Pigtronix Crams Tons of Tone-Boosting Functionalities Into the Gamma Drive

September 29, 2021 · 5 sources

Pigtronix announced the Gamma Drive, a mini-format analog overdrive pedal that the maker describes as "a germanium-enhanced overdrive with active Treble and Bass EQ controls"¹. The pedal joined Pigtronix's lineup of board-friendly, sci-fi-themed mini pedals alongside the Constellator modulated analog delay, the Space Rip PWM guitar synth and the Moon Pool tremvelope phaser². Guitar.com reported that the Gamma Drive was sold at $129³, the same list price shown on the maker's product page¹.

The drive's character comes from its clipping stage. Pigtronix says it achieves "articulate, touch-sensitive performance characteristics via a unique mixture of germanium, LED and silicon" diodes arranged to produce asymmetrical clipping¹. The maker adds that this mixture "allow[s] for touch-sensitive response, where natural saturation breaks up f[urther]" as the player digs in¹. Delicious Audio called it a touch-sensitive analog drive⁴.

Gearnews noted that the pedal comes in a mini-pedal format, "perfect for squeezing onto already cramped pedalboard setups"⁵. Its four controls are:

• Gain: sets the amount of distortion¹
• Volume: sets the output level¹
• Treble: boosts or cuts high frequencies centered at 2kHz¹
• Bass: an active low-band control, paired with the Treble⁵

Pigtronix also published a set of suggested tone settings on the product page: Crunchy Spank, Voxey Lady, Sweet Mids, Wooly Mammoth and Country Boost¹.

The pedal runs on 9VDC with a 100mA current draw, uses true bypass switching, and measures 3.75 inches wide by 1.5 inches long by 1.75 inches tall, weighing 0.5 lbs¹. Input impedance is 10M and output impedance is 150 ohms¹. The maker lists it under both its overdrive and distortion categories¹.