Donner Overdrive Guitar Pedal, Blues Drive Vintage Overdrive Effect Warm/Hot Modes for Pedal Boards Electric Guitar, True Bypass

I've found my perfect match with this guitar pedal, and I couldn't be happier. As a guitarist who primarily uses a Godin A6 Ultra Hybrid Acoustic Guitar with a humbucker pickup, I've been on the hunt for a pedal that would seamlessly enhance my sound without taking up too much precious space on my pedal board. This pedal not only fits the bill but also exceeded my expectations. My main goal was to find a pedal that could provide that sweet crunch when I blend in my humbucker with the piezo pickup for lead guitar moments. This pedal has proven to be the ideal solution. Its subtle yet effective impact on my tone is just what I was looking for. I've been using the warm setting predominantly, and I must say that the pedal's crunch isn't overpowering. It adds a layer of depth and character to my sound, enhancing my humbucker's output without overshadowing the uniqueness of the piezo pickup. It's like the pedal was tailor-made for my setup. One of the aspects that truly stood out to me is the pedal's ability to maintain the balance between the different pickups. It's a delicate dance, and this pedal has nailed it. The warm setting, in particular, has become my go-to choice, providing the perfect level of grit without compromising the overall harmony of my sound. Overall, I'm thoroughly pleased with this pedal's performance so far. It has enhanced my playing experience and brought a new dimension to my music. If you're like me, searching for a pedal that complements your hybrid acoustic guitar setup without overwhelming it, I highly recommend giving this pedal a try. It has certainly earned its place on my pedal board and in my heart. Pros: Ideal for blending humbucker and piezo pickups Subtle crunch without overpowering Maintains balance and harmony Compact size perfect for pedal boards Cons: None encountered in my experience In summary, this pedal has filled a void in my setup that I didn't even know existed. It's a versatile, compact, and harmonious addition that has elevated my sound to new heights. Kudos to the creators for crafting a pedal that truly understands the needs of hybrid acoustic guitarists.

Donner seems to have gone out of their way to confuse people on this one. Despite the name and color, this pedal is actually a Tube Screamer (TS) clone, NOT a BOSS Blues Driver (BD-2) clone. For some reason, Donner decided to name it "Blues Drive" and make it blue rather than the usually obligatory green for a TS clone. But from the main product summary up top: "Warm: The classic TS overdrive sound replica.". Plus, they mention "TS" a few times in the product description details above, as well as on their website. This pedal is essentially a re-brand of the Mooer Green Mile, which is less confusingly green, and uses the JRC4558 chip (used by the TS808 & TS9). Specifically, the Mooer and Donner pedals are both Ibanez TS7 clones, which is the same as a classic TS9 in "Warm" mode, and also has a "Hot" mode (boost). This pedal doesn't have a lot of gain (vs, say, a distortion pedal) because Tube Screamers don't have a lot of gain, so it isn't supposed to have a lot of gain. But you get your classic slightly "mids-forward", slightly "nasal" sound that TS-type pedals are known for, with gain/overdrive levels meant more for classic blues than hard rock. For hard rock, TS-type pedals are meant more for pushing other overdrive pedals and overdrive within amps than meant as standalone overdrive. They boost and tighten the sound of the main overdrive pedal/amp, which is mainly what this pedal does too. The "hot" mode is a bit interesting -- it appears to add more low-end, or maybe it's just perceived by the overall volume boost. This mode fascinated me when I realized that it sounded like my Zendrive clone (I've also played an actual Zendrive, but I don't own one). Keeping everything at noon, and using my guitar's neck pickup, it came close to the Zendrive "pillowy" sound that made Dumbles and the Zendrive so sought-after. Moving the tone knob all the way to the left made it even more pillowy/Zen-like. Now it isn't the same as a Zendrive circuit, but I'd say gets you 90% of the way there. But basically, once you get passed all the confusing marketing and naming of things, and judge the pedal for what it really is -- it is actually an interesting little pedal that gives you a decent TS-like tone and booster capability in "warm" mode, and a sort-of Zendrive-like tone in "hot" mode (which is ironic, considering the Zen-drive circuit is about as opposite as you can get from what "hot" usually means). Like most pedals, I was only expecting one mode to be useful when I bought it, but find both modes useful, making this pedal a really good deal for the money. Note that my star rating is relative to the price range, not all pedals in general.

Down to earth, simple to operate, a whole plethora of sounds given the options of two distinct settings, a gain knob, tone dial and a level dial. Compact yet heavy enough to not get knocked around. 8 out of ten stars for this product.

This is 1 of 15 Donner pedals that I purchased. The Donner Overdrive Guitar Pedal is a fantastic choice for those seeking authentic vintage tones. The Blues Drive model offers rich, warm overdrive that enhances your guitar’s natural sound while adding a touch of grit. Key Features: Versatile Controls: Intuitive knobs for gain, tone, and volume allow for customized sound shaping. True Bypass: Keeps your signal clean when the pedal is off, maintaining the integrity of your tone. Robust Build Quality: Sturdy pedal housing designed for durability on stage and in the studio. Overall, the Donner Blues Drive Overdrive Pedal delivers classic overdrive tones that appeal to blues, rock, and alternative guitarists alike. Highly recommended for anyone looking to enhance their sound with a vintage flair!

This review is for the Donner Blues Drive pedal. I ordered this with a bit of hesitation, being a VERY inexpensive Chinese made pedal. I am SO glad I ordered it, and a Donner Tutti Love Chorus from Magicfly. Their service is second to none. The Blues Drive is rumored to be a copy of a copy of a Keeley-modded Boss Blues Driver. Being on a limited disabily income I gave the Blues Drive a shot. It feels very high quality, and sounds amazing. So much so I broke down and tried a Waza Craft Boss Blues Driver, thinking it would sound even better, and be perhaps be more reliable for years to come. I found the Donner's tone to be a bit ( JUST a bit) less "hot" and lacking the jar-of-bees-on-crack fuzziness of the regular and Waza Craft Boss pedals. Also, the Donner is true bypass so it sucks no tone like the Boss's Buffer. So, back went the Boss Waza Craft Blues Driver, and I ordered a second Donner Blues Drive to make sure I was never without one. The Donner has a bit less maximum gain than the Boss, but if you run an overdrive- even a clean one- in front of the Donner, it can get even meaner and have even more sustain. Fantastic! Awesome tone, built like a tank, and makes room for the other Donner pedals I will soon order.Just try to get it from Magicfly if possible.

A great overdrive substitute for the B*ss unit. Although it has a little less high end if you are looking for that. Profiled it or my Quad Cortex, so that I always have it with me. As easy to use as the BD and the controls are the same. A worthy replacement to keep in your emergency bag.

I like certain things in this pedal this is for the blues drive from Donner. I recently got into the boss BD2 sound and months ago tried Keeley super phat although these are more distortion clipping and I’m an overdrive person there’s a lot of overlap and some great sounds. The Donner blues drive is not a clone of the BD2 it gets about 40% to 50% of the gain of the BD. I often play strats and so the ‘warm’ sounds best to me you get a low gain distortion clipping and need to push the level. The ‘hot’ switch is in a complete different direction a lot more volume and a little less gain. On its own you may like this pedal as the toggle offers two different pedals this would be like a tube screamer but with distortion clipping. If you like the lower gain part of a BD2 this is pretty close but it doesn’t have the intensity in the level or the subtlety of the tone control and the BD2 at 12 o’clock has a fair amount of saturation. This does not. For $30 if you’re looking for a blues pedal that’s micro with a couple of different options depending on guitar/amp this may be your thing. Even in micro pedals I think the Donner Morpher which gets some Serious high gain may give you more options. I was getting into BD2 and wanted to micro version of it this was disappointing and the hot switch seem too boomy while the warm switch I had to push the level. I returned it as there are better options for me. However I like Donner products and think you might like this just don’t expect high gain or as much gain range or volume tone range as a full-size pedal.

Replaced because someone stepped on mine and broke the toggle switch. I used it with my acoustic guitar and it gave it a nice rich blues sound.

Love it love it ❤️ Almost converts my accoustic guitar into an electric like sound. Needed this exact sound for a particular stage show and am loving it. My Hobner guitar sounds excellent but the inbuilt amp is not very good. This pedal has improved the plugged in sound output immensely

Mete ruido al momento de accionar el botón, pensé que la marca era de mejor calidad.

I compared this with my $300 OD pedals and it was 95% as good. This pedal is great. I had it in my board for a week. If I didn’t have my Fulltone and Wampler pedals, I’d have kept it on my board. I’m thinking about selling my Fulldrive 2 and replacing it with the Blues Drive. Boutique tones for $29.

I'm a bit amazed how good this things sounds. I've used a pretty long list of overdrives over the years, including higher-end ones from Ibanez and Boss and a few boutique manufacturers, and this easily stands next to them all. I can testify that it not only sounds good into a proper tube amp, it also sounds excellent going DI into an audio interface's hi-Z input and through digital amps/cabs in something like Logic or Reaper. Brings my old Godin Radiator alive, makes it sound like a bad*** blues guitar. Paired with the compressor pedal from the same series of Donner pedals, it's perfect blues drive and tone. No issues at all in a bit over a week of daily use, I'll update this review if anything goes wrong, but for now, I'm more than happy, this is an incredible pedal for the money.

ODとして十分