The Electric Love Aquatone Drive is an overdrive and distortion pedal built as a reimagining of the Boss BD-2 Blues Driver. It was made by Electric Love, the pedal company run by Ben Carlin, in collaboration with Brian Wampler of Wampler Pedals, with 100% of all Aquatone profits pledged to the Breast Cancer Research Foundation (BCRF) in fiscal years 2023-2024123.
Where the original Blues Driver gives a single gain control and one tone knob, the Aquatone Drive keeps the BD-2's basic circuit but adds an active 3-band EQ and a mode switch that moves between lower gain overdrive and higher gain distortion13. Delicious Audio described it as "no ordinary overdrive pedal," a Blues Driver variant rather than a straight copy1.
A Blues Driver-based overdrive with a distortion mode
The Boss BD-2 Blues Driver is a long-established overdrive pedal, and the Aquatone Drive is one of a family of pedals built around its circuit. Guitar Pedal X's Stefan Karlsson called the Aquatone "a very special evolution of the BD-2 Blues Driver" and noted that, as far as he was aware, it was the first proper 3-band EQ take on the Blues Driver format5.
The pedal's central feature is its gain structure switch. A two-position toggle selects between Overdrive and High-Gain Distortion modes, so a player can set a lower gain overdrive sound for rhythm work and flip to a higher gain distortion voicing for leads without rebuilding their whole setting14. Pedal of the Day described this as "an ingeniously designed switch to transition from lower gain overdrive to higher gain distortion"2.
The active 3-band EQ is what most separates the Aquatone from the pedal it is based on. Where the BD-2 offers a single tone control, the Aquatone gives independent Bass, Mids and Treble knobs, letting a player cut or boost frequency ranges rather than rolling off one end of the spectrum123.
The controls
The Aquatone Drive has five knobs and one toggle14.
| Control | What it does |
|---|---|
| Gain | Sets the amount of drive in the selected mode1 |
| Gain Structure toggle | Selects Distortion (up) or Overdrive (down) voicings5 |
| Volume | Sets the output level1 |
| Bass | Low frequency cut or boost, part of the active 3-band EQ1 |
| Mids | Midrange cut or boost, active41 |
| Treble | High frequency cut or boost, part of the active 3-band EQ1 |
Guitar World noted that both gain modes are "answerable to Gain, Volume, Bass, Mids and Treble parameters," so the EQ works in either mode4.
Power and bypass
The Aquatone Drive runs on an external DC power supply and has no battery compartment, so it cannot run on a battery the way many compact overdrives can1. It uses buffered bypass switching rather than true bypass, meaning a buffer stays in the signal path when the pedal is off1.
No battery compartment: the Aquatone Drive needs an external DC power supply or a pedalboard power brick. Players building a battery-powered board should plan around this.
A Wampler collaboration that benefits BCRF
The Aquatone Drive was designed by Ben Carlin's Electric Love in collaboration with Brian Wampler, the founder of Wampler Pedals14. Pedal of the Day called Wampler "one of the best in the biz" and framed the circuit as a team effort between the two2.
The release was tied to Breast Cancer Awareness Month 2023, and the charitable side is central to what the pedal is2:
- All profits from Aquatone sales go directly to the Breast Cancer Research Foundation (BCRF)1
- Electric Love committed to a minimum donation of $1,0001
- In fiscal years 2023 and 2024, Electric Love pledged to donate 100% of all Aquatone profits to BCRF1
- The total donation amount is disclosed on Electric Love's Reverb shop12
The pedal was sold in limited runs. After an initial run of about 80 units, preorders reopened at $199 for late November or early December 2023 shipping5.
What reviewers said
Reviewers were positive about how the pedal sounds and works. In Guitar Pedal X's roundup of the best new boost and overdrive pedals of the year, Stefan Karlsson wrote67:
"A fantastic overdrive / distortion - could well end up as one of my all-time favourites - but it's still a little too"6
The truncated quote comes from his year-end list, where the Aquatone appeared among the standout overdrives of 2023 at its $199 price75. In a later Blues Driver survey, Karlsson went further, calling it one of his big hits of 2023 and "a must have for BD-2 fans" that "really takes the Blues Driver format forward in the best way"7. For players who already like the Blues Driver's character but want more control, that is the case the Aquatone Drive makes: the same circuit family, with an EQ section and gain switching the original never had.
Videos
Wampler Pedals
R.J. Ronquillo
Pedal of the Day
Questions
Does the Electric Love Aquatone Drive take a battery?
No. The Aquatone Drive has no battery compartment and runs on a standard 9-volt external DC power supply only. Players who normally run pedals on batteries will need a wall supply or a pedalboard power brick to use it.
Is the Aquatone Drive true bypass?
No. The Aquatone Drive uses buffered bypass switching rather than true bypass. A buffer keeps the signal strong through long cable runs, though players who prefer a fully passive signal path when the pedal is off should note the difference.
Who designed the Electric Love Aquatone Drive?
The Aquatone Drive was designed by Electric Love's Ben Carlin in collaboration with Brian Wampler of Wampler Pedals. Guitar World reported it as designed in collaboration with Brian Wampler, and Pedal of the Day called him one of the best in the business.
Where do the Aquatone Drive profits go?
All profits from Aquatone sales go directly to the Breast Cancer Research Foundation (BCRF). Electric Love committed to a minimum donation of $1,000 and pledged to donate 100% of all Aquatone profits to BCRF in fiscal years 2023 and 2024, with the total donation disclosed on its Reverb shop.
What circuit is the Aquatone Drive based on?
The Aquatone Drive is a reimagining of the Boss BD-2 Blues Driver circuit. It keeps the Blues Driver's overdrive character but adds an active 3-band EQ, which Guitar Pedal X described as the first proper 3-band EQ take on the Blues Driver format.
What power supply does the Aquatone Drive need?
The Aquatone Drive needs a standard 9-volt external DC power supply. It has no battery compartment, so a 9V DC output from a pedalboard power supply or a dedicated wall adapter is required to run the pedal.
Sources (7)
- New Pedal: Electric Love Aquatone Drive, Delicious Audio, 2023-10-20
- Electric Love Aquatone Overdrive Distortion, Pedal of the Day, 2023-10-19
- Reverberations: Easy Honey, BOSS (articles.boss.info), 2026-06-10
- “No ordinary overdrive pedal”: The Electric Love and Brian Wampler Aquatone is a Boss Blues Driver clone with a twist, Guitar World, 2023-10-19
- Guitar Pedal X, Guitar Pedal X, 2023-10-23
- Guitar Pedal X, Guitar Pedal X, 2023-12-16
- Guitar Pedal X, Guitar Pedal X, 2024-01-26
