EX-Bluish Blues Drive Mini Guitar Pedal

I was surprised. This thing sounds fantastic. Small footprint. Big sound.

A budget pedal with a nice, glassy blues driver sound.

Great pedal for the price. Overall pleased with its performance

Looks like it’s supposed to, using high quality power supply and it still had a horrible noise. Doesn’t sound good at all. Absolutely cheap.

I always prefer mini-pedals to conserve pedal board space. That is, as long as they’re well-constructed and more importantly produce the sound for which they’re designed.Built of quality materials, this pedal has a die-cast body, and the foot switch engages/disengages with a nice, positive click. The switch is flat-topped and standard diameter (10mm) so it readily accepts “toppers”, which I install on all of my pedals.It is indeed true bypass. Here’s a little trick to test for this with any effects pedal:1) Plug in power.2) Engage then disengage pedal.3) Remove power.4) Play your guitar: The signal should sound exactly like you’re plugged directly into your amp. If its signal cannot be heard or is otherwise affected, the pedal is not true bypass.As far as sound goes, it produces a warm tube-sounding overdrive, along with a major boost when you crank the level knob. Think of the late Stevie Ray Vaughan’s tone, and that should give you the general idea. Better yet, have a listen to it for yourself via the video on this product page.I own several EX effects pedals, and realize that I’m starting to sound like a broken record when it comes to the following small but important point. It bears repeating, since it’s true for every EX pedal I’ve ever ordered:I’ve never seen a pedal board that doesn’t attach pedals using a Velcro hook/loop system. There’s a rubber pad pre-installed on the bottom of this pedal, so the first thing I had to do was peel that off (along with as much leftover residue as I could, great fun) and replace it with my own adhesive Velcro hook material.Worse yet, there is a “GENTLE REMINDER” on the bottom label warning that removing it will void the warranty. Removing the screws I can see, but the pad? That’s completely ridiculous. Well, I guess no warranty for me, or anyone else planning on using this product on a pedal board for that matter.Mini-pedals should always be boxed without any sort of pad attached, and instead two mounting options supplied: The adhesive rubber pad, and in addition a Velcro hook pad. The latter is without a doubt what people using pedal boards will require anyway.My suggestion to the manufacturer would be to get rid of the velvet bag it’s delivered in which 99% of guitarists will find useless, and instead provide those two pads. Of course, I’m not sure what that bag costs the manufacturer to produce, but I’d bet the farm it’s far more than a simple Velcro hook adhesive pad would be.In the end, the materials used and most importantly its sound are both excellent, especially at such a low price. It’s definitely a welcome addition to my board.

I've never owned a Boss Blues Driver, so I can't make a direct comparision. I do own an Ibanez TS9 modded for additional bass and a Joe Walsh Analog Alien. This pedal doesn't sound like either of them. I don't mean that in a negative sense. It's a fun pedal and a nice compliment to other dirt pedals on your board, and it takes up minimal space. I wouldn't describe the sound as a smooth creamy crunch. It has a bit more fuzz to it. Not unpleasant, just different. It carries the low end well and won't rob you of it like a TS9 will. You're going to get a huge bump in volume when you engage it unless the level control is turned way back. The 9:00 position is closest to your clean sound. As for the tone, the treble is overpowering. It sounds best to me fully counterclockwise. The drive has a sweet spot between the 1:00 and 2:00 positions. The housing is ruggedly built, but the knobs seem a bit flimsy. If you're a stomper, make sure you hit only your target. Now that I've touched on the shortcomings, I do plan to keep it on my board awhile. It definitely works for some classic rock sounds. This is not a three figure pedal and my rating takes the ridiculously low price into consideration. If you practice with a solid state bedroom amp with a less than desirable OD, you'll enjoy Bluish Blues Drive.

My wife used this blues pedal for her electric guitar, and it sounded amazing! The gruffness of her sound was exactly what she was shooting for, and she said it was just as good if not better than more expensive options! I highly recommend if you are looking for something that does not break the bank, but sounds awesome when used in conjunction with other guitar pedals.

I really like the tones that come out of this pedal. When hooked up to my Strat, I can really get that crisp "bite" that makes it sound like you're tearing through the notes instead of just picking them. I'm only a hobbyist (and only a mediocre one at that), but I really like trying to imitate the sounds of people like Kenny Wayne Shepherd and Stevie Ray Vaughan. This pedal can get pretty close to that type of sound and tone. The bad news is that as you turn the levels up, the amount of noise/hum/buzz goes up with it. If you've got a noise gate or filter in your set-up, then maybe it's not a deal breaker, but it's pronounced enough (on the high end) that it most people would consider it a problem.