All-Pedal Slamurai Overdrive

The All-Pedal Slamurai Overdrive is an overdrive pedal built around one idea: making a stompbox behave like an amp. AllPedal's own description of the pedal states the goal directly: "With the Slamurai™ we set out to make the most amp-like and versatile overdrive available."¹ The maker pairs that aim with a list of qualities it says the pedal carries: rugged construction, touch sensitivity, amp-like dynamics and versatile tone shaping onboard.¹

What that means in practice is a pedal that covers a lot of ground from one set of controls. AllPedal describes the Slamurai as having "the ability to produce a wide range of tones from clean boost all the way up to more modern drive tones,"² so at the low end of its gain range it works as a boost into an already-driven amp, and further up it becomes what Delicious Audio calls "a fully-fledged modern high gain overdrive that gets good reviews from metal tone connoisseurs."¹ Players who want to hear how that range sits against more conventional circuits can compare it with the Boss SD-1 vs Ibanez TS9 Tube Screamer pairing, which represents the classic overdrive approach the Slamurai departs from with its EQ section.

The 3-band EQ

The feature that sets the Slamurai apart from most overdrives is its equalizer. Rather than the single tone knob found on many drive pedals, the Slamurai carries what AllPedal calls "a highly tunable 3-band EQ section, designed specifically for guitar."² That gives a player bass, middle and treble control over the driven signal, which is unusual for an overdrive and closer to what you would expect from a preamp or a dedicated EQ pedal. Pedal of the Day highlighted the same section in its review, noting the pedal "boasts a highly tunable 3-band EQ section, designed specifically for guitar."³

That EQ is also what lets one pedal span such a wide gain range: shaping the bands lets the low-gain settings sit under a clean sound and the high-gain settings cut through a band mix. Guitar Pedal X's Stefan Karlsson, writing about the related Slamurai Bushido Drive, called it "a fantastically versatile overdrive with 3-Band EQ also," and said he was impressed with it overall.⁴

What the maker says the pedal offers, in its own words:

• Rugged construction¹
• Touch sensitivity¹
• Amp-like dynamics¹
• Versatile tone shaping onboard¹
• A wide range of tones from clean boost to modern drive tones²

Built or soldered: the DIY kit

The Slamurai ships in two forms. Delicious Audio describes it as "an entry level boutique pedal kit that offers pro quality build, tone and performance for the DIY enthusiast at any skill level,"¹ and notes the pedal "comes either fully built or as a DIY kit."¹ A player who wants the circuit without a soldering iron buys it assembled; a builder gets the same design as a kit, and the maker positions the kit as approachable at any skill level.

Versions

AllPedal sells the Slamurai in more than one finish, and the same overdrive-with-3-band-EQ formula appears across the family⁵²⁴:

The Parlor Edition is described by the maker as "Amp-Like Overdrive & 3-Band EQ for Warrior-Grade Tone,"⁵ with the same rugged construction as the standard pedal.⁵

Reviewers and reception

Pedal of the Day reviewed the Slamurai in June 2023 and came away drawn in by both appearance and sound³:

Delicious Audio's write-up frames the pedal's standing among high-gain players, saying it gets good reviews from metal tone connoisseurs.¹

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