Get the Name of the Dog! is a JFET overdrive pedal from BSRI Audio. Where most overdrives use an op-amp chip with soft clipping diodes, this one is built as a completely discrete transistor overdrive, meaning the gain stages are made from individual transistors rather than an integrated circuit. The maker positions it against traditional soft clipping opamp overdrives, the circuit family behind pedals like the Boss SD-1 vs Ibanez TS9 Tube Screamer designs, and says the discrete approach delivers something those do not. It sits in the overdrive lane, aimed at low to mid gain playing rather than full distortion or fuzz territory1.
What it does
The pedal provides multiple voicing options to shape chunky low and mid gain tones, according to the maker's product page. In practice that means the player can alter how the circuit voices the low end and mids as it pushes into overdrive, rather than being locked to one fixed EQ curve.1
On feel, BSRI Audio describes the pedal as offering "a level of dynamic range and amp-like feel that's missing from traditional soft clipping opamp overdrives." The claim is that a discrete transistor design responds to picking strength and guitar volume the way a tube amp's front end does, cleaning up when played softly and opening up when dug in.1
"a level of dynamic range and amp-like feel that's missing from traditional soft clipping opamp overdrives"
Where it sits on a board
As a low to mid gain overdrive, it occupies the same slot on a board as a boost or a preamp style drive: something to push an amp or add grit to a clean platform. The voicing options are the distinguishing feature against simpler one-knob-and-drive designs, since they let the player tailor the chunk of the low and mids to the amp in use.1
Sources (1)
- Get the Name of the Dog!, BSRI Audio