The Celestial Effects Taurus Blues Overdrive is an overdrive pedal aimed at blues players, described by Pedal of the Day as offering "sustaining & crunchy tones with a plethora of versatility"1. The reviewer summed it up as a pedal with "some unique controls and excellent overdrive tones, giving you all the blues sounds" in one well-sized and expertly-priced package, and nicknamed it "a big green monster in a little green box"1. It sits in the wider family of overdrive pedals, and Celestial Effects also makes the Virgo Overdrive.
Controls and the toggle switch
The Taurus carries four knobs and a three-way toggle. Volume, Tone and Gain give, in Pedal of the Day's words, "a nice mix of boost, low-gain drive and tube-like amp saturation using the wide ranges on the knobs"1. The fourth knob, Edge, "works to smooth out the already harmonically-rich tone of the pedal, providing a much-welcomed control that will really let you dial in your sound"1.
| Control | What it does |
|---|---|
| Volume | Output level |
| Tone | Voice of the pedal |
| Gain | Amount of drive, from boost to amp-like saturation |
| Edge | Smooths the harmonically rich tone |
| Toggle | Selects the clipping mode |
The toggle switch is what sets the Taurus apart from many overdrives, offering three distinct clipping characters1:
- Left: a smooth and compressed symmetrical tone
- Center: removes all the diodes for a clear, open and vocal sound that lets your original tone shine
- Right: an asymmetrical MOSFET mode producing crunch and dirt
Circuit and reviewer's verdict
For its gain, the pedal uses a paralleled NJM4558DX op-amp, a dual op-amp chip common in overdrive designs1. Pedal of the Day's 2016 review is the main published account of the pedal, and its verdict was positive: unique controls, excellent overdrive tones, and the blues sounds covered in one well-sized and expertly-priced package1.
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Questions
What does the Edge control do on the Taurus Blues Overdrive?
According to Pedal of the Day's review, the Edge knob works to smooth out the pedal's already harmonically-rich tone. The reviewer called it a much-welcomed control that lets you dial in your sound, sitting alongside the Volume, Tone and Gain knobs.
What does the center position of the toggle switch do?
Set dead center, the toggle removes all the diodes from the clipping circuit. Pedal of the Day describes the result as a clear, open and vocal sound that really lets your original tone shine through, distinct from the symmetrical mode on the left and the MOSFET mode on the right.
What op-amp does the Taurus Blues Overdrive use?
The pedal uses a paralleled NJM4558DX op-amp to achieve its gain, as described in Pedal of the Day's 2016 review. Paralleling op-amp stages is a common way to build up gain in an overdrive circuit.
What is MOSFET clipping on the Taurus?
With the toggle set to the right, the Taurus engages an asymmetrical MOSFET mode. Pedal of the Day's reviewer found this setting produces crunch and dirt, a different character from the smooth, compressed symmetrical tone of the left position or the diode-less center position.
Who makes the Taurus Blues Overdrive?
The Taurus Blues Overdrive is made by Celestial Effects, a pedal maker whose lineup Pedal of the Day has reviewed across several pedals, including the Taurus in July 2016.
Sources (1)
- Celestial Effects Taurus Blues Overdrive, Pedal of the Day, 2016-07-06
