The JAM Pedals "Relic" Lucydreamer is a touch-sensitive clean-blend overdrive from JAM Pedals. JAM Pedals describes it as moving from dynamic tube-amp-style breakup to full-bodied high-gain saturation while keeping chord voicings clear, and says it works both into a clean platform and into an already driven valve amp1.
What sets it apart from a traditional mid-forward overdrive, according to the maker, is that the circuit lets more low end through while adding a carefully calibrated mid lift that tube amps respond to1. The "Relic" is one of JAM Pedals' limited artwork editions: a one-of-a-kind hand-painted piece, so the pedal you receive will differ in detail from the photos shown1.
What it does: a clean-blend overdrive
The core idea of the Lucydreamer is the Dry/Wet Mix control. Instead of your whole signal going through the clipping stage, the pedal splits it: the driven path can be pushed into full saturation while the Mix control restores natural attack and definition by blending your clean signal back in1. That is the same approach players use on bass to keep the fundamental intact, and here JAM Pedals applies it to guitar, preserving attack, low-end definition and chord clarity even at heavy gain settings1.
The maker positions the voicing between two camps: more low end passes through than in a traditional mid-forward overdrive, but a calibrated mid lift is still present so a tube amp responds to the drive the way it would to a mid-pushed pedal1. The overdrive tracks touch, spanning light tube-like breakup through full-bodied saturation while maintaining chord and note clarity2.
Controls and switching
Four knobs and two footswitches run the pedal1.
| Control | What it does |
|---|---|
| Level | Sets master output1 |
| Tone | Shapes the overdrive1 |
| Gain | Sets saturation1 |
| Mix | Sets the ratio between dry and overdriven signals, preserving attack, low-end definition and chord clarity1 |
The right footswitch engages the effect. The left footswitch, marked HIGH GAIN, engages a separate high-gain stage, and an internal trimmer sets that stage's output level relative to your main sound without affecting the dry level1. In practice that means you set the high-gain boost once with a screwdriver inside the enclosure, then kick it in from the top whenever you want the extra push.
The high-gain stage's output level is set by an internal trimmer, not a knob on the surface. If you buy the pedal secondhand, check that trimmer's position before assuming the high-gain mode is too loud or too quiet.
The Relic artwork editions and the bass version
JAM Pedals sells the Lucydreamer in a range of custom artwork versions that share the same sound and differ only in paintwork: "Curious Eye", "Still", "Superior", "Achenbach", "Campfire", "Turquoise Gold" and the "Relic" edition on this page1. Every limited artwork pedal is a one-of-a-kind hand-painted piece, so no two look identical1. The same pattern runs across the maker's other drives, such as the JAM Pedals "Relic" Double Dreamer and the JAM Pedals TubeDreamer artwork editions.
There is also a dedicated Lucydreamer Bass, a clean-blend bass overdrive with the same control set: Level sets master output and Mix blends clean and driven signals2. JAM Pedals says it takes bass from dynamic tube-amp-style breakup to full, saturated drive without losing note definition, keeping the fundamental, attack and playing nuance intact even when the driven path is pushed hard2. It is true bypass like the guitar version2.
The bass version comes in its own limited artwork editions too. The "Relic" Lucydreamer Bass is in stock as a custom artwork version2, while the "Achenbach" Lucydreamer Bass artwork version is sold out3.
The "Relic" Lucydreamer Bass is a separate product from the guitar Lucydreamer on this page. If you play bass, look for the Bass version rather than the standard pedal.
Videos
Mike Hermans
Patrick Hunter
Claudio Tristano
Questions
What does the Mix knob on the Lucydreamer do?
Mix sets the ratio between your dry signal and the overdriven signal. Blending clean back in preserves the attack, low-end definition and chord clarity that a fully driven path can lose, so you can push the gain hard while your notes stay articulate.
How do you set the high gain level on the Lucydreamer?
The left footswitch engages the high-gain stage. An internal trimmer sets that stage's output level relative to your main sound without affecting the dry level, so you dial in the boost once inside the pedal and switch it on and off from the top.
Is the Relic Lucydreamer different in sound from the standard artwork versions?
No. JAM Pedals lists the custom artwork versions of the Lucydreamer, including the Relic edition, as having the same sound with different artwork. Each limited artwork pedal is a one-of-a-kind hand-painted piece, so only the paintwork differs from pedal to pedal.
Is the Lucydreamer true bypass?
Yes. JAM Pedals specifies true bypass for the Lucydreamer, so with the effect off your signal passes through without active buffering.
Does the Lucydreamer work on bass?
There is a dedicated Lucydreamer Bass, a clean-blend bass overdrive with the same Dry/Wet Mix control. JAM Pedals says it keeps the fundamental, attack and playing nuance intact even when the driven path is pushed hard.
Sources (3)
- “Relic” Lucydreamer, JAM Pedals (www.jampedals.com)
- “Relic” Lucydreamer Bass, JAM Pedals (jampedals.com)
- “Achenbach” Lucydreamer Bass, JAM Pedals (www.jampedals.com)
