The PastFX BLD is a compact analog pedal that puts a booster and line driver preamp together with a distortion circuit in one box. PastFX describes it as a "Boosting / Preamp (+/-30dB) for low-level signals to studio level, or to overdrive your amp," so it can lift a quiet guitar up to line level, push an amp into overdrive, or add distortion on its own1. It is PastFX's take on the discontinued vintage TC Booster+ Linedriver & Distortion, a unit RockBoard's PedalPedia notes was used by David Gilmour during the late 1980s2. Kit Rae's David Gilmour tone-building page dates the PastFX version to 20243.
What it does
The BLD covers three jobs at once. As a booster and preamp it offers plus or minus 30 dB of gain, enough to bring a low-level signal up to studio level or to overdrive a tube amp's front end1. As a distortion it provides the drive channel of the original TC unit. PastFX has also fitted active Bass and Treble controls, which let you cut as well as boost across the tonal spectrum rather than only rolling off1.
Because the original TC Booster+ Linedriver & Distortion is long discontinued, the BLD is one of the few ways to get that circuit in current production. Kit Rae, writing on his David Gilmour tone-building page, called it "a very good clone"3.
What the pedal offers, as PastFX describes it:
- Booster and line driver preamp with plus or minus 30 dB of gain1
- Lifts low-level signals to studio level, or overdrives an amp1
- Distortion circuit carrying over the drive channel of the original TC unit1
- Active Bass and Treble controls that cut as well as boost1
- True bypass switching1
Power and setup
The pedal runs on a 9 to 24 VDC supply. PastFx lists the current draw as 5 to 10 mA, pending input voltage1. That range means the exact draw depends on the supply voltage you feed it, so a single fixed figure does not apply.
Size and versions
The enclosure measures 112 x 60 x 31 mm, or 4.4" x 2.36" x 1.22", enclosure only1, a compact footprint in the usual small-enclosure range. PastFX sells two versions:
Videos
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Leon Todd
Questions
Is the PastFX BLD true bypass?
Yes. PastFX lists the BLD as true bypass, meaning the pedal takes itself fully out of the signal chain when switched off, so it does not load or color your guitar's signal until it is engaged.
Is the PastFX BLD analog or digital?
The BLD is an analog pedal. RockBoard's PedalPedia lists its circuit type as analog, which fits its role as a boost and line driver feeding an amp or other pedals.
Did David Gilmour use the original TC Booster+ Linedriver & Distortion?
Yes. RockBoard's PedalPedia notes the original TC Booster+ Linedriver & Distortion, on which the BLD is based, was used by David Gilmour during the late 1980s. The original unit has long been discontinued, which is why PastFX built its own version.
How big is the PastFX BLD?
The BLD's enclosure measures 112 x 60 x 31 mm, or about 4.4 x 2.36 x 1.22 inches, enclosure only. That is a compact footprint that fits easily on a crowded pedalboard.
Sources (3)
- BLD, pastfx.com, 2026
- BLD by PastFx, RockBoard PedalPedia, 2026
- David Gilmour Tone Building, Kit Rae (Kit's Secret Guitar, Gear, and Music Page), 2019-12
