Oxford Drive V2

Name: Oxford Drive V2
Brand: The King of Gear
Availability: OnlineOnly

Overdrive

Distortion

V2 adds voice switch (91/88) and soft-touch bypass. Redesigned circuit with C0G caps eliminates microphonics.

The King of Gear Oxford Drive V2, released in October 2021, is an updated version of the Marshall Shredmaster-inspired distortion pedal. The V2 adds a voice switch offering two distinct tonal characters: '91 voicing (identical to the original Oxford Drive V1, emulating the 1991 Shredmaster) and '88 voicing (a brighter tone based on the 1988 Gubernatorial, with adjusted input and output filters to reduce harsh upper-mids).

The circuit board was completely redesigned for lower noise and upgraded to high-quality C0G capacitors, which prevent the occasional microphonic issues some V1 units experienced. The V2 also features flexible soft-touch true bypass switching. Like the V1, it offers three clipping modes (silicon, LED, and asymmetrical) and five controls: Contour, Treble, Bass, Gain, and Volume.

Housed in a compact 1590B enclosure and priced at $170, the Oxford Drive V2 provides versatile high-gain British distortion tones with improved reliability and sonic flexibility over the original version.