The Silktone Overdrive+ is an analog overdrive pedal from Silktone, an American boutique amp maker whose first drive pedal it became. According to designer Charles Henry, it is an original circuit built from JFETs, op-amps and a few diodes, not a remake of an existing overdrive design1. Clipping is handled either by the JFETs or by the diodes, and the pedal carries a two-mode boost section on a second footswitch, which lets it cover ground from a low-gain always-on tone enhancer to a high-gain lead machine23.
Guitar Pedal X described it on launch as a "universal full-range dynamic overdrive," available from the Silktone Webstore at $269, with international dealers expected imminently42. GuitarPlayer lists it at $269 street2, and guitar.com's June 2024 review gave the price as $269 in the US and £279 in the UK5.
An original JFET and op-amp circuit
The Overdrive+ is not built on a copied schematic. Premier Guitar reports that, according to designer Charles Henry, the circuit is original and uses a collection of JFETs, op-amps and diodes to create a wide variety of drive textures1. Delicious Audio describes the same topology: an original analog circuit combining JFETs, op-amps and a few diodes, with clipping duties taken on by the JFETs or the diodes3.
That puts it in a different lineage from the Tube Screamer-style op-amp-plus-diodes overdrives most players know. GuitarPlayer's Dave Hunter put it plainly2:
"the circuit and features are different from any previous OD I know of, and the results put this pedal in a place all its own"2
And guitar.com's Ed Oleszko, reviewing it in June 2024, wrote:
"it's no mere clone, it has its own unique voice and wonderfully responsive amp-like feel"5
The pedal sits in the same wide-body enclosure as the Silktone Fuzz, with a textured finish available in two shades of gray, Concrete or Dark5.
The controls
The control setup is straightforward on the surface: three standard knobs plus a set of switches that change the pedal's character125.
| Control | What it does |
|---|---|
| Volume | Sets the output level13 |
| Tone | Shapes the treble13 |
| Gain | Sets the drive amount13 |
| Clipping switch | Selects between Asymmetrical (left) and Symmetrical (right) clipping2 |
| Bass Cut switch | Tightens the low end3 |
| Raw/Strangle mini-switch | Selects the boost voicing5 |
The clipping switch is where much of the range lives. guitar.com found that set low with soft symmetrical clipping, the Overdrive+ works as an always-on sweetening pedal, while turning up the gain and switching to asymmetrical clipping reveals a raw, cooking tweed-amp-like overdrive with tight attack and excellent string separation. Winding the gain further segues into harmonically rich hard-clipped distortion before tipping its hat to Muff-like fuzz at the highest settings, where the bass cut keeps things from getting too flabby5.
The Bass Cut toggle tightens the low end, which Delicious Audio frames as a practical tool for keeping the pedal focused, and Pedal of the Day calls it a switch for "perfectly tightening things up"36.
The boost: Strangle and Raw modes
A second footswitch introduces the boost section, engaged on top of the main drive circuit. guitar.com notes it is a non-independent lead gain boost, so it cannot run as a standalone effect15. A mini-switch selects between two voicings5:
- Strangle: Uses inductor-based filtering for a more focused boost. GuitarPlayer describes it as voiced with an inductor added for a cocked-wah-like sound12. guitar.com found its almost treble-booster midrange perfect as a lead boost, tonally rich in second-order harmonics with long sustain5.
- Raw: The more open, full-spectrum option, with the inductor bypassed for a chunkier sound12. Pedal of the Day describes it as a full-range boost, and guitar.com found it does not color the tone as much but makes everything sound huge and alive56.
Pedal of the Day characterizes the Strangle/Raw section as a whole as a colorfully voiced dirty boost that adds gain and a ton of 2nd harmonic distortion to the signal6. guitar.com's reviewer admitted a personal favorite: "The Raw name is well chosen, and I find myself quickly becoming rather besotted with it"5.
Power: 9V in, 30V inside
The Overdrive+ runs on a center-negative 9V DC input, with no battery compartment24. Inside, the 9V input is boosted to 30 volts, and GuitarPlayer is explicit that nothing greater than a nine-volt DC supply should be used2.
Feed the Overdrive+ only a standard 9V DC center-negative supply. The pedal generates its own 30 volts internally; a higher-voltage supply is not supported2.
That internal 30V rail is what Delicious Audio credits for the pedal's headroom: "a pedal with, literally, infinite headroom, even when fed very high levels, thanks to its 30v buffering dealt by the op-amp"3.
What reviewers said
Published reviews have been consistent in treating the Overdrive+ as its own thing rather than a variant of a familiar circuit25.
- Premier Guitar (May 2026): The reviewer was surprised by how much gain there was compared to most overdrives, even at conservative settings, highlighting an aggressive side to the pedal1.
- GuitarPlayer (Dave Hunter, 2026): Found the circuit and features different from any previous overdrive he knows of, putting the pedal in a place all its own2.
- guitar.com (Ed Oleszko, June 2024): Called it no mere clone with its own unique voice and wonderfully responsive amp-like feel. On value: "The price may be steep, but a versatile overdrive is an investment and you get a lot of scope for your money here"5.
- Delicious Audio (January 2025): Described it as a new overdrive with a wide tonal palette and "a tone likely to seduce many electric guitar connoisseurs"3.
- Pedal of the Day (April 2024): Described its range as running "from low gain always-on tonal enhancer to ripping high gain lead machine"6.
Silktone has since broadened its drive line with the Silktone Expander.
News
Questions
Does the Silktone Overdrive+ take a battery?
No. It runs on a standard 9V DC center-negative input and has no battery compartment. The 9V input is boosted internally to 30 volts, and nothing greater than a nine-volt DC supply should be used with it.
Is the Silktone Overdrive+ a Tube Screamer clone?
No. According to designer Charles Henry it is an original circuit using JFETs, op-amps and diodes. GuitarPlayer's reviewer Dave Hunter wrote that the circuit and features are different from any previous overdrive he knows of, and guitar.com's reviewer called it no mere clone with its own unique voice.
Can the boost on the Silktone Overdrive+ be used on its own?
No. The left-hand footswitch engages a non-independent lead gain boost, so it works on top of the main drive circuit rather than as a standalone boost. It offers two voicings, Raw and Strangle, selected by a mini-switch.
What finishes does the Silktone Overdrive+ come in?
It comes in two textured grey finishes called Concrete and Dark. The pedal is built in the USA in the same wide-body enclosure as the Silktone Fuzz, measuring 4.5 by 3.25 by 1.5 inches.
Sources (6)
- Silktone Overdrive+ Pedal Review, Premier Guitar, 2024-05-20
- “If an overdrive designed by a self-proclaimed hater of drive pedals sounds like something you wouldn't even want to plug into, think again”: Silktone Overdrive+ review, GuitarPlayer, 2024-08-19
- Silktone Overdrive+, Delicious Audio, 2025-01-10
- Guitar Pedal X, Guitar Pedal X, 2024-02-08
- Silktone Overdrive+ review: unique drive sound in a world of clones, guitar.com, 2024-06-03
- Silktone Amps overdrive+, Pedal of the Day, 2024-04-14
