The Shadow Boost/Drive is a two-in-one pedal from Morgan Amplification that puts a boost and a drive side by side in one enclosure, each with its own footswitch. The left side works as a clean-ish boost, the right side leans toward overdrive, and the two can be used together or separately. It sits in the territory covered by boost pedals and overdrive pedals, and it is a rare piece: Pedal of the Day's reviewer, writing in July 2015, noted that he had only seen one other example sell on Reverb the year before, and that very little information about it was available1.
The Shadow Boost/Drive appears to have been produced in very limited numbers. Pedal of the Day's reviewer wrote in 2015 that he had come across only one other unit that had sold on Reverb, and described information on it as scarce1.
What each side does
The pedal carries two sides and two separate footswitches, giving two different tonal options in one box1.
| Side | Character | What the controls do |
|---|---|---|
| Left | Boost, with a low-gain drive option | Gain down and volume up gives a shiny, sparkling sound; gain up gives a smooth, low-gain drive |
| Right | Closer to an overdrive than a boost | Gain knob runs from a warm crunch up to a singing roar |
The reviewer described the left side as "a great boost," saying that with the gain turned down and the volume cranked, "your guitar and amp are instantly shiny and" sparkling, while pushing the gain produced a smooth, low-gain drive sound1. Of the right side, he wrote that it "seems to be the more powerful of the 2, making me believe it is closer to an overdrive than a boost," with good range in the gain control1.
"really creating a smooth, crisp and inviting overdrive sound, which is both unique and familiar, somehow, at the same time"
What reviewers said
Pedal of the Day's review, by Mike B, dated 4 July 2015, is the published account of this pedal. His verdict was straightforward1:
"If you come across one, though, pick it up without thinking twice, it's a great 2-In-1."
Videos
johnny miller (Johnny Miller V)
Logan Doak
Sources (1)
- Morgan Amplification Shadow Boost/Drive, Pedal of the Day (www.pedal-of-the-day.com), 2015-07-04