's no humms or hisses when you play. I would definatly use this channel for rythm. When you take the lead channel, that devise suddenly takes another turn in the music spectrum! It sets itself to "psycho mode"!!! You allmost instinctivly start to chop the strings and get very nice thrash and death metal sounds. The sound is rather agressive and VERRY TIGHT!!! it doesen't have too much low ends as my all tube head, but that tightness that it's got gives this little creep alot of balls! The equaliser corrects the sound verry well ( but it doesen't changes it too much )For the juice and moisture I use a little reverb from a digital reverb pedal ( that's pretty much the only digital effect I own ) The lead channel will be PERFECT for Thrash, death and heavy metal, but I would not use it for doom and black metal, as theese styles of music must have a constant "flow" of juicy distortion. So for all you oldskool maniacs, this device would be ideal! I play an Ibanez RG1750 with standard pickups and I run this preamp through a yerasov GTA-200R head that spits the sound out the 4 eminence tonker drivers. The sound combination that I recieve is rahte "EVIL"

It's built in an alluminum casing. I like how it's done. I own yerasov products and I have no doubt about the reliability! No problems there! And If the tubes break, I can replace them myself!

OUTSTANDING!!!! You can ask any question to the general director himself! I only buy my equipment from Yerasov.

For what it's worth this is a great device! Verry oldskool, yet with serious balls!

I don't think that it is really hard to find nice tones, if you have some skills in setting up stuff like this, although it might be a little difficult for a beginner because the manual is written in russian language (i'm from austria^^)

I'm using the pterodriver in my practising rig - consisting only of the pd-5, a epiphone valve junior, and my beloved hamer high chapparal custom shop guitar.

I was pretty surprised, as i plugged it in for the first time!
It's astonishing what great sounds it could get, even out of the little vj. You can get everything from nice Cleans, to Death Metal Distortion, and it sounds great in the most cases!
It's pretty easy to find nice "american sounding" high-gain sounds, like metallica etc., or sweet blues sounds. It just gets a little more difficult, when you need a nice rhytm-crunch sound, but after playing around for some hours i found a very pleasing one!

It's kind of unbelievable to get such sounds for so little money!

Well I don't use it live, but i would without doubts, if i wanted to! it seems to be built pretty fine outside and inside!

Would be perfect if there were metal-knobs on it!

I haven't dealt with Yerasov by now.

I play mostly Progressive Rock / Metal, but also Blues, Rock, Jazz etc.
It delivers all the sounds i need, and it sounds very good!
I've played guitar for 10 years now, the electric ones for circa 4 years, and i currently own a Framus Cobra head for rehearsals and live playing.
In case of my lack of money, i would probably by something cheaper, if it would be stolen.

Again, i don't believe that you get any better sound for that price! It's a great deal!

Well, I had to spent some time to find the right setup, it took about a month to get it done. But now it just blows minds off.

MAN!!! It's amazing. Don't plug it to your soundcard or some similar shit - only do that if your card's cost is abov3 400$. If you'll do the setup right - almost no noise with UNFUCKINGBELIEVABLE GAIN! While uselg lo-lead mode there's no noise at all. And about the sound - it's true tube, so how can it sound bad? Need a compromise between mesa and marshall? This baby will deliver it.

It never maked me feel like shit yet, so I trust it like myself. Just turn it on for half an hour before the GIG, let the tubes wake up. Then enjoy the flying pants :)

BEST! BEST EVER! You can call, e-mail or contact via Yerasov' site Alexander Yerasov himself to solve quickly ANY problem. I can't even think about comparing this support to any other, never met somthing even close to this. When I could not find the right settings or had any questions - I always got a reply maximum in 24 hours.

Well, I'am playing for more than 10 years, all styles of music from jazz to alt-prog-metal, so I needed a very versatile unit. I got it. I found my sound, now I sleep well :) If it were stolen - I would find those nerds, make them very hurt and get my baby back home, if not - would buy another one. Thing I love the most - HI and LO Lead modes. Sometimes I hate a bit kind'a noisy switching between hi-clean and hi-lead, but it happens only when pluggin to some crappy equipment. I've been playing a lot of different amps, processors, pedals... And this one is unique and the only, that delivers MY sound. I only wish it hat a switch, adding 2 modes - one button switching between lo-clean and hi-lead and in second mode between hi-clean/hi-lead(standard). When I start playing it - I realize that surely I would kill myself if I couldn't play guitar :)
At least - try it. And remember - plug it only to normal power-amps(preferably tube) or line inputs of the mixers through di-boxes or ebtech hum eliminator.

Not so easy at first - spent a week to find it all done the way you need. But then this shit will rock your mind off!!!

I can get any sound I want. From pop to fucked off metal. But it's quite a noisy stuff to operate, it creates lots of hum, switching lead channel on/off is a horror. But, turning your volume down while switching cures it mostly(easy made with my les paul). I use it with Crybaby 535Q and any combo I'll have to use at gigs. Sounds good. But wah is also a noisy-switching one, so I recommend turn the wah first, then the lead channel.

Well, it works. If there are troubles with electricity, it starts to make more noise, but that's not your problem. I use it for gigs - works ok.

AMAZING! I'am from Ukraine and men, it's the first company creating effect pedals, where you can talk to the head boss and give him a proposition or ask a question. There are also no problems with warranty. Well, it's done ok!

I play all styles of music from pop to metal, but mostly prog-alt-metal+funk, it's cool for it with it's 4 channels. I play for 10 years, tried a lot of shit but this makes people go mad on gigs. Sounds like a fully loaded stack. I would most probably buy it again if it were stolen or lost. I love it's hi sound for it's tightness. But hate it's noise. I wish it had noiseless switching. I'am gonna write an album next week with it. Maybe one day you'll hear it, you already might ;)

it's not so simple to use - it has two channels (clean/lead), every channel may be in lo/hi mode... it also has input, and two outputs (combo & line - with emulation) clean channel has level & drive controls. Lead channel also has level & drive controls. Device has an EQ (bass-middle-treble), it works with both channels. Sound is good practically at all knobs settings, eq on this device doesn't shape the sound, it (slightly) corrects it. Only one thing is hard to use - getting right balance of hi/lo modes volume on clean channel

Usually i'm using my Fender Am Std (Seymour Duncan JB at bridge) 2004, but i tried it with Fender Jeff Beck 2005, Gibson Les Paul Studio... amps - washburn bd40r, vox ac60 (modeling one), and line-out...
Ok, let's go and check out Pterodriver sound... It is a full-tube preamp, modified copy of the famous Engl 530 "Modern Rock" rack preamp. I didn't try that device and i can't compare them...
Selecting lo mode on that channel gives you almost non distorted tube sound, very warm and soft. When Hi mode is selected, you'll receive SRV-like crunch (think of "Pride & Joy", "Rivera Paradise"...), also not so treble, pretty warm...
Lead channel has loads of gain! Select lo mode, set drive at 12 o'clock you'll get very big rock crunch, very tight lows and mids (It reminds me of some Ritchie Blackmore's "new" kind of sound, i mean blackmore's night, not Purple)... Hi mode on lead channel adds more gain, brings you into hi-gain kind of sound (like Metallica, Dream Theatre and so on)... Hi mode on all channels doesn't change type of sound, it simply adds some gain...
Pterodriver has some combo-emulation curcuit. It's not perfect, but decent, no more troubles with poor clubs...
Device isn't very noisy, but i recommend humbucker pickups for hi-gain settings.
Overral sound is simply great!

After week of use the power jack has broken... replaced...

Yerasov are great guy! They're very helpful & friendly! You can download schemes from their site, they actually listen to the critics... In fact, they wanna make things better. But common Russian weak spot - if you need to repair something, you must ship it back to the vendor, and it may take a lot of time...

I play rock music mostly. I also play blues, metal, pop and so on. Played for 6 years now. I used fender, marshall, gibson, vox, dunlop stuff. I think for the money i spent it's a good deal. Great sound. Good features. Compare it to H&K tubeman 2 - pterodriver is simply better. If it is lost, i'll sure buy another one ASAP.