Wampler TCD

The Wampler TCD, also called The Compulsion Drive or TCD Drive, is an overdrive/distortion pedal from Wampler, announced in late November 2025. It is Brian Wampler's take on the Fulltone OCD circuit, expanded with a three-band EQ, two front-panel playback modes, and internal DIP switches that give four classic circuit variations in one pedal¹. Delicious Audio describes it as a meticulously engineered homage to the OCD, designed to deliver the circuit's signature roar, sparkle, and dynamic touch sensitivity while adding refined tonal sculpting features².

The original OCD, a hard-clipping MOSFET, op-amp-driven overdrive, was a success for Fulltone, and its circuit itself traces back further: Aion FX notes it is a modified version of the Voodoo Labs Overdrive with several added features and tweaks³⁴. The TCD sits in that family tree but gives the player more shaping control than the original ever had.

What the TCD does to your sound

Gearnews describes the TCD as designed to deliver the OCD circuit's signature roar, sparkle, and dynamic touch sensitivity while adding refined tonal sculpting. With its mode and clipping options, Delicious Audio says it lets players dial in everything from the classic, dynamic overdrive to a thick, high-gain foundation².

The pedal's tonal range comes from two layers of switching:

• A front-panel Mode switch with two distinct gain personalities: Stock (Traditional), the original circuit character, and Cascaded MOSFET, a more aggressive, amp-like voicing for harder-hitting, tube-like saturation⁵².
• Internal DIP switches that allow four classic circuit variations in one pedal¹.

In the Mode switch's down position, the pedal has the traditional gain structure¹.

Controls and how it is powered

The control layout follows the expanded OCD format. Guitar Pedal X lists the front panel as⁵:

Inside the pedal are two internal dippers⁵:

• Diode Off/On: introduces an extra clipping stage for tighter, more saturated distortion²
• Fat Off/On: adds deep low-end warmth for a thicker, more robust foundation¹²

The pedal runs on 9 to 18 volts, so it can run at higher voltages for additional headroom¹. The enclosure uses top-mounted jacks, which saves pedalboard width¹.

If you expect to flip between clipping configurations mid-gig, this pedal asks you to open it up and move a dipper by hand¹.

Where the circuit came from

The TCD's lineage runs through three generations of overdrive design:

1. The Voodoo Labs Overdrive, the circuit the OCD was modified from, with several added features and tweaks³.
2. The Fulltone OCD, a hard-clipping MOSFET, op-amp-driven overdrive that became a modern classic. MusicRadar's technical analysis places it as an op-amp based overdrive in the family tree of the Tube Screamer⁶.
3. The Wampler TCD, Brian Wampler's expansion of the OCD circuit with a three-band EQ, two playback modes, and the four internal circuit variations¹.

Guitar Pedal X frames the TCD as Brian Wampler improving and expanding on the OCD circuit with his own four-mode take, souping it up with the 3-band EQ and the two main playback modes, Stock (Traditional) and Cascaded MOSFET, the more amp-like mode⁵.

The TCD is not Wampler's first reimagining of a classic circuit. The company's Mofetta took a similar approach with a classic design of its own.

Price and availability

The TCD was announced on 28 November 2025 and was available at Thomann at launch¹. Pricing reported by the press:

Guitar Pedal X's reviewer did flag one practical drawback: the TCD's DIP switches are internal, which he found hard to adjust when playing live or in the studio, and he said he would prefer that switch placement on the outside of the pedal¹.

How it differs from other Wampler drives

Wampler's distortion and overdrive line already covers a lot of ground, from the Pinnacle Deluxe and Plexi-Drive Deluxe to the Sovereign and Dracarys. What sets the TCD apart within the range is its explicit circuit homage: rather than a Wampler original design, it is a documented expansion of the Fulltone OCD, aimed at players who want that circuit's character with EQ and clipping options the original never offered¹⁵.

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