It’s always a welcome sight when a box wrapped in clear Walrus Audio tape shows up on our doorstep, and their latest offering is one for the ages. The 385 Overdrive is actually based off of an old film projector (huh?), giving it a unique sonic flavor and tone. How they replicated this circuit remains a mystery, but we sure had fun putting it through the ringer to see what it could do.
Apparently, using tube-powered audio sections of vintage film projectors as amplifiers is actually a thing, and has been one for decades. The 385 is based on the Bell and Howell 385 Filmosound projector, which features a dual 6V6 output section that makes for a simple and extremely responsive amp, with amazing compressed overdrive when cranked.
The original version combined the Bass and Treble into one tone control, but Walrus has split those into 2 separate knobs, giving you total control over the sound this drive can produce. Volume and Gain knobs round out the control section, and both feature a good amount of range to play with, again enabling the player to fine-tune the output and crunch levels, for a true amp and tube-like sound and feel.
Dynamic and responsive, the 385 Overdrive is unique pedal based on a somewhat odd source of inspiration, but it sounds incredible nonetheless. It also runs internally at 18V, giving you that sweet amp sound in a neat and tidy pedal form. Thanks to Colt and the crew at Walrus Audio as always for letting us experiment with their innovative creations – the 385 really is a different sort of beast, and will produce tones and sounds you may have never actually heard, and only dreamed of.
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