It no longer functions correctly to change the gain. These pedals have to be dialed in for each individual amp and guitar combination as they are relatively low output and the tube drive tends to kick in at a lower level than some pedals. The stomp box world has much more variety than what the kpa has in store when it comes to distortions and overdrives. To me, the bk butler tube driver is one of the best around both for leads, taming a muff and for a clean volume boost that adds some bite. The mosfet driver is based on the legendary bk butler tube driver. Due to the continuing requests for my limited production original design tube driver pedal, here are the details. Nov 2, 2016 bk butlerchandler tube driver current draw. This is a classic overdrive pedal used by professionals such as by eric johnson, joe satriani, david gilmour and many others. Bk butler tube works tube driver 12ax7 overdrive effect pedal. Butlers tube driver circuit patent was granted in 1991 patent number. Each one is hand made and checked out carefully by bk himself.
This is a unique and classic tube driven style overdrive stomp box. During its long life the tube driver has appeared in many forms. Tube drivers marked chandler are not the original design by bk butler. K butler tubeworks tube driver real tube overdrive effects pedal. Butler real tube overdrive the tube driver is a boosteroverdrive pedal with an ic and vacuum tube driven preamp circuit inside, used by guitarists such as david gilmour of pink floyd, eric johnson, billy gibbons, joe bonamassa, joe satriani, kenny wayne shepherd, j mascis, david holt, keith urban, and others. This is the big daddy of tube overdrive pedals the classic tube driver from b. Bk butler tube driver page 1 joes guitars, amps and. Vintage bk butler tube driver overdrive, with real tube inside for true valve bite. The tone feels very natural and cascading like a normal gain stage of a tube amp. Ive just opened mine up and the circuit board quite clearly reads patented. Well i got my bk butler tube driver wbias mod today and ive fiddled with it for a few hours and im still well in first impression territory but i have all too much to say about this pedal, so sorry for the short storybook im about to write. Bk butler tube driver feature requests kemper profiler. Bk butler tube driver pedal, some of the best sounds that.
If you know of a tube pedal not listed here, please let me know. The pedal had already been used by gilmour, satriani, bonamassa, j mascis and many other great. Overall in great shape considering the age of the pedal. It was designed and built by audio electronics engineer b. That cool joe, i also prefer a lower gain nos preamp tube in my tube driver. This is the original model, designed by bk butler, built by chandler industries with the power supply built. Bk butler tube driver page 2 joes guitars, amps and gear joe bonamassa forum the official forum for all things joe bonamassa, guitars and blues music. I designed it in the early 1980s and eric johnson was one of my early customers. A pair of adjustablebias mosfet gain stages take the place of the 12ax7 vacuum tube, otherwise the. I suspect by the reference legendary that they are hinting at the tube driver by b. Butler also known as built by tube works, chandler. While this pedal doesnt nail everything you throw at it in those genres, it really doesnt have to because it sounds fantastic and original. Bk butler tube driver 910 schematicpot value telecaster.
There is some tonal variation between these early models, and this is a great sounding example. Bk butler is still making these pedals today and his calls his real tube overdrive the tube driver pedal. The original tube drivers were made with transformers that run on 110120vac for the north american market. I found this one at guitar resurrection in austin, texas. Tube driver power requirements most tube drivers have an internal transformer that works with the mains voltage of the country it was made for. Bk butlers original hand made tube driver guitar pedal used by eric johnson, david gilmour, billy gibbons, joe satriani, kenny wayne shepherd, robbie krieger, and many other pros. Reverb is a marketplace bringing together a widespanning community to buy, sell, and discuss all things music gear.
Bk butlerchandler tube driver discussion in effects bg started by fender. Bk butlers original hand made tube driver guitar pedal used by eric. It spins all the way around and pulls out some too. Tube works valve distortion guitar bass keyboard pedal overdrive bk butler blue. Butler real tube overdrive the tube driver is a boosteroverdrive pedal with an ic and vacuum tube driven preamp circuit inside, used by. Known the world over for creating the eric johnson violin tone and as one of two main pedals used by david gilmour. I wrote to butlers company and a technician there verified it as a genuine butler.
This is the original model, designed by bk butler, built by chandler industries with the power supply built in. This pedal works perfectly and is in used condition with some cosmetic wear from use. I have an old 3 knob tube driver by bk butlertube works which has a broken potentiometer in the tube gain position. Im about to order a tube driver from bk butler and he is voicing it for bass guitar. It is in used condition with some cosmetic wear from use. If i can get the sound from the tube driver from one of those blackstar ht pedals, that would be ideal. The pedal was also an essential part of his tones on 2006 on an island album an tour.
The tube driver is not an extremely versatile pedal but what it does it does very well. Butler tube driver famously used by david gilmour, eric johnson, billy gibbons and joe satriani to name a few. Bk butlers original hand made tube driver guitar pedal used by eric johnson. About as close as you can get to the original chandler tube driver. Supposedly he gets inquiries to fix them all the time and wont. The colorsound power boost and tube driver are very. Free shipping on many items browse your favorite brands affordable prices. Real tube by tube works other than one being in super cool enclosure, and the other in a buttugly enclosure, the 4 knob 911 tube drivers and 5 knob real tube versions are basically the same patented b. Heres your limited chance to get an original tube driver.
Tc electronics tube pilot budget valve overdrive pedal. Alternatives to the tube driver sound the best alternative to the popular 4 knob tube driver is actually the 5 knob real tube pedal, model 901, made by tube works and designed by bk butler. Dean markley overlord to b k butler tube driver so, ive got one of these and ive got to admit i agree with the advert its ugly as sin but it does sure cook an amp nicely, but it could be better. For sale is a 1987 chandlerbk butler tube driver tube driven overdrive effects pedal. Is the 10k trimpot for tube bias and if so could you use a 10k pot so it can be adjusted without opening up the pedal for adjustment if so what lugs go where. I use the pedal mostly for times when i dont want to take a pedalboard, it never lets me down. This is a pedal that has been around for over thirty years and has become a longstanding favorite amongst some of the most elite players in the business for its smooth distortion and boost capabilities.
The original ibanez tube king overdrive was a very different beast than the reissued version in the red diamondshaped box, which seems to be a rather bland, metaloriented high gain distortion. The tube king is reputed to be a very similar circuit design to the tube driver and the patent there certainly backs that notion up. Get the best deals on bk butler when you shop the largest online selection at. For sale is a vintage, original 1986 bk butlerchandler tube driver tube driven overdrive effects pedal. So the bk butler tube driver is great for those one pedal gig situations, it is all you need for most shows just playing pop, rock or blues tunes. Over the years, tube driver has become the standard tube pedal of the industry. Billy gibbons like this version more than the newer tube driver that david gilmour uses. The bk butler 911 tube driver has been one of those items for me. Check out these unsolicited customer videos on youtube. Forgot to mention before, if you have a chandler wall mart tube driver you can easily convert it to a authentic tube driver by rebuilding the tone stack section. Bk butler tube driver page 1 joes guitars, amps and gear joe bonamassa forum the official forum for all things joe bonamassa, guitars and blues music the official forum for all things joe bonamassa, guitars and blues music. I personally handbuild all the original tube drivers eric johnson, david gilmour and the other pros use.
Super aggressive tones that bridge the gap between overdrive and fuzz. Butler designed tube driver circuit with some component differences. Bk butler tube works tube driver 12ax7 overdrive effect pedal valve free usa s. Make offer bk butler tube works tube driver 12ax7 overdrive effect pedal valve 3 knob. Tube pilot is, according to tc electronic, a legendary tube overdrive modelled, but then further developed by them. In fact, the original tube kings were just a slight variation on the bk butler tube driver, designed and built by butler himself, for ibanez, in denver. Mad professor sweet honey overdrive shod is a super touch sensitive medium gain overdrive pedal.
The core of the pedal is a handselected 12ax7 tube which gives you a lovely sort of fuzzdrive sound than can sound amazingly smooth and textured in the hands of masters like david gilmour who still features 2 of these within his rig. Thanks to his early endorsement as the creator of his famous violin tone, my tube driver has become a standard of many pro musici. Used bk butler tube works tube driver, vintage tube overdrive pedal from the 1980s. Bk butler tube driver page 2 joes guitars, amps and. Each pedal takes me several hours of my personal time. Bk butler tube works tube driver 12ax7 overdrive effect pedal valve 3 knob. The tube driver is a somewhat famous pedal, id guess it to be the most wellknown tubebased distortion pedal. It might not be identical to the tube driver but its in the same sort of area. Heres the tube driver made famous by david gilmour. Heres your chance to own this legendary holy grail of overdrive pedals. The tube driver is legendary mostly because of its association with david gilmour.
Hi, im bk butler, the real live designer and creator of my original tube driver pedal back in the early 1980s. If anything goes wrong during that period, just send it to me and ill fix it. It runs the 12ax7 stages at very low plate voltageabout 9 volts. When chandler copied the bk butler design they totally messed up the tone stack section all schematics to compare the different versions are here on. The level and hi pots are scratchy as is common with these pedals. This is the original model, designed by bk butler, built by. The circuit is a bit more complex, but bascially the same design as the 911 tube driver only with a.
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