Are All Overdrive Pedals Basically The Same?

In this video, I’m addressing a question that often pops up in guitar gear forums and communities: Are all overdrive pedals basically the same? Some folks argue that most overdrives are just variations of the classic Tube Screamer circuit, even pointing to schematics as proof. I thought it would be interesting to dive deep into this topic and see if that’s really the case. Before making this video, I’ve noticed that many people believe that overdrive pedals are just basically tube screamer clones - pedals that are just a plain old tubescreamer circuit. To test this theory, I’ll be comparing several overdrive pedals, including the Ibanez Tube Screamer TS9, Boss OD3, and the Soldano Super Lead Overdrive, as well as the Visual Sound Jekyll and Hyde, Arion tubulator, and Lovepedal Eternity, . I’ll demonstrate how they sound, discuss their circuit designs, and show how even pedals that look similar on paper can produce vastly different tones. It’s always fascinating to see how cha