Recently landed Walrus Audio Voyager II Overdrive vs 385 II Projector Dual Preamp

This post is in honour of the arrival of my two latest Walrus Audio Overdrives - and I thought I should probably compare and contrast them for your erudition and reading pleasure! 

There is a degree of overlap between the two - particularly when the Mids are not engaged on the Voyager - while generally the 385 is thicker and denser sounding, and with significantly more gain on tap - even on the Lower Gain ’385’ setting (vs 385+). Once you apply the Mids on the Voyager - that totally balances the output EQ of that pedal and delivers an additional level of gorgeous harmonics. I have a few pedals which use the Mids as a sort of Solo Boost element - as is kind of the case here. While most of my pedals sound significantly better with the Mids adjusted and applied - so typically I tend to have those on all the time as the pedal sounds much better balanced with the Mids. Take the Mids out and the pedal sounds a lot more spongy and sort of woofy even. For me the two Bass Boost modes don’t really sound right without the Mids engaged too!

Both pedals are warm full-range overdrives - while overall the Voyager is a little more shapeable, while the 385 is more extended range in the gain department - a little heavier overall. Similar to several pairs of pedals I own - I tend to prefer one variety over the other depending on my prevailing mood for the day - so sometimes I prefer the 385, while currently the Voyager is my favourite of the two.

Both pedals were kind of picked up in my recent Walrus Sweep / Capsule Collection Rundown - I first found the 385 on Ebay - at an excellent price for a pristine / near mint edition. It stated a couple of visible minor scuffs - which were near invisible - and nowhere near even B-Stock levels. And that pedal was just £155 including delivery - where a new one is £245 from Andertons - so a significant saving!

The Voyager II - I picked up from my good friend Dylan at Definitive Guitars - who was also responsible for supplying me my very early arrival Cornerstone Nucleo. The Voyager was already listed at a great price on Definitive Guitars, and I negotiated a fantastic deal on that pedal, which is just recently arrived now.

When I did my recent Walrus Audio Capsule Rundown (per below visual)- I stated that since the Voyager II was so new - I didn’t except to be able to get a decent deal on that for a while - but of course where there’s a will there’s a way. And Definitive Guitars have been superb throughout - some of the best communicators and most professional in this industry. I’ve been hugely impressed with my involvement with Definitive already - and its really very early days - but they join my Elite Dealer roster - alongside Joe’s Pedals in the UK, Axe and You Shall Receive in Canada, These Go to II in Sweden, and Effekt Boutique in Germany - those are some of the very best International Dealers - both in terms of selection, and professionalism of service. I stick with those guys as they are all the most perfect combination dynamic and conscientious!

Here below are further individual details on each overdrive.