Dophix Michelangelo Overdrive Plus

The Dophix Michelangelo Overdrive Plus is an analog overdrive and boost pedal from Italian maker Dophix, with each side independent of the other¹. Its core circuit is built entirely of JFET transistors, which Dophix says give a dynamic and warm sound that recreates the feel of a tube head, combining what the maker calls the dynamism of valve sound with the definition of a pedal effect². On top of the drive stage it carries a preamplifier and an output boost, both separately controllable and activated through a dedicated BOOST footswitch².

The Dophix Michelangelo Overdrive Plus is an analog overdrive pedal whose core circuit is built entirely of JFET transistors, which Dophix says give a dynamic and warm sound recreating a tube (valve) head². It offers a preamplifier and an output boost, both separately controllable and activated through a dedicated BOOST footswitch, with two independent true bypass footswitches: DRIVE activates and deactivates the drive effect, and BOOST activates the boost². MusicRadar listed its price at $320³.

The controls

The Michelangelo Overdrive Plus puts its drive sound together from a set of knobs and toggles that Dophix and reviewers describe as follows⁵.

The preamplifier is a separate gain stage in its own right: Dophix explains that it acts on the amplitude of the input signal into the amplification and distortion section, so the Pre knob shapes how hard the drive stage itself is hit².

The Pre toggle changes how the boost side behaves. MusicRadar describes it as "a toggle switch that allows you to position it before or after the gain stage"⁴. Pedal of the Day spells out the practical difference:

So with the switch off you get a footswitchable boost on demand, and with it on the boost is always engaged in the chain, either pushing the front of the gain stage or lifting the output after it¹⁴².

Two true bypass footswitches control the whole pedal: DRIVE activates and deactivates the drive effect, and BOOST activates and deactivates the preamp, the output boost, or both². That means you can run the boost side into a clean amp on its own, or stack it with the drive.

Three clipping modes: silicon, germanium and JFET

The headline feature is the three-position switch that selects three distortion modes using silicon, germanium and JFET semiconductors²⁶. MusicRadar frames the same switch as the circuit's three distinct diode voicings, "with silicon, germanium and FET selectable via a three-way toggle switch"⁴.

For a player, this is the difference between three characters of clipping in one box. Silicon diodes are the tighter, brighter voicing common to most classic overdrives; germanium is the softer, more compressed and rounder clipping associated with vintage fuzz and early overdrive circuits; and the FET position clips in a way that leans into the pedal's JFET core, where Dophix says the dynamic and warm tube-like character lives²⁴. Rather than buying three pedals to compare those voicings, the selector moves between them on the fly, and the Blend knob then dials in how much of the clipped signal sits against your clean signal⁴.

Where it comes from and what it costs

Dophix is an Italian builder, and MusicRadar notes that Michelangelos "are built to order in Firenze and will take around 30 days to reach your pedalboard"⁴. The pedal is built around JFET transistors throughout its core circuit, which Dophix describes as giving a dynamic and warm sound recreating a tube (valve) head².

On price, the figures differ by date and region. Dophix's product page lists €400 as the original price². Guitar World's review gives $320, £275, €290⁵, and MusicRadar's 2019 launch coverage put it at €290, approximately $325³. The maker's page is the most recent figure to weigh against the older press numbers.

Dophix has since extended the Michelangelo family: a Michelangelo overdrive mini was previewed at the NAMM Show 2026 in Los Angeles, with pre-orders open and shipping expected within one month, and the line sits alongside pedals like the Dante and Lussuria overdrives.

What reviewers said

MusicRadar's launch coverage called it "a real work of art" and noted the vintage 1970s JFETs and +15dB preamp boost, while observing that at approximately $325 it was not cheap³. Guitar World's reviewer, Trevor Curwen, described the working method: "Level and Gain controls set up the drive sound that can be further tweaked by two EQ knobs"⁵. Delicious Audio, writing from the Montreal Sonic Circuit event in 2022, went furthest:

Pedal of the Day's 2019 review emphasized the pedal's structure as an overdrive and boost with each side independent of the other, and walked through the Boost knob adjusting the output boost activated by the Boost footswitch¹.

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