Paisley Drive Deluxe Overdrive Pedal Review

Absolute Tone King

I've played in bands since the early 1980s. I've made some great gear decisions over the years, but I've made exponentially more bad decisions. The money I've wasted is probably double what my present gear is worth. Chasing a certain tone can cost you a fortune - I've been there, but I've got great news. The Wampler Paisley Drive Deluxe will solve the lion's share of your tone… read more problems. I've owned mine for two years of drops, hauls, spills, and drools (my boxer likes listening to me practice). This thing is rock solid as you'd expect from Wampler. It's easier to get great tone than any pedal I've owned and versatile beyond explanation if you own several guitars. With my current settings, I can go from a very good Brad Paisley tone on my Telecaster to a passable Ian Thornley/Big Wreck tone on my PRS simply by switching to the lead channel on my Classic 50 set with a little gain. Don't mess around with cheaper pedals that won't satisfy, step up to the Wampler.

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Great.

I don't often write reviews, but this is one sweet piece of gear. It is replacing a handful of other pedals on my board. Both sides are very meaty, without losing transparency. My previous experience has been you can have one of those qualities in a pedal at a time, not both. Paisley side can "just enough" and then some for most things when actual clean won't cut it, while the… read more Underdog side really can pack a wallop. Add one to the other and it is pretty amazing how much gain you have on tap. The ability to stack the ODs in either order, I/O independently, and run in 9v or 18v mode makes this thing super versatile. My status as a big fan of the artist himself aside, I got this for a fairly specific goal: to get my Duncan humbucker equipped Charvels to sound anywhere near convincing in split mode. Honestly didn't think it was going to be possible until this bad boy came along. Of course, sounds insanely great with the standard Tele too haha.

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Unicorn

I'm just beginning to use this pedal, but so far I am blown away by the "Underdog" channel. This is the round overdrive sound I have been searching for for 20 years. It gives you a sweet growl at any volume. The Paisley Channel has a nice tight drive that I find is nice paired with and an already dirty tone. I am running 2 into 1 using the Paisley channel as a lead boost. This… read more pedal is a great investment and gives the user a multitude of options. Rig: Strat>Tuner>Comp>Wah>Paisley Deluxe>Black '65>Princeton Reverb.

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Really nice

I have no desire to replicate or reproduce Brad Paisley's tone. I think he's a phenomenal player and extremely versatile, but I play mostly R&B/Jam/Classic Rock-ish stuff. I found one of these… and I simply wanted to replace the two distortions on my board with a two in one pedal, while my band had some downtime. I very reluctantly removed my Fuchs Plush Drive which had been in… read more its position for over a decade, and my tube screamer to see how the Wampler suited me. I was very pleased at the complexity of overtones and the options this pedal offers. I'm currently in the middle of recording a new album and have used the FUCHS for my lead tones for the last 3. A track to track comparison earned the Wampler a permanent spot on the board. Nothing at all against the Fuchs- its an amazing pedal too, but I was bored and found this one...

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The best times two

I had a TS when they first came out. Tube Kings, Tone Bender, Budda Zen, Zen Drive and a lot more in my 50 plus years in R&R bands. With 2 channels of Wampler Design quality in one pedal it is amazing. Channel one has more 'tone' options I think and gives more clarity with the drive boost without losing any guitar personality. Channel two is a deeper drive option with a much 'heavier'… read more drive tone. Both of these pedals are great and when stacked give you any drive tone you could want.

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