Lotus Pedal Designs Snowjob Ge Underdrive

One of our favorite pedals from over the years is the Snowjob Underdrive from Lotus Pedal Designs, a boost/overdrive with simple functionality and great tonal properties. Since we liked the original so much, we were stoked to get our hands on a special version of this pedal, the Ge Underdrive, and see what new and exciting features came with it. We’re happy to report that this pedal reveals a nice twist on the first version, with some different components and different sounds as well.

The Snowjob Ge utilizes an AC187 germanium transistor, hand selected for gain and leakage, as well as a matched pair of 1N34A germanium diodes, and Mullard Tropical Fish capacitors. Volume and Gain make up the simple two-knob control section, with a lone toggle to switch between two specific modes. Designed to give you functionality and flexibility within this pedal’s confines, these two choices make the Snowjob Ge really stand out in the overdrive/boost field.

With the toggle to the left, you’re in “White Snow” mode, which is like the regular Snowjob, giving you a rich and full sound, but with more warmth and low end than its predecessor. Flip it over to the right, and you find your self in “Yellow Snow” mode, which boost this effect into a dirtier, grittier and heavier-type of sound, perfect for leads and solos. Within these two modes, you can use the aforementioned control knobs to dial in exactly what sounds you want, and experiment with many different sonic options to find your sweet spot.

Adding even more harmonic content to the empty spaces between the notes you play, the Snowjob Ge Underdrive is about as transparent as you would want, but only if you want it to be. Also a great boost, full of rich, glorious headroom, this custom beast from Lotus Pedal Designs offers a lot of ways to get your amp to wake up and do what you need it to. With only 30 of these in existence, you’d better scoop one up if you happen to be lucky enough to find one!