PREORDER: Units are expected to ship 16 May 2025
The ultimate incarnation of the incredible, but often overlooked vintage Univox Uni-Drive circuit.
The original Uni-Drive is an incredibly effective booster + light overdrive, but falls flat in most other applications. The LOUDganma picks up where the Uni-Drive left off, with a much wider gain range, with everything from clean boost and light drive, all the way to scuzzy, fuzzy distortion. The LOUDganma also adds a flexible two-band EQ. The bass control is placed before the drive, so increased bass makes the drive ‘bloom’, without getting too intense. Lower settings on the bass control thin things out, perfect for leads, or thin aggressive distortion. The treble control is placed after the drive and will both boost and cut treble frequencies (and is neutral at noon). Cranking up the treble control is perfect for those aggressive “clangy” drive tones, but cutting it back can smooth things out.
The LOUDganma is based around a set of three transistors, as opposed to the standard fare of op-amps. This more primitive approach to overdrive lends it towards a more aggressive and 'natural' feeling drive, that is intended to blend perfectly with an already overdriving amp. With the addition of the EQ, and increased gain flexibility, pairing this with an amp that’s turned up a little can make your amp go places you’ve only dreamed of.
Controls:
-Volume - Controls the output level. (And it can get very loud!) Perfect for driving the front end of a tube amp.
-Gain - Controls the amount of drive/distortion. At lower settings, it will generate a very '"sweet" sounding clean boost. Turning it up starts to add distortion, all the way up to a cutting, aggressive distortion.
-Bass - Controls bass content. Placed before the drive circuit, so increased bass level can make the attack of notes 'bloom' as the drive compresses the incoming signal. Lower bass settings help drive tones cut through a dense mix.
-Treble - Controls treble content. Neutral at noon, past noon increases treble, and lower cuts treble. Higher treble settings get that "clang", lower settings give a smoother, more pleasant drive.
-Feedback (internal trimpot) - Controls the overall character of the drive. Higher settings make the drive "fuzzier", lower settings make the drive "cleaner".
Power:
The LOUDganma takes standard (boss style) 9VDC centre negative power, with a 2.1mm barrel. Do not run it on anything else!
All Dirty Sock Effects have a lifetime warranty against manufacturing defects and normal wear and tear. If it breaks, we will fix it.
