The Sarno Earth Drive is a boost and overdrive pedal from Sarno Music Solutions, a maker better known for other gear that also builds effects pedals. RockBoard's PedalPedia calls it "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 territory shared by boost pedals and overdrive pedals: at low gain it acts as a clean boost, and as you turn up the Drive it becomes a full overdrive1.
What it does to your sound
Sarno describes two ways to use the pedal. As a clean boost, it adds warmth and smoothing; turn up the drive knob and you get "a wide spectrum of overdrive harmonics and singing sustain"1. Pedal of the Day, reviewing it in December 2017, put it in similar terms:
"Turn the Drive down, and you get a gorgeous clean boost tone, warm and inviting for all to hear. Crank up the Drive, and prepare to be wowed by the overdriven harmonics and sustain for days."
The transparency is the point: the pedal is designed to keep the instrument's own character rather than impose one of its own, which is also why it works on instruments other than guitar1.
Controls
| Control | What it does |
|---|---|
| Volume | Provides 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" |
| Drive | Sets the amount of overdrive harmonics and sustain; low settings give a clean boost tone |
| Tone | Shapes the tone alongside Volume and Drive |
The maker's description of the Volume and Drive knobs and Pedal of the Day's account of the three-knob layout agree with each other12. Pedal of the Day summed up the layout as easy to work with:
"An easy control section makes this one a cinch to set and go, but there's a lot to be discovered inside this little green monster."
Beyond guitar
Because it aims to be transparent, the Earth Drive is not limited to electric guitar. Pedal of the Day found "the Earth Drive is at home providing power to bass, pedal steel, electric piano, organ and more"2, which makes it worth a look for bass players browsing bass pedals as well as keyboard and steel players.
What reviewers said
Pedal of the Day (www.pedal-of-the-day.com) reviewed the Earth Drive and found much to like in its design, writing that "An easy control section makes this one a cinch to set and go, but there's a lot to be discovered inside this little gree"2. The review's verdict was that the simple control section hides a lot of usable range, from clean boost to singing overdrive2.
Videos
Curtis Kent
Maxwell Caplin
bradsarno
Questions
Can the Sarno Earth Drive be used with bass?
Yes. Pedal of the Day's review found the Earth Drive at home providing power to bass, pedal steel, electric piano, organ and more. Because the pedal is designed to retain the instrument's natural character, it suits players who want drive or boost without losing the voice of a bass or another low-oriented instrument.
Does the Earth Drive work as a clean boost?
It does. Sarno describes using the Earth Drive as a clean boost to add warmth and smoothing, and Pedal of the Day found that turning the Drive knob down gives a clean boost tone the reviewer called warm and inviting. Turn the Drive up instead and you get overdrive harmonics and sustain.
What controls does the Sarno Earth Drive have?
Three knobs: Volume, Drive and Tone. The Volume knob provides a huge range of boost control, the Drive knob sets the amount of overdrive harmonics and sustain, and the Tone knob shapes the top end. Pedal of the Day said the three knobs give you full control over the sounds the pedal produces.
Does the Earth Drive work with keyboards and pedal steel?
According to Pedal of the Day's review, yes: the Earth Drive is at home providing power to bass, pedal steel, electric piano, organ and more. Its transparent design, which aims to keep the instrument's natural character, is what makes it usable beyond guitar.
Sources (2)
- 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
