The Hermosa Drive is a mid-gain overdrive pedal from Reiter Brothers Effects, a boutique builder whose pedals are hand-made the majority of the time with higher quality parts inside1. At low settings it works as a clean boost of sorts: Pedal of the Day's Mike B described it as starting off nice and transparent, adding "just a hint of sparkle and shine to your tone, without coloring it in any way"1. As the controls come up, it moves into a subtle overdrive and then fuller grit, sitting somewhere between the light touch of a boost and the harder bite of a distortion pedal.
Controls and how it works
The Hermosa Drive keeps things simple: three knobs, Gain, Tone and Volume. Mike B's review called them "nothing too fancy or new," but said they "obviously make up the guts and glory of this" pedal, with a big range in each one1. The practical upshot for a player is a wide sweep: at the bottom of the range the pedal stays transparent and leaves your core tone alone, and as Gain and Tone are cranked it adds grit and bite on top.
Design and availability
The orange enclosure is part of the pedal's identity, with the reviewer describing it as looking "like a throwback version of some 1970s muscle car"1. A 2015 orange version of the Hermosa Drive was listed on Reverb, so examples circulate on the used market1.
What reviewers said
Pedal of the Day's verdict was positive on both sound and value. In the reviewer's words1:
"That said, the Hermosa Drive is not only a great little overdrive pedal, but you'll feel good about giving your money to"1
Mike B summed it up as an excellent palette to work from and a great little overdrive pedal overall in sound and value1. Boutique overdrive, he noted, is fun to play1.
Videos
Pedal of the Day
Sources (1)
- Reiter Brothers Effects Hermosa Drive, Pedal of the Day, 2015-12-03