Low-medium overdrives are popping up everywhere these days, and for good reason. They often add a nice layer of boost and slight crunch to your guitar signal, not coloring it too much, and not driving your amp into unnecessary levels of distortion. The Aurora Overdrive from Kauffman Audio Appliances is one of these overdrives, smooth and transparent, but can still get a little dirty if you need it to.
Right away, I liked how this pedal was housed, just a different look and layout, something a bit out of the ordinary. The controls are up the right side of the pedal, as opposed to being on the top, which is where most drive pedal controls are positioned. Nothing too fancy, but just that little bit of difference made this pedal stand out immediately. Drive, Tone and Level are the knobs you have to work with on the Aurora, pretty standard for any overdrive. The circuit is based on vintage effects’ preamp sections, and it gives the whole pedal an old school feel and sound. The Drive has nice range as well, and although it won’t blow the house down with distortion, a fairly aggressive tone is present when you crank this guy up, especially when mixed with the Tone knob being focused on the higher end of the sonic spectrum.
With a good amount of headroom, the Aurora Overdrive has a broad range of tonal possibilities, ranging from a really nice boost to a pretty meaty drive, all the while adding just the right amount of oomph to your tone. This pedal responds to your picking attack and technique well, too, acting extremely responsive to all your playing nuances. Kauffman Audio Appliances makes 3 pedals currently, and I can’t wait to see what the other two have in store.
Submitted by Mike B, Website
