The Keeley Red Dirt OD is an overdrive pedal from Keeley Electronics, introduced in 2013. It is the result of more than 10 years of Robert Keeley's research and fine tuning of the company's existing modified pedal lineup, and it combines the sounds of two of those modified pedals, the Mod Plus and the Baked, in a single unit12. Keeley describes it as delivering a range of tones from classic subtle blues to contemporary high-gain crunch3.
What it does
The Red Dirt sits in the Tube Screamer family by lineage. Vintage Guitar reported that it combines the sounds of Keeley's Mod Plus and Baked modified pedals, the two circuits the company had built its modification business on2. MusicRadar's review put it plainly: the pedal's lo and hi modes give access to Keeley's plus and baked modes, described as popular mods to TS-808s, with the lo mode corresponding to the plus mod, which beefs up the low end4.
The controls are few and focused:
| Control | What it does |
|---|---|
| Dirt | Extremely dynamic, touch-sensitive gain at both mild and heavier sustain settings1 |
| Volume | Balances the signal or pushes an amp to further sustain and overdrive2 |
| lo / hi modes | Switch between the plus mod (lo, beefed-up low end) and the baked mod (hi)4 |
The Dirt control is the heart of the pedal. Premier Guitar's announcement described it as offering an extremely dynamic, touch-sensitive gain at both mild and heavier sustain settings, and Vintage Guitar echoed that it helps the pedal create dynamic gain across those same settings12. In practice that means the pedal responds to how hard you pick, cleaning up with a lighter touch and sustaining more when you dig in.
The Volume control works two ways, as Vintage Guitar described: it balances the signal against your clean level, or it pushes an amp into further sustain and overdrive, which makes the pedal usable as a light boost into an already-driven amp2.
Build and features
The Red Dirt is hand-built in the USA, housed in a powder-coated enclosure and wired with true-bypass switching, so it drops out of the signal path completely when off2. Keeley's own announcement highlighted the trademark Keeley blue LED, 100% hand-made-in-the-USA build quality, and what the company called one of the best warranties currently available6.
The Red Dirt was later joined by a mini-pedal version, the Keeley Red Dirt Mini, which MusicRadar described as a classy take on a TS-style overdrive with practical added options7.
Where it came from
Keeley Electronics built its reputation modifying other makers' pedals, and the Red Dirt is the company's own pedal carrying that work forward. Premier Guitar reported it as the result of over 10 years of research and fine tuning of the existing modified pedal lineup1, and Keeley's announcement credited it as the result of over 10 years of Robert's fine tuning6. Guitar Interactive Magazine reported the pedal would begin shipping to dealers worldwide in March 20133.
What reviewers said
MusicRadar reviewed the Red Dirt and called it a logical evolution for Keeley, and when asked for reasons to avoid it, the review team's answer was short: "Not much."4 Of the Mini version, reviewer Trevor Curwen wrote:
"A tasty overdrive that naturally complements your sound, with versatility galore inside."
Videos
Prymaxe
zZounds
Jack Fossett Guitar
Sources (7)
- Keeley Electronics Introduces Red Dirt Overdrive, Premier Guitar, 2013-03-05
- Keeley Intros Red Dirt OD, Vintage Guitar magazine, 2013-03-07
- Keeley Electronics Introduces Red Dirt Overdrive, Guitar Interactive Magazine, 2013-03-12
- Keeley Red Dirt Overdrive review, MusicRadar, 2014-08-04
- Sequence Selector: Why the order of your pedals matters, Keeley Electronics Guitar Effects Pedals, 2013-07-02
- NEW Red Dirt Overdrive Gets a 21st Century Fan!!, Keeley Electronics Guitar Effects Pedals, 2013-03-06
- Keeley Red Dirt Mini review, MusicRadar, 2015-07-08
