DC

DC-DRIVE

What Vintage series would be complete without an ultra-versatile and simple to use drive pedal? Funny, that’s what Carl said just before he introduced the DC Drive. Just like Carl, this pedal has a few tricks up its sleeve. Besides the typical Level, Tone and Drive knobs which obviously control the volume of the signal, the tone (hmmm, which knob?) and the amount of overdrive, Carl has smartly added a clean boost after the drive section, and a Regular/Fat switch….not so typical. In Regular mode, the drive is crisp and clear, suitable for anything that calls for old-school drive….switch over to Fat and the drive gets thicker with a lot more gain, much more modern. Anyone who knows the Carl Martin line is familiar with his Clean Boost….a bump-up in signal volume that can be used either with your clean or overdriven sounds. The result is a multi-use pedal that allows you to have a variety of rhythm and solo volumes at your feet. Like the rest of the Vintage line, the DC drive comes in that cool retro diecast housing with the equally cool chicken-head knobs and CM graphics. The pedal can be powered by 9v battery but we recommend a regulated power supply like the Carl Martin Big John.

Reviews

TUNES Magazine (Norway) May. 2009 DC-Drive
The Carl Martin DC Drive is four stompboxes into one stompbox: - crystal Clean sound from your amplifier (the stompbox doesn`t add an extra colour/a factory sound to the original signal), Clean sound plus Boost, Drive and Drive plus Boost.
Carl Martin DC Drive IS THE BEST overdrive I`ve ever played, and when I count all the stompboxes I`ve owned since 1977, it`s also THE BEST IN HISTORY! Even if you`re a guitarist who doesn`t necessarily need a lot of overdrive to your tone, but just a really good boost (0-15db extra output) that doesn`t alter the original sound from your guitar, Carl Martin DC Drive is still the answer.

Ketil Stokkan

Tunes Music Magazine, Norway

Product: Carl Martin DC Drive
Price Paid: USD 92
Submitted 06/27/2009 at 04:25pm by Me

Ease of Use : 9

Basically no problem - Level, Tone, Drive plus a "Fat"-switch and a adjustable boost-level. So it`s pretty straightforward.

Sound Quality : 9

Playing direct via a Tech 21 Liverpool pedal or through a PCL Vintage Amp Combo. Very dynamic, warm and round. No in your face metal-stuff. More of a great rock sound with a healthy dose of low end.
Very amplike feel and sound. Rather picky when it comes to boost pedals. Like it best boosted with a Maxon 808 Tubescreamer-Clone.

Reliability : 9

I never gig with some kind of backup, but no probs so far, seems well built and reliable.

Customer Support : No Opinion

Never have dealt with the company.

Overall Rating : 8

Not the right choice for Metalcore but for more traditional rock/pop/blues sounds one of the best pedals available, imo. A total steal for the prce asked. Can get into Highgain/Modern Lead-territory with an additional boost pedal in front.

Product: Carl Martin DC Drive
Price Paid: UNKNOWN
Submitted 05/01/2009 at 03:28am by Guido

Ease of Use : 10

Very easy to use - four knobs (Drive, Tone, Level, Boost), one switch (Reg - Fat), two footswitches (Bypass, Boost).

Sound Quality : 10

This little device simply kicks **s! Compared to the Carl Martin Plexitone, the DC Drive sounds like the first channel of the Plexitone, with a little more bite and a little more compression. It's kind of rougher, thou it has not as much gain. With the manual switch in the position "Reg" it sounds a bit like a full tilt 100 Watt Non Master Marshall, very amp-like; and it reacts very well to the guitar volume. The Switch in "Fat" position adds more lows and low mids and a bit extra gain. Both positions are very usefull, I am simply not able to dial in a really bad sound... ;-)
Very british sounding device, no modern NuMetal Rectumfire in here. Good old (Hard) Rock sound.
And - BONUS - a clean boost up to 12db, either for the bypass or the effekt sound. Great for solos.
I don't know if it's true bypass, but that doesn't matter to me, as I have it on all the time; I clean up my tone with the guitar volume.

Reliability : 10

I have this thing for two days now, so I can't tell. But the other Carl Martin pieces I have give me the idea that even the DC-Drive would survive an atomic war.

Customer Support : 10

Until now I didn't need it. I have a great dealer, he will manage this in case I need it.

Overall Rating : 10

I play hard Rock music, from old fashioned 80's Rock to 90's Grunge to modern stuff like Foo Fighter. If you have a good tube amp (in my case it's a Laney GH100L), the DC-Drive up front does anything you want. More gain? Just add a Booster or light Overdrive.
Not noisy, just great clear fat tone. One of the few overdrives that does not cut the lows.
But: no Metal in here!
I bought the DC as a "lightweight" alternative to my "big" pedalboard which has a MXR Boost, a Carl Martin Plexitone, tuner, analog Chorus, analog Delay and other stuff on it. So if I don't want to carry around ab truckload of effects and amps and cabs, I grabb the DC Drive and my guitar, use the ANY amp - and MY sound is there.
If this thing was stolen, I'd buy a new one at once.