The Carvin Legacy Drive Preamp is a tube preamp pedal built with Steve Vai to carry the tone of his signature Carvin Legacy amplifier in a format small enough to pack in a carry-on. Vai set Carvin the challenge of cramming the Legacy amp's tone into a stompbox, and Carvin Audio worked with him to create it1. The pedal uses the full Legacy preamp circuit, with four gain stages running real 12AX7 tubes, and it was priced at $499 when it went on sale from Carvin Audio on 16 February 20171.
A Legacy amp preamp in a pedal
The Legacy Drive is a portable preamp rather than a drive pedal in the usual sense: Guitar World described it as a way to "take your tone anywhere you go with this portable preamp pedal"2. Carvin Audio's position was that reproducing the true Legacy sound could only come from real 12AX7 tubes, so the pedal's four gain stages and tone stacks are faithfully incorporated, running at the same operating conditions as they do in the Legacy amplifiers2.
The tone controls are the same tube driven circuits as the amps:
- Passive bass, mid, treble and presence controls, the same tube driven tone circuits used in the Legacy amplifiers2
- A Clean Channel whose presence switch adds sparkling clear highs to clean tones2
- A Drive Channel whose presence control adjusts the "edge" on your sound, with a range that allows for warm, thick sounds at lower settings and tones that cut through at higher settings2
The enclosure is a precision machined all metal chassis with easy to see recessed control knobs and solid foot switches2.
Carvin Audio announced the closure of its San Diego factory in October 2017, only months after the Legacy Drive began shipping, and later relaunched as Carvin Amps & Audio. The Legacy Drive is a discontinued product from the original run.
Built with Steve Vai
Steve Vai is named as the pedal's commissioner: MusicRadar reported that the guitar legend set Carvin the challenge of cramming the tone of his signature Legacy amp into a carry-on format, and the pedal was built to that brief1. Guitar World's report of the launch carries Vai talking about the pedal as his own collaboration with Carvin Audio2.
MusicRadar's Michael Astley-Brown gave the pedal a favorable early verdict: "Impressive stuff, as it should be given the $499 price tag"1.
For readers looking at Carvin's later tube preamp pedals, the company returned after its relaunch with the Carvin X1 Tube Preamp Pedal, an all-tube preamp based on the X100B amplifier circuit rather than the Legacy. A broader look at the category is on the Preamp Pedals page.
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Questions
How many tubes are in the Carvin Legacy Drive Preamp?
The Legacy Drive uses 12AX7 tubes across its four gain stages. Carvin Audio's position was that reproducing the true Legacy sound could only come from real 12AX7 tubes, so the pedal runs the same tube stages as the Legacy amplifier preamp rather than a solid-state approximation.
How much did the Carvin Legacy Drive Preamp cost?
The Legacy Drive Preamp Pedal was priced at $499 when it was announced in February 2017. MusicRadar's report called the pedal impressive and said the build and value should be expected at that price. It was available direct from Carvin Audio from 16 February 2017.
Is the Legacy Drive the same circuit as the Carvin Legacy amps?
Carvin Audio described the pedal as utilizing the full Legacy preamp circuit of the Legacy 100-watt amps. The four gain stages and tone stacks are incorporated, running at the same operating conditions as they do in the amplifiers, and the passive tone controls are the same tube driven circuits used in the Legacy amps.
What does the presence control do on the drive channel?
On the Drive Channel, the presence control is designed to adjust the edge on your sound. Its range allows for warm, thick sounds at lower settings and tones that cut through at higher settings. On the Clean Channel, the presence switch instead adds sparkling clear highs to clean tones.
Sources (2)
- Steve Vai reveals Carvin Legacy Drive Preamp pedal, MusicRadar, 2017-02-14
- Steve Vai Talks About His New Carvin Audio Legacy Drive Preamp Pedal, Guitar World, 2017-02-22
