The TC Electronic BLD (Booster + Line Driver & Distortion) is a pedal that combines a boost and line driver circuit with distortion and a built-in noise gate in one box. It is best known today for its association with David Gilmour, who used it as an overdrive in the 1987 to 1989 period, and for the quality of its gate, which Kit Rae describes as very good when paired with a fuzz such as a Big Muff1.
What it does
The BLD covers three jobs at once. As a booster and line driver it pushes signal into the front of an amp or drives long cable runs, and it adds a distortion voice on top of that. The built-in noise gate is the part that earns it a place on a noise gate reference: Rae calls it "a very good built-in noise gate"1.
The noise gate and pairing with a Big Muff
Rae's assessment, written from a David Gilmour tone-building perspective, is that the gate combined with a Big Muff has a very natural sound, effectively reducing the noise while allowing an additional range of EQ controls1. That matters because high-gain fuzzes like a Big Muff are notoriously noisy, and a gate that cleans them up without choking the sustain is what players look for.
"One pedal that David has used in the past that had a very good built-in noise gate was the TC Electronic BLD"
"David used it as an overdrive in the 1987-89 period, but it blends very well with a Big Muff."
Availability and the PastFX clone
The BLD is long out of production. Rae notes that "BLDs are rare and can be expensive to find now"1, so players looking for one today are generally hunting the secondhand market rather than a shop shelf.
For players who want a modern gate instead, TC Electronic's current lineup includes the TC Electronic Iron Curtain and the TC Electronic Sentry, and the wider field is covered on our noise gate pedals page.
Videos
McColson
ThyFinalPain
Questions
Did David Gilmour use the TC Electronic BLD?
Yes. According to Kit Rae's David Gilmour tone-building pages, Gilmour used the BLD as an overdrive during the 1987 to 1989 period, and Rae notes that it blends very well with a Big Muff fuzz.
Is the TC Electronic BLD still available?
No. The BLD is long out of production, and Kit Rae describes original units as rare and expensive to find now. In 2024 PastFX released a clone of the original TC BLD, also called the BLD, which offers a current alternative.
Sources (1)
- David Gilmour Tone Building, Kit Rae (Kit's Secret Guitar, Gear, and Music Page), 2019-12
