The GarageTone Drivetrain Overdrive is a compact overdrive pedal from Truetone, sitting in the company's GarageTone line alongside other reissued designs. It is a variant of the Reverend Guitars Drivetrain Overdrive, which Bob Weil and Joe Naylor designed for Reverend in 2000. Truetone says that when it reintroduced the pedal in the GarageTone line, it "kept exactly what made it great"1.
The pedal is now discontinued: Truetone lists it in the "Truetone Archive · A Legacy of Tone" on its own site, so it is an archived product rather than part of the current range1.
Controls and what they do
The Drivetrain has four knobs, and its EQ arrangement is the main thing that sets it apart from pedals with a single tone control. Truetone describes the range of the pedal as going "From clean boost to fully saturated, it responds like a small amp being pushed"1.
| Control | What it does |
|---|---|
| Drive | Sets the amount of overdrive |
| Bass | Separate bass control for independent frequency shaping |
| Treble | Separate treble control for independent frequency shaping |
| Volume | Volume control |
Truetone explains the thinking behind the two-band EQ directly: "Separate Bass and Treble controls, rather than a single Tone knob, allow independent frequency shaping"1. For a player, that means the drive character and the low and high ends of the tone can be adjusted on their own terms, rather than one tone knob tilting the whole response.
Power and size
The pedal runs on 9VDC with a center pin negative connector, the standard polarity for most pedalboard power supplies, and Truetone lists the current draw as 11 to 19mA1. The housing is the compact GarageTone enclosure, which Truetone says "fits anywhere on a pedalboard," measuring 3.2" x 4.75" (81 x 120mm)1.
The GarageTone Drivetrain Overdrive is an archived product in Truetone's Truetone Archive, so it is no longer in current production1.
Where it came from
The design dates to 2000, when Bob Weil and Joe Naylor built the Drivetrain Overdrive for Reverend Guitars. Truetone later brought the design back under its own GarageTone banner, describing the reintroduction as keeping "exactly what made it great"1. Weil is the founder of the company, which operated for years as Visual Sound before taking the Truetone name; the GarageTone line sits alongside Truetone's other reissued designs such as the V2 Route 66, V2 Open Road and V2 Double Trouble. For how the Drivetrain's two-band EQ approach compares with the classic single-knob tone designs, see Overdrive Pedals and the Boss SD-1 vs Ibanez TS9 Tube Screamer comparison.
Videos
Truetone
GuitarCubeChina
Ernie Williamson Music
Questions
Who designed the Drivetrain Overdrive?
The circuit was designed by Bob Weil and Joe Naylor for Reverend Guitars in 2000. Truetone later reintroduced the design in its GarageTone line, and the company says it kept exactly what made the original work when it brought the pedal back.
Is the Truetone GarageTone Drivetrain Overdrive still made?
No. Truetone lists the GarageTone Drivetrain Overdrive in its Truetone Archive, described by the company as a legacy of tone, which places the pedal among its archived and discontinued products rather than its current lineup.
What power supply does the GarageTone Drivetrain Overdrive need?
The pedal runs on a 9VDC supply with a center pin negative plug, the standard arrangement for most pedalboard power supplies. Truetone lists the current draw as 11 to 19mA.
Is the Truetone Drivetrain the same as the Reverend Drivetrain?
The GarageTone Drivetrain is a variant of the Reverend Guitars Drivetrain Overdrive. Bob Weil and Joe Naylor designed the original for Reverend in 2000, and Truetone reintroduced it in the GarageTone line, keeping what the company describes as exactly what made it great.
Does the Drivetrain Overdrive have a tone control?
Not a single tone knob. Instead it has separate Bass and Treble controls, which Truetone says allow independent frequency shaping, so a player can cut or boost the low and high ends of the drive tone separately.
Sources (1)
- GarageTone Drivetrain Overdrive, Truetone, 2026
