Crazy Tube Circuits Venus

The Crazy Tube Circuits Venus is a real-tube overdrive pedal: an analog circuit built around an actual vacuum tube under the hood, in a compact, pedalboard-friendly enclosure¹. Its immediate availability was announced by the maker², and Delicious Audio reported it shipping³. It is made in Greece², and Pete Thorn's demo describes it as coming "all the way from Europe"⁴.

The Venus is a compact, modern take on classic tube-driven overdrive and distortion, inspired by all the pedal and rack versions of the BK Butler Tube Driver³. Where the original Tube Driver units were large and mains-powered, the Venus fits a pedalboard-friendly enclosure that Sonic State describes as less than half the size of the original pedal units and other "real tube overdrive" models on the market², and it runs off a standard 9V power supply²⁵.

A real-tube overdrive in a compact box

The Venus puts a genuine preamp tube in a small stompbox and runs it at higher voltage than the 9V coming in: internally it operates at +/- 15V DC through an internal voltage boost and inversion circuit, as the classic tube drive units it was inspired by did¹¹. MusicRadar's Jonathan Horsley put it plainly: "it really is a crazy tube circuit featuring an actual vacuum tube under the hood"¹.

The range of tones runs wide. Sonic State says it provides "a versatile range of tones from smooth, warm overdrive to aggressive high-gain distortion"², and Delicious Audio describes "a range of tones from smooth, subtle warmth to aggressive, high-gain fuzz"³. Guitar World's Trevor Curwen found the Drive knob "dials in the dirt from just beyond clean to really creamy and full-on drive, dripping with sustain and cleaning up nicely with guitar volume"⁷.

The controls

The control set goes beyond what the original Tube Driver offered. Pete Thorn's demo covers the layout: "they give you volume control and drive control. And on the Venus, there's a full three-band EQ"⁴.

The Bias control is the most distinctive knob. Guitar World notes it "sets the sweet spot for different valve types, but you can also use it for a wide range of variations in the drive sound, from smoothest overdrive through gnarlier drive/distortion to gated fuzz sounds"⁷. The Tight switch addresses a characteristic of the original design: Thorn notes "the original tube driver has a real real fat low end," and the tight switch gives "tighter sounds and a little bit more punch and attack"⁴.

Power: 9V, 400mA

The Venus runs off a standard 9V DC center negative power supply¹¹. Guitar.com's Ed Oleszko points out the practical implication: "you can power it straight off your pedalboard's power supply (albeit with a 400mA current draw)"¹⁰.

The internal voltage boost and inversion circuit is what lets a tube run properly from a 9V input, the same approach the classic tube drive units used¹¹.

The ECC832 tube and swapping it

Press sources describe the stock tube as an ECC832, "a hybrid of ECC83 and ECC82"². MusicRadar calls it an "oddball" mix of an ECC83 and an ECC82, chosen by the maker¹, and Delicious Audio says it blends "the characteristics of ECC83 and ECC82 tubes for clarity, string separation, and a wide soundstage"³. Guitar World describes the same tube as "half ECC82/half ECC83"⁷. Pete Thorn describes the stock tube as having half of a 12AX7 and half of a 12AT7, chosen over a straight 12AX7 for a little less gain and more clarity⁴.

Crazy Tube Circuits' own product page, however, describes the Venus as a "Real tube (12AY7) overdrive"⁶. The maker's page and the press reviews therefore disagree on which tube ships in the box; both descriptions are given here as stated.

Either way, the tube is socketed and swappable, as in the original Tube Drivers¹¹¹². The pedal accepts a wide range of dual triode tubes¹:

• ECC83/12AX7
• 5751
• ECC81/12AT7
• 6072/12AY7
• ECC82/12AU7¹¹

Because the Bias control sets the operating point for different valve types, swapping tubes and re-biasing is a practical way to change the pedal's character⁷.

Inspired by the Butler Tube Driver

The Venus is inspired by all the pedal and rack versions of the BK Butler Tube Driver³, which Sonic State calls "legendary"². On his channel, Pete Thorn frames the Venus as a reimagining of the Chandler Tube Driver, "maybe most famously used by Joe Satriani, Eric Johnson, and David Gilmour"⁴. Those players are named for the original Tube Driver circuit the Venus emulates, not for the Venus itself.

The design goal, as the maker told MusicRadar, was: "With ultimate versatility and tone shaping in mind, we set out to recreate a classic tube tone sculpture with modern refinements"¹. The refinements over the original include the compact enclosure, the three-band EQ, the bias control, the tight switch and the selectable buffered line driver to preserve audio integrity across pedal chains².

What reviewers said

Guitar World's review was enthusiastic, awarding five stars overall and concluding there is "something here for all drive lovers." Trevor Curwen's verdict: "the Venus does the exact same job in a smaller footprint with an extended feature set and none of the drawbacks, such as mains-transformer hum"⁷.

Pete Thorn's video review found the Line Driver switch worth leaving on: "if I switched that out, it seemed a little softer, a little less punchy," and he kept it in for the whole video for punch and clarity⁴. The Venus was also reviewed alongside the original Tube Driver it emulates, the reviewer concluding that "the Venus does the exact same job in a smaller footprint with an extended feature set and none of the drawbacks, such as mains-transformer hum," and awarding it five stars⁷.

Pete Thorn's full demo covers the controls, the stock tube and the pedal's tones:

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