The Ashdown FS-Drive Plus is a distortion pedal built for bass. Ashdown designed it after what the maker calls calls from the Ashdown community for a distortion pedal tailored for modern bassists, and the company describes it as a pedal with the power to strike fear into the heart of the dirtiest of guitar riffs1.
What sets it apart from a straightforward distortion pedal is that it splits the bass signal into bands. The Drive Plus lets you add distortion to the high and low frequency components of your bass signal individually, so the top end can be distorted while the low end stays cleaner, or the other way round1. That matters on bass, where heavy distortion applied to the whole signal can blur the fundamentals that hold a mix together.
Separate distortion for the highs and lows
The pedal works by filtering the signal into two overlapping bands, each with its own drive stage1:
| Filter section | Filter frequency | Roll off | Gain range |
|---|---|---|---|
| HF Drive | 180Hz | 12dB/octave | 0 to 60dB |
| LF Drive | 600Hz | not applicable | 0 to 30dB |
The composite crossover point of the overlapping high and low pass filters is 250Hz1. In practice, that means gain applied above the crossover shapes the growl and grind of the upper strings, while gain below it affects the low fundamentals. The HF stage offers twice the gain range of the LF stage, which suits pushing the top end hard while keeping the low end under control.
The controls
| Control | What it does |
|---|---|
| Drive | Sets the amount of distortion1 |
| Distortion Level | Balances the amount of the effect with the clean bass signal1 |
| Distortion Tone | Adjusts the character of the distortion1 |
| Output level | Dials in the balance between the effect and the true bypass level1 |
| Input level | Combined with the VU meter, helps find the input sweet spot for active or passive basses1 |
The VU meter and Input level knob work together: Ashdown says the combination lets you easily find the sweet spot, whether your bass has active electronics or passive pickups1.
Build and power
The pedal uses metal casings, premium controls and switches, and recessed knobs and kickguards to protect the screens and VU meters1. Power comes from an internal 9v battery or an external 9v DC adaptor with a center pin negative1.
Ashdown does not publish a current draw figure for the FS-Drive Plus, so if you power it from a shared supply, match it against the adaptor specification the maker gives: 9v DC, center pin negative.
Where it sits in Ashdown's bass distortion range
The FS-Drive Plus is part of a line of Ashdown bass dirt pedals, built in answer to what the maker describes as "calls from the Ashdown community for a distortion pedal tailored for modern bassists"1. Where many bass distortion pedals offer two channels or a single drive circuit, the FS-Drive Plus splits the work across the frequency bands: the high half of the signal passes through its own gain stage, with HF Gain running from 0 to 60dB, while the low half has a separate LF Gain stage running from 0 to 30dB1. That split lets a player add aggressive high-end grit while keeping the low end at a gain level that holds the fundamentals together, which is the usual challenge when putting distortion on a bass signal. Ashdown pitches the pedal as having "the power to strike fear into the heart of the dirtiest of guitar riffs"1.
Questions
Is the Ashdown FS-Drive Plus true bypass?
Yes. Ashdown says its pedals feature genuine true bypass switching, which the maker describes as zero colouration of the input signal when the pedal is not in use. The Output level control also lets you dial in the balance between the effect and the true bypass level, so the engaged and bypassed volumes can be matched.
Does the Ashdown FS-Drive Plus take a battery?
Yes. The pedal holds an internal 9v battery, and it can also run from an external 9v DC adaptor with a centre pin negative. Ashdown does not publish a current draw figure for the pedal, so check a daisy-chain supply's capacity against the maker's specifications before sharing power with other pedals.
Is the Ashdown FS-Drive Plus made for bass or guitar?
It is a bass pedal. Ashdown describes the Drive Plus as a distortion pedal tailored for modern bassists, answering calls from the Ashdown community. Its split-band design exists because a bass signal spans a wide range: the high frequencies can be distorted while the low end stays cleaner, or the other way round.
What is the crossover point of the Ashdown FS-Drive Plus?
The composite crossover point of the overlapping high and low pass filters is 250Hz. The HF Drive filter section is set at 180Hz with a 12dB/octave roll off, and the LF Drive filter section is set at 600Hz, so the two bands overlap around that 250Hz point.
What does the VU meter on the FS-Drive Plus do?
The VU meter works together with the Input level knob to help you find the input sweet spot, which Ashdown says makes it easy to set the pedal up for either active or passive basses. The meter sits behind a recessed screen with a kickguard to protect it.
Sources (1)
- FS-Drive Plus, Ashdown Engineering
