clara p.
I needed a warmer distortion for my little Fender solid state. After listening to a number of videos that compared the Donner distortions, I selected the Blues Drive. Totally affordable and it does the trick. I was looking for warmth, not metal and this little thing is giving me the ability to better dial in what I need. One tough thing is that the knobs are soooooo tiny that I can't really adjust them live, but that's ok.
Ted M.
Nice and small so it fits on my pedal board. Great price and sounds good! I got it to add a light distortion to my Fender Acoustasonic and think I found a winner.
Roy L.
The Blues driver adds just enough crunch to my sound when I need to kick it up to 11.
Rick J.
Great little pedal at a great price, comparable to my Blues Driver. I now have both on my pedalboard at different gain and tone levels. If you are considering this pedal I don’t think you’ll be disappointed.
Bradley B.
Great pedal. So much so I purchased delay as well. I know Company is young but with this type of pricing and performance it is an exceptional deal. Keep up the good work.
Bruce P.
Right in the middle of the Dumbal and the Dark Horizon for tone. I really nice medium-ish overdrive. I prefer the “warm” setting.
bill c.
I have a Joyo vintage overdrive, which I allready liked. I thought this pedal would be more versatile. It turns out, I really only like the Warm setting on the switch... the drive is about the same as the joyo...but when the tone is cranked on the Donner, it delivers a searing bright crunch that is that is rockin' crisp. I don't care for the fuzzy distortion that is popular with so many players (covers up a lot of mistakes),,,, I like to hear my notes. The donner delivers. Havn't had the level above 3 yet....and it cranks. Still waiting to try on stage. The 'hot' position feels more like a crazy volume boost than an over drive....but perhaps that could be useful. This is not the pedal for heavy distortion players. But, if you want that extra sizzle and bite to your clean....this one does it great.
Richard D.
Great overdrive pedal for the price. I highly recommended.
Garrett C.
Great compact, sturdy overdrive pedal. I'm playing through a single channel tube amp and a guitar with coil-splitting humbuckers (e.g. you can switch them to get a single-coil pickup sound), and this blues driver is super versatile, so I don't have to fiddle with my volume knobs anymore to get the overdrive sound I want. I'm running the pedal in the warm mode, with the overdrive knob dialed back a little and the gain turned up to about 2 o'clock. This gives enough gain boost to pull the natural overdrive tones out of my tube amp without a significant volume increase. (I use the compressor pedal for leads to get the volume boost I need.) All in all, really great, natural and vintage sound.
Gabriel L.
Product arrivie don time a works as described.
chrisb
The levels of overdrive this little pedal offers are great. From soulful blues and funk to hard driving rock with stops all the was, this pedal is now a staple of my board. I'm looking forward to my next chance to get another effect from Donner. I'd be happy to test any out that were offered anyway.
tony
Wanted a nice sound and it does just what it says on the box. Brilliant
Ricky P.
What i dont like is it makes my amp hum especially when you turn up the gain are anything on it other than that its ok
James G
For what you’re paying, it’s a brilliant little pedal. Has a nice crunchy drive sound. And all the adjustments make it very versatile. I’ve recently purchased a boss super overdrive which is better but there’s not a crazy difference. My donner overdrive, is currently used as a boost pedal and works perfectly!
Stan H.
The warm position is an ok screamer . The hot setting is unusable for me. Into a deluxe the bass is loud and flubby.
Kevin J.
Great pedal! Gives me that warm, overdrive tone that’s reminiscent of the classic rock guitarist from the past. I play SRV, Hendrix, Grateful Dead, etc.
Barbara L.
Does exactly what it says it does. I use it for a hot "crunch" sound for those times where I don't really want a full on overdrive. It does this job really well and doesn't mess up the tone of the amp.
Robert M.
Incredible value for money! I've just formed a little rehearsal Blues band at the tender age of 68 so I'm old enough to remember the 60s and70s ! This pedal produces exactly the sound I was after....smooth and just gritty enough . I use a variety of guitars - Strat , tele and a Gibson deep bodied semi through a valve amp and this pedal sounds great for all of them . I don't know how they do it for the money . I sold an original Colourtone fuzz box c 1971 for hundreds of pounds a couple of years ago and this is at least as good! Don't hesitate if you want an authentic British Blues sound for nowt .
maugna
Verzerrt sehr sehr gut. Der Sound hat mich umgehauen. Die Handhabung ist sehr einfach und das Anschließen geht sehr schnell. Macht echt Laune
Byron
Both the Blues Drive and Reverb pedals are great. They were just what I needed to complete my collection of pedals. The tones are great and offer versatility to my varied guitar collection. The compact size is not to be thought of as small.
New Doug
Very happy with this, held up well over a cpl yrs and stacks great!
Customer
Great pedal for the money
Michael B.
Where do I start? This pedal does everything that the blues needs it to do! You want a heavier blues sound? I can do that, just flip the switch. Are you more the BB King type? Flip it the other way. I really don't know how you go wrong with this pedal.
mark beckley
Sounds very good
Conrad H.
Its a very simple overdrive pedal. But with my set-up. Fender player Telecaster, and a Squier Stratocaster, Fender Champion 100 amp. I like using this overdrive pedal rather than any overdrive setting or gain setting on the amp. One of their better pedals. Price is right.
david ezell
I love my overdrive small but very effective sound
Customer
This thing is one hell of a bang for your buck
Steve F.
I have many dirt pedals. This one certainly ranks up there with several dirt other pedals at 3x the price. Good job. Keep up the good work Donner.
kenneth t.
this pedal is great. I use it with my deluxe reverb amp and it sounds awesome
Steven N. Hetzer
All in all, this is a great little all around pedal. Small and VERY robust in construction. Perfect size for a pedal board. Sound wise, it delivers on nice crunchy blues tones without crossing the line into being so overdriven that it turns into straight up distortion. The little toggle to push it into “loud” mode is a bit unnecessary and quite honestly I’d just never flip it. It’s way too much and takes your volume from a 3 to a 10. I think it’s meant to be a sort of boost, maybe to go from rhythm to lead, but the jump is pretty excessive. I’m not saying it couldn’t have its place for certain types of players I’d you dial it in, just be prepared the first time you flip it and have your guitar turned down quite a ways. Aside from that one anomaly (which really isn’t a negative, just something that may or may not be of use to you), it really does sound great for being such a budget pedal.
Andrew L.
Great little pedal that doesn't take up much space! I'm really enjoying the sustain and the tones I can get out of it. Thank you, Donner for reasonable pricing that I can afford.
A. Huff
The product came exactly as pictured, I saw reviews and a video on the product and I was sold. It actually does a whole lot more for the bucks. I will be ordering from this seller again in the future.
Taylor Dornbusch
Great sound and range of controls. Most mini pedals are twice this price. Not sure how durable it will be for a full time musician playing live gigs. Very happy with this purchase.
buggerteetar
Was hesitant to buy one of these. Just added it to my pretty basic pedal board and I already love it. Adds some oomph and backbone to my playing. I'm using a Gibson Lp Jr Special with a 10 watt Acoustic amp and it sounds great.
John S.
Nice, simple unit. Thanks!
Robert C.
Love the quality of the Donner pedals, sounds great and no hum.
Charles B.
Sorry about the blurry pic. It doesn't sound exactly like my Boss Blues Driver, but close enough!
Linda R.
Perfect little pedal. Has a good balance to it.
Ian B.
My fender amp comes with a good overdrive option, but I wanted a bit more. Works great with my basses, sounds really great with my fretless. As with the other Donner mini pedals it fits so well on the board, great price and fast shipping.
Peter R.
A great simple delay
Darwin P.
I practiced with this drive pedal many times trying to find a large number of different sounds while using my amp for reverb and/or chorus. I wanted to see if I could use it without adding any other pedals and still get a myriad of different sounds. It worked great! I highly recommend this pedal as an economical addition to a pedal collection.
Ezra Bogmis
One of my always on pedals. Just leave enough to push the amp and to add a smooth warmth. Also can go hard if you need.
Timothy B.
This is a great addition to your guitar sound! I was really impressed with the high build quality, and it really does add a super blues feel blues feeling to my playing.
JoeBeerMan
I didn't have much faith that this pedal would be any good but for the price, I said what the heck, I'll try it. Glad I did. This thing is pretty awesome. It's not a TS9 or a BOSS Blues driver, but it is super close. Quality seems pretty good. Nice sturdy box, with a solid switch. The pots have good resistance to them when adjusting too. If you are a hobby guitar player that wants to try an overdrive pedal without spending a lot of money, this little guy may be what you need.
Jason W.
Probably my favorite Donner pedal. Love the warm overdrive tones. Sounds great when stacking with distortion pedals
Albert G.
Sounds great metal housing low price. Worth the price. Nice blusey sound
Ric C.
Small pedal with a large voice. This voice screams bout as loud and dirty as one needs. Or this Blues Drive can quickly and easily go low and sweet, just blend on any level. The EC743 kicked my Boss Blues Driver out of my daily line up along with a few other pedals. Versatile, easy to use and easy on the wallet. The Blues Driver rocks.
John P.
The peal works great and pretty spot on to the BD-2. Great for an always on pedal, boost, overdrive as it works well in all scenarios.
AR D.
I needed to fatten my guitar sound. I didn’t want to pay a lot.
The blues pedal did both.
There’s a little bit of hum and that’s about the only downside.
don s.
Luv 2 jam coolest pedals had a blast
drifter
Just a hot little pedal. I'm thinking about getting another, one for hot one for warm. You've been warned; these pedals will make you rethink your overthinking on all the computer processors and technobabbel 1000$ super head.
Dan H.
Love it. I use it to get a faint distortion and some volume sustain, and it gives me a very bluesy vibe from itself. I tend to keep it dialed in around 10 o'clock. For the price, you can't beat this thing.
Philip B.
I've owned several overdrive pedals and none sound as good as this one hands down. I bought it as the price was attractive and was quite blown away at the sound. Currently using a tube amp and it opens up nice overdrive combinations. For the price its unbeatable.
Craig W.
Easy to use, nicely built unit, everything is smooth and feels like quality workmanship. Sounds great for what I was looking for and the price was fantastic.
masen garvin
Wow what a great product comparable to your $100 pedals and at a much more affordable price Donner has my business for sure!
Bob R.
Big sound for a small price
Eddie S.
Love all my Donner pedals and pedal board and happy to go back all analog!
Wook Sang Yu
I was surprised 3 times on this, for it's compact size, low noise, and the fine tone. This is a good, silent pedal. It is what I call a "light drive", meaning it is not a fuzzy drive. While it makes a little bit of fuzzy sound at 100 gain, but I just don't think this pedal is made for that. But thanks to its clean, clear tone(and compact size), it will make a perfect full-time drive or the first drive before another drive or distortion. A good product for a good price, another win for Donner.
James B.
Got a ultimate comp instead of blues drive I like the ultimate comp a lot sounds great along with the killer. So with that I guess I am going to have to order a blues drive
Mrmaad1
Tone is very versatile. The pedal construction is very solid. You can’t go wrong with this product.
Mario A.
I am very pleased with my purchase and the quality of the product. It's durable, compact and sounds great. Since then I've purchased 2 other pedals. I will be making more purchases in the future. Thanks Dinner.
Customer
It’s blue and is called Blues Drive, but other reviews noted that it was more of a TS clone, which is what I was looking for. The tone is definitely comparable to my old TS9. The quality seems high for such a low price point - metal housing, good weight, sturdy knobs and switches. Used it mainly to round out my overdrive channel and it did the job. So far so good, hopefully it lasts. Would recommend.
Mike M.
Love the pedal and love the price.
Robert Antony Dunn
Being mostly a rack/midi/multi effects guy I had somewhat brushed off "before the amp" pedals with the exception of maybe noise suppressors. I recently realised (excuse British spelling) that sometimes "on the fly" changes that don't need to change an entire FX patch change can be pretty useful. I actually got the Donner compressor first and was very impressed with it's usefulness ahead of the amp as both a leveler and a bit of a booster. The "Blues Driver" was got for the same reason, to push my preamp into a bit of jangle on the clean channel, not as a "Thrash Metal Fuzz Monster". It works wonderfully for that, on a tube amp anyway. It also works as a one button volume kick like the compressor. The drive and tonal range are very usable. What I also really like is that it fits on my already bloated pedalboard nicely. They're tiny! (Note, mine have those "Switch covers for blind people" over the regular switches)
Anon
I got this pedal today and I love it! I have the L6 Helix but all I really need it this pedal!
Vernon Walker
Got this pedal as a low cost alternative to a Boss Blues Driver and I am very pleased with the purchase. The quality is very good and the sounds are very tunable to your liking. As with all mini-pedals the knobs can be hard to adjust for big hands, but you can't beat the value. Highly recommend this one.
Shaynee
For the price, the sound is great. The pedal is solid and seems like a quality product.
Joseph B.
High quality at a low price!
Scott M. Porter
Smaller than I thought it would be. Was a little skeptical at first. Took me just a min or two to dial in the tone I wanted and away I went. Turned my coworker on to this and he’s stoked also.
Ian dykstra
These little pedals are great ,lots of tone in a small package
Customer
This small pedal has an amazing blues sound and flavor. Even on my junk amp the pedal brings it. Wouldn’t expect a cheap pedal like this to be worth more than practicing with, but I’d certainly use it on stage
Kindle Customer
Gives you a classic overdrive but not over the top.
April Riehm
Like all the Donner pedals I’ve used, it’s built like you could drive over it with a large truck and not break it. The price point, build quality, and tonal options that this (and all Donner pedals) offer make it a no-brained for me. I’m fact I buy two of every Donner pedal I own- one for home and one for my travel kit, why not♂️? The overdrive for me isn’t my “Holy Grail” of tone pedal for me..it sounds great and is very tweakable, but even after adjustments it still a little more trebly than I’d prefer...not a deal breaker but it’s not my only overdrive pedal either. Buy one, try it out..I’ll bet it’ll end up somewhere in your rig and it’ll last as long as any other pedal you own.
Bruce
Ease of connectivity, and solid value for the money
Elmer
I really like the pedal. I been having it for a week and sounds great. It’s really worth the money
mharp
Has a really nice sound, shipping was fast
Joirden Z.
Good kick. A real certs. Does well with other pedals.
Kelsey
Very bluesy sounding, very good for price of item. Had for a couple months and no defects yet.
Craig D.
Awesome little overdrive pedal, very versatile, and a great value.
D. Stone
For the money, you really can't beat this pedal. It has a nice little "grit" sound. Make certain you order a power cord for it. I really do recommend this pedal. I ran a Schecter guitar in and ran out directly into a powered studio monitor. Great sound.
Chris D.
This Blues pedal give that great bluesy tone without overdriving your amp. great for when you want a bit of bite. The pedal is fully adjustable so you can really dial in your own unique tone. Best of all it doesn't take up a lot of real estate on you pedal board and sounds awesome!
K. Costello
Sounds amazing. Easy to use. Good quality.
Michelle Lee
My son loves it. He's only been playing for a year but figured the pedal out quite quickly.
Customer
Love it! Better then expected!
Gandharvas
This pedal is great value for the money. Lots of great tones in here. It kinda sounds like a tube screamer, but has a few more tricks. Very solid feeling and it came in a nice box with some fun stickers. Not noisy at all. Very rich sound. I was happy with it, it’s the first pedal I bought since the 90s when selection felt slim. Wished I had this back then; I might not have quit!
dave
Compact size well built low cost
james mcnulty
Very good beginner pedal. Great value for the price. Would recommend
Donald C.
Really great for adding that touch of overdrive grit to my tones. Can't beat the price & small package for the pedal board. Plays well with other pedals...
Thor
Hi there, I have to write this review in praise of the Donner Blues Drive pedal. I must give credit where credit is due! I'm an older guy who recently bought an electric guitar and started outfitting my gear going the tube amp direction, which of course, means pedals. I didn't even know the difference between overdrive and distortion when I started! So over the last year and a half I have tried over 60 different kindsof overdrive pedals in search of "my sound." Now my overdrive sound is a lead sound, sweet but sizzly, and well-defined. I've tried over 60 pedals, and I've kept 4 on my board, of which the Blues Drive is one. The others are: JRockett Archer Ikon, MXR Sugar Drive and the Boss BD-2. Those 3 I liked immediately. Now I liked the Blues Drive immediately, too, but that voice in the back of my head kept saying, "Yeah, but it's so cheap, there's probably a better pedal out there for a little more money." OK, so I put the Blues Drive up against other cheap Chinese contenders (too numerous to mention), and then I started to venture into boutique land. You know what? The Blues Drive just kept holding its ground against the likes of: Wampler Tumnus, Euphoria, Pinnacle, JHS Morning Glory and Series 3, Xotic BB Preamp, Nobels ODR, The Dude, Tubescreamer, Boss SD-1, Way Huge Conspiracy Theory, EX GEAR Grittman and Big Blue, Mad Professor Twimble, Tone City Bad Horse and Sweet Cream, NUX Horseman, and MXR Timmy, to name a few. The little Blues Drive that could, in fact, did! It beat all of those square up, and I just kept shaking my head. Now, or course, "my sound" is unique to me, as yours is to you—and this little guy may not deliver for you. I use it on the "warm" setting. The hot setting is too billowy and not very compressed. I don't want a transparent overdrive; I want the pedal to give me a new sound that my guitar can't get on its own. Now this little pedal is not a Blues Driver type pedal, it's more along the line of a Tubescreamer with the midrange hump. That being said, it beat out the Tubescreamer at its own game! My only caveat is that it can be a little noisy because I've had to turn the volume all the way up to get the level I want out of it. All in all, I'm so impressed with this guy. If you're searching for a great lead overdrive sound, try it—you may not be able to keep it off your board!
Christian
This product was as advertised. It gives you a great sound. It is very compact yet has a big sound. I would recommend Donner pedals to anyone who want to have a versatile sound and dont want to spend allot or waste allot of pedal space.
You can use it a volume pedal or adding some more grit to your blues. It works great. and It sounds Good.
Rick B.
Works like a charm
Andrew P.
Very solid pedal. Basically identical to a Tube Screamer. I spent hours researching overdrive pedals available on Amazon and decided this is the one. Donner is a quality brand with very professional sounding pedals at a low price. The Blues Drive has a warm overdrive sound with boosted mids. The hot switch adds a lot of low end and more highs, which gives it some more utility. But honestly, I would probably always leave this on the warm setting. Quality of the build is top notch. This is the best value TS overdrive pedal you can buy. Beautiful sounding low-mid gain overdrive.
Terri Suter
Love the sound that it produces.
Customer
Not the boss blues driver but it will do the trick. For the price it’s fantastic. I run it with the donner yellow fall delay and a distortion pedal. For a home rocker Trying to watch a budget it doesn’t get much better. I watched this item for awhile and price does change a bit so keep a eye out for best price.
Cj the buyer
Very good for the price , adds a nice warm fuzz on my tone
