The OLCircuits Matchbox Overdrive is an overdrive pedal meant to emulate the sounds and tones of the classic Matchless DC-30 amp series, the amp maker's first design. It is an amp-in-a-box style pedal, the kind that puts a specific amplifier's voicing into a stompbox, and it sits alongside other overdrive pedals rather than distortion pedals or fuzz pedals. OLCircuits offered it two ways: as a pedal kit you can build yourself, or as a pre-built pedal1.
Where the circuit came from
The Matchbox comes to OLCircuits via Runoffgroove Kits, who make schematics for a range of different effects available to builders. OLCircuits turned that design into a pedal offered both as a kit and pre-built1.
Controls
The four controls follow the DC-30's second channel, according to Pedal of the Day's review1.
| Control | What it does |
|---|---|
| Volume | Level control1 |
| Tone | Five separate settings acting as a mid-range sweep, similar to the FAC (Frequency Analysis Control) on vintage Orange amplifiers, each setting discernible by clicking through the rotary switch1 |
| Cut | A basic low-pass filter that mellows out harsher, unwanted high-end frequencies, using a 10n cap instead of the 2n2 used on the original amp1 |
| Master | Similar to the DC-30's second channel master1 |
The five-position Tone is the standout difference from a regular EQ control: rather than a continuous sweep, it steps through five distinct mid-range voices1.
What reviewers said
Pedal of the Day's reviewer, Mike B, heard the Matchbox as a booster more than a standalone drive1:
The Matchbox's control set reflects its amp-channel inspiration: Volume, Tone, Cut and Master controls, laid out like the second channel of the DC-301. The Cut knob is a basic low-pass filter built around a 10n cap instead of the 2n2 used on the original amp, which lets you mellow out some of the harsher, unwanted high-end frequencies1.
In other words, the reviewer found it worked best pushing an already-working amp harder, in the spirit of a boost pedal, while carrying the DC-30's voicing in front of it1.
Videos
Pedal of the Day
Sources (1)
- OLCircuits Matchbox Overdrive, Pedal of the Day, 2016-03-31