Snouse Electric Co. Blackbox Overdrive Classic

The Snouse Electric Co. Blackbox Overdrive Classic is an analog overdrive pedal, a clone of one specific circuit revision of the original unit it takes its name from. Snouse describes the pedal simply as an overdrive, and it sits alongside other overdrive pedals built around the same family of circuits.¹

What it does

The Blackbox Overdrive Classic is Snouse's take on an overdrive circuit that went through more than one version in its original form. As the maker tells it, there were a few circuit revisions while the original unit was in production: one was smoother and warmer, and one was, in Snouse's words, "too bright and really harsh." The Blackbox Overdrive Classic is a clone of the warmer and smoother of the two revisions, which Snouse calls "the one that should be cloned."¹

That matters to a player shopping in this territory, because the two revisions do not sound the same. The pedal is aimed at players who want the smoother, warmer character of that revision rather than the brighter, harsher one. Snouse also notes that people have been paying $250+ for the original pedal, which gives a sense of the price of the unit this clone is based on.¹

Power and specifications

The pedal runs on a standard 9V DC center-negative supply and draws 15mA, so it fits a conventional pedalboard power setup. Snouse lists the circuit type as analog.¹

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