
UK pedal purveyor Origin Effects has unveiled the latest addition to its RevivalDRIVE range of overdrive pedals, the RD Compact Hot Rod.
Designed to recreate the experience of playing through a vintage hot-rodded guitar amp, the RD Compact Hot Rod takes inspiration from the “legendary amp techs of the ‘70s and ‘80s”, who pushed amps to forge the sound of early hard rock and heavy metal.
The pedal's front face features seven controls: Gain, Output, Blend, two-band EQ – with controls for Highs and Lows – More/Pres – which alters presence and how the unit responds to pick attack – and a post-drive EQ section, which allows players to tailor the its voicing to match any amp.
Says Origin Effects: “Discrete transistors stand in place of valves, right down to the push-pull output stage and specially designed power supply which introduces just the right amount of sag.”
“All this means is that this super-realistic pedal not only replicates the sounds but also the dynamics and feel of coveted hot-rodded amps.”
The original RevivalDRIVE was conceived by Origin Effects to recreate the tones of just about any British or American tube amp. Its successor, the downsized RevivalDRIVE Compact arrived in August 2019.
The RD Compact Hot Rod is available now for $390/£320. For more information, head over to Origin Effects.
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Sam was Staff Writer at GuitarWorld.com from 2019 to 2023, and also created content for Total Guitar, Guitarist and Guitar Player. He has well over 15 years of guitar playing under his belt, as well as a degree in Music Technology (Mixing and Mastering). He's a metalhead through and through, but has a thorough appreciation for all genres of music. In his spare time, Sam creates point-of-view guitar lesson videos on YouTube under the name Sightline Guitar.
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