Barber Electronics GCX

The Barber Electronics GCX is an analog overdrive pedal from Barber, built as a special edition expanded version of the company's Gain Changer overdrive. Where the standard Gain Changer keeps its voicing partly inside the box, the GCX brings more of that shaping to the player: an external midrange pot on the outside of the pedal, plus internal trim adjustments for bass and an internal presence control that works in both the high and low gain modes¹.

Barber describes the GCX's range as covering "Sounds from the Barber LTD SR to the unLimiTeD, and all stops in between. From clear flat response low gain drive, to medium/high gain with plenty of snarl."¹ In practice that means one pedal that can sit at the low-gain end of an overdrive board or push into higher gain territory, with the midrange and internal controls used to dial in where it sits.

Controls and voicing

• External midrange pot: a midrange control on the pedal's face, letting you shape mids without opening the unit up¹
• Internal bass trim: trim adjustments for bass, set inside the pedal¹
• Internal presence control: adjusts presence for both the high and low gain modes¹

Where it sits in the Gain Changer family

The GCX is part of a line of Gain Changer pedals that Barber has built and revised over the years. The company sells the hand-built Gain Changer SR alongside it², and a service schematic for the original Gain-Changer circuit, drawn by David Barber and dated 12-6-2012, is published on the Barber site for use by permission³. The GCX's distinguishing feature within that family is the expanded control set: the external midrange pot and the internal bass and presence trims give access to voicing that the standard Gain Changer does not put in front of the player¹.