Wouldn’t it be great if we lived in a world where boutique OD’s were a dime a dozen ? Realistically of course that would be the case if we’d be living in the 30’s when inflation was rampant … But nowadays it’s rare to even find one component in these boutique beauties that are worth anything close to a dime.
Boutique OD pedals of course came to all of us about the same time a new millennium buzzed in and with over two hundred unique manufacturers it’s way past the phenomenon stage, it’s a reality that’s here to stay.
But where do you trace the roots of it all ? Ask pedal guru Analog Mike and he’ll tell you it stems from modern manufacturers not delivering the goods anymore due to outsourcing and of course the race for the cheaper parts / higher profit margin equation.
Big act guys like Eric Johnson are quick to point out that the guys that carry the torch for great Ibanez TS9’s and Co are as you are reading these notes soldering a storm in some basement in downtown Detroit or San Diego, googling schematics to death and chasing around vintage pedals and New Old Stock components.
But what’s the deal with OD you ask ? Well, a quick search of ‘’ Ultimate tone ‘’ on google and you’ll quickly get it, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Eric Johnson, Brian May, Jimmy Page all got their classic tones from pedals that are either discontinued or worth several thousands of dollars on Ebay and Co
So bottom line, what do you get when you sprinkle good ol’ homegrown Americana with classic tone ?
A million dollar industry of course !

We went ahead and chased after the 20 most successful boutique overdrives this side of the milky way and to our surprise ended up with over 30 pedals to review.

So here you have it : The way these were reviewed were 5 different guitarists that are close friends and have slightly different backgrounds ranging from Jazz, Blues, Southern Rock, Ska and Alternative, the guitars ranged from Gibson Dark Fire to a Fender Nocaster and Gretsch Duo Jet and amps ranging from an 18 Watt Marshall, Mesa Boogie Stiletto and Reeves ( Hiwatt ) Custom 50