Barber Electronics Direct Drive - Guitar Overdrive Effects Pedal

I LOVE this pedal. I have owned just about every “must have” overdrive/distortion and nothing can get a clean amp to sound like a Marshall like this pedal does. You can get EVH or vintage AC/DC then roll your volume down and get Hendrix/SRV. Roll the volume down more and you have a spanky clean. I have the two toggles switches facing inward and the knobs noonish. With minor tweaks I can use with any clean amp. There are other switch options that I have not tried but the pedal is versatile just the way I have it so did not explore further. It stacks well with other pedals but if I could only have one pedal this is it. Oh yeah, it’s small and priced great. This is a desert island pedal and a true MUST HAVE.

The Barber Direct Drive provides a nice range of useful tones from sounds that have just a bit of grit all the way to saturated leads. It makes a good addition to a lower gain pedal, like the Barber LTD, which I also own and love. The Direct Drive is noticeably higher in gain/distortion than the LTD, but retains much of that unit's super note clarity and separation. The tone control on the Direct Drive has a significant impact on both the bass/treble balance but also on the character of the distortion. With it's tone control, a wide range of sounds can be achieved and difference pickup types compensated. I play both Humbucker pickup guitars (PRS Santana III) and single coil guitars (Telecaster and an American Std. Stratocaster)and the Direct Drive can be adjusted too get great sounds from all of them. The units are beautifully build and look almost as good as they sound. I have no affiliation with Barber, other than the three pedals I've purchased. Fair pricing along with tone that rivals all the boutique pedals I've heard and owned puts Barber on the top of my short list of great companies. It's hard to go wrong with any of Barbers stuff.

This has just dethroned 2 SL Drives, Bogner Blue, Maxon 808, various JHS, CM Plexidrive 2, and others. Kicked them right off my board.I play a hss strat through my own, s ranch built 57 tweed bandmaster 3x10 and this pedal plays nice with it. It is equally astounding through my 66 Super Reverb, both of which normally hate drive pedals.This pedal was bought to give me a Marshally medium/high gain tone, but not only does it excel here, on the lower gain toggle, it nails SRV and Mayer all day long. Unreal.Generally, OD's have a buzzy, fizzy, and thin character through these Fenders, but not this one. It also sounds really nice with an SL Drive boosting the front end.Another attribute of this pedal is the lack of midrange scoop, which is essential for a thick and rich sound through a Fender circuit.I have never owned a Barber product before and I'm floored. I have a used Catalinbread Supercharged Overdrive en route that I planned on using for my low gain sounds, but honestly, this is the one to beat. If the SCOD doesn't crush the Direct Drive, it's getting sold and I'll buy a second Barber for low gain duties. I know it's just perfect!

Have had it for a few months now and this is one amazing little screamer. It is fantastic. I can't say enough about it. I got on YouTube and watched a few demo reviews and that was what sold me. When I ordered it, it was exactly like the demos. Here's a good one[...]

I've gone through quite a few overdrive pedals over the years, looking for that one that just gets it right. I always walk away somewhat disappointed. None so far have hit that sound that compliments tone without sounding fuzzy or adding nauseating unnatural buzz. After giving this pedal a month, I may have finally ended my search. It does what I want an overdrive pedal to do and does not add unwanted fuzz or irritating over the top distortion. The dials really do provide usable tweaks to the output. It beat out my previously favorite, Okko Diablo, by a good margin. I am very happy with this unit.

Nice pedal. Built tough and sounds tough

All good

Pedal wonderful, unmatched qualityThank you