The Farm Pedals AB Double Drive is a two-in-one pedal that puts a clean boost and an overdrive in a single enclosure. The overdrive side carries the circuit of the maker's now discontinued Peach Drive, modified for this pedal, while the other side is a clean boost. The two can be used separately or together, which makes it a flexible gain-staging tool on a board built around boost pedals and light overdrive pedals.1
What each side does
The boost side is described as a super clean, non-coloring boost with a somewhat thickening character, the kind of sidekick that lifts a signal without changing its tone. The overdrive side, labeled B, is described as slightly gritty and ultra transparent, tonally flat, adding clarity and crunch at the same time.1
"Slightly gritty ultra transparent, tonally flat overdrive. This pedal adds clarity and crunch at the same time."
Where it came from
The pedal was created at the request of Aaron Bowen, who wanted something cleaner to pair with the Peach Drive. Farm Pedals went to work and built the AB Double Drive around that idea, keeping the Peach Drive circuit on one side and adding the clean boost on the other. The Peach Drive itself has since been discontinued, so the AB Double Drive is where that circuit lives on.1
The controls
The overdrive side carries two knobs:
| Control | Side | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| V (Volume) | B side | Sets the output level1 |
| G (Gain) | B side | Runs from cleanish crisp to crackling overdrive; turning it down takes out some of the teeth, but it never cleans up totally1 |
The gain control's behavior is worth noting for players who like a pedal to go fully clean when rolled back: on the B side it does not. The clean boost side is where the pedal stays uncolored.1
Jacks and layout
The input jack is on the right of the pedal and the output jack is on the left. That is the reverse of many pedal layouts, so it is worth thinking about before placing it on a board or running patch cables.1
Videos
Demos In The Dark
Questions
Can you run the boost and the overdrive at the same time on the Farm Pedals AB Double Drive?
Yes. The pedal holds a clean boost on one side and an overdrive on the other, and the two can be used separately or together. The overdrive side is a modified version of Farm Pedals' discontinued Peach Drive circuit, while the boost side is described as super clean and non-coloring, with a slightly thickening character.
Does the AB Double Drive use the Peach Drive circuit?
The overdrive side does. Farm Pedals describes it as a modified version of the old Peach Drive, a pedal that has since been discontinued. The other side of the AB Double Drive is a clean boost, so the pedal carries the Peach Drive circuit forward in a two-in-one format.
Does the Farm Pedals AB Double Drive ever clean up completely?
Not on the overdrive side. The G (gain) control runs from cleanish crisp tones to crackling overdrive, and turning it down works to take out some of the teeth, but it never cleans up totally. The boost side, by contrast, is described as super clean and non-coloring.
Which jack is the input on the AB Double Drive?
The input jack is on the right of the pedal and the output jack is on the left. That is worth knowing when planning a pedalboard layout, since many pedals place the input on the left.
Who is Aaron Bowen in relation to the AB Double Drive?
Aaron Bowen is the player who asked Farm Pedals to build it. He wanted something cleaner to pair with the Peach Drive, and the maker went to work and created the AB Double Drive in response to that request.
Sources (1)
- Farm Pedals AB Double Drive, Delicious Audio, 2019-04-25