The Artisanal Effects Toneshaper Drive EQ Overdrive is a dual overdrive and six-band graphic EQ in one pedal. The builder describes it as combining "the oomph of an overdrive with the frequency-sculpting of a 6-band EQ," and Pedal of the Day sums it up plainly: "The Toneshaper Drive is a dual overdrive/6 band graphic EQ."1 For a player, that means one box that can push an amp into overdrive and then reshape the frequencies of that drive, or of your clean signal, with six bands of cut and boost.
What it does and how it is controlled
The pedal is split into two sides. The EQ side, on the right with red knobs, carries six EQ controls divided into three columns and labeled with their center frequencies. Each knob is a cut and boost control: set to noon it gives no cut or boost, turning it right gives up to 12 dB of boost, and turning it left gives up to 12 dB of cut. The bands offer about 12 dB of cut and boost per band and are focused on the mid frequencies, starting at 300 Hz, which the builder called the all important mids for a guitar signal.1
The builder describes the EQ as "a very transparent sounding EQ that was tweaked for guitar signals," so the intent is shaping that does not color the tone on its own.1
Where it came from
The idea came from the builder's guitar-playing friends experimenting with graphic EQs in front of, or most commonly after, various drive pedals. The drive side itself has the heritage of the Bluesbreaker circuit, with design components tweaked from the Browne Amplification Carbon and others. Compared with its inspirations, the builder says the Toneshaper has boosted output, a circuit tweaked to cut less highs, and a revamped tone control intended to be more useful.1
"I also wanted a drive that could be manipulated by the EQ into other drive sounds that were not very Bluesbreaker-like at all."
In other words, the Bluesbreaker lineage is a starting point, not a fixed character: the built-in EQ is there to push the drive somewhere else entirely1.
Routing and two-amp use
The two sides are not locked in series. You can send each side to a different amp, and you can reverse the order of the effects, from Drive > EQ to EQ > Drive.1 That makes the pedal flexible in a few setups:
- Standard: drive into EQ, shaping the overdriven tone after the fact.
- Reversed: EQ into drive, shaping what feeds the overdrive circuit.
- Two amps: each side feeding a different amplifier.
Videos
Pedal of the Day
Brock Davisson
Questions
What is the Artisanal Effects Toneshaper based on?
The builder describes the drive side as having the heritage of the Bluesbreaker circuit, with design components tweaked from the Browne Amplification Carbon and others. The idea came from guitar-playing friends experimenting with graphic EQs in front of, or most commonly after, various drive pedals. The builder's aim was a drive that the EQ could manipulate into other drive sounds that were not very Bluesbreaker-like at all.
How much boost and cut does each EQ band give?
Each of the six EQ knobs offers about 12 dB of cut and gain per band, tweaked for guitar signals. Set to noon, a knob gives no cut or boost. Turning it to the right gives up to 12 dB of boost, and to the left up to 12 dB of cut. The bands are focused on the mid frequencies of 300 Hz to 1 kHz.
Can the Toneshaper run the EQ before the drive?
Yes. The order of the two sides can be reversed, from Drive into EQ to EQ into Drive, so you can place the frequency shaping before or after the overdrive depending on how you want it to interact with the drive circuit.
Can the two sides of the Toneshaper go to different amps?
Yes. Each side can be sent to a different amp, which makes the pedal usable in a two-amp rig, with the drive feeding one amplifier and the EQ side feeding another.
Which frequencies does the Toneshaper EQ focus on?
The EQ is tweaked for guitar signals and is focused on the mid frequencies of 300 Hz to 1 kHz, the range the builder called the all important mids. The six controls are divided into three columns and labelled with their center frequencies.
Does the Toneshaper sound like a Bluesbreaker?
Not necessarily. The drive side has Bluesbreaker heritage, but the builder deliberately wanted a drive that could be manipulated by the EQ into other drive sounds that were not very Bluesbreaker-like at all. The circuit was also tweaked to cut less highs and given a revamped tone control and boosted output.
Sources (1)
- Artisanal Effects Toneshaper Drive EQ Overdrive, Pedal of the Day (www.pedal-of-the-day.com), 2024-04-05
