The DRIVE-O-MATIC is an overdrive pedal made by Dr. No Effects, the German effects maker whose small-run pedals are built and sold in limited numbers. Overdrive pedals sit in the gain-stage family between clean boost pedals and heavier distortion, pushing an amp or a later gain stage into breakup rather than clipping the signal hard on their own.
What it does
As an overdrive, the DRIVE-O-MATIC shapes the guitar's gain structure: it adds saturation and sustain while leaving the core character of the instrument and amp intact, the way overdrive pedals generally do.
Don't confuse this pedal with the Stamps Amplification Drive-O-Matic XL, a different product from a different maker. On that pedal, the XL version "removes the diode switch in favor of an added 'Saturation' control", according to Aion FX's project documentation1. The two share a name but have no connection covered here.
Players comparing Dr. No Effects drives can also look at the maker's other gain pedals, such as the PowerDriver MkII and the MORE GARY, or the limited Drive-0-Matic CC-SG Limited Edition variant.
Videos
Brett Kingman
Guitar Interactive Magazine
Art Tendency
Sources (1)
- Heliosphere Dual Distortion / Stamps Drive-O-Matic, Aion FX, 2023-11-24
