The Way Huge Smalls Geisha Drive is a compact overdrive pedal from Way Huge, an arm of the Jim Dunlop brand1. It is the Smalls edition of a formerly limited-edition Way Huge Drive, and it covers a wide range of ground on just three knobs: warm, low-gain drive at one end of the Drive knob and full distortion at the other2. What sets it apart is how it responds to your hands. The manual describes gritty, grinding tones shaped by the intensity of your attack and the volume of your guitar, and says it works well into either a clean amp or an amp already overdriven on the edge3.
The pedal takes its name from its artwork. Guitar Pedal X notes that the original quickly came to be known as the "Geisha Drive" because of the subject matter of its artwork4.
What it does: one knob from warm overdrive to distortion
The Drive knob is the whole story. Way Huge describes the range in three stages2:
| Drive setting | What Way Huge says you get |
|---|---|
| Low | "Warm, buttery goodness with a bit of velvet around the edges" |
| Midway | "Thick, tubey overdrive" |
| End of range | "Gnarly thunder-and-lightning distortion" |
Guitar World's coverage echoes the middle ground, noting the midway point conjures a thicker, tube amp-inspired overdrive1. The manual adds that the pedal's dynamic, touch-sensitive tones can be dialed in from overdrive to distortion territory by adjusting your guitar's volume knob, with fuzz gain available from the Drive control3.
That volume-knob responsiveness is the pedal's calling card. Guitar Pedal X calls it4:
"one of the best-loved Way Huge pedals on account of its vast dynamic range and superior guitar volume knob gain cleanup"
The controls
The control set is three knobs and one footswitch23:
| Control | What it does |
|---|---|
| Drive | Sets the amount of drive, from warm overdrive to distortion across its range2 |
| Tone | Shapes the tone brighter or mellower2 |
| Volume | Sets the output level23 |
| Footswitch | Toggles the effect on/bypass3 |
Delicious Audio confirms the controls stayed the same as the earlier version, with the three straightforward knobs for Volume, Drive and Tone5.
Power and connections
The pedal runs on a single 9-volt battery or a 9-volt AC adapter such as the Dunlop ECB003, drawing only 1.8 mA3.
The power input is a 5.5mm x 2.1mm jack with the positive voltage on the outer sleeve3. That is the reverse of the center-negative standard most pedal power supplies use, so a typical daisy chain or isolated supply will not work without a polarity-reversing cable. The pedal also includes power protection circuitry to prevent damage from AC power supplies3.
Other measured specs from the manual: input impedance > 42 kΩ, output impedance < 50 kΩ, and a noise floor of -80 dBV3.
History and versions
The Geisha Drive started life as a brushed steel pedal limited to just 40 pieces1. Guitar Pedal X describes the Smalls edition as Jeorge Tripps "unleashing the Smalls Edition of his formerly limited-edition Way Huge Drive"4.
The Smalls edition became available on February 18, 2024, returning the design in a crisp and clean white finish with colorful Geisha girl and cherry blossom tree artwork and Japanese katakana writing1. Delicious Audio notes the new enclosure is a lot smaller than its predecessor, both in height and width, with updated artwork featuring the katakana writing5.
Jim Dunlop's product page lists the standard model as WM32 and a Blue version as WM32B, the latter also offered as parts under WM32B-PARTS2. The white 2024 version carries the colorful Geisha artwork described above; the Blue version is listed under its own model number on the maker's page12.
On price, two figures are in circulation. Guitar World reported the 2024 white edition retailing at $242.841, while Guitar Pedal X expected the new edition to land around $149, roughly the same as the former version4. The two press sources disagree, so treat both as estimates from their respective dates.
Where it sits among Way Huge drives
The Geisha Drive joins a Smalls lineup that includes compact editions of other Way Huge drives, such as the Way Huge Smalls Red Llama Overdrive, the Way Huge Smalls Supa-Lead and the Way Huge Smalls Overrated Special. Its distinguishing trait, per Guitar Pedal X, is that dynamic range and volume-knob cleanup rather than any one signature voicing4.
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Questions
Does the Geisha Drive take a battery?
Yes. The Way Huge Smalls Geisha Drive is powered by a single 9-volt battery or a 9-volt AC adapter such as the Dunlop ECB003. The power input is a 5.5mm x 2.1mm jack with the positive voltage on the outer sleeve, which is the opposite of most common pedal power supplies, so check your adapter's polarity before plugging in.
Is the Way Huge Geisha Drive true bypass?
Yes. The manual lists its bypass as True Hardwire Relay, so the signal passes through untouched when the effect is switched off. One footswitch toggles the effect on and bypass.
Does the Geisha Drive clean up with the guitar volume knob?
Yes. The manual describes a wide range of dynamic, touch-sensitive tones that can be dialed in from overdrive to distortion territory by adjusting your guitar's volume knob. Guitar Pedal X calls it one of the best-loved Way Huge pedals on account of its vast dynamic range and superior guitar volume knob gain cleanup.
Who designed the Way Huge Geisha Drive?
The Geisha Drive comes from Jeorge Tripps, the designer behind Way Huge, who released the Smalls edition of the formerly limited-edition Way Huge Drive. Way Huge is an arm of the Jim Dunlop brand.
What is the difference between the white and blue Geisha Drive?
The 2024 Smalls edition returned the design in a crisp, clean white finish with colorful Geisha girl and cherry blossom artwork and Japanese katakana writing, after the original brushed steel run was limited to just 40 pieces. Jim Dunlop's product page also lists a Blue version under model number WM32B.
Sources (5)
- NAMM 2024: “From buttery goodness to gnarly thunder and lightning distortion”: The limited edition Way Huge Smalls Geisha Drive packs tumultuous tones into a seemingly peaceful package, Guitar World, 2024-01-30
- WAY HUGE® SMALLS™ GEISHA DRIVE, Jim Dunlop (jimdunlop.com)
- WM32B.pdf, Jim Dunlop (jimdunlop.com), 2025
- Guitar Pedal X, Guitar Pedal X, 2024-01-29
- Way Huge Geisha Drive Smalls, Delicious Audio, 2024-07-01
