#Bk butler tube driver pedalboar ideas update#

Marked TUBE DRIVERв„ў and CHANDLER INDUSTRIES-PATENT PEND. A mostly complete list of all the other versions can be found HERE. TUBE DRIVER VERSIONS - There have been numerous version of the Tube Driver made since the 1980s, but these are all of the 4 knob versions. Unlike typical effect pedals, the Tube Driver includes a built in power cord, as it uses an internal transformer, which can be noisy for certain users. It also does not sound good when certain pedals are before or after it in the signal chain dues to the high impedance output. Some amps that do not have a lot of head room and break into distortion at high volume do not play well with it. For mid-scooped amps, like the Fender Twin Reverb, the Real Tube version with the mids knob is better. The four knob Tube Driver sounds best with amps that have a moderate mid range. It also sounds excellent with certain Fender amps, particularly the Fender Bassman, or it's high powered step brother, the Marshall JTM-45. I think the TD sounds best with clean amps that have a healthy mid range, like the Hiwatt Custom 50 or Custom 100 (DR103), or similar amps like the Reeves Custom 50/100. Butler has always made these stock with 12AX7 tubes, but owners typically experiment with tubes having different gain factors to tailor their tone. It would seem that the tube itself would make very little difference to the sound, but it actually is an integral part of the sound, and different tubes or tube types will alter the sound in different ways. This is called a 'starved plate' design, and you won't see much tube glow, if any, if you look inside.

The circuit only draws about 30mA and the tube is actually only running at 12v, a fraction of what these tubes run in a typical amplifier. It filters and colors the sound with the tube characteristics. That strong signal is fed into a vaccuum tube, which does not work to amplify the signal the same as it would in the pre amp stage of a typical amplifier. The clipping part of the distortion comes from the integrated circuit chip, or op-amp. Inside is a hybrid fuzz - pre amp circuit. The standard 4 knob version features a LEVEL (volume control), HI (treble), LO (bass), and DRIVE control. The Tube Driver looks like something from the bridge of the Enterprise from the 1960s Star Trek television show. The TD has a very unique voice that I have never heard another overdrive replicate. It can be difficult dial in a tone setting that hits the sweet spot, and some people find it finicky and hard to get along with due to some design issues, but in the right setup, with the right amp, nothing sounds quite like it. It is not very versatile sounding through some amps, but exceptionally good with others. At low drive it can deliver a Fenderish smooth gain boost or a bluesy overdrive. At high gain, it is very reminiscent of the lead crunch tone of a Marshall JCM800 amplifier. It generates anything from a smooth, light overdrive tone, to a classic rock-style heavy distortion. It has evolved over the years and there are many versions (a list can be found HERE). Around 1978 Butler designed and began making an early version of the Tube Driver, one of the first tube overdrive pedals. It was designed and built by audio electronics engineer B.K. BUTLER REAL TUBE OVERDRIVE - The Tube Driver is a booster/overdrive pedal with an IC and vacuum tube driven preamp circuit inside, used by guitarists such as David Gilmour of Pink Floyd, Eric Johnson, Billy Gibbons, Joe Bonamassa, Joe Satriani, Kenny Wayne Shepherd, J Mascis, David Holt, Keith Urban, and others.

#Bk butler tube driver pedalboar ideas update#

Last update January 2021ДЇor the Tube Driver History and Versions article CLICK HEREДЇor the David Gilmour Tube Driver article CLICK HEREД«.K.