Diva Drive : Very usable versatile overdrive

4 years ago

I was looking for a low gain overdrive which does not have the ridiculous price tag of some of the boutique pedals. I wanted it for a clear overdrive boost with good useful controls. On first use I was unimpressed and could not seem to get a sound I liked but after messing with all the options I am now happy that this pedal is so versatile. The pedals knobs and features all have their own uses, the mix knob lets you add in your clean signal to the OD which is where this pedal shines beware that the level and gain take some balancing depending on what guitar and amp you are using but you will find a good balance if you persist. Also the pedal is quite bright sounding so the tone knob had to be rolled off on the pedal for the Tele I was using at the time. The switch on the right side is a great feature and can also be used to help match the guitar pick ups you have or if you run your amp clean or on the verge of break up. Each selection works with the gain stage The center setting is normal and seems to be the brightest the mid makes it sound like a tube screamer and the low helps thicken up a single coil pick up increasing the low end in the gain stage.

Overall a very useful jack of all trades in the tube screamer ballpark but with added switch and very handy mix knob for mixing your clean into the drive. I never got on with tube screamer pedals but this is not one but can be if you want it to. Now the price is way down on what they started with on initial release but now its worth 69 euros. You get your bang for the buck with it. Its only my second Trex pedal and I happy with the other as well (Creamer Reverb), its made in China like most things now but to high quality and also has nice packaging. Even comes with a allen key for taking the back off to change the battery. The only con is that the footswitch feels a bit soft I added a switch topper and fair enough it switches well even with that added unlike some of the TC pedals. The other minor complaint is the LED is so bright they could use a line of these pedals on a runway.

Image T-Rex Diva Drive

Technical Data

  • Manufactured by T-Rex
  • Released in 2014
  • Average price : $74
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