The Supro Drive is an analog distortion pedal from Supro USA, listed by the maker as a Vintage Amp Emulator. Supro says it captures the sound of the company's vintage tube amplifiers by recreating every aspect of the circuitry of a 1960s Supro tube amp, including an actual output transformer, which the company says produces the magnetic saturation behind the deep, warm, gritty rock and roll tones those amps are known for1.
It is a compact, brushed-finish pedal made in the USA, measuring 4.9 inches long by 3.2 inches wide and weighing 1 lb, with a list price of $21912. A 2016 UK price of £169 was quoted at launch2, and a 2026 guitar.com review gave the UK price as £1893.
How it works: a 1960s Supro amp circuit in a pedal
Supro USA says engineer Thomas Elliot created an all-new circuit that mimics every aspect of warm Supro tube amp overdrive, and that the key to the pedal is a real output transformer, the same kind of component that sits at the back end of a tube amplifier1. Where most overdrive pedals clip the signal with diodes, the Supro Drive pushes the transformer into magnetic saturation, which is how the maker describes the behavior of the vintage amps it emulates1.
The transformer has two sets of windings, and a toggle switch on the pedal selects the winding ratio1.
Controls and the Bold/Rich switch
The pedal has three knobs and two switches:
| Control | What it does |
|---|---|
| Volume | Sets the overall output volume1 |
| Gain | Sets the amount of preamp drive1 |
| Tone | Contours the tone of the drive1 |
| Transformer switch | Selects the winding ratio of the output transformer1 |
| Tone Map switch | Selects one of five tone presets1 |
The transformer toggle is the Bold/Rich switch. Supro describes it as a choice between high-headroom Bold sounds or high-gain Rich tones, made by switching between the different windings of the custom transformer1. In guitar.com's 2016 review, Richard Purvis called the volume, gain and tone controls "pretty self-explanatory" and described the toggle as choosing between high-headroom bold and more compressed rich sounds2.
Tone Maps and expression control
The second switch selects what Supro calls Tone Maps, five preset voices: Amp in a Box, Blues Jam, Gritty Boost, Rock Rhythm and Saturated Lead1. These shape the drive's overall character, from a cleaner amp-like setting to a saturated lead voice, before the tone knob is used to contour it further.
The pedal also has an assignable expression pedal input for adjusting gain, with preset minimum and maximum settings, so a player can sweep the drive amount with their foot while playing1. That makes it usable as a variable-gain device rather than a set-and-forget overdrive, in the same family of foot-controlled effects as expression pedals and volume pedals.
What reviewers said
guitar.com's Richard Purvis reviewed the Supro Drive in 2016 and was positive about its sounds, particularly at low gain2:
"These are highly musical, highly usable sounds"
Richard Purvis, guitar.com2
He found the pedal pretty Supro-like in its rich, throaty character and concluded that just about everything it does sounds great2. The review also noted the included nine-volt battery, shared across the Supro pedal range at the time2.
Power and placement
The Supro Drive runs on 9 to 18V DC at 100mA, with true bypass switching and a 1M input impedance, so it sits comfortably at the front of a pedalboard without loading guitar pickups1. Because it draws 100mA, it needs a proper power supply output rather than a low-current daisy chain tap, though the included battery means it can run without any external power at all12. Higher voltage within the 9 to 18V range will give the transformer more headroom, which pairs naturally with the Bold winding setting.
The pedal ships with a nine-volt battery, but at 100mA current draw it will drain a battery faster than most analog overdrives, so an external 9 to 18V DC supply is the practical choice for regular pedalboard use12.
Questions
Does the Supro Drive have a tube?
No. It is an analog pedal, but Supro USA says it recreates every aspect of the circuitry of a 1960s Supro tube amp, including an actual output transformer, to achieve the magnetic saturation that gives vintage Supro amps their character. Engineer Thomas Elliot created the all-new circuit.
What does the Bold/Rich switch do on the Supro Drive?
It selects the winding ratio of the output transformer, switching between the different windings of the custom transformer. Bold gives high-headroom sounds, while Rich gives more compressed, high-gain tones. Reviewers describe Bold as the cleaner, more open setting and Rich as throatier and more saturated.
Does the Supro Drive come with a battery?
Yes. A 2016 guitar.com review noted that, like all the Supro pedals, it comes with a nine-volt battery in the box. It can also be powered externally at 9 to 18V DC, drawing 100mA, so a standard pedalboard supply works.
Who designed the Supro Drive?
Supro USA credits engineer Thomas Elliot, who created an all-new circuit that mimics every aspect of warm Supro tube amp overdrive. The pedal is made in the USA by Supro USA and lists at $219.
Sources (3)
- Drive - Supro USA, Supro USA, 2022-08-25
- Supro Drive, Fuzz & Boost review, guitar.com, 2016-06-08
- Strymon Fairfax review, guitar.com, 2026-05-04
