In one of the nicest moves that I've experienced to date - Dr. No sent me one of his legendary 2006-2014 run Power Driver & Booster pedals from his own Archive Collection - a highly distinct Overdrive with exceptional breakup character

Oct 8, 202508:00 by

Stefan Karlsson

BoostBoost and OverdriveDr. No EffectsHarmonic OverdriveOverdrive+-

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The Power Driver & Booster is a Discrete Harmonic Overdrive - consisting of 2 x Transistor Gain Stages for the main Overdrive, and a further Transistor for the Clean Booster. Those well guarded Transistors have an exceptional breakup character, which is further enhanced by Symmetrical and Asymmetrical clipping 1n914 Diodes. That whole combination sounds superb - the core Overdrive is fire! And the Clean Boost is further warm and expressive - all the elements combine superbly for an exceptional sounding overdrive pedal.

Controls - Drive, Tone, Volume, Booster, Fat Switch : ↑ On / ↓ Off, Clipping : ↑ Asymmetrical / ↓ Symmetrical.

There’s plenty of Bass by default in the core signal mix - and for Humbuckers the Fat Switch can be a little too much - so for me stays off. Works really well for Single Coils though!

Both clipping Modes sound excellent - while I prefer the increased Harmonics delivered by the Asymmetrical Clipping Mode - that’s where the pedal really shines - with the most exquisite breakup character - really vibrant.

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This is a gorgeous sounding simple Overdrive + Boost - which is perfectly calibrated and balanced for one of the great Overdrive experiences. And very easy to dial in of course.

I tend to run Drive @ 3 o'c, Tone @ 4 o'c, Volme @ Max, and Booster @ 3 o'c, the Fat switch is OFF, and the Clipping Switch is ↑ Up and Asymmetrical - that sounds so good! I ride the Volume all the way up - as that delivers the most glorious Harmonics - that is the way with some drives - that they deliver more Harmonics when cranked . This one remains open and fairly uncompressed as such - which is exactly to my preference. The pedal has decent guitar volume cleanup too - so you can crank the Volume - and then further temper that via your guitar controls.

This is a perfect overdrive as far as I'm concerned, and I'm absolutely delighted that the Doc saw fit to send me one of his very best - accompanied by the sweetest and most motivational letter I have ever received (as below).

As luck would have it - the Doc recently found enough parts to make 15 more copies of this exceptional overdrive - which are now going fast on the Dr. No Webstore - priced at €292 / $342 - this is a very rare animal for sure!

The Doc, as he likes to be called, is one of the true Originals of the Pedal Scene - having been active since 2002 or thereabous. He's the original purveyor of 'Art Pedals' - where his pedals are particularly artfully and creatively designed and constructed - taking all manner of shapes - skulls, vehicles, books, and 'turds' even. And where even the more conventional pedals within the collection have very unique appointments and always exceptionally striking artworks.

I first championed the Doc back in 2018 as per the below visual. The consistent quality of his work is unparalleled. Those designs aren't always the most practical or pedalboard-friendly and many are on the larger side - but they are all exceptional.

I've had the Mini Turd Fuzz for the longest time - a really stanky fuzz in the best possible way - where the name is actually fairly apt in reflecting some of the texture of that fuzz.

One of my favourite designs to date is the Sarah Lipstate Moon Canyon Multi-FX (Drive + Loop + Reverb + Delay) as below!

The Doc's pedals have so many cool and refined detail touches, and rare appointments and components - so understandably some of the prices are fairly lofty. While these are all exceptionally collectible pedals and hold their price really well.

I'm delighted to have added the Power Driver & Booster to my own reference colelction - from one archive to another in effect. And I will be sure to do the Doc proud - and carry forward his marvellous legacy!