Free The Tone Gigs Boson Overdrive GB-1V

The Free The Tone Gigs Boson Overdrive GB-1V is a compact overdrive pedal from Japanese maker Free The Tone, released on 20 October 2012¹. Free The Tone designed it around a wide gain range that the maker says covers blues, jazz and rock², and it carries an input circuit the company calls HTS (Holistic Tonal Solution), which MusicRadar reported prevents signal degradation even when the pedal is bypassed³.

What it does: overdrive for blues, jazz and rock

Free The Tone says the GB-1V's wide gain range lets it cover a broad span of genres, from blues through jazz to rock². MusicRadar's review put that in concrete terms: the reviewer found the pedal "caters for most tones a blues rock guitarist would wish for", from a sound essentially the same as if the pedal were bypassed, through edgy crunchy tones, to thick overdrive with impressive sustain³.

The same review drew one clear boundary. In the reviewer's view, "Other than modern metal tones with a hard percussive edge, this pedal will cater for all manner of classic blues and rock" styles³. So a player shopping for high-gain distortion should look elsewhere, while blues and classic rock players get a pedal that spans clean-ish boost through full overdrive.

MusicRadar also noted the pedal's build and appearance: "the black rotary dials and main panel married to the matte silver/gold coloured metal casing simply exudes class"³.

Controls

The GB-1V keeps its control set simple: three knobs and two small switches³².

MusicRadar described the layout from the player's point of view: "At the top of the pedal are three rotary dials (level/tone/gain) which effect your choice of tones", with the small switches sitting underneath the first and last dials³.

The gain boost is the pedal's second gain stage in effect. MusicRadar's reviewer found that "Engaging the gain boost increases volume and saturation"³, so it works as a lead push on top of whatever rhythm sound the GAIN knob is set to.

Power and connections: HTS input and switchable impedance

Power comes from DC9V, either a 9V type 006P battery or an AC adapter through the DC9V input jack²¹. Current draw is approximately 9mA², low enough that battery use is practical. MusicRadar called it "a minimal 9mA draw" and reported the pedal delivering "a broader dynamic range than usually associated with DC9V power supplies"³.

The more unusual feature is the INPUT Z switch. It selects between 1MΩ and 100kΩ input impedance, and Free The Tone states the function works even with the effect off, changing high-frequency nuance beyond what the tone circuit does¹. In practice this lets a player match how the pedal loads the guitar's pickups, which affects top-end character whether the overdrive is engaged or bypassed.

The HTS circuit is the other connection-side feature. MusicRadar reported that "the pedal features a newly developed input circuitry called the HTS circuit (HTS = Holistic Tonal Solution) that prevent" signal degradation even when bypassed³. Output load impedance is rated at 10kΩ or higher¹.

Who plays it

MusicRadar reported in 2012 that "At present, Japanese guitar hero, Hotei is using two on his live pedal board - recommendation indeed"³. Two units on a live board suggests the pedal was being used for both rhythm and lead gain stages.

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