Have You Bought Any Pedals Lately In 2026?

[FuzzyAce]

I wonder how close it sound to the original. I have the original Chandler rack unit but it is too cumbersome for my setup. A unit on my pedal board would work. Are you digging it?

I just picked up one of the Dover Drives too. I have 3 BK Butlers, not the Chandler ones, and I can say there is a certain familiarity in the mids and the way it distorts. But it really is different. Not in a bad way, it's just much less versatile. Overall it's smoother and darker too. But it was designed to be that way and is based on an EJ tone. I really like it a lot, but bottom line it's no Tube Driver substitute if you like the range the TD offers. The TD feels different too and clips the notes a particular way that is unique.

 

[DrewJD82]

I’ve only had a chance to play with it briefly, but my first impressions are promising.

Like many here, I have way too many dirt pedals and keep buying more. But with this pedal being a hybrid two-stage design with a BC558 PNP Fuzz Face–style front end feeding a Zendrive-inspired op-amp overdrive stage, it doesn't feel redundant at all to me. It behaves somewhere between a fuzz and an overdrive, though perhaps more towards the fuzz side than I expected before I got it. Great dynamics and volume knob cleanup, as you would probably expect. More complexity and less predictability than your typical Tubescreamer. Less transparent than your Timmy or Lightspeed, of course.

But keep in mind that I have not compared it directly to the Tube Driver, or to the original Dover Drive. I do belive @DrewJD82 is working on a thorough comparison of his four (?) Dover Drives, though.

Oh snap, I’m glad you reminded me because I had it in my head I already did it!

I’m giving myself a 4-day weekend so I’ll knock it out over the next few days.

While I don’t have an actual Tube Driver (yet), I’ve got the PastFX TD-7 and the BC558 is most comparable to that. The Dover’s aren’t really trying to clone the Tube Drivers, they’re more going for EJ’s whole lead tone, Tube Driver + dimed Plexi. Way more dirt on tap than on a Tube Driver and way, way less treble/presence. The BC558 was the first Dover that actually got bright enough to use the way Gilmour uses his TD’s, almost a clean boost. The OG is way too dark, the GE is too fuzzy and the BC178 is fairly similar to the OG.

@BFRaid, these vids might help point ya in the direction you want to go-

 

[dronerstone]

Welp, despite "Zero Gear Year" I just caved in and ordered an EQD Tentacle V2 straight from Warwick, after learning that it's just been discontinued.

Better safe than sorry, since my local store and Thomann are out of stock already...

 

[BFRaid]

The OG is way too dark, the GE is too fuzzy and the BC178 is fairly similar to the OG.

The OG might work for me, my tone is on the darker side, lots of low-mids. Sounds like they have something for everyone.

 

[metropolis_4]

This arrived today. If you like DOD 250’s I think it’s a really good one! The Si mode has great clarity and less compression. Sounds great pushing the Citadel!

 

[FuzzyAce]

Way more dirt on tap than on a Tube Driver

That depends. The BK has a lot of gain and it clips a certain way that makes it feel more gainy. It can do the pseudo fuzz thing too. Tube type matters though, and ones with the bias control can differ as well.

And fwiw, I never ever had to max the gain on a BK.

Also, if someone wants to get closer to the BK sound, a RAT might be a better choice because the filter control touches on more of what the TD can do, not to mention the gain and fuzz potential.

 

[Stone]

Does the ToneX One count as a pedal ?
Mine coming in tomorrow or Friday