The Hagerman Overdrive is an overdrive pedal built around a real 12AX7 vacuum tube, made by Hagerman Amplification. Announced in November 2019 as one of the maker's first two boutique pedals, alongside the Boost, it is an all-analog, hand-built in the USA design with the tube visible on the face of the pedal. Hagerman describes it as having enough gain "to push into classic preamp-style overdrive for warm, fat, crunchy and rich" tones1.
What it does to your sound
The Overdrive uses a discrete vacuum tube circuit, with the classic 12AX7 doing the gain work. Delicious Audio describes the 12AX7 as delivering "a fair amount of gain" and notes it is visible under its protective metal arch on the pedal2. At lower gains, Delicious Audio says the pedal doubles as a clean boost, buffer or EQ pedal, which widens its use beyond straight overdrive2.
The pedal uses a built-in low noise boost converter as part of its design. Guitar World also notes the construction uses metal-film resistors and polypropylene capacitors1.
Controls
| Control | What it does |
|---|---|
| Volume | Output level; gearnews.com found plenty of headroom, with the knob around 10 o'clock still louder than bypassed3 |
| Drive | Amount of overdrive3 |
| Bass | Tone control; Premier Guitar says the bass and treble controls "offer a wide range of intuitive adjustment"5 |
| Treble | Tone control, as above5 |
Swapping the tube
The 12AX7 can be exchanged for lower-gain tubes. Delicious Audio names the 5751, 12AT7 and 12AY7 as substitutes for lower gain2, and gearnews.com lists the same alternatives3. Swapping tubes is the main way to tailor how much overdrive the pedal delivers.
As on the companion Boost pedal, the tube is exposed on the top of the enclosure3. A protective metal arch covers it2, but it is worth bearing in mind on a crowded pedalboard.
What reviewers said
Delicious Audio's Paolo De Gregorio passed on a user's impression: "within the first few minutes of using this one, it enriches incredibly well... solid state and tube amps... clean, crunch and" hi-gain, calling it exceptionally done2. gearnews.com's reviewer found the gain ample and noted the volume knob at around 10 o'clock was still louder than the bypassed signal3.
Context on the board
The Overdrive sits in a family of tube-driven designs from Hagerman, including the Hagerman Reactivator, a two-transistor, two-triode overdrive. If you are weighing it against the more common overdrive shapes, or want to see the wider field, the Overdrive Pedals page gathers the type in one place.
Questions
Is the Hagerman Overdrive true bypass?
Yes. Guitar World reports that the Overdrive has true bypass switching, along with a buffered output capable of driving long cables or other pedals. That combination means the pedal can sit on a board without loading your signal when bypassed, while still having the option of a buffered line for longer cable runs.
Can you swap the tube in the Hagerman Overdrive?
Yes. The pedal ships with a 12AX7, and lower-gain tubes can be substituted. Delicious Audio names the 5751, 12AT7 and 12AY7 as options, and gearnews.com lists the same alternatives. Swapping to a lower-gain tube reduces the amount of overdrive on tap and changes how the pedal responds.
Where is the Hagerman Overdrive made?
Guitar.com reports that both of Hagerman's tube pedals, the Overdrive and the Boost, are hand-built in the USA. The maker, Hagerman Amplification, is based in Honolulu according to Guitar World.
Is the Hagerman Overdrive analog?
Yes. Guitar.com describes the Overdrive as an all-analogue, true-bypass pedal, and MusicRadar likewise calls it an all-analogue device with a 12AX7 valve circuit. The tube runs from an internal 180V tube supply.
Sources (5)
- Hagerman Amplification launches pedal line with tube-loaded Overdrive and Boost units, Guitar World, 2019-11-07
- Hagerman Overdrive 12AX7 Tube Pedal, Delicious Audio, 2021-12-16
- Hagerman Overdrive and Boost: Premium tube pedals to help you find your ideal tone, gearnews.com, 2019-11-07
- Hagerman launches a pair of tube-driven pedals, Guitar.com, 2019-11-05
- New Boost & Overdrive Pedals Launched by Hagerman, Premier Guitar, 2019-11-01
