The Visible Overdrive is a compact overdrive pedal from Deadbeat Sound, and its most obvious feature is the one you can see: a clear, see-through enclosure with a blue LED inside that lights up when the pedal is switched on. Under the housing it is a mid-focused overdrive in the tradition of certain green 1980s overdrives, the family of circuits players usually call Tube Screamers. Pedal of the Day, which featured the pedal in November 2018, described it as "a clear, see-through dirt pedal"1.
It sits in the overdrive family rather than among distortion pedals or fuzz pedals: the aim is a warm, touch-responsive dirt tone with the mids pushed forward, the kind of sound that helps a guitar cut through a band mix. Players who want more of that mid-forward character in a smaller dose may also look at boost pedals.
What it does
Pedal of the Day's review describes the pedal as "designed to emulate the tones of certain 1980's, green, mid-focused overdrives," and says its "Output, Tone and Gain controls produce a warm, tube-like overdrive with a bit of tasty boost in the mids, ala the Tube Screamers from decades past"1. In practical terms, that is the classic overdrive recipe: the Gain control sets how hard the circuit drives, the Tone control shapes the treble, and the Output sets the overall level.
| Control | What it does |
|---|---|
| Gain | Sets the amount of overdrive |
| Tone | Shapes the treble response |
| Output | Sets the overall level |
Beyond guitar
One point the review makes that sets this pedal apart from many overdrives is how wide a range of instruments it accepts. Pedal of the Day notes it is "Working not only with guitars, but bass, keys, drum machines and more"1. For a bassist or a keyboard player looking for a mid push into an amp or interface, that places it alongside dedicated bass pedals.
The enclosure
The see-through housing is the pedal's signature. Pedal of the Day's reviewer wrote that "The Blue LED that resides inside this clear enclosure really pops out when you turn it on"1. Functionally it is a standard dirt pedal; the transparent case simply lets you see the circuitry and the indicator light at work.
What reviewers said
The pedal opened a "Deadbeat Week" run of Deadbeat Sound features on Pedal of the Day in November 20181. The reviewer's verdict was favorable on both sound and build:
"a solid, well-crafted and affordable pedal that will absolutely rock your amp"
The same review called the price "ridiculously affordable" for the category1. No list price in US dollars is given for the pedal.
Videos
Pedal of the Day
Sean Pierce Johnson
The Polarity
Sources (1)
- Deadbeat Sound The Visible Overdrive, Pedal of the Day, 2018-11-13