SARNO MUSIC SOLUTIONS EARTH DRIVE
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| $170.00 USD |
Every since the Tube Screamer players have been looking for a better transparent type OD. Is this it ??? I have bought many even the silly priced ones from Japan and simply hated them!
Sarno are a small company under the radar making tube preamps
and a few pedals. Basically handmade pedals that are aimed at those that are never far away from just a good guitar and tube amp. Such subtlety and nuance requires brilliancy! The detail must be obvious but understated.
Usually these kind of pedals are tricked out Tube Screamers so the green paint on this one is a bit chilling. lol
That said it may use an OpAmp like a ts ...But the tone is very
asymmetrical and has great attack and bite. Things that a TS just doesn't have. I suspect it is based off of a Bluesbreaker schematic but I don't know.
This pedal has become a staple for hundreds of Alt Rock bands across America. A community that quietly took Fenders Jazzmaster and Jaguar out of obscurity. So maybe the Earth Drive has been a well kept secret. As I heard it Nels Cline retired his Klon in favour of it and over night it became a 'must have' pedal.
CONCLUSION
Zero complaints! The damn thing just does it! It gives you that just right extra gain that is perfect for that just before break up sound without stamping it's foot print all over your guitar and amp.
When pushed it adds bite you get a really nice medium grit unlike other low gain pedal there is no annoying fizz or a thing where the dirt overtones keep coming in and dropping out. Some guys will use it for an always on pedal. A life saver in situations where your amp is turned down so low you have lost all your tone. I have found other passable solutions and I own some but this hits me as one of the best. Still I am a sucker for the perfect low gain pedal. Like everyone else I tried a decent Klon. I hated it! lol
....I ordered one! So come back in a few weeks for the ...'Hands On' review.
HANDS ON
It just arrived at my door.
The first thing I noticed was it is built into the steel box that Fulltone uses.
Nothing is better!
The kind of sound I am looking for is when you push a tube amp into crunch and then back it off until the crunch is on the border of off. It still sounds clean, but it is warmer, fuller with a bit of sustain and the highs are bright and clean but not even nearing ice picky or harsh.
It took me a few seconds to get that sound!!!
It nails that just before crunch sound ...and it sounds like it is coming from amp in other words the pedal does not sound like a pedal!
I tried on my semi where I do some elaborate flat picking.Total killer!
On other tunes where I am really kicking it with my Metal OD's on parts before and after using it I found it too tame. I found if I take my LPD Lustre which is a Vox AC30 sound and knock off all the lows and leave it's Top Boost sound intact then stack it on the Sarno is the perfect solution. That same combination is also killer for a 'Sultans of Swing' Strat sound.
Hi Mr. Paul!Does this thing still has worth getting?I saw your that it was not on your favorite pedal list..What are the overdrives in the top right of your pedalboard?Are they better?Cheers!
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