Truetone V2 Route 808

The Truetone V2 Route 808 is a single-channel overdrive pedal. Truetone describes it as the signature overdrive voice from the company's most celebrated dual-effect pedal, the Route 66, distilled into its own dedicated unit¹². Where the Route 66 pairs a compressor and an overdrive on one chassis, the Route 808 carries only the overdrive, with the tagline "One Channel. All The Character."¹²

Truetone says the pedal delivers warm low-end response, punchy mids, and pick-attack sensitivity in a compact format¹. The housing measures 3" x 5-11/16" (78 x 144mm), and the maker notes that the compact housing works in tight pedalboard configurations¹.

The controls

The Route 808 keeps things simple with three knobs, the classic overdrive arrangement¹³:

MusicRadar's review of the original Visual Sound Route 808, the pedal the V2 descends from, described the same layout: "The other controls are the familiar drive, tone and volume."³

Power

The Route 808 runs on 9VDC with a center pin negative connector, the standard polarity for most pedal power supplies¹. Its current draw is listed at 11 to 12 mA¹, and Truetone states that the low current draw is compatible with battery operation¹. That low draw also means it sits comfortably alongside other pedals on a shared supply.

Route 808 or Route 66?

The V2 Route 66 is a dual-channel pedal combining classic compression and overdrive, with independent compressor and overdrive channels and separate footswitches for each². Truetone describes its overdrive as covering everything from mild boost to cranked amp sounds, and its compressor as one players often leave on as a permanent tone enhancer². The Route 808 is that overdrive voice alone, in a single-channel pedal with no compression section¹.

Truetone also makes the V2 Open Road, an overdrive the maker describes as having amp-like response⁴. It sits in the same V2 Series as the Route 808, and like it is listed in the Truetone Archive rather than the current lineup¹.

Questions