Anode Effects Dragon Drive V2 Reactive Distortion

The first pedal we checked out from Anode Effects, the MOS Fuzz Full Frequency Fuzz Machine, was a revelation in what could be accomplished with a 2-knob pedal. These guys are back again today with a different but equally impressive effects unit, the Dragon Drive V2. If the killer graphics don’t immediately grab you, the sound once the pedal is engaged certainly will. There’s a lot going on with this one, let’s take the plunge and dive right in!

LED clipping overdrive has become a popular choice among guitar players that want a more realistic amp-like distortion that doesn’t compress the signal too much. But when LEDs are in an overdrive, they usually light up. There hasn’t really been an overdrive that actually lets you see the LEDs doing their job and react to your playing. The Dragon introduces a new aesthetic to guitar pedals that makes overdrive fun again!

Inspired by an overdrive that is meant to sound like a cranked Marshall amp, The Dragon is a flexible hard-clipping overdrive with a passive 3-band EQ that can go from a warm boost to bluesy grit to heavy distortion that still retains clarity. The LED clipping diodes create less compression in the signal gain and allow picking dynamics to remain present through the clipping. Mounting the diodes externally means you can see exactly how much of the signal is being clipped and how much of a difference pick attack makes on the overdrive tone. The lighter you pick, the LEDs will flicker less, but as you pick harder, the LEDs will light up brighter and more solid. As the drive knob is turned up, the LEDs will get brighter when the guitar signal is being clipped.

The Dragon Drive V2 is made using high quality components, like Gørva knobs, heavy duty soft click footswitches, top mounted Lumberg Jacks, and it also sounds fantastic on bass. LEDs that light up while you’re playing are always a bonus, and since my daughter is obsessed with dragons, I kind of am as well. Great look, great sound, amazing build – the crew at Anode Effects are doing it RIGHT. Be sure to head to their website to see what they’re all about, and don’t sleep on our demo video below, where we put this guy through the proverbial paces…enjoy, thanks for hanging with us!!