If you’re around the pedal world on even a minor level, there’s a good chance yo’ve heard the name Jack Deville. The mastermind behind the Mr. Black line of pedals, he’s got his hands in ventures all over, one of which we are going to check out today. The Friday Club pedals are a line of fairly straightforward effects that feature no fuss, no muss controls and excellent tonal qualities. We’re going to look at the el Cardinále Overdrive today, a nice drive that fits in just about anywhere in your rig.
The control section is simple, like we said: Volume, Highs and Drive. Volume is the output control, and the el Cardinále, like all Friday Club pedals, has a TON of volume to work with. A TON. Beware of this thing, people, it will blow out eardrums and amps in a half-second. Same goes with the Drive control: good range with plenty of juice to attempt and tame, from a low growl to a fierce, in-your-face, borderline-distortion sounds in a hurry. Highs is a high-cut knob, letting you mellow out the treble frequencies a bit when the el Cardinále really gets going.
A beautifully balanced, clear and natural drive, the el Cardinále Overdrive is just what the doctor ordered. Simple, powerful, stunning and clean, this is an overdrive that can slide onto any pedalboard and feel instantly right at home. The Friday Club lineup has a ton of great models to choose from, such as the Fūzwami (which we recently reviewed) and a couple others that we have coming up in the review queue. Check back soon for those, and head over to the Friday Club website for more info!
GET EXCLUSIVE UPDATES, CONTEST INFO, SEE OUR LATEST DEMO VIDEOS AND MORE:
