The Fender Drive is an overdrive pedal made by Fender, released as part of the Competition Series of effects pedals announced in January 2013. Fender describes it as creating "a warm overdrive reminiscent of classic '60s and '70s rock and blues tones"1. For a player, it is a dirt pedal in the warm, mid-forward camp: it can add a touch of breakup to a clean amp or act as a boost into an amp's front end for fuller crunch and sustain.
What it does to your sound
Fender's own description places the Drive firmly in classic rock and blues territory: warm overdrive with the flavor of '60s and '70s amps pushed into breakup1. Delicious Audio's Gus Green adds the practical detail: "It can be used to push tube or solid-state amps, creating harmonically rich crunch and sustain"3.
That means it works two ways in a rig:
- As the dirt itself, adding everything from just-breaking-up subtlety to fuller drive on a clean amp2.
- As a signal into an amp that is already on the edge, driving the amp's front end for crunch and sustain32.
MusicRadar's reviewer Trevor Curwen summed up the range of gain on offer: "But it's overdriven tones that most will look for here and there are plenty of them: from just breaking up subtlety to a" fuller drive, and his verdict on the pedal's core job was plain: "As a purveyor of dirt by itself or as a means to drive your amp's front end, it succeeds admirably"2.
How it compares
Curwen's review places the Drive's character close to a well-known reference point: "It's a range much like a Tube Screamer that's good for Stones rhythms and blues leads"2. Players weighing it against the classic mid-humped overdrives can see how the two approaches line up in our Boss SD-1 vs Ibanez TS9 Tube Screamer comparison.
Within Fender's own lineup, the Competition Drive sits alongside later and current Fender overdrives:
| Pedal | Where it sits |
|---|---|
| Fender Drive | Warm '60s and '70s rock and blues overdrive, Competition Series1 |
| Fender Santa Ana Overdrive | Later Fender overdrive in the current lineup |
| Fender Hammertone Breakup Drive | Later Fender overdrive in the current lineup |
| Fender Smolder Acoustic Overdrive | Overdrive voiced for acoustic guitar |
Together these cover everything from higher-gain voicings to overdrive designed for acoustic guitar.
Controls
The review describes the tone control's behavior in detail: "the tone knob starting out neutral sounding and then adding more top end presence as you turn it up, getting a little gnarly at the extreme"2. In other words:
- Low tone settings leave the drive largely untouched and natural sounding.
- Higher settings add bite and top end presence.
- At the extreme the top end can turn a little raspy2.
Background
Fender's move into stompboxes with the Competition Series was notable because, as Curwen put it, "Fender isn't really known for its effects pedals"2. The series was also designed with pedalboards in mind: "Where previous Fender pedals have eaten up floor space, the Competition Series is 'board-friendly with a similar footprint" to compact pedals2. The Drive is the overdrive in the line, and it is the overdriven tones that Curwen expected most players to look for, "from just breaking up subtlety" on up2.
Price
MusicRadar's review describes the pedal as "competitively priced - under £50 at many retailers"2.
That figure was given in British pounds in the review, and no US dollar list price is quoted there2.
Questions
Is the Fender Drive a Tube Screamer clone?
MusicRadar's reviewer Trevor Curwen did not call it a clone, but said its range is much like a Tube Screamer, good for Stones-style rhythms and blues leads. If you already know the Tube Screamer approach of a mid-focused, warm overdrive, the Fender Drive sits in similar territory while carrying Fender's own take on the circuit.
What does the tone knob do on the Fender Drive?
According to MusicRadar's review, the tone knob starts out neutral sounding and then adds more top end presence as you turn it up, getting a little gnarly at the extreme. In practice it lets you keep the drive natural at low settings and add bite when the pedal is pushed harder.
Can the Fender Drive be used with a solid-state amp?
Yes. Delicious Audio's Gus Green notes it can be used to push tube or solid-state amps, creating harmonically rich crunch and sustain. That makes it a practical way to get breakup from an amp that does not overdrive on its own.
What kind of music is the Fender Drive suited to?
Fender describes the pedal as creating a warm overdrive reminiscent of classic '60s and '70s rock and blues tones, and MusicRadar's reviewer found its range much like a Tube Screamer, good for Stones rhythms and blues leads. It covers everything from just-breaking-up subtlety to fuller drive.
How much does the Fender Drive cost?
MusicRadar's review describes it as competitively priced, under £50 at many retailers. The price was given in British pounds in the review, so the exact US dollar figure is not quoted there.
Sources (3)
- Fender Introduces Competition Series Effect Pedals, Guitar World, 2013-01-07
- Fender Drive Pedal review, MusicRadar, 2013-08-15
- Guitar Pedal News: Fender Competition Series Pedals, Delicious Audio, 2013-01-08
