The Overdrive Eight Fifty is an overdrive pedal from Hudson Electronics, a maker known for hand wired designs such as the Overdrive 999 and the Broadcast AP-II. The Eight Fifty is built on the first edition old orange Ibanez OD850 circuit, which itself is derived from the Big Muff Pi, though with changes in the tonestack1. It sits in the same family as the fuzz and distortion end of the overdrive spectrum, closer to a fuzz pedal in character than a transparent boost.
Hudson Electronics lists the Overdrive Eight Fifty under its archived category, and the pedal is no longer available1.
What it does
Hudson describes the sound as close to that of the green Russian Big Muff most, but darker in character, fat, open with lots of bloom, and very musical and overloaded1. In practical terms, that places it as a thick, sustaining drive with a softer top end than a typical Tube Screamer style overdrive, the kind of pedal that pushes an amp rather than tightening it.
The pedal's one documented extra control is a trim pot to dial in the amount of low end. Hudson notes that the bottom end can get pretty massive or be completely removed at the extreme settings, so the trim acts as an internal bass shaping control: set it one way for a huge, full low end, the other for a tighter response that sits better in a band mix1.
Where it came from
The Eight Fifty's circuit is based on the first edition old orange Ibanez OD850, which itself is derived from the BMP, though with changes in the tonestack1. Hudson's take keeps that lineage while altering the tonestack to shape the overdrive's voice1.
Videos
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Questions
Is the Hudson Electronics Overdrive Eight Fifty still available?
No. Hudson Electronics lists the Overdrive Eight Fifty under its archived category, meaning the pedal is no longer available from the maker. Players looking for a current Hudson overdrive would need to look at the company's other designs, such as the Broadcast range or the Overdrive 999.
What circuit is the Overdrive Eight Fifty based on?
Hudson Electronics says the Eight Fifty is based on the first edition old orange Ibanez OD850, which itself is derived from the Electro-Harmonix Big Muff Pi circuit, though with changes in the tonestack. Hudson describes the resulting sound as close to the green Russian Big Muff, but darker, fatter and more open.
Sources (1)
- OVERDRIVE EIGHT FIFTY, Hudson Electronics UK
