Don't touch that dial
What's on the 'tube? The vacuum tube, that is. After years and years on the front line of lovingly made, quality effect pedals, industry giants Keeley Electronics has turned their attention to one of the most important elements in any electric guitar rig: tubes. Years at the forefront of effect pedal design have given the gang at Keeley plenty of ideas and directions to go for their first tube-equipped drive pedal – how does the final product proper stack up? The answer might not surprise you. Stay tuned.
This is the Keeley Electronics Tube Drive Twin Triode Dual Overdrive.
Tube Fast, Tube Furious
Introducing the Keeley Electronics Tube Drive Twin Triode Overdrive
For fans of effect pedals, Robert Keeley and Keeley Electronics are a trusted pillar of the effect community. Countless classics covering so many bases of effects have brought Keeley fame with their compressors, their delays, their fuzzes, and of course, their drives. One of those brands that could easily be the only name on your board, Keeley's mastery of any and every type of effect has been more than proven. Need that next piece for your board? Check out Keeley's take on it.
All this to say that the brand has been around the block a couple times. While Keeley is famous for their overdrive offerings like their Manis and 4-In-1 models, the pedal on the docket today breaks new ground on a classic formula. The Keely Tube Drive is a double-barreled overdrive pedal putting forth two unique overdrive circuits. The first, a revival of the brand's beloved Phat Mod overdrive. The second, a 168V tube drive starring a 12AX7 preamp tube. This team-up presents a lean, mean double drive to cover all your boosting, driving, and distorting bases in wonderfully authentic analog ways. Let's talk about it.
Tubular!
Keeley Electronics Tube Drive Twin Triode Overdrive Design and Controls
The Keeley Tube Drive is a blissfully simple overdrive pedal with fantastic analog drive tones found throughout. Its intuitive layout puts the overdrive experience up front-and-center with a short distance to inspiring tones and no questions asked. On either side of the pedal, we have an overdrive channel – the Phat Mod to the right, the 12AX7* to the left.
Super Phat ModOn the right side of the pedal, first in the chain, we have Keeley's Super Phat Mod. A three-way Level, Drive, and Tone control scheme presents its overdriving superpowers plainly with great body and lift for pushing amps or other drives downstream. Whether on its own or buddied up with friends, the Phat Mod stands tall.
12AX7 168V DriveOn the left side of the pedal, second in the chain, we have Keeley's new toy, a 168V tube drive circuit. A true-blue Russian 12AX7 preamp vacuum tube assumes its starring role in the pedal with authentic preamp tube breakup. Its own Level, Gain, and Tone controls lay out similarly simply.
Together, these analog drive circuits split the rent on a clean, black casing with a pedalboard-friendly shape. Independent footswitches open the Tube Drive's channels for use independently or stacked. Totally, we're taken for a trip with Keeley and their new tube-driven design.
Can't miss it
Shut Up and Drive
Keeley Electronics Tube Drive Twin Triode Overdrive Tones and Playability
For fans of Keeley overdrives, or just overdrives in general, the Tube Drive is a great way to fire up your whole board. Dual overdrive, already an awesome addition to any board, gets the mean and clean Keeley treatment with the Tube Drive.
The Tube Drive offers a vast and vivid palette of drive tones. With Keeley's Super Phat Mod transparent overdrive tone on one side and its new 12AX7-driven overdrive tone on the other, the Tube Drive serves up a four-course meal of drive tones – side salad and coffee included. Click on the Super Phat Mod and sculpt its transparent tones to give your whole signal a full-bodied bump, scaling up to authentic breakup. Swap to the 12AX7 side for a beefier bite and striking amp-like response. Punch in on both sides and the Tube Drive evolves into its final form. The pedal's Super Phat Mod overdrive running into the circuitry of the 12AX7, creating something of a microcosm of real tube amp overdrive, breaks the mold on your usual overdrive stacking thanks to the tone of the 12AX7.
Authentic tube overdrive means the Tube Drive excels in full, powerful bumps in volume and edge-of-breakup teetering. Those clamoring for the kind of overdrive reminiscent of your favorite tube amplifier have a seat reserved with the Tube Drive. For a neat and clean way to inject authentic tube breakup into any signal, the Tube Drive comes together as a handy studio tool. The stage, the studio, and anywhere else in between that could use some warm drive has a great option with the Tube Drive.
Sunday Drive
Keeley Electronics Tube Drive Twin Triode Overdrive Further Functions
Like many other Keeley Electronics creations, the Tube Drive features a few handy functions built in to make it thoroughly modern. Notably, the Tube Drive is slimmer in that regard, likely because it isn't one of Keeley's mighty digital giants, but still, the Tube Drive addresses a number of functions to fit its unique tonal uses. Let's talk about a few of them.
- Selectable Bypass – As we said, the Tube Drive is a great tool for the stage or studio. Whichever situation you're in, Keeley allows for selecting between true and buffered bypass switching to suit your preferred bypass setting.
- Remote Control – For you pedalboard warriors, Keeley has your back when it comes to your mapped-out designs and signal flows. Grab a TRS cable to break out control over either channel, perfect for players getting fancy with their pedalboard layouts and wanting easier access to their overdrives.
- Effect Order – Of course, the tonal flexibility of the Tube Drive goes beyond independent or stacked options. The Tube Drive allows for players to swap the order of the channels – from Drive into Tube to Tube into Drive. Here, the overdriven tone gets flipped and you get even more opportunities to shape stacked tones. Bon appétit.
Keeley Electronics Tube Drive Twin Triode Overdrive Final Thoughts
For players hankering for an easy way to get in on authentic tube tones, the Tube Drive is well worth checking out. Keeley's smart, clean design ethos translates its preamp tube tone to any board seamlessly. If you're a studio rat or a road warrior, Keeley meets you wherever you are with their easy, intuitive designs and masterful handling of analog components. Analog authenticity is getting easier than ever with pedals like the Tube Drive. Who wouldn't want some real tube breakup, after all?
