The GUPtech Saguenay Drive Overdrive - Douche Edition is a limited-run overdrive pedal from GUPtech, a small builder whose pedals are made in Saguenay, Québec, Canada. It is built on the original 1981 Boss SD-1 circuit, updated with top jacks, true bypass switching and solid Alpha or equivalent potentiometers. GUPtech describes it as a pedal for pushing an already crunchy amp for more and more gain, even pushing a Marshall JCM800 into what the maker calls classic Trash territory. The Douche Edition is a super limited chrome-green edition, and it is sold out1.
What it does
GUPtech positions the Saguenay Drive as a boost for an amp that is already breaking up. That is the traditional role of an SD-1-style overdrive on a pedalboard, placed in front of a tube amp to tighten and thicken its own drive rather than create all the gain on its own1.
"Perfect to push an already crunchy amp for more and more gain, even pushing a Marshall JCM800 into the classic Trash territory."
The Douche Edition name and chrome-green finish are a local in-joke from the maker. GUPtech builds all of its pedals in Saguenay, Québec, Canada, and the puns in the name turn it into Saguenay Drive, or SD1.
Features at a glance
GUPtech's page lists these features for the Saguenay Drive Overdrive - Douche Edition1:
- Based on the original 1981 Boss SD-1 circuit
- Top-mounted jacks
- True bypass design
- Solid Alpha or equivalent potentiometers
- Limited chrome-green finish (Douche Edition)
The SD-1 circuit underneath
The Boss SD-1 Super Overdrive is one of the longest-serving overdrive designs. TONEHOME lists it as a Boss overdrive pedal built on "the same asymmetric overdrive circuit as the OD-1"2, and Guitar World's Rod Brakes writes that "the SD-1 is based on the asymmetrical clipping circuit of the original OD-1 Over Drive"3. Boss itself describes the SD-1 as "expanding on the OD-1 design with enhanced voicing and a tone control"4. Asymmetric clipping, the shared trait of the OD-1 and SD-1, clips the signal differently on its positive and negative halves, which is the basis of the SD-1's character.
The SD-1 has a long reputation as an affordable way to get amp-style breakup. MusicRadar's Rob Laing called it "a go-to bargain for tones to recreate smooth tube amp-style drive"5, and guitarist Mike Stern is documented using "a Boss SD-1 for overdrive"6. If you want to see how the SD-1's voicing compares with the other famous green overdrive, see the Boss SD-1 vs Ibanez TS9 Tube Screamer comparison.
Douche Edition versus the standard Saguenay Drive
The Douche Edition is a super limited chrome-green edition that has sold out. The standard GUPtech Saguenay Drive is the pedal's other version1.
| Douche Edition | Standard Saguenay Drive | |
|---|---|---|
| Circuit | Original 1981 Boss SD-11 | Original 1981 Boss SD-11 |
| Finish | Super limited chrome-green1 | Regular finish1 |
| Availability | Sold out1 | Ongoing version1 |
The Douche Edition is sold out, according to GUPtech's product page1. Because it was a super limited run, it is unlikely to return.
Power and practical details
The Saguenay Drive runs on 9VDC center negative and draws 6mA1. That is a small draw, well within what any standard 9V pedal supply provides, and it does not rule out sharing a supply output with other low-draw pedals. The top-mounted jacks keep the pedal's footprint shallow on a board, and the true bypass design takes the circuit out of the signal path when the pedal is off1.
Questions
Is the GUPtech Saguenay Drive based on the Boss SD-1?
Yes. GUPtech states that the Saguenay Drive is based on the original 1981 Boss SD-1. The SD-1 itself is Boss's Super OverDrive, an overdrive pedal built on the asymmetrical clipping circuit of the original OD-1, with added tone control and its own voicing. The Saguenay Drive adds modern features to that circuit, including top-mounted jacks and true bypass.
Is the Saguenay Drive true bypass?
Yes. GUPtech describes the Saguenay Drive as having a true bypass design, along with top jacks and solid Alpha or equivalent potentiometers. True bypass means the pedal's circuit is removed from the signal path entirely when it is switched off.
How much current does the Saguenay Drive draw?
GUPtech lists the power consumption of the Saguenay Drive Overdrive - Douche Edition at 6mA at 9VDC, center negative. That is a light draw by pedal standards, so a standard 9V supply handles it easily.
Is the Douche Edition still available?
No. GUPtech's product page lists the Saguenay Drive Overdrive - Douche Edition as sold out. It was described as a super limited chrome-green edition, so it was produced in small numbers. The standard Saguenay Drive remains the pedal's regular version.
Sources (6)
- Saguenay Drive Overdrive, GUPtech
- TONEHOME, TONEHOME
- Boss overdrive pedals: the evolution of its essential stompboxes, Guitar World, 2021-09-28
- BOSS - PX-1 | Plugout FX, BOSS (www.boss.info)
- Boss announces anniversary versions of the SD-1 Super Overdrive and MT-2 Metal Zone pedals, MusicRadar, 2021-05-20
- Visiting Mike Stern, Stompbox Book (stompboxbook.com), 2020-06-13
