The Animals Pedal CHARITY EDITION SURFING BEAR OVERDRIVE KUMAMOTOKEN is a limited overdrive pedal from Japanese maker Animals Pedal, released as a charity edition to support recovery from the Reiwa 8 Kumamoto earthquake. Animals Pedal donates the full purchase price of every CHARITY EDITION pedal as relief money for disaster-area recovery1.
Animals Pedal describes the Surfing Bear Overdrive as an overdrive pedal built to create the most basic distortion that today's guitarists need. The company says it delivers sufficient sustain, an attack that does not become too loud during cutting, and clear, forward distortion that does not get buried in the mix, with a TONE knob that lightly customizes the tone12.
The circuit: an 808 foundation
Animals Pedal is direct about where the Surfing Bear Overdrive comes from. The base of the circuit is the drive pedal the company calls legendary, the "808", the design associated with the Ibanez Tube Screamer family, with modifications for a modern sound1. The same statement appears on the pages of the related charity editions23.
For players who want context on what an 808-derived circuit does, the independent technical site runoffgroove.com, describing its own 808-inspired UBE Screamer project, put it this way:
Animals Pedal's own description of the DRIVE control is where the 808 connection shows: the I LOVE KUMAMOTO charity edition's manual says the D (DRIVE) knob adjusts the amount of distortion, and that set high it gives a mild, warm tone reminiscent of the legendary "808"2. The KUMAMOTOKEN edition's manual describes the same control as adjusting the amount of distortion1.
The two charity editions carry different JAN codes, 4562459917231 for the KUMAMOTOKEN version1 and 4562459917224 for the I LOVE KUMAMOTO version2, which identifies them as separate releases even though their control layout is the same. Both are listed at the same regular price of £63.1412.
Controls
The maker's product page lists the controls as follows:
| Control | What it does |
|---|---|
| D (DRIVE) | Adjusts the amount of distortion; set high it gives a mild, warm tone reminiscent of the legendary "808"2 |
| TONE | Lightly customizes the tone2 |
Power and connections
The electrical specifications come from the maker's product page1:
- Current draw: 15mA
- Input impedance: 500k ohm
- Output impedance: 10k ohm
The 15mA draw is modest by pedal standards and identical across the Kumamotoken edition, the I Love Kumamoto edition and the earlier charity edition, so the pedal places little demand on a pedalboard power supply123. The pedal also runs on a battery, and the current version of the Surfing Bear Overdrive was redesigned to make battery replacement easier than before, while moving the footswitch further forward, closer to the front edge, for better playability13.
The charity editions and where the money goes
The KUMAMOTOKEN edition is one of a series of CHARITY EDITION releases from Animals Pedal, each tied to a specific disaster. The earlier CHARITY EDITION SURFING BEAR OVERDRIVE supported recovery from the Noto Peninsula earthquake: on 22 February 2024, Animals Pedal donated the full 78,100 yen from six units sold to Ishikawa Prefecture as relief money3.
Animals Pedal released two charity editions of the Surfing Bear Overdrive: this KUMAMOTOKEN version1 and the I LOVE KUMAMOTO version2. Both are listed at a regular price of £63.14, the I LOVE KUMAMOTO edition with tax included12, and both describe the same D (DRIVE) control that adjusts the amount of distortion12.
These are limited editions. The maker's stated price is £63.14, tax included, and the entire purchase amount is donated as relief money rather than kept as revenue12.
Where it sits among Animals Pedal drives
Within Animals Pedal's own catalog, the Surfing Bear Overdrive stands as the pedal whose drive character the maker ties to the 808: its manual says that with the D (DRIVE) control set high it gives a mild, warm tone reminiscent of the legendary "808"2. The charity editions share that circuit description with the standard Surfing Bear Overdrive, differing in their JAN codes, 4562459917231 for the KUMAMOTOKEN version1 and 4562459917224 for the I LOVE KUMAMOTO version2, from the standard pedal's 45624599089703.
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Questions
Is the Surfing Bear Overdrive based on a Tube Screamer?
Yes. Animals Pedal states that the circuit's base is the legendary drive pedal known as the 808, the design behind the Tube Screamer family, with modifications aimed at a modern sound. The company describes the result as a basic overdrive for what today's guitarists need, with enough sustain and an attack that stays uncluttered during cutting.
How much current does the Surfing Bear Overdrive draw?
The maker lists a current draw of 15mA. That figure is the same across the Kumamotoken, I Love Kumamoto and earlier charity editions of the pedal, so it will run comfortably on a typical isolated pedalboard power supply.
Where do the proceeds from the Charity Edition go?
Animals Pedal donates the full purchase price of every CHARITY EDITION pedal as relief money for disaster-area recovery. For the Reiwa 8 Kumamoto earthquake editions, the company donated 100,100 yen from seven units sold to Kumamoto Prefecture on 1 September 2026.
What is the difference between the Kumamotoken and I Love Kumamoto versions?
Both are charity editions released to support recovery from the Reiwa 8 Kumamoto earthquake, and both use the same 808-based circuit with the same specifications, including 15mA current draw, 500k ohm input impedance and 10k ohm output impedance. The difference is the artwork and finish of the two limited editions.
Is it easier to change the battery on the current version?
Yes. Animals Pedal says the redesigned Surfing Bear Overdrive makes battery replacement easier than before, and the footswitch is placed further forward, closer to the front edge of the enclosure, for better playability.
What is the input impedance of the Surfing Bear Overdrive?
The maker lists an input impedance of 500k ohm and an output impedance of 10k ohm. Those figures apply to the Kumamotoken charity edition and to the other Surfing Bear Overdrive charity editions as well.
Sources (3)
- 【完売・寄付完了】Animals Pedal CHARITY EDITION SURFING BEAR OVERDRIVE KUMAMOTO, Animals Pedal (www.animalspedal.jp)
- 【完売・寄付完了】Animals Pedal CHARITY EDITION SURFING BEAR OVERDRIVE I LOVE K, Animals Pedal (animalspedal.jp)
- 【完売・寄付完了】Animals Pedal CHARITY EDITION SURFING BEAR OVERDRIVE, Animals Pedal (animalspedal.jp), 2024-02-22
