I like this pedal. It’s an overdrive pedal that can really push pretty heavy. I was always a Muff guy, but this is a great alternative. It’s not very noisy unless you really turn it up (but hey, it’s still just an overdrive pedal), and it holds it’s character within a wide volume spectrum. This is Eric Johnson and David Gilmour’s distortion pedal (well, this one is a continuance of the schematics that built the original pedals - that’s right, this thing goes pretty far back.  Think “Young Lust” tone). It’s pretty clear too - hammer out Young Lust through this and you can tell it still has that sound.

This pedal has been through some changes through the years with apparently different developers. I google’d and found a 3 knob version and a custom 5 knob version. The original designer B.K. Butler still makes these things on his own. Worth a look.

I found this pedal in a box at a friend’s rehearsal room. I played it through a Fender ‘65 Twin Reissue. That amp has no overdrive and needs something that can color. I really was impressed when I tried it. It’s a tube preamp (per the name) so I swapped around some tubes to see what I liked better. Personally, I stuck with the original. It’s a strong box, and pretty heavy. It needs to be plugged in instead of taking batteries (this distortion pedal is using a lot of electricity to keep the bulb on). The controls are as limiting as any stomp box. I’m really happy with the high end and gain control, but I think it gets kind of muddy for me with the lows and mids. The other tubes I tested didn’t help that out.

It’s an overdrive pedal with a lot of character. It’s not your run of the mill box. Definitely worthy of high marks in my book.