Gus-Drive
DOD 250/MXR Distortion+ topology with dog-themed knobs. Two-knob simplicity, rolls off lows as gain increases.
The Gus-Drive is Summer School Electronics' modern interpretation of classic DOD 250 and MXR Distortion+ hard-clipping overdrive/distortion topology. Named after company founder's lovable dog, this pedal strips away complexity in favor of intuitive two-knob operation: "Bark" for volume and "Howl" for gain. Despite simple interface, Gus-Drive delivers impressive range of tones from subtle boost to heavily saturated distortion, making it equally at home in garage rock, punk, indie, and classic rock applications.
Circuit employs hard-clipping distortion that generates harmonically rich overtones and sustain while maintaining note definition even at higher gain settings. Notable feature is frequency response characteristic: as you increase gain, pedal progressively rolls off low frequencies, allowing guitar to cut through dense band mixes without getting muddy. This makes it particularly effective in live performance situations where clarity and presence are essential.
Versatility extends from functioning as transparent clean boost with gain low and volume high, through vintage-style smooth preamp overdrive reminiscent of '70s rock tones, all the way to aggressive modern distortion suitable for punk and garage applications. Guitar's volume knob interacts beautifully with circuit, allowing dynamic cleanup and nuanced tonal variations simply by rolling back volume control. Hand-built in Syracuse, NY with top-mounted jacks, runs on standard 9-volt negative center power supplies. Priced at $149.99 and backed by lifetime warranty.
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