Danelectro SexDrive Clean Boost Pedal Reviews 5

Primarily a singer, I've been playing guitar for about 10 years, been in a band (drummer!), and have continued to record and play with other musicians on a non-professional basis. My styles range from folk to hard rock, with heavy power-pop leanings -- Big Star, not Green Day.

I bought this pedal at TrueTone Music in Santa Monica, CA, for $219.

This pedal solves one of my long-running problems with my guitar tone, which is mushiness. The SexDrive's effect is subtle, but it's there -- it improves your note separation, tonal clarity, your pick attack, and presence. Lead lines will stand out more, rhythm parts will get added crunch, and chords will sound snappier. It doesn't give you a huge volume boost and has practically no gain or distortion, but that's precisely the point; craft your tone with other pedals or your amp, and then add this pedal to "sweeten" the tone. I did a recording with the SexDrive the day after I'd bought it, and suddenly it felt like as if a bed mattress had been removed between my finger and the sound being recorded. A wah pedal I used to consider mushy suddenly sprang to life, and my Telecaster gained an extra raunchy "oomph".

The price! Yes, there are more expensive boutique pedals; this is still one high-priced pedal. But after hearing what it can do, you'll be hooked. Some might also argue that the amount of boost it gives isn't huge; its function is more to deepen the flavour of your tone, not to send your volume sky-high.

High. Just one small gripe: The box it comes with, in my case, isn't actually large enough to hold the pedal, and the on/off switch pokes the lid of the box up a bit.

This was precisely the guitar effect I needed for my purposes. The SexDrive serves wonderfully as an enhancer for your tones, clean or dirty. No wonder that it's been embraced by so many pro guitarists, including U2's The Edge, Kathleen Edwards and Colin Cripps, Eric Johnson, Joe Walsh and Keith Richards. I know it certainly makes me sound much closer to how I've always wanted to sound.

Derek Mok rated this unit 5 on 2007-02-10.

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