The Sarno Earth Drive is an analog boost and overdrive pedal from Sarno Music Solutions, a maker better known for acoustic guitar pickups who also builds effects pedals. RockBoard's PedalPedia describes it as "the ultimate boost/overdrive pedal," designed to retain your instrument's natural character while providing an organic, full-bodied, yet transparent sound1. It sits in the overlap between boost pedals and overdrive pedals: at one end of its range it is a clean boost, and at the other it produces overdrive harmonics and sustain.
Controls
The Earth Drive keeps things simple with three knobs2:
| Control | What it does |
|---|---|
| Volume | A huge range of boost control; Pedal of the Day found it gives "a ton of volume, too, perfect for driving any amp with ease"12 |
| Drive | Sets the amount of overdrive harmonics and sustain; down low it is a clean boost, cranked it brings "overdriven harmonics and sustain for days"12 |
| Tone | Dials in the treble response1 |
Pedal of the Day's 2017 review summed the layout up plainly: "Volume, Drive and Tone knobs give you full control over the sounds this thing produces"2.
As a clean boost
Sarno positions the pedal as a two-mode design: "Use the Earth Drive as a clean boost to add warmth and smoothing, or turn up the drive knob and get a wide spectrum of overdrive harmonics and singing sustain"1. The reviewer at Pedal of the Day heard it the same way: "Turn the Drive down, and you get a gorgeous clean boost tone, warm and inviting for all to hear"2. With the Volume control's wide range, the pedal can push an amp from the front of the chain as well as lift a solo2.
What reviewers and players said
Pedal of the Day rated the pedal highly, and a follow-up review of Sarno's Solar Flare distortion in January 2018 looked back on it this way: "The Earth Drive from Sarno Music Solutions was one of the best drives we had the pleasure of reviewing lately"3.
On Guitar FX Layouts, which published a stripboard layout of the circuit traced by GratefulEight in December 2022, builder Ben Spinks reported: "It's a surprising pedal now i've got it boxed. Very big range of sounds. From boost to quite heavy lead tones and seriously loud and very lively overall sound"4.
Guitarist Linda Taylor has used the Earth Drive on her board. In Strymon's rig feature, she described how it sits alongside her other drives: "The Earth Drive and the Wessex get changed out and switched frequently, sometimes I'll drop an Analog Man King Of Tone in"5.
Power
The Earth Drive runs on 9V DC, center negative, and draws 9mA1. That is a light draw by pedal standards, so it fits comfortably on a shared supply with the rest of a board.
Videos
Curtis Kent
Maxwell Caplin
bradsarno
Questions
Is the Sarno Earth Drive analog?
Yes. Sarno lists the Earth Drive with an analog circuit type on its product page, so the signal path is analog rather than digital. That matters for players who want their boost and overdrive to sit in the traditional pedalboard camp alongside other analog drive pedals.
What power supply does the Sarno Earth Drive use?
The Earth Drive runs on 9V DC with a center negative plug, the same standard supply used by most compact pedals. That means it can share a supply with the rest of a typical pedalboard, subject to the current budget of the supply you use.
Can the Earth Drive be used as a clean boost?
Yes. Sarno describes using the Earth Drive as a clean boost to add warmth and smoothing, and Pedal of the Day's reviewer found that turning the Drive knob down produces a clean boost tone described as warm and inviting. With the Volume knob up, that boost level is enough to drive an amp.
How much current does the Sarno Earth Drive draw?
Sarno lists the Earth Drive's current draw as 9mA. That is a modest figure, so the pedal is easy to accommodate on a shared power supply alongside other pedals.
Does the Earth Drive have a tone control?
Yes. Alongside Volume and Drive, the Earth Drive has a Tone knob, which Sarno says helps you dial in the treble response. Pedal of the Day described the three knobs as giving full control over the sounds the pedal produces.
Sources (5)
- Earth Drive by Sarno, RockBoard PedalPedia, 2026
- Sarno Music Solutions Earth Drive Boost Overdrive, Pedal of the Day (www.pedal-of-the-day.com), 2017-12-01
- Sarno Music Solutions Solar Flare Distortion, Pedal of the Day, 2018-01-11
- Guitar FX Layouts: Sarno Earth Drive, Guitar FX Layouts (tagboardeffects.blogspot.com), 2023-01-06
- Pedalboard Feature: Linda Taylor, Strymon (www.strymon.net), 2016-09-15
