The Carvin Audio Steve Vai Legacy Drive is a preamp pedal built around a precision machined all metal chassis with easy to see recessed control knobs and solid foot switches1. On the Clean Channel, the PRESENCE switch adds sparkling clear highs to clean tones1.
How the pedal came about
The Legacy Drive exists because Vai wanted his Legacy tube tone in a pedalboard format. MusicRadar's Michael Astley-Brown reported that Vai commissioned Carvin to build the pedal based on his signature Legacy amp2. Guitar World's announcement framed the choice of real tubes as central to the design: "The ability to reproduce the true Legacy sound could only come from real 12AX7 tubes, utilizing the full Legacy preamp circuit with four gain stages and tone stacks running at the same operating conditions as the Legacy 100-watt amps"1.
Vai has long been associated with signature pedals; in Guitar Player's Pedalpocalypse episode, his choices include the Ibanez Jemini Distortion pedal, another signature design, and the episode shows his extensive collection of effects pedals3.
Controls
The pedal carries the same tube-driven tone circuits as the Legacy amplifiers. Guitar World described the passive BASS, MID, TREBLE, and PRESENCE controls as "the same tube driven tone circuits used in the Legacy amplifiers"1.
| Control | Channel | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| PRESENCE (switch) | Clean | Adds sparkling clear highs to clean tones1 |
| PRESENCE (knob) | Drive | Adjusts the "edge" on your sound; lower settings give warm, thick sounds, higher settings cut through1 |
| BASS, MID, TREBLE | Both | Passive tube-driven tone controls, the same circuits as the Legacy amplifiers1 |
Build
Guitar World described the hardware as a "precision machined all metal chassis with easy to see recessed control knobs and solid foot switches"1.
Related gear
BOSS later took a different route to the same amp with the WZ TC-SV Steve Vai Legacy Tone Capsule, a modification circuit that re-voices the tube circuit characteristics of the original Waza Amp. BOSS describes its Tube Logic approach as "injecting key elements of the Legacy amp" to modify the tone toward Vai's signature sound4. Where the Carvin pedal uses real 12AX7 tubes, the Tone Capsule is an accessory that alters an existing amp's voicing.
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Questions
Does the Steve Vai Legacy Drive use real tubes?
Yes. Guitar World reported that the pedal uses real 12AX7 tubes running the full Legacy preamp circuit, with four gain stages and tone stacks operating at the same conditions as the Legacy 100-watt amps. Carvin's position at launch was that reproducing the true Legacy sound could only come from real tubes rather than a modeled circuit.
How many gain stages does the Legacy Drive have?
Four. According to Guitar World's announcement, the pedal runs the full Legacy preamp circuit with four gain stages and tone stacks, using real 12AX7 tubes at the same operating conditions as the Legacy 100-watt amplifiers.
When did the Carvin Legacy Drive come out?
Carvin Audio and Steve Vai announced the pedal in February 2017, and it became available to purchase on February 16, 2017, priced at $499 according to MusicRadar.
What does the Presence control do on the Drive channel?
Guitar World described the Drive channel's Presence control as adjusting the edge on your sound. Lower settings give warm, thick sounds, while higher settings help the tone cut through.
What is the Legacy Drive made of?
Guitar World described a precision machined all-metal chassis with easy-to-see recessed control knobs and solid foot switches.
Sources (4)
- Carvin Audio Announces Steve Vai Legacy Drive Preamp Pedal, Guitar World, 2017-02-13
- Steve Vai reveals Carvin Legacy Drive Preamp pedal, MusicRadar, 2017-02-14
- Pedalpocalypse: Steve Vai And The Pedals He Couldn't Live Without, Guitar Player (www.guitarplayer.com), 2022-09-16
- BOSS - WZ TC-SV | Steve Vai Legacy Tone Capsule, BOSS (boss.info)
