The Slim Drive is a hand-made overdrive pedal from Will Sledge FX, a small builder whose pedals Pedal of the Day reviewed in February 2015. It carries two control knobs and a bypass switch in a small, space-saving enclosure, and it is built with point to point circuitry rather than a printed circuit board.1
Controls and construction
The Slim Drive keeps its control layout simple: two knobs on top and a footswitch for bypass. The Volume knob sets the output level, and Pedal of the Day's reviewer, Mike B, described it as a big one: "The Volume level here is BIG". He added that "You'll be able to be heard in any mix you throw at this thing", meaning the pedal has enough output on tap to push its level well above the guitar's clean signal.1
| Control | What it does |
|---|---|
| Volume | Sets the output level, described by the reviewer as big1 |
| Second knob | Gain control, part of the pedal's two-knob layout1 |
| Bypass switch | Footswitch that engages and disengages the pedal1 |
Construction details from the review:
- Point to point circuitry, hand-wired rather than on a printed board1
- True bypass switching1
- Custom super bright 5mm LED1
- Enclosure measures 3.64 x 1.52 x 1.06 inches1
The unit Pedal of the Day reviewed was, in the reviewer's words, "the FIRST of it's kind, with a toggle switch that add an additional gain stage". That toggle is not part of the pedal's standard two-knob layout, so examples without it will not have that extra gain stage.
Overdrive or boost?
Although the pedal is touted as an overdrive, Mike B found it behaves more flexibly than that label suggests. In his words, the Slim Drive "cleans up fairly nicely for a clean(ish) boost with just a slight crunch", producing "warm crunch and smooth sounds that push a tube amp into the sweet spot". Rolled back on the guitar's volume it works as a slight-crunch boost; pushed harder it drives an already-working tube amp further. Players weighing it against dedicated boost pedals or other overdrive pedals should read it as a low-gain overdrive with a strong clean boost character.1
Videos
Worship Tutorials
Questions
Is the Will Sledge FX Slim Drive true bypass?
Yes. Pedal of the Day's review lists the Slim Drive as true bypass, so when the pedal is off your guitar's signal passes through without going through the circuit. That matters on a crowded board, where every pedal in the chain can affect your tone when switched off.
How big is the Slim Drive pedal?
The enclosure measures 3.64 x 1.52 x 1.06 inches. Pedal of the Day reviewed it as one of a crop of space-saving pedals, so it is built to take up as little room as possible on a pedalboard while still carrying two knobs and a footswitch.
What does the toggle switch do on the Slim Drive?
The toggle switch adds an additional gain stage. Mike B of Pedal of the Day noted that the unit he reviewed was the first of its kind to carry that switch, so earlier or other examples of the pedal may not have it.
Is the Slim Drive an overdrive or a boost?
It is touted as an overdrive, but Pedal of the Day's reviewer found it cleans up fairly nicely for a clean-ish boost with just a slight crunch, delivering warm crunch and smooth sounds that push a tube amp into the sweet spot. In practice it sits between the two.
Sources (1)
- Will Sledge FX Slim Drive, Pedal of the Day, 2015-02-22