The Friday Club el Cardinále is an overdrive pedal, a drive that Pedal of the Day described as fitting "in just about anywhere in your rig"1. It belongs to Friday Club, a line of "fairly straightforward effects that feature no fuss, no muss controls and excellent" build, according to the same review1. If you are new to this category, our page on Overdrive Pedals explains how drives shape an amp's breakup.
What it does
The el Cardinále keeps its control layout minimal. Volume is the output control, setting how loud the pedal pushes the rest of your chain1.
"Simple, powerful, stunning and clean, this is an overdrive that can slide onto any pedalboard and feel instantly right"
Output level
The one thing reviewers flagged most strongly is how much level the pedal has on tap. Pedal of the Day's reviewer wrote that the el Cardinále, like all Friday Club pedals, has "a TON of volume to work with. A TON. Beware of this thing, people," describing an output level with enough headroom to "blow out eardrums and amps in a half-second"1. In practice that means the Volume control does far more than make up for level lost through the drive stage: it can push your amp's input hard if you want it to, and it is worth rolling back carefully when you first plug in.
Who makes it
Friday Club pedals were designed by Jack Deville, described by Pedal of the Day as "the mastermind behind" the Mr. Black line of pedals, with hands in ventures beyond that as well1.
Videos
Jack Deville
Good sir minnow
Pedal of the Day
Questions
Who makes the el Cardinále Overdrive?
The el Cardinále Overdrive is made by Friday Club. The line was designed by Jack Deville, who is also known as the person behind the Mr. Black line of pedals. Pedal of the Day describes the Friday Club pedals as a line of fairly straightforward effects with no-fuss controls.
What does the el Cardinále sound like?
Pedal of the Day's reviewer called it simple, powerful, stunning and clean, an overdrive that can slide onto any pedalboard and feel instantly right. The same review notes that it has a very large amount of output volume on tap, enough that the reviewer warned players to beware of it.
Sources (1)
- Friday Club el Cardinále Overdrive, Pedal of the Day, 2017-02-17
