EHX (Electro Harmonix) Glove Overdrive Pedal Review

The EHX Glove is a pretty unique overdrive/distortion pedal. With MOFSET semiconductors, the pedal aims (and manages) to bring a wide range of overdriven sounds that are very tube-like, without being too harsh. Modelled perhaps after the Fulltone OCD, this pedal manages to bring a rich tonal sound for around £50.

EHX Glove

Here's how EHX describes it on their website: http://www.ehx.com/products/od-glove 

Rich, overtone laden sound that doesn’t get muddy. Responsive controls that take you from sparkling, clean boost through brown crunch and all the way to thick, saturated hi-gain. Advanced features like Tone Shift and selectable 9 or 18V internal voltage for surgical sound sculpting. The new OD Glove delivers overdrive and distortion with impact, and the modern player in mind.

So how does it play in practice?

Well, I absolutely love it. I listened to clips of this and the Crayon and am so pleased to have chosen the Glove. I play it through a Fender Blues Junior (with upgraded tubes and a Greenback speaker) and they work together beautifully. Said to be able to get that classic British rock crunch sound, I found this was a pretty accurate description but probably does a slight disservice to the range of the Glove.

It fits perfectly with my (now very sadly discontinued) Visual Sound Open Road and has a similar kind of tone. Howeever, the Open Road sits much more as a tube-like transparent sound. While the Glove aims for this to some extent, it does bring its own character. It is not a harsh, fizzy, or too fuzzy pedal but doesn't go as 'clean' or as 'transparent' as some may want it to, especially if you want to simply use it as a boost.

However, the overdrive is pretty smooth at lower levels. Some people have bought this looking towards that kind of Marshall distortion sound and certainly the pedal does nod in that direction more than a traditional overdrive pedal but without fully nailing the sound. Without a doubt this brings a thick and sustained sound that you'd hope for and doesn't lose character at high gain, certainly in comparison with some other EHX pedals. There's also a selectable 9v or 18v setting inside the pedal.

As you'd expect, this doesn't have the midrange cut through that you'd find on the Fulldrive or other tubescreamer type pedals. Nor does it act as a heavy driven metal distortion pedal as you'd equally expect. But it does what it does very nicely and with an excellent build quality. This thing is solid as a rock and won't get damaged anytime soon - as with all EHX pedals.

This is the kind of settings I use with the Glove pedal (often having the gain up a touch as well). I also leave the Tone Shift setting to 'On'. I have also managed to use the guitar volume to clean up very well with the pedal - another brilliant bonus. I haven't done a demo video as to be honest my playing can't compare with some of the videos online - listen to them and see if it's for you.

Overall, for £50, this absolutely blows the cheaper pedals out of the water sonically. It's rich, musical, retains a smooth tone and gives you that British tube amp classic crunch sound. Absolutely stunning.

Donner Blues Drive Overdrive Review

The Donner Blues Overdrive is a cheap (possibly Chinese?) copy pedal. Many of the Donner pedals seem to be copies of the Mooer pedals so you may think this is possibly a copy of the Mooer Blues Mood pedal (http://www.mooeraudio.co.uk/p/mooer-blues-mood?pp=24)

For video reviews on the pedals, check out video reviews from the same person:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y8ufhjpAAcY  (Donner pedal)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5G15IMGTbj0

From these reviews you'll hear the two pedals are very different beasts. I think the Donner pedal sounds a bit more bluesy to be honest. The Mooer has more of an overdriven edge and resonance to it (to my mind!)

Overview of the Donner Blues Overdrive

OK so an overview of the pedal. It's supposed to be true bypass and having played it, I see no reason to doubt that. Haven't opened up the insides though! I played this in line with a couple of old Behringer pedals which then killed the tone... Back to just playing the Donner and things cleaned up and the tone returned.

On the top there's a toggle switch for 'hot' and 'warm'. I must admit that playing this, I leave the pedal on warm. The 'hot' isn't a particularly nice tone. According to the Donner info the hot setting, 'enlarges the sound to get the tightened electromagnetical sound'. Certainly the sound is not as warm as the, er, 'warm' setting! I think it sounds a wee bit nasty which may appeal to you!

However, the warm setting is excellent. The sound is quite warm and bluesy. It's not transparent like say the Visual Sound Open Road and it doesn't respond to the volume or clean up with the volume on the guitar, but for £20 you wouldn't expect that. It's not as wide-ranging a pedal as the Boss Blues Driver but again it's not meant to and you get what you pay for.

The tone switch makes a big difference to the sound. When it's around zero it sounds muffled more than bassy. When it's on full, it obviously ups the treble and the hum as well - but it sounds pretty good to be honest.

The Donner is powered by the usual 9V power. I use my 1 Spot power plug with this no probs (this power can power several small pedals). The dimensions of the pedal are 95mm (length) by 48mm (height) by 34cm (width, including the jack inputs). I basically got this to pedal simply to fit into a small pedal board!

The best setting I found is with the toggle on 'warm',  the tone in and around the 12 o'clock position and the 'level' setting around 2-3pm.

I did a very basic audio recording as this may help you! Recording is with a Fender Blacktop using middle pickup. The amp is Fender Blues Junior with tubes from Watford Valves and a Greenback speaker in. The volume and master are around 2. Middle / Treble / Bass are central-ish...

Basic Audio Samples - just G and C chords

First sample - Warm setting. Tone on zero. Level around 3 o'clock. Gain around 12 o'clock

Second sample - Warm setting. Tone at 12. Level around 3 o'clock. Gain around 12 o'clock

Third sample - Warm setting. Tone on full. Level around 3 o'clock. Gain around 12 o'clock

Fourth sample - Warm setting. Tone at 12. Level around 3 o'clock. Gain on full.

Fifth sample - Warm setting. Tone on full. Level around 3 o'clock. Gain on full.

Donner1.mp3


Sixth sample - High setting. Tone at 12. Level around 12 o'clock. Gain around 12 o'clock

Seventh sample - High setting. Tone on full.. Level around 12 o'clock. Gain on full

Eighth sample - High setting. Tone on full. Level at full. Gain around 12 o'clock

Donner2.mp3


(Sorry, forgot to do the high setting on full gain! Apologies also for not matching audio levels, but the high setting is probably a quarter of a dial louder in volume than the warm setting)

Update September 2015 - the nut on the jack input had come loose, despite rarely being used so this was tightened. Having used this a bit more, it's great for what it is but just don't expect a Fulltone OCD sound to come out of it! Definitely better than (for example) the stock overdrive sounds that come out of a Zoom G3X (in my opinion). Not as good as the Zoom G5N overdrives though. Have since stopped using this pedal - doesn't come close to the EHX Glove that I bought!

Visual Sound Open Road Review / Truetone Open Road Review

You wondered which pedal I chose to replace the MXR M115? It was nearly the Boss OD3 but in the end, the Visual Sound Open Road won out.

The Open Road actually sounds quite like the OD3 but as many people have found, it cleans up very nicely on higher gain, and certainly much more cleanly than the OD3. What do I mean? Well, as the gain is turned up, the chords and solos sing and cut through without breaking up or getting lost in the mix.

Unlike the mid-humped tubescreamer, and even more than the mid-frequency (FM - flat mids) cut on the Fulldrive, the Open Road is extremely transparent and has a sweet low end beyond any pedal I've ever heard.

Reviews across the web make it clear that the Open Road works well with any guitar or amp due to its deliberate transparent nature. The transparency simply means it overdrives your amp without colouring the sound. The pedal also 'cleans up' nicely on the volume switch on the guitar, responding with increase or reduction in the volume switch (and in your playing) with a corresponding increase / reduction in the overdrive.

In practice, we have 3 switches keeping things very simple - gain, tone and volume. The gain ranges from a crunchy singing blues through to a more overdriven sound with a nice sustain - especially nice when used alongside the Fulltone on its Vintage or CompCut settings.

Build quality is excellent. It has a bright although not lurid yellow colour. The pedal is unusual in design with the rear of the pedal rising up above the control section. The power is at the back, input to the right, output to the left. What I really like is the on/off toggle which unlike many other pedals, is sturdy but silent!!

The Visual Sound pedals aren't true bypass, but in 'blind' tests with an audience Visual Sound (click here for youtube video) have shown that the buffer in the VS pedals sounds much better than much of the 'true bypass' hype.

A truly excellent pedal. It's a bit pricey at around £120 but I managed to get one a good bit cheaper. Visual Sound have truly made a brilliant pedal in the Open Road and it sits happily on my pedal board alongside the Fulldrive 2. Both pedals are unique but sit well together. Couldn't be more pleased!

Edit January 2018 - This is still my 'go-to' low-end drive. It's very full, very transparent and just works so well with other drives. Not sure why they chose to discontinue this pedal. Obviously, Visual Sound have long since renamed to 'True Tone' but they don't offer this pedal. They are still offering kicking pedals with killer tones clearly, but this classic pedal is no longer in the range. If you can pick one up second hand, do so!

Guitar Pedals - Overdrive Thoughts

I recently decided that the MXR Distortion didn't quite suit my Ibanez guitar - I'd probably advise those playing more punky or possibly on strats to use the MXR.

Anyways, in my quest for a replacement, I embarked upon the 'fun' of investigating new guitar pedals. Such was the information that flowed into my head, I though I'd share some of it with the world...

Boss BD2 - This is a great little blues pedal with quite a raw tone. It's a classic and a favourite of many. If you add in the Keeley mod then you have yourself a beautiful overdrive. A slightly cheaper mod is the excellent Monte Allums mod kit for $20. Or look on the web for other schematics like one of tdpri.com which many like.

Boss OD3 - For many people this is the secret in the Boss arsenal. It's a pedal few people seem to know, but those who have it rave about it. This is no tubescreamer clone, it is something different. In fact it's nearly the pedal I went for to replace the MXR Distortion! This has a smoother (more natural?) sound than the more crunchy BD2, has a good bass response unlike the tubescreamer type pedals (as you'd expect with their boosted mids) and a phenomenal sustain. It's capable of a good number of sounds from its 3 pedals. Many people think it should have been named the BD3.

Visual Sound Jekyll and Hyde - an amazing pedal (meaty beast) combining both overdrive and distortion. If you have lots of space on your pedal board, this would be a great investment. Visual Sound pedals are beautifully made and this is no exception. The overdrive is quite tubescreamer-esque. The distortion goes all the way to metal. Great combo pedal.

Voodoo Labs Sparkle Drive - another great classic pedal. This time, it combines a gain and a clean tone knobs to produce a fairly unique sound. The overdrive circuit is like the classic 808 sound. The clean channel acts like a boost channel and in this way you're able to mix the drive with the clean. This one just got away after I placed a bid on one via ebay!

Digitech Hardwire CM-2 - this pedal is another one that got away. Needing a pedal for the weekend at church, I placed an order via my local store (who also had the cheapest price). However, they didn't have any in stock so that was that. This pedal actually features two settings - a 'classic' and a 'modified' toggle switch. The pedal is based on an 808 circuit. The classic sounds more transparent and the modified gives more low end. A great review of this is on youtube via the excellent burgerman66 who shows off the pedal to its strengths (great playing too!) My personal view of the CM-2 is that it's a great pedal, although can be a bit 'harsh' sounding in my view. I compared closely with Fulltone via the pedal comparimator and just found it a bit too harsh in tone for my liking. Probably sings a bit more on SG type guitars more than strats, but it's your call. What I do like about this pedal is the bang for buck and range of sounds possible with it.

Vox Ice9 Overdrive - another pedal I looked at. Good thing is the boost switch it has - the 'more' switch. Great sounding pedal but just didn't do enough to convince me, despite the different sound from the Germanium diodes. You also have a toggle switch between 'vintage' and 'modern'.

Electro-Harmonix Germanium Big Muff - the Big Muff is a fuzz pedal classic. The Germanium has 4 individual Germanium Transistors and really has a totally different sound to the tubescreamer clones. I was tempted by this as there is an overdrive and a distortion sound - with the distortion verging on a fuzz sound. What ultimately put me off was the 'digital' sound I'd experienced on other EHX pedals.

Visual Sound Garagetone Drivetrain - Visual Sound's new 'budget' pedals which are priced around £69. These are a very solid overdrive with a solid sound. I just felt that these didn't quite match my needs. But an excellent pedal and build.

So out of all these pedals, what would I advise? It depends on what pedals you have, whether you need an overdrive or simply a boost. If you've got a tubsescreamer type pedal, then definitely get the Boss OD3. Otherwise, the Boss BD2 or the Hardwire CM-2. These will give you quality at great prices.

UPDATE - 5 September 2011... Have also been looking at the Fulltone OCD which has more gain (closer to distortion) but has great harmonics and a fair amount of sustain. Some pedals just lose all tone and get muddied together, but the OCD doesn't do that. Very tempting, especially with some of the excellent OCD clones that are out there (thorp671981 on ebay, madebymike.co.uk or diypedalkits.com if you're up for building your own).

Guitar Pedal Reviews - MXR Distortion M115 III

MXR Distortion M115 III

This is a nice little distortion pedal that acts more like an overdrive pedal. Sits in a red box of around 111mm depth x 60mm width x 30mm height. Takes a regular 9v supply.

Nice and simple with 3 knobs for output / tone / distortion. There is an on and off switch. The unit itself has absolutely no noise or volume loss. There is no tone suck, although not 'true bypass' - this has a buffer.

This little baby gives overdriven sounds that can get fairly heavy (not metal heavy) but very adaptable. The output switch controls the volume. Of course any overdrive etc depends on where your volume switch on the guitar is. If your guitar volume is turned right up, there is more overdrive coming from the guitar (in effect).

The distortion knob increases and decreases the distortion and as mentioned there is a fair range of sounds available from it. If you want a kind of classic rock sound, this pedal does it really well. You just have to look at the reviews on harmony central to see how highly rated this pedal is.

The tone switch can sweep to give more high end on the guitar, or more low end. Most people tend to have the tone switch around 1-3 o'clock on the dial.

I actually found that using this with a Ibanez guitar with humbucker that it sounds quite nice with the neck pickups, giving a more sparkly and almost Marshall-esque sound. But the pedal is very adaptable when on bridge pickup and can give a varied sound.

Great little beast that can also act as a boost to other overdrive pedals. I actually run this after the Fulltone Fulldrive.

Guitar Pedal Reviews - Fulltone Fulldrive 2 Overdrive

Fulltone Fulldrive II Overdrive Pedal

If you know about guitar pedals, you'll know about the Fulltone Fulldrive. This is a classic overdrive pedal hand built and was chosen by Guitar Player Magazine as one of the all-time top 50 effects ever! This takes a regular 9v power supply.

I don't have the Mofset version which is even better and doesn't suffer from the pop that has to be 'extradited' from the Fulldrive by clicking it on and off a couple times before turning on the amp...

But absolutely amazing pedal. This produces a rich and creamy overdrive. If you go to the Old Tone Zone Pedal Comparinator - you can listen to the Fulltone and compare it to other pedals. Some people say the Fulldrive is merely a hacked Tubescreamer board, but I think this is slightly unfair. If you compare the Fulltone to the Tubescreamer, you'll hear a difference with a smoother sound coming out of the Fulltone.

There are 4 controls for volume, tone, overdrive - the 4th control for the 'boost' which is built into the front right of the pedal. You also have 3 options via a toggle switch in the middle - Comp, FM and Vintage. Comp is a compression setting that gives a nice compressed sound (volume increases), FM has a flat mid-frequency bump and Vintage gives you more of a classic overdrive sound.

From the fulltone website:

"Vintage" for old-style Fd2 mid-heavy tones that cut through the mix

"FM" stands for "flat-mids" offering a more natural sound enhanced for even more transparency, it sounds great on a strat's Neck Pickup, truly spectacular!

"CompCut" feature removes the bounding from the feedback loop allowing for Monster Clean Boost tones and some rougher OD sounds with the OD and Boost knobs turned up.

The boost is for those screaming solo moments or just for extra volume. Fulltone were apparently the first to offer a switchable "Boost" Channel. This is another area where it does differ from the Tubescreamer and other pedals. This boost is a real blessing as you can adjust the amount of boost, so you can just add extra kick for a chorus or solo, or rip it up with lots of extra boost.

Conclusion

Great pedal, very flexible, true bypass and one of the best overdrive pedals on the market.