The SIB Fatdrive is an overdrive pedal built around a real 12AX7 tube, one of three tube pedals designer Rick Hamel created under the SIB name alongside the SIB Varidrive and the Echodrive1. Vintage Guitar magazine, reviewing the line in August 2003, classified the pedals as overdrive/multi-function units1.
What it does
The Fatdrive puts a 12AX7 tube to work on your signal, with a three-band tone section (Bass, Middle, Treble) and a Drive knob shaping the result1. Vintage Guitar's reviewer, engaging the pedal with the tone controls at 12:00 and the Drive knob low, heard what the magazine described as "the same sweet class 'A' highs" from a P-90-loaded Hamer Special, with a middle position that read as almost Strat-like but fatter, carrying bigger low end and highs1.
"Inside each unit is a 12AX7 tube, cleanly wired PC board, and a power transformer"
One behavior sets it apart from most overdrives: the Fatdrive does not generate overdrive of its own unless it is fed a tall signal, such as an active bass or a booster pedal1. Players used to a boost or another overdrive pushing the front end will find that arrangement familiar; those expecting instant grit from a weak signal may need to add gain ahead of it.
Build and power
The Fatdrive departs from typical pedal practice in two ways. Its circuit lives in a heavy-duty 7" x 4.5" x 2.5" steel chassis, which the magazine noted is heavy in the literal sense1. And it draws AC power through a detachable IBM-style cord, with no batteries and no wall wart adapters1.
The Fatdrive runs on AC through a detachable IBM-style power cord, with no batteries and no wall wart adapter1. It will not sit on a daisy-chained pedalboard supply the way most compact overdrives do.
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Questions
Does the SIB Fatdrive work on batteries?
No. Vintage Guitar's 2003 review notes that the Fatdrive runs on AC through a detachable IBM-style power cord, with no batteries and no wall wart adapters. That means it needs mains power wherever you play, which is worth knowing before putting it on a pedalboard that runs everything from a 9V supply.
Why is my SIB Fatdrive not producing overdrive?
According to Vintage Guitar's review, the Fatdrive does not generate overdrive of its own unless it is fed a tall signal, such as from an active bass or a booster pedal. If it stays clean, try putting a boost or another drive in front of it to push the tube harder.
Sources (1)
- SIB Echodrive, Varidrive, Fatdrive, Vintage Guitar magazine, 2005-04-27
