MusicRadar Verdict
Amp-like and amp-friendly, the Retro Drive is a modestly priced solution for adding vintage hot sauce overdrive to your tone.
Pros
- +
Nice amp-style drive with a British accent.
- +
The price is right.
- +
Top-mounted jacks.
Cons
- -
Not much.
MusicRadar's got your back
Ashdown Pro-FX Retro Drive: What is it?
Officially titled the ‘Pro-FX 9 volt range’ by virtue of the pedals’ preferred power supply, the Pro-FX range was designed in the UK by Ashdown Engineering’s resident electronics whizz Dave Green, whose name you might recognise from Dr Green fame.
There are six in the series, each with a similarly rugged build and aesthetic. Three are voiced specifically with bass in mind, three for electric guitar – the Pro-FX Two-Band Boost, Pro-FX Vintage Fuzz, and Pro-FX Retro Drive.
All come with top-mounted jacks to allow for fastidious pedalboard curation, and steel enclosures with anodised fascias and rubber feet. While the price might suggest a budget build – or at least budget-conscious, as there are always cheap alternatives to boutique classics – the truth is, these are really well put together, and ready to assume their place on your touring ‘board. Ashdown has used Neutrik jack sockets throughout.
It might not surprise you, given its name, but the Retro Drive is an overdrive pedal voiced specifically like a vintage guitar amp – in this case, one with a British voicing. The format couldn’t be much more simple, with controls for Output, Gain and Tone, all doing exactly what they promise.
Ashdown Pro-FX Retro Drive: Performance and verdict
The Retro Drive is designed to get the best out of your amplifier. For some, that would suggest that it can be run as a boost, but that’s not really what Ashdown has in mind here. With the Gain dial set at zero, unity gain can be found on the Output knob at three o’clock, giving you three hours on pedal dial time to give your signal a bump.
• Electro-Harmonix Soul Food
The Soul Food is an excellent complement to a valve amp and it's as cheap as chips.
• Wampler Plexi-Drive
The Plexi-Drive is hard to beat if you want a vintage British amp in a box.
• MXR Timmy
Paul Cochrane's cult classic returns for the masses – it's compact and sweetens your tone without colouring it.
But what the Retro Drive lacks by way of clean boost it makes up for in its range of drive sounds. You can dial in subtle breakup that’s really just adding a bit of heat to your sound, and as you add in more gain, the Retro Drive performs much as an old amp might.
As you turn the dial, that grit becomes more pronounced, a little less sober, and can get down and dirty with Output and Gain maxed out. It’s a harmonically rich and musical sound, especially when pushing an already overdriven amp.
Perhaps, if it could talk, your amplifier might thank you for introducing it. And if said amplifier is a single-channel design, the Retro Drive could give you the option of a crunch channel. It will shade your sound with that NMV Brit amp flavour but that is not always a bad thing. Indeed, it can make all the difference. It might well be the missing ingredient.
MusicRadar verdict: Amp-like and amp-friendly, the Retro Drive is a modestly priced solution for adding vintage hot sauce overdrive to your tone.
Ashdown Pro-FX Retro Drive: The web says
“The Gain knob takes you through all shades of driven amp crunch through to the full-on raunchiness and harmonics reminiscent of a vintage non-master volume Brit amp with its volume knob maxed… A very decent drive and price: this vintage amp flavour won’t bust your budget.”
Guitarist
Ashdown Pro-FX Series: Hands-on Demos
Ashdown Engineering
Ashdown Pro-FX Retro Drive: Specifications
- ORIGIN: China
- TYPE: Drive pedal
- FEATURES: True Bypass
- CONTROLS: Bypass footswitch, Gain, Output, Tone,
- CONNECTIONS: Standard input, standard output,
- POWER: 9V DC adaptor (not supplied) 50mA
- DIMENSIONS: 873 (w) x 112 (d) x 58mm (h)
- CONTACT: Ashdown Engineering
MusicRadar is the number one website for music-makers of all kinds, be they guitarists, drummers, keyboard players, DJs or producers...
- GEAR: We help musicians find the best gear with top-ranking gear round-ups and high-quality, authoritative reviews by a wide team of highly experienced experts.
- TIPS: We also provide tuition, from bite-sized tips to advanced work-outs and guidance from recognised musicians and stars.
- STARS: We talk to musicians and stars about their creative processes, and the nuts and bolts of their gear and technique. We give fans an insight into the craft of music-making that no other music website can.
"It’s a sad day for every MCR fan. He was so pivotal to their sound for so long": Tributes paid to My Chemical Romance’s Bob Bryar
I've been using Adam Audio studio monitors for five years after switching from KRKs and I've never looked back - and now they're 25% off for Cyber Monday
“A well-crafted sequence is successful wherever you may wish to use it”: Use these tried and tested chord progressions to build an engaging song