The XTS Pedals Imperial Overdrive is an overdrive pedal made by XTS Custom Pedals, the brand name of Xact Tone Solutions. The maker describes it as "a clear, open-voiced, wide-bandwidth overdrive that has been optimized for low gain to higher-mid gain tones,"1. Delicious Audio's Paolo De Gregorio passed along the same description when the pedal was featured in 20182.
What it does to your sound
The Imperial is built around clarity rather than heavy clipping. XTS says the controls have been "optimized to provide wide sweet spots that make this pedal easy to dial in," meaning small knob movements produce gradual changes instead of abrupt jumps in tone1. The pedal was developed, according to Delicious Audio, "with a great deal of input from our Nashville clients," which shows in the Dyn switch's Nashville-oriented voicing2.
The Gain knob's taper, Delicious Audio writes, "makes it easy to dial in just a touch of grit to your tone, or use it to apply crunch with a formidable low-mid presence," a character the reviewer tied to classic open-back combo amps2.
The controls: Gain, Color and Dyn
| Control | What it does |
|---|---|
| Gain | Sets the amount of drive, from a touch of grit to crunch with a strong low-mid presence2 |
| Color | Adjusts the EQ for a big variation in response without getting overly dark or painfully bright2 |
| Dyn | Switches between two response characters (see below)24 |
The Dyn switch
The Dyn switch is the pedal's most distinctive control. XTS's own primer describes the two settings as "slight low-mid compression, softer response" on one side, and an "open and uncompressed, fast, articulate response" on the other4. Delicious Audio puts it in player's terms: "The up position gives you a classic Nashville overdrive while the down position gives you a more articulate, faster voic"2. In practice, the switch lets one pedal cover both a compressed, smooth overdrive and a tighter, more immediate one.
Related: the FoxPedal Imperial Overdrive
A pedal with the same name appeared earlier under the FoxPedal brand. Pedal of the Day reviewed the FoxPedal Imperial Overdrive in 2015, calling it "one of FoxPedals' signature overdrives"5. That version had four controls: Volume, Drive and Tone knobs plus a Force knob for its Boost section, activated by a second footswitch on the right side of the pedal. Its reviewer found the Drive "will do anything from a low-to-mid gain setting all the way up to a sustained, blissful overdrive"5. The FoxPedal version was also sold under the name Slow Hound6. It is a separate product from the XTS Imperial, though the shared name and similar low-to-mid gain focus make the two easy to confuse.
Videos
Covey The Boston Terrier
Shawn Tubbs
xacttone
Questions
What does the Dyn switch do on the XTS Imperial Overdrive?
The Dyn switch changes the pedal's compression and response. One setting gives slight low-mid compression with a softer response, while the other is open and uncompressed with a fast, articulate response. Delicious Audio describes the up position as a classic Nashville overdrive and the down position as a more articulate, faster voice.
What does the Color knob do on the Imperial Overdrive?
The Color knob adjusts the EQ. According to Delicious Audio, it allows a big variation in response without getting overly dark or painfully bright, so you can shape the tone across a wide range while keeping the pedal usable at either extreme.
Is the XTS Imperial Overdrive a low-gain pedal?
It is optimized for low gain to higher-mid gain tones, so it sits in the lower and middle part of the gain range rather than covering high-gain distortion territory. The Gain knob's taper still allows everything from a touch of grit to crunch with a strong low-mid presence.
Who makes the XTS Imperial Overdrive?
The Imperial Overdrive is made by XTS Custom Pedals, also known as Xact Tone Solutions, and sold under the XTS Pedals name.
Is there a demo video of the XTS Imperial Overdrive?
Yes. Delicious Audio noted in January 2018 that Gearmandude had posted a new demo of the XTS Pedals Imperial Overdrive.
Sources (6)
- Imperial Overdrive, Xact Tone Solutions
- XTS Pedals Imperial Overdrive, Delicious Audio, 2018-01-05
- Imperial Overdrive, XTS (xacttone.com)
- iod_one_sheet, XTS Custom Pedals, 2026
- FoxPedal Imperial Overdrive, Pedal of the Day (www.pedal-of-the-day.com), 2015-12-13
- FoxPedal Imperial Overdrive, Pedal of the Day, 2015-11-17
