855 Drive
BYOC 855 Drive. The 855 Drive is a Tube Screamer clone (a well established overdrive pedal). BYOC claims to have retooled a conventional Tube Screamer circuit, giving it twice the level of overdrive of a conventional Tube Screamer, and offering a bit more bottom end. For those of us liking what a Tube Screamer can do to a guitar signal into an amp, this is a welcome tonal upgrade. However the claim isn't entirely accurate. We'll demostrate below.
Thermionic Studios has purchased this kit to build this pedal. We are in the process of building the pedal and will have more to report upon completion.
- Thermionic Studios has one(1) BYOC 855 Drive pedal available for rental.
Controls
- Knob 1 - "Level": This knob sets the output volume of the pedal. Turning the knob clockwise increases the volume.
- Knob 2 - "Drive": This knob sets the overdrive level of the pedal. Turning the knob clockwise increases the overdrive.
- Knob 3 - "Tone": This knob is a treble-bleed style tone control. Full clockwise is full treble. Turn counter-clockwise to remove highs from the signal.
- Footswitch 1 - "On/Off": This switch turns the 855 Drive on or off.
Bypass: True
The 855 Drive is True Bypass.
General Information
The 855 Drive is very similar to the Cusack Screamer from Cusack Music. The Cusack Screamer is a favorite of George Lynch that also boasts of a Tube Screamer pedigree with twice the amount of available overdrive as compared to a conventional Ibanez Tube Screamer or Maxon OD-9.
The 855 Drive is powered by either a 9-volt battery, or by means of a 9-volt AC adapter.
Pedal Manual
As of this time, BYOC has not issued a separate manual on how to use the pedal. We believe that the best references are either this wiki page, or the build instruction manual at Buildyourownclone.com which describes the architecture of, and how to build the pedal.
We also offer the Build Manual here for you to download:
Phase Inversion: No
From our examination of the schematic below, the 855 Drive appears to not invert phase on the output as compared with the signal that goes into the pedal.
| Schematic ID | Electronic Part | Action | Phase State |
|---|---|---|---|
| Q1 | 2N5089 | Does not Invert | Original Phase |
| IC1a | JRC4558 | Does not Invert | Original |
| IC1b | JRC4558 | Does not Invert | Original |
| Q2 | 2N5089 | Does not Invert | Original |
This conclusion will need to be born out by testing and observation.
Schematic
Artists
We are currently unaware of any artists actively using the pedal now, or who have in the past.
- Additional Sources
