The Garland FX Pink Drive is an overdrive pedal built around an op-amp circuit, made by the small Houston-based builder Garland FX. Pedal of the Day described it as delivering "the classic rock and roll sounds of the 1960's and 70's," with a range that runs from a slightly dirty boost through full-bodied overdrive and into heavily distorted, fuzz-adjacent territory when the Gain control is maxed1. It is not a one-trick pedal: the same review counted "a good bunch of overdriven, distorted and even borderline fuzzy tones to conjure up"1.
The pedal came wrapped in the signature tweed finish Garland FX used on the majority of its lineup1.
An op-amp overdrive for classic rock tones
The Pink Drive belongs to the op-amp family of overdrives, a design approach where an operational amplifier does the work of pushing the signal into clipping rather than the transistors of a fuzz or the diode-to-ground arrangement of many other overdrives. Pedal of the Day's review credited it with "a nice mixture of op-amp fueled sounds" and judged it able to hang with more expensive pedals1.
Where many overdrives sit firmly in one camp, the Pink Drive straddles categories. At low Gain settings it works as a slightly dirty boost, in the territory of a boost pedal with some grit. Turned up it becomes a full-bodied overdrive, and pushed to the maximum it creeps into heavily distorted, fuzz-ish sounds, brushing against distortion and even fuzz territory1. That spread is what the reviewer meant by calling it "no one-trick"1.
The controls: Gain, Tone, Volume and two toggles
The control layout is three knobs and two toggles. According to Pedal of the Day's review1:
| Control | What it does |
|---|---|
| Gain | Sets the dirt level, from a slightly dirty boost to a full-bodied overdrive, creeping into heavily distorted, fuzz-ish sound when maxed out |
| Tone | Offers a nice range of high/low cut possibilities, working perfectly with single coils and humbuckers alike |
| Volume | Increases the tonal structure as it gets higher |
| Smooth Mids toggle | Fattens up or tames the input signal's tone, depending on your pickup setup |
| Diode toggle | Selects between two clipping diode choices, Silicon and LED |
The two toggles are where the Pink Drive earns its flexibility. The Smooth Mids toggle is a pickup-dependent voicing switch: with a bright single-coil guitar you can fatten the input signal, and with a hotter pickup setup you can tame it1. The diode toggle changes the clipping character itself, choosing between Silicon and LED diodes1. Silicon diodes clip at a lower threshold for a tighter, more conventional overdrive edge, while LEDs have a higher forward voltage, which typically lets more of the signal through before clipping and gives a more open, dynamic feel. The reviewer's point was that with both diode types available, "you'd be hard pressed to NOT be able to find the exact tonal quality" you are after1.
What reviewers said
Pedal of the Day reviewed the Pink Drive on 7 November 2018 and was positive about it, calling it one of Garland FX's best creations yet1. The verdict in the reviewer's own words:
"Able to hang with other, more expensive pedals, it offers a nice mixture of op-amp fueled sounds, all the while maintaining a rich feel with beautiful harmonic structure."
The review praised the pedal across its whole gain range, noting that the rich feel and harmonic structure held up from the dirty-boost end to the fuzz-ish maximum1. The same outlet later referred back to the Pink Drive as "a great overdrive in its own right" when covering the HTX Active Combo Drive, the follow-up pedal Garland FX built on the same circuit2.
The Pink Drive's afterlife: the HTX Active Combo Drive
Videos
Pedal of the Day
Jackson Brooksby
MrExcane
Questions
What do the toggles on the Garland FX Pink Drive do?
There are two toggles. The Smooth Mids toggle fattens up or tames the input signal's tone depending on your pickup setup, and the second toggle selects between two clipping diode choices, Silicon and LED, which changes the character of the dirt. Together they give the pedal four basic voicings before you even touch the knobs.
Is Garland FX still in business?
No. Garland FX, a small builder based in Houston, appears to have ceased operations in 2017, with its website down and its social media accounts deleted. The Pink Drive and the rest of the lineup are now only available on the used market, and the circuit lived on in the HTX Active Combo Drive released in 2019.
Does the Pink Drive use LED clipping diodes?
Yes, as one of two options. The Pink Drive's second toggle selects between Silicon and LED clipping diodes, so LED clipping is one of the two diode voices on the pedal. Silicon diodes typically give a tighter, more conventional overdrive clip while LEDs have a higher forward voltage and a more open feel.
Does the Garland FX Pink Drive work with humbuckers?
Yes. Pedal of the Day's review specifically says the Tone control works perfectly with single coils and humbuckers alike, offering a nice range of high and low cut possibilities. The Smooth Mids toggle is also described as a pickup-dependent control, letting you fatten or tame the input signal depending on your pickup setup.
Sources (2)
- Garland FX Pink Drive Overdrive Distortion, Pedal of the Day, 2018-11-07
- Garland FX HTX Active Drive Overdrive, Pedal of the Day, 2019-06-28
