Kit’s Secret Guitar, Gear, and Music Page
Guitar stuff, gear stuff, soundclips, videos, Gilmour/Pink Floyd stuff, photos and other goodies.
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BK BUTLER REAL TUBE OVERDRIVER (TUBE DRIVER) - This is a 2007 model hand made by BK Butler. It is a Real Tube Overdrive pedal model 911, the same as what David Gilmour used in his 2006 On an Island all tube Pete Cornish pedal board. He used two BK Butler/Chandler Tube Drivers in his 1990s live rig, which are almost identical. One was set for overdrive, and one was set for a light boost to drive the Muffs a bit harder, and to use alone for a boosted clean tones. Gilmour's 2006 board used two Tube Drivers in the same manner.
The sound is very similar to a Big Muff when cranked into overdrive. It can be used as a light boost before or after a Big Muff in the signal chain. Muffs like to be driven hard and like a loud, clean tube amp to sound good, but sometimes that is not enough for lead or solos, especially with modern Muffs. Driving a Muff with a Tube Driver can make the Muff tone come alive and help it cut through in a band mix better. Most modern Muffs and some vintage Muffs can really benefit from this type of boost. The Muff sound is slightly warmer when placing before, and slightly sharper when placing after. The tone is fairly transparent when using as a boost, but you can also lightly color the Muff tone when boosting.
Clips played with a 2008 American Standard Strat, Seymour Duncan SSL-5 bridge pickup, Fender CS69 neck pickup, or Seymour Duncan SSL-5 bridge pickup, into a '65 Fender Twin Reverb RI..
Tube Driver Overdrive Demo (settings shown above)
MP3 Sound Clip - Here is a clip of the TD set for overdrive. This is just the TD with 12AX7 tube and some delay from a TC Electonic Nova delay. It is very Muff-like.
BIG MUFF BOOST (settings shown above)
Tube Driver set for boost BEFORE a Civil War Big Muff
MP3 Sound Clip - Boss CS-2 Compressor -> Tube Driver -> Big Muff
Tube Driver set for boost AFTER a Civil War Big Muff
MP3 Sound Clip - Boss CS-2 Compressor -> Big Muff ->Tube Driver
CAN A TUBE DRIVER HANDLE LEADS LIKE A BIG MUFF? - It can, and Gilmour has been using the Tube Driver as his main distortion since the 2006 On an Island tour finished. Set for overdrive with some compression or EQ, it does a great lead tone. I was going for the DSOT/Pulse live tone here. Boss CS-2 compressor, BK Butler Tube Driver, TC Nova delay in stereo and a Boss CE-2 chorus on in the left channel only so it does not dominate the sound.
MP3 Sound Clip - Sorrow solo with Boss CS-2 compressor ->Tube Driver
OLD BK BUTLER/CHANDLER TUBE DRIVER VS NEW 2007 BK BUTLER TUBE DRIVER - Do they sound any different? Not much. There is a tad bit more drive/gain on the older TD when set to 10 than the newer TD, but the newer TD has gain all the way from 1-10, whereas the older one has nothing until you get to about 2. The knobs also need to be set slightly different to get the same tone. These clips are not the correct overdrive setting for Shine On You Crazy Diamond, just what I has set at the time I banged them out. Both TDs use the same GE12AX7 tube.