The Celestial Effects Virgo Overdrive is an overdrive pedal, and the rock overdrive member of the maker's five-pedal Celestial line1. Pedal of the Day describes it as a pedal that "can do anything from a clean boost to tasty, sustaining overdriven distortion," aimed at the sounds of classic rock2. It sits in the same family as the Celestial Effects Taurus Blues Overdrive, a blues-oriented sibling in the same zodiac-named range2.
What it does to your sound
Pedal of the Day's review says the Virgo "produces a heavy, tight, in your face, saturated tone," and that it "conjures up feelings and sounds of all your favorite classic rock tunes and guitarists from the '60's and '70's"2. The pedal is described as very touch sensitive, with very little noise filtering, so the instrument's entire signal comes through easily and cleanly2.
The Premier Guitar reviewer put it this way:
"The Virgo loves humbuckers and Marshalls"
The reviewer found brawny, inspiring '60s and '70s saturated tones in the pedal's MOSFET/germanium mode, in its low end and overall tone with humbuckers and Marshalls1.
The controls
The Virgo carries four controls, which the Pedal of the Day review describes as follows2:
| Control | What it does |
|---|---|
| Volume | Sets the output level |
| Gain | Set low, gives a cleaner, fuller original tone; cranked up, it delivers powerfully crunchy and harmonically rich drive |
| Tone | Features a nice EQ sweep, without taking over your original tone |
| Edge | Takes the crunch to a new level; rolled back a bit, it produces a smoother tone |
The Gain control is the main drive setting: low settings keep the original tone largely intact, which is what makes the pedal usable as a clean boost, while higher settings push it into saturated rock territory2. The Edge control works alongside it as a second way to shape the bite of the drive2.
Where it sits in the Celestial line
Premier Guitar identifies the Virgo as the rock overdrive member of the five-pedal Celestial line, with a street price of $1991. Players comparing it with other drives in the family will find the Taurus Blues Overdrive covers the blues side of the range2. For a wider look at how drives like this differ from one another, see Overdrive Pedals and the Boss SD-1 vs Ibanez TS9 Tube Screamer comparison.
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Questions
Does the Celestial Effects Virgo Overdrive work as a clean boost?
Yes. Pedal of the Day's review describes the Virgo as an overdrive that "can do anything from a clean boost to tasty, sustaining overdriven distortion." With the Gain control set low it leaves a cleaner, fuller version of the original tone, and the Volume control sets the output level, so it can be used to push an amp or other pedals as well as to add drive of its own.
What is the MOSFET/germanium mode on the Virgo?
The Virgo's low end and overall tone in MOSFET/germanium mode is what the Premier Guitar reviewer singled out, saying the pedal "loves humbuckers and Marshalls" and delivers brawny, inspiring '60s and '70s saturated tones in that mode with humbucker-equipped guitars and Marshall-style amps.
What does the Tone control do on the Celestial Effects Virgo?
According to Pedal of the Day, the Tone control "features a nice EQ sweep, without taking over your original tone," letting you shape the high end of the drive without masking the character of the guitar and amp behind it.
Who makes the Virgo Overdrive?
The Virgo Overdrive is made by Celestial Effects. Premier Guitar describes it as the rock overdrive member of the company's five-pedal Celestial line, each pedal named for a sign of the zodiac.
Sources (2)
- Celestial Effects Virgo Overdrive Pedal Review, Premier Guitar, 2011-10-18
- Celestial Effects Virgo Rock Overdrive, Pedal of the Day, 2017-02-02
