Keeley Electronics Altered History D&M Drive

The Keeley Electronics Altered History D&M Drive is a custom shop, limited-edition, hand-modded version of the Keeley D&M Drive and Boost, the dual overdrive pedal Robert Keeley built with Dan and Mick of That Pedal Show. Each unit is hand-modded and signed by Robert Keeley, and the pedal carried a retail price of $259 when it was announced in April 2022¹.

What the Altered History edition changes

The Altered History edition keeps the D&M Drive's two-sided layout: a Boost (Klone) side and a Drive (O.C.D.) side. Robert Keeley's mods are aimed at those two circuits. On the Boost side, he said, "I simply wanted to reduce the output volume taper of the Boost (Klone) side", and on the Drive side, "I also wanted to nudge the maximum gain of the Drive (O.C.D.) upwards"¹.

For players, the practical difference is small. As Guitar World put it, "Largely the sounds will be identical, just at different settings on the pedal"¹. In other words, the standard D&M Drive can reach the same territory; the mods mainly change how the knobs behave, with a smoother volume sweep on the Boost and a little more gain on tap from the Drive.

Controls

A later Altered History variant, the Ninazu Purple Edition, was reviewed by Guitar Pedal X in September 2025 at $259, and its control layout shows how the two sides are arranged³:

Guitar Pedal X described the Ninazu Purple Edition as a Klon-Breaker dual drive with Robert Keeley mods balancing the two circuits³.

The artwork

The Altered History enclosures carry new Cuneiform artwork depicting Ereshkigal, the queen of the night, or underworld, in Mesopotamian mythology. Guitar World reported that the design is apparently based on a 4,000 year old clay relief in the British Museum, with Dan and Mick depicted as Ereshkigal's lions. The enclosures also feature UV-printed backplates, and shiny new aluminum knobs round things off¹.

Background: the D&M Drive

The standard D&M Drive is a collaboration between Dan and Mick from That Pedal Show and Keeley Electronics². That Pedal Show's own database describes it as "a dual overdrive pedal with a Mick-flavour Boost on one side and a Dan-flavour Drive on the other"⁴. On the show, the pair have also demonstrated the pedal run front end versus loop return, using it as a way to compare preamp-style use against plugging into an amp's front end⁵.

The pedal has been well received in print. Reviewing the D&M Drive and Boost for MusicRadar, Trevor Curwen wrote that "the D&M Drive has turned out to be a real gem among dual overdrive pedals", with each side sufficiently individual while complementing the other perfectly overall⁶. Guitar.com reviewed the pedal in September 2017⁷.

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