Maxon has unveiled a European exclusive edition of its legendary OD-9 overdrive pedal. The OD-9 Creamdrive has a new look, resplendent in a semi-gloss cream enclosure, but the sounds should be reassuringly familiar.
The Creamdrive has the same all-analogue JRC4558D op-amp driven circuit as Maxon’s OD-9 reissues, which reanimated that ‘80s style Tube Screamer OD-9/TS-9 drive sound for the 21st century, and with an improved low noise performance, too.
There are dials for Drive, Tone and Level, everything you need to gussy up your tone and give your sound some of that tube amp mojo. You could also set the drive to low and run the OD-9 as a boost.
Yes, there are lots of Tube Screamer variants available, and you could full thousands of pedalboards with the many clones that have been spawned in recent years, but for many players the OD-9 edges out the rest, with a little more drive on tap than the OD808s that were popularised by blues players such as Stevie Ray Vaughan.
As with its kin in the Maxon lineup, the OD-9 is true bypass and has a low-noise mechanical switch, and an easy-access compartment which takes a 9V battery to power the unit. Alternatively, a 9V DC power supply will do the trick.
The Creamdrive is made in Japan, and available now priced £129. See Maxon for more details.
