The ELM Effects Sky Bridge Drive + Boost is a multi-gain stage overdrive featuring an extra boost with a separate footswitch and controls. Designed by pedal videographer Eric Merrow, it covers a wide gain range: Delicious Audio's Paolo De Gregorio describes it as going "From light drive to full blown fuzz, The Sky Bridge delivers as much gain as you want!"1 It sits in the territory shared by overdrive pedals, distortion pedals and fuzz pedals, with a boost built in.
Two circuits, two footswitches
The pedal puts two gain stages on one board. The drive circuit is, in Delicious Audio's description, "very dynamically reactive to your playing and focuses on producing clear and articulate" gain. The boost circuit is "voiced to retain your instrument's fundamental tone and add a touch of clarity and" sparkle. The boost is placed before the drive, so it can push the drive circuit harder when both are engaged. Each circuit has its own footswitch, so either can be used on its own1.
The controls: Level, Drive, Low, High and Boost
| Control | What it does |
|---|---|
| Level | Overall output volume, with plenty of volume to push the front of an amp or other pedals further down the chain1 |
| Drive | Amount of gain and breakup in the drive circuit; low settings yield cleaner sounds, higher settings give fully distorted tones1 |
| Low | Active bass control: noon is no boost or cut, below noon cuts bass, past noon boosts bass1 |
| High | Active treble control: noon is no boost or cut, below noon cuts treble, past noon boosts treble1 |
| Boost | Amount of volume boost, engaged with the boost footswitch1 |
Because the Low and High knobs are active controls, noon is a genuine flat setting rather than a midpoint of a passive taper, which makes the EQ easy to reset to neutral between sounds1.
Name and background
Before it was known as the Sky Bridge, the pedal was "initially presented under the Lefty Guitars Daily The Cannon moniker"1. Delicious Audio presented the pedal under its current name in September 20211.
Videos
Eric Merrow
Questions
Who designs ELM Effects pedals?
ELM Effects pedals are designed by Eric Merrow, who is described as a pedal videographer. The Sky Bridge Drive + Boost is one of his designs, presented by Delicious Audio in September 2021.
Was the Sky Bridge Drive + Boost ever called The Cannon?
Yes. Before it carried the Sky Bridge name, the pedal was initially presented under the Lefty Guitars Daily moniker The Cannon, according to Delicious Audio's product page.
Can I use the boost and the drive separately?
Yes. The boost has its own footswitch and its own controls, and it is placed before the drive circuit in the signal path. Each side can be engaged on its own, so you can run the boost alone, the drive alone, or both together.
What does the Low and High knobs' noon position do on the Sky Bridge?
Both the Low and High knobs are active controls. At noon, neither boosts nor cuts anything. Turning a knob below noon cuts bass or treble respectively, and turning it past noon boosts it.
How much gain can the Sky Bridge Drive + Boost produce?
Delicious Audio describes it as delivering from light drive to full blown fuzz, saying the Sky Bridge delivers as much gain as you want. The Drive knob sets the amount of gain and breakup, with low settings cleaner and higher settings fully distorted.
Sources (1)
- ELM Effects Sky Bridge Drive + Boost, Delicious Audio, 2021-09-10