The Moustache Audio Chevron Overdrive is an overdrive pedal built on the Tube Screamer family of circuits. Delicious Audio's Paolo De Gregorio describes it as belonging "to the family of TS emulation," a nod to the Ibanez Tube Screamer, which he calls the best selling pedal of all time and the most cloned one1. Where a standard Tube Screamer-style pedal keeps its tone shaping fixed, the Chevron adds an active three-band tone stack and three toggle switches, so one pedal can cover a wide range of drive sounds.
Delicious Audio sums up the range this way: "From mid-boosted screamer-like tones, to transparent overdrives, and everything in between, the Chevron does it all1."
"From mid-boosted screamer-like tones, to transparent overdrives, and everything in between, the Chevron does it all."
Controls
The Chevron is, in Delicious Audio's words, "a classic style overdrive which features easy-to-use controls": five knobs (two gain and a three-band EQ) and three toggle switches to color the sound in different ways1.
| Control | What it does |
|---|---|
| Two gain knobs | Two separate gain controls1 |
| Three-band EQ | An active three-band tone stack1 |
| Fat toggle | Changes the cutoff frequency of the high pass filter in the clipping circuit, switching between mighty lows or tight bottom end1 |
| Pre/Post toggle | Places the EQ circuits before or after the gain section: drive frequencies harder in pre mode, or shape the overdriven signal in post mode1 |
| Odd/Even toggle | Two clipping options: even symmetrical clipping or tube-like asymmetrical clipping1 |
The three toggles
Fat. The Fat switch changes the cutoff frequency of the high pass filter in the clipping circuit. That lets you go from tight, mid-focused drive tones to what the review calls unbridled fatness, choosing between mighty lows or a tight bottom end1.
Pre/Post. The active three-band tone stack can be switched to sit before or after the drive circuit. In pre mode, the frequencies you boost are driven harder by the gain stage; in post mode, the EQ shapes the signal after it has been overdriven1.
Odd/Even. The Odd/Even toggle gives you two clipping options. The Even setting gives typical symmetrical clipping, found in many classic styled overdrives. The Odd setting uses asymmetrical clipping for what Delicious Audio describes as "a more dynamic, and tube-like distortion"1.
Where it sits
If you know the Boss SD-1 vs Ibanez TS9 Tube Screamer comparison, the Chevron's starting point is that same mid-forward Tube Screamer voicing, but with the tone stack and clipping options made switchable rather than fixed. For players who want a screamer-style drive that can also lean toward more transparent overdrive, the toggles are what set it apart1.
What the toggles change, at a glance:
- Fat: the high pass filter's cutoff frequency in the clipping circuit1
- Pre/Post: whether the EQ sits before or after the gain section1
- Odd/Even: symmetrical or asymmetrical clipping1
The Chevron's controls go beyond a standard Tube Screamer-style pedal: the tone stack and clipping options are switchable rather than fixed, which is what lets one pedal cover both screamer-style and more transparent drive sounds1.
Videos
Demos In The Dark
Jessie Plays Music
Questions
What does the Odd/Even switch do on the Moustache Audio Chevron?
The Odd/Even toggle gives you two clipping options. The Even setting produces typical symmetrical clipping, the kind found in many classic styled overdrives. The Odd setting uses asymmetrical clipping, which Delicious Audio describes as giving a more dynamic, tube-like distortion. Switching between them changes how the pedal responds to your playing dynamics.
What does the Fat toggle do on the Chevron Overdrive?
The Fat toggle changes the cutoff frequency of the high pass filter in the clipping circuit. That lets you switch between mighty lows or a tight bottom end, going from tight, mid-focused drive tones to what the source calls unbridled fatness.
What does the Pre/Post switch do on the Chevron Overdrive?
The Pre/Post toggle places the EQ circuits before or after the gain section. In pre mode you drive the chosen frequencies harder into the gain stage; in post mode you shape the signal after it has been overdriven. The pedal's active three-band tone stack can be switched to either position.
How many knobs does the Moustache Audio Chevron have?
The Chevron has five knobs: two gain knobs and a three-band EQ. Alongside them are three toggle switches, Fat, Pre/Post and Odd/Even, that color the sound in different ways.
Sources (1)
- Moustache Audio Chevron Overdrive, Delicious Audio, 2020-05-13
