The Chesapeake Effects Flagship Overdrive is an overdrive pedal built around the Marshall Blues Breaker circuit, with more gain on tap than the original design and a toggle switch that selects between two diode clipping settings. Pedal of the Day's reviewer described the company as a builder that "not only do rad rehousings, but they make a pretty mean overdrive pedal as well"1. The pedal is hand built in Westminster, Maryland1.
What it does
The Blues Breaker circuit, first heard in the Marshall Blues Breaker pedal, sits on the lower-gain end of the overdrive family: guitar.com's review of the original described it as "a much lower-gain overdrive than the Guv'nor"2. The Flagship keeps that foundation but adds headroom for harder hitting. "First, there's more gain on tap to make this puppy give you some real crunch," the Pedal of the Day reviewer wrote1. For a player, that means the Blues Breaker's mid-forward, amp-like character with enough drive for real crunch, rather than only a light push. For where it sits among drive pedals generally, see Overdrive Pedals and Distortion Pedals.
Controls and the clipping toggle
The pedal carries the standard three-knob layout: "Volume, Gain and Tone are the typical controls you see on many overdrive pedals," the reviewer noted1. The addition is a toggle switch for further tonal control, which picks between two diode clipping settings1:
| Setting | Character |
|---|---|
| Symmetrical | A smoother clipping sound1 |
| Asymmetrical | Clips more like a screamer-type pedal1 |
That asymmetrical mode is the Flagship's closest brush with the Tube Screamer family of clipping, clipping more like a screamer-type pedal, while the symmetrical setting is a smoother clipping sound. For a comparison of two classic screamer-adjacent drives, see Boss SD-1 vs Ibanez TS9 Tube Screamer1.
Build and warranty
The reviewer's verdict on construction was blunt: "This thing is built like a tank"1. Chesapeake backs that up with a 10-year guarantee on all the mechanical and electrical components1, which is a long coverage for a small-builder pedal.
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Questions
Where is the Chesapeake Effects Flagship Overdrive made?
Pedal of the Day's review describes the Flagship Overdrive as hand built in Westminster, Maryland. Chesapeake Effects is a small builder that also does pedal rehousings, and the Flagship is one of its own overdrive designs.
What is the warranty on the Flagship Overdrive?
According to Pedal of the Day's review, the pedals are guaranteed for 10 years on all the mechanical and electrical components, which is a notably long coverage for a small-builder pedal.
What circuit is the Flagship Overdrive based on?
Pedal of the Day describes it as based around the popular Marshall Blues Breaker circuit, with changes including more gain on tap and an added toggle switch for choosing between two diode clipping settings.
Does the Flagship Overdrive sound like a Tube Screamer?
Only in one of its two modes. The reviewer found the asymmetrical clipping setting clips more like a screamer-type pedal, while the symmetrical setting gives a smoother clipping sound. With more gain on tap than a stock Blues Breaker design, it covers ground a Tube Screamer does not.
What does the clipping toggle switch do?
The toggle switch is added for further tonal control and lets you pick between two diode clipping settings. Pedal of the Day describes the symmetrical setting as a smoother clipping sound, and the asymmetrical setting as clipping more like a screamer-type pedal.
Sources (2)
- Chesapeake Effects Flagship Overdrive, Pedal of the Day, 2016-09-29
- Marshall BluesBreaker: can it pick up right where it left off?, guitar.com, 2023-08-18
