The WORST Selling Pedal I Ever Made

[@matteocirilli5150]

I won that pedal due to the "game of tones" contest and I love it. I actually use T-Drive to boost my Marshall amp, it is rough and aggressive but extremely dynamic. I still use it because only thanks to the volume knob you may switch from a hi-gain sound to a sound at the edge of the breakup. Definitely in love with its sound.

[@VertexEffectsInc]

Thanks for sharing! So glad you dig it!

[@grandudetonesnob7107]

A 3way toggle to switch between "Liverpool", "Climax", and "Rocket" would be a cool feature. That being said, I'm not a circuit designer, so I'm not sure what that would involve.

[@ryanmbisson]

I remember playing this some time ago, and liking it through a custom built AC15 style amp. From hearing it again in your demo I think the addition of a low end cut and maybe even a gain step switch (like the Hudson Broadcast) would really make this pedal rad and probably more amp/user friendly. I like the gain sounds you can get with it and I think you should keep it around-maybe even offer it as a custom order only?

[@VertexEffectsInc]

Thanks for all the feedback!

[@Mudd1429]

If John Mayer played a Trainwreck, it'd be a different story. The "Mayer effect" is real haha!

[@crumpred805]

Santana and SRV probably had more to do with it. Couple that with the internet legend, lore and the rise of "boutique" amp builders. I picked up a Fuchs ODS long before I'd heard of the amazing John Mayer (and I live in Atlanta). Regardless, both amp legends deserve high marks.

[@ahmedzuberi8894]

So, I've been following vertex for a while. I've never personally tried this pedal but ive seen this pedal on the website. In my opinion there are 2 main reasons I've never been curious about this pedal. First being how it looks. While all other vertex pedals have a distinct look that makes it easy to recognize the brand. This in my opinion just missed the mark on looks. Second being that i havent seen it being marketed on various platforms by influencers. Even though i haven't played the pedal myself, i do think the concept behind it is pretty awesome and while the amp its design is based on is not all that popular, I'm sure it can catch its fame through the vertex brand. My suggestion would be is to work on a new version of this pedal where the power cycle and the low end flub can be addressed. Redesign the look of the pedal to be inline with other vertex pedals and i think you'll have a winner.

[@briancardinali]

You are spot on and couldn’t agree more

[@Vlamirms]

Exactly what I was about to write. Even though it looks kinda cool it reminds me too much of one of those Pignose Amps and whenever I looked at the pedal anywhere I kinda subconsciously associated it with the nasely transistor radio sound of the portable little amp and never gave it a try. Now listening to it in the demo through the tweed amp I can hear the woofyness of the bass when it's played with the Les Paul and it's a bit too much for my taste. I do dig the gain tho! It sounds killer! So, version mark II with a bass knob and new looks maybe?

[@montydaniel6597]

I like the way it looks..

[@jasperchance3382]

pedal looks great, essential graphics, instantly recognizable, can't get any nicer than that

[@MarcBecker_Music]

My T-Drive has been delivered today. I cannot believe it's not your best-selling pedal. I love it. Sounds exactly like described, works well with pedals in front or behind it. It's also very dynamic and follows every setting I do on my guitar like a real amp. Love it!

[@VertexEffectsInc]

Enjoy it

[@JonHallMusic96]

Sounds cool, probably my favourite looking pedal you make also! Stick some more tonal options in it and make a version 2 please! The red one is gorgeous

[@VertexEffectsInc]

Thanks Jon!

[@VertexEffectsInc]

Whether you've tried this pedal or are hearing it for the first time, we'd love to hear your thoughts on the T Drive! Should it be discontinued? Or should it get a second life??

[@fabiomoreira5150]

Of all the the demos i saw from your pedals (Shawn Tubbs , RJ Ronquillo, Sweetwater ) the Tdrive is the one that sounds better to my ears and the one that i think would fit my style best , i wish i could try one but never saw for sell here in Taiwan . Awesome videos , learned a lot from your channel.

[@VertexEffectsInc]

@@fabiomoreira5150 thanks for the feedback...all those guys are amazing players!

[@doctersound9630]

@@VertexEffectsInc I bet it was because its really ugly to look at... IMHO. Guitar players hear with their eyes... look at your SSS Pedals kind of look like Dumble-ESQ... same knobs etc... Put that circuit in a "nice looking" wooded box/housing/enclosure (Not just a brown enclosure) and give it that Boutique unique thing. My 2 Cents your welcome! Send me one once you build it, and I will review it! haha! Cheers from Canada!

[@harleyhexxe9806]

Hi Mason! I watch a lot of your videos on YT here because I find them helpful as well as informative. Many of your tips and tricks are helping me build some killer pedal boards for my scaled down guitar rig. A lot of your rig building technique is similar in many ways to rack building which I'm very experienced at, but there are major differences between a rack rig and a pedal board rig, and I appreciate you sharing the knowledge. Thank you. About the TDrive pedal, I'll be honest. It was the lack of controls on the pedal itself which made me back away from it. You see, I'm one of the lucky few who got to play through a couple of Train Wreck amps in the late 80's, three of them actually. Two, I liked what I was getting out of them, one, not so much. I think the two I liked were known as a Rocket(?), and the Express. I can't be 100% certain of this since none had any model names on them. Long story short; After dialing in the amps at full volume and backing off the volume and tone on my guitar as needed, I could get sweet singing guitar tones with very musical feedback with my guitar volume at 5! I found this very impressive because my full stacks had to be at a much higher volume to do the same thing. That's why these amps shine IMHO, because you could take one of these into a studio, and get your tones without blowing the roof off the place. They were only 30 watt amps. (They were also out of my budget too). If your pedal had some fine tuning capabilities for the EQ, and it could help me reproduce this kind of tone with a clean tube amp, I'd be interested in trying one. In a few different ways, I think I've been trying to get that result with the pedals I've been buying.

[@m.a.t.m4784]

I have one as permanent resident of my pedalboard since more than a year now and it’s definitely a favorite. I’m running it over 18V with a Zuma and I have no noise issues. Funnily enough, it’s the only « dirt » pedal that works great to my ears with my Dr. Z Z-Wreck. Bought it because I liked my UltraPhonix a lot and was very interested with these TrainWreck stories. Has proven quite brilliant in band rehearsal situation to shine in the mix. He’s true about the volume/tone on the guitar thing, It’s a big part of my playing so that may explain why my personal experience with this pedal has been great so far.

[@6StringStories]

I almost bought one of these like 5 times without trying one but could never pull the trigger. Mainly for the reasons you mentioned. I’d love to see something with a bass contour control to cut the flub if needed. The gain sounds fantastic and spot on to what you were describing.

[@danielabilez3619]

You wanted suggestions: Boost switch on the bottom, three postion Toggle switch for boost & a three postion toggle switch for highs and or gain structure A step further Four tone controls, low, resonance, mid, highs.... I enjoy the pedal I have. I run it into a Mesa Boogie Stiletto. I use Furman power supply plus MXR iso-brick

[@jacobpittman1996]

Maybe add a two-knob parametric tone circuit in it. The touch sensitivity seems great. Thanks for including the community in your process. If nothing else, maybe you’ll end up with some cool prototypes before your bid farewell to its production. Also, it’s really cool the way you interact and listen to us in KZbin land. Mason, I hope you get some helpful feedback. Godspeed.

[@e.papascottcolvin7921]

Hi thanks for the video. After watching I turned the gain down to 9 o’clock and all the noise went away. I always run the amp on 10 using a Universal Audio OX Box and my guitar volume at 5 or 6. The tone are endless. I use your Steel String, Dynamic Distortion, TDrive, and Boost great pedals. I think you did good with the TDrive.

[@jesperbjorklund3354]

My T-Drive is absolutly my favorite pedal! I searched for the overdrive sound that I knew I wanted, but I couldn't find it until I picked the pedal up in a store. I use it as my low gain, super dynamic touch sensitive and if I want more gain from it I push ot with a boost pedal I have in front of it. Sending love to the T-Drive ❤

[@thecooler68]

Maybe a smaller casing more friendly to pedal boards, or keep that enclosure and add a treble boost button ( ala Rangemaster) to solve the bass issue.

[@VertexEffectsInc]

Thanks for the feedback!

[@smashallpots1428]

ooooh if you add a rangemaster thing to it make it a dual switch so you can flip the treble boost on and off even if the main drive is off

[@thecooler68]

Can I get the proto type ! 😝

[@MichaelWWestbrook]

I think you hit it on the head - This pedal has always interested me but honestly I was hesitant because it doesn’t have a tone control. I also wondered if it was too much gain for my style. All that being said, I’d love to see a new version with tone (or even bass/treble) and less gain (maybe it’s an input gain adjustment?). Love the chime-y gain tones but a few more options might help it be a better fit for more players! Cool to see your take on it

[@ЮрийШиян-ч8э]

Mason! It is so nice, that you do all that job, I mean pedals, rigs, boards, and all that videos about it. People see what you do, they beleive you. I beleive in you. Thank you! And you read the comments)) Greatings from Russia!

[@scottbaker5938]

I found this video because I saw Nathanial of Chicago Music Exchange (he's awesome) play it in his demo of the Gretsch Master Built Caddy Bo guitar. This pedal, with that guitar, just positively nails the ZZTop sound. I said "Wow" out loud when the video started and he digs into the "Just Got Paid" riff. Check it out. There's your sound. Seems like a pedal for guitarists who don't want to lean over and twist dials on their floor rig. Adjusting tone from the guitar makes sense to me.

[@VertexEffectsInc]

Oh heck yea! I'm gonna check it out now!

[@clugokillscluco]

Case in point, I've never heard of Trainwreck amps either. Well, until now. Been playing for over 20 years.

[@zzakk999]

Got a used Tdrive yesterday and was blown away how tight the bass end is. Love the tones between 11-2 O'clock. Fantastic pedal esp for RnR tones.

[@VertexEffectsInc]

Heck Yea! Glad you dig it!

[@gregglick4864]

Shrink it down or not, give it a facelift and additional tweakable tone controls with a reasonable range add a variable switch to go from the different styles of Trainwreck amps and wala The TDrive Mark II. Might be a game changer.

[@VertexEffectsInc]

Good feedback, thank you!

[@NeilCampsie]

Voila

[@michaelliddicoat29]

Do NOT discontinue this pedal. Not everybody is obsessed with Dumble amps - I think this is the best sounding pedal you make. I would probably have one already if I wasn't retired on a fixed income. Maybe instead of pushing the Trainwreck thing you should push how great this pedal sounds.

[@Mudd1429]

Part of the cool thing with Trainwreck and Komet style amps is the "Gradual/Fast" switch for breakup. I think if you added that switch and positioned it as a mid-forward, more aggressive alternative to the more scooped/Fender/Dumble sound, that would be cool. Mark Knopfler used Komet amps for a while and Brad Paisley is pretty famous for the Trainwreck tones. Volume-riding and tone-riding aren't in vogue as much anymore, but Lil Tommy Bukovac has talked a few times on Homeskoolin' about that technique. I wouldn't be surprised if it makes a comeback. Perhaps a video with our old Uncle Larry on how to squeeze more tones out of your volume and tone controls would be a great way to see some traction with this pedal!

[@davidjameschamberlain]

I feel like some kind of low cut knob would lead to perfection. The touch sensitivity is incredible, as is the overall tonality and breakup, I wouldn't add much else

[@riccibungag4257]

I chose the Ethos TWE-1 over the TDrive because of the massive tonal options the TWE-1 has to offer. But it took me a while on how to dial it properly.

[@jorbv8]

A good mate of mine gave me his one to try out, months and months later i still have it. The drive tone is huge, massive bottom end and cleans up amazingly well. I run it through the clean side of my Ceriatone OTS 20 amp and it is glorious, i really dig it and i don't think my mate is getting it back lol

[@A.j.Rodriquez]

Based on the playing examples this thing sounds incredible and I love Trainwreck amps. Maybe slap an active EQ on it and re-market? The TWE1 which is a similar concept has done super well for itself but the tone is very sculpt able , so I think there I a market for it.

[@VertexEffectsInc]

Thanks for the suggestion!

[@recklesstoboggan]

As an update to my previous comment saying I had purchased a TDrive and was going to check it out. I ran it through a few Marshall's: Origin 20 DSL 20 Studio Classic/Plexi Studio Vintage/JCM800 I ran it through a few Fender's: Hot Rod Deluxe IV Supersonic 22 Princeton Reverb Deluxe Reverb Tried it with Strats, Les Pauls, Teles, Gretsch, several of each guitar type, each guitar type has at least 2 different pickup "load-ins". eg. A couple of Strats with different pickup types, 3 or 4 Les Pauls with different sets of pickups, etc. My favorite setting on the TDrive: Volume: unity or just above Drive: maxed out Then use the guitars volume and tone knobs to get different sounds. And there were certainly a variety of sounds available using different combinations of tone and volume available at the guitar controls. The summary, this is a deep, 3D, harmonically rich, touch sensitive, guitar control sensitive pedal...with humbuckers. With low output single coils, it sounds a bit flat, thinner, and considerably less saturation and the harmonics no longer leap off the fretboard. It's not a flop or a problem, but think of going from that roaring glorious 70s humbucker sound, down to an SRV or Jimi kind of blues sound with single coils. There's definitely something there with single coils, but it's not as there as when the humbuckers are there. So if you're running this pedal with low output single coils and want that absolutely huge full on liquid blues SRV and/or Jimi rock tone, shove a clean volume boost in front of it (eg. TC Spark, Keeley Katana, etc). Or if you want to keep the pedal general tone (a bit bass heavy) and add even more harmonic richness, use a relatively full range overdrive like the BD-2, Klon, EM Drive, Timmy, etc. If you want to tame the bass (the pedal is a bit heavy in the bass especially with humbuckers) use an OD-1, TS, etc. Or for ultimate versatility, just use your favorite eq pedal that's probably gathering dust somewhere, drop some of the bass, raise the output volume, and Bob's your uncle. For dual humbucker guitars (or dual volume guitars, really) roll back the neck volume to 4 or 5, keep your bridge volume at 8 or 9 and ...walla... 2 CHANNEL AMP IN A BOX! Too much bass in the pedal with your Les Paul's volume at 10? Roll back the guitar's tone knob a bit (to like 9 or 9.5) so you're not slamming the string attack. Yes, you heard right... Rolling down the tone knob a bit can remove some bass from the pedal because you're not slamming the pedal with string attack and creating flubbyness. SHOCKING, I KNOW! Fat, articulate, saturated, with great picking dynamics and great volume and tone control options at the guitar. You could probably play a whole blues to screaming rock gig on this pedal, always on, with the pedal volume at unity and the gain at max, and just ride your volume and tone knobs. Heck, you can even fake some U2 / Mr. The Edge clean and sparklies out of the pedal (volume at unity, gain maxed), with just a roll of guitar volume and tone. Seriously, it's not hard to figure out. Too much bass in the pedal for your rig? Lower the bass on your amp. Like your amps settings and don't want to lower the bass on your amp? Roll back the guitar volume and/or tone just a hair, to about 9 or 9.5, and the flubbyness/woffyness goes away (or at the very least becomes a deep throaty growl that'll pleasantly rattle your jewels, instead of muddy woof flub). And I haven't even described the glory that happens when you max out the pedal volume knob, and use the gain knob anywhere between minimum and about 10:30, and then start playing with the guitar's volume and tone knobs. So good. That was my experience, YMMV. -------- SO MASON, ... if you want to remake this pedal, v2 or whatever, I'd say add a bass cut to roll off the "4x12 cabinet" effect (I mean what if someone is already running this pedal through a 4 x 12 cabinet on stage at Wembley? Yes I know chances are this is going into someone's combo amp at home, and the 4x12 effect is good for that umpf, but use a bass cut knob to roll off that effect if the user desires, maybe they're playing a Hot Rod Deluxe and don't know how to work the bass knob), and put in a boost switch (either footswitch or toggle switch, and it might not just be an output boost thing, it might be an impedance thing or a henries thing or whatever other the differences there are between a single coil and humbucker, maybe something like the input filter on the DOD Looking Glass? No idea what I'm taking about here so I hope you get the jist) that you can use optionally if you want to thin out humbuckers or fatten up single coils (that way if SRV or Jimi show up when Nancy is ripping on Barracuda, they can all join in. Or if Nancy shows up and U2 is playing Where the Streets Have No Name or Sunday Bloody Sunday, she can play along).

[@VertexEffectsInc]

What great feedback! Thank you so much for this detailed response! This is SUPER helpful! Thank you, thank you, thank you!

[@recklesstoboggan]

@@VertexEffectsInc No worries. Glad to share and hopefully be of some help. I'm not the most technical guy when it comes to the electronics of pedals, so I hope I got the jist across with regard to a bass roll off and some kind of switch or toggle to account for humbuckers vs. single coils if the user wants to. So at max the bass roll off would just keep the pedal exactly as it is currently (let's call current version v1). As you roll off the bass knob, it linearly reduces the resonant frequencies (the ones that you've assigned to the pedal to mimic a 4x12). Then, independently of the bass roll off knob (ie. the bass roll off knob could be used in addition to any of these positions), the switch or toggle would have: Position 1. Leave the pedal as is currently in stock format of the V1 TDrive pedal. So with Position 1 and the bass roll off knob letting all the resonant 4x12 frequencies through, it would sound just like the TDrive v1 does right now...because I think it really rocks. Clean to absolutely filthy with just a volume knob, heck you can pretty much go clean to filthy just on picking dynamics! Position 2. Fatten up single coils adding a good dose of sustain and harmonics to make them sing. Position 3. Thin out humbuckers a bit to make them a bit less woolly sounding and a bit more like a single coil or a P90, but without losing the already excellent sustain and harmonics that humbuckers have currently with the stock v1 pedal. Or make the 3 position tone toggle idea a knob that does the same thing, kind of like the input filter knob idea, if that will do it. I don't know if any of this is even possible, but I hope some of that makes sense, and I managed to help in some way, as opposed to just make everything more confusing. Writing about tone is like dancing about architecture. P.S. If you do make a TDrive version 2, and you use some of my suggestions, maybe you could call it the "VERTEX T-Drive RT" because the R could stand for the Resonance knob, and the T could stand for the Tone toggle switch or input filter or whatever it ends up being.

[@VertexEffectsInc]

@@recklesstoboggan thanks again! This is really so helpful!

[@recklesstoboggan]

@@VertexEffectsInc Mason, As an update, I finally got a chance to play the Ethos TWE-1 and compare it directly to my Vertex TDrive. I'll personally take the TDrive hands down. The Ethos TWE-1 is really, really, really compressed, and has an upper mids frequency that I just can't tune out on any of my rigs or guitars. By comparison the TDrive has the gain, but remains open and dynamic, where the Ethos TWE-1 sounds crushed and overly, unnaturally compressed to my ears. Not ragging on Ethos, but it's just not for me. There are plenty of people who absolutely love the TWE-1, and maybe that's their sound. I personally prefer the TDrive as it retains headroom and dynamics even at extremely high gain. Any updates on a potential TDrive RT?

[@jardanijovonovich2886]

Just got this pedal and not sending back anywhere! My main amp, American made 2001 Fender Blues Deluxe Reissue is at the amp doctor. Plugged in my 1966 Fender Twin, died. Marshall Vintage Modern Combo. Died. Only combo left was Supro Blues 12. Could never get a great tone with that amp. Not today!!! Can’t wait until both Fenders are fixed, the Tdrive is going to sound smoking through 85 watts of vintage Fender. Mason, you are being way hard on yourself. Not enough knobs, your thinking of going along with minimalism to match the Trainwrecks was by itself genius. The amount of work that went into matching the amp to pedal had to be insane. This box you’ve created is the next Klon. I’m buying two more as an investment.. To remarket this little box of genius go the elite route.”This pedal is not for everyone”. A short history in marketing materials is totally necessary. The Trainwrecks are a killer story, blend it in with your own.. The only other Vertex unit I have is the Dynamic Distortion and again, genius. I hated fuzz faces for years as they were too harsh for me. Pushing it with a TS 808, genius.... I read here and there about Mason and the Wah Wah debacle. I understand that’s awhile ago. I don’t know Mason but he seems like a really nice young man who produces killer gear. At his age he’s only going to get better. I’m sure he learned the hard way one’s reputation is everything. Mason’s conducted himself business wise pretty well ever since, he’s still in business.. He without sin cast the first stone. Don’t 86 this box Mason, it’s too good of a pedal. Lots of luck and loyal customer..

[@VertexEffectsInc]

So glad you dig it! Thanks for watching and for the support!

[@ArtieDillon]

Bro... This is a prime example of what a benevolent and humble dude you are!! I loved the Clapton tone demo video you did and the tones are stellar! I strongly considered a TDrive (and still would love a UPhonix). The only thing that concerned me as one who gigs frequently was control over the low end. Some rooms have more rumble than other as you know and I worried that the TDrive might dial-in as well as some of my other pedals. Would love to know your thoughts...

[@jinjxmusic]

Thank you for giving us the game on how you envisioned this pedal being used. I get it now - hearing you go from 7 with a relative clean sound to 10 where it opened up already has me a believer.

[@eanroad]

3 band eq would make it unique and allow the flexibility for various players to adapt it to their rigs/playing style. At the same time you could include the suggested settings on what/how it was originally designed to sound like. Therefore customers have reference points but also the flexibility to tweak to their liking. Cheers!

[@nickg2431]

I really like your videos because you understand all this stuff very well . It’s like listening to an old friend 😁

[@VertexEffectsInc]

Glad you enjoy it!

[@robflewell7706]

This is BY FAR my FAVORITE overdrive by far. I have two. That is surprising. You have to be a tone and volume knob player to fully appreciate it. period. I love the thing. If I want to add 'heat" with clarity this does it. I hope someday folks will appreciate it more.

[@jaredtorres1000]

I owned a T-Drive previously and it was a fun pedal to use but I predominantly play fender amps so it became too sharp in the high end for all my guitars (sounded really punk rock which was kind of neat.). Maybe add a bass and a presence knob to tailor it to more amps? I did like the aesthetic of the two knob pedal so maybe smaller pots for the EQ (like the Ultraphonix HRM) would retain the look and feel. I think you had something really cool and I like that you guys were aiming for the sounds unobtanium amps in pedal form. Keep up the great work Mason!

[@andrewsrea]

I appreciate your willingness to make these honest and open assessments! Actually, a pretty nice pedal, although I did not find it Plexi. Definitely Tweedy or Voxey. I recommend people should watch the Shawn Tubb's demo (1) VERTEX T Drive Overdrive pedal demo video by Shawn Tubbs - KZbin). The common thread to your other products is touch sensitivity and like others, I think you should consider re-issuing it with a 'Bass-tight' and high-pass tone controls.

[@mikeb1841]

I just picked up a T Drive and use it with my Dr Z Maz 38. The sound is nothing short of magic!!!!! I've tried lots of pedals including the Wampler Paisley and Keeley Johnny Hiland but this just took the cake. It's just so awesome!!!

[@VertexEffectsInc]

Great to hear! So glad you dig it!

[@mikeb1841]

@@VertexEffectsInc you have no idea lol!! Even my 11 yr old son said, “that sounds awesome”!!

[@jessemoodyiv]

The pedal sounds amazing. Dynamically, it’s up there with the SD-9/Landgraff OD. I think it’s a matter of not a lot of people really knowing about Trainwreck amplifiers and what they’re capable of. Playing through Trainwreck-style amps/pedals like the T-Drive made me jump off the Dumble-train (pun intended) because they were more dynamic and tonally diverse. You should consider doing a vid on Trainwreck.

[@VertexEffectsInc]

Jesse! Thanks for the feedback!

[@frankgrocholski]

I really like this pedal. admittedly , I have taken it off my board because I found myself going to the "dude" from J rockett or the "dynamic drive" from vertex, but it has become a staple in the studio for me. (especially right into the board!) Love the pedals man, thanks for taking the time to educate us in the guitar-averse. Happy holidays!

[@Speedomodel]

A tone control would probably go a long way with some. As someone who plays heavier music typically and thus doesn't have a Steel String etc on my board, this one appeals to me the MOST but I'd like to be able to shape the tone a bitttttt to my set-up. Great video, appreciate the honesty!

[@VertexEffectsInc]

Thanks for the feedback!

[@DevilMayAsian]

Wow. I had a TDrive, thought it was based on an overdriven AC30 sorta thing. Haven't heard of the Trainwrecks. I sold mine off because of the high frequencies. The drive felt pretty solid, but I couldn't jive with the presence. It was too much for me. Had the pedal given more eq control, I think it'd be a great pedal, and had I known about the homage, I might have approached it differently.

[@PhillyCheeseSteak34]

Hi-pass filter toggle (up = 75Hz, middle = 95Hz, down = 120Hz). Nothing else is needed. This the centerpiece of my pedalboard. In front are 4 pedals: EP Booster (natural low cut), Decimator, and T-Rex Moller 2, with a Klone after the TDrive, then to my Blackstar w/ WGS Blackhawk Alnico 12”. Saggy, jangly, punchy, bluesy heaven.

[@VertexEffectsInc]

Thanks for the feedback! Super helpful!

[@tomhuergo]

Love your stuff! And I think the Tdrive is an outstanding pedal! Maybe throw a Tone knob on it, and it'll make it a bit more friendly for everyone. Greetings from Argentina!

[@SeanPierceJohnson]

To date, this is still my favorite Vertex pedal. But than again, I’m a high gain British flavor guy. It is amazingly responsive to touch and guitars. And the two knob layout is just the best! It’s just raw and uninhibited.

[@crumpred805]

I built a TrainWreck Express amp and it takes a lot of volume before it breaks up. A tech friend who took a reading of the amp said, "It was the prettiest amp I'd ever scoped". Coincidentally, his name is Ken.

[@durengutierrez2876]

Hi Mason, Duren Gutierrez here. You built pedalboard for me a while back. Personally I like the sound of that pedal and the versatility that you can get with it. I also like that it gives a person the opportunity to utilize the guitar to control things like tone. I do that all the time. I think I would have two suggestions for you, don’t give up on it instead publicize it maybe some of the online personalities can highlight it for you and demonstrate the benefits and versatility of the pedal. I would probably consider adding some EQ for those people that like it although I think that’s perfectly doable with the guitar. The other thing that I think would be a nice addition would be to actually have two channels so that you can set two different sounds on the pedal.

[@VertexEffectsInc]

Hey Duren! All great points! thank you for feedback on this!

[@friedjofpetersen6825]

I always just assumed it was a tube screamer because of the name and thought "why would anybody want a tube screamer without the tone control?"

[@chrisvaillancourt]

Long time viewer, first time commenting! I really loved the dynamic response of the T Drive and it worked well with stacking a boost/overdrive in front of it. By comparison, the Ethos TWE-1 does not go well with other pedals because of the aggressive emulation of power amp sag as the front end of it gets hit harder, causing the output to drop, but I did prefer it for it's extensive pre and post EQ options. The T Drive did not have the excessive output sag, and the core sound of the pedal is fantastic, but I think it could benefit immensely from a combination of the high pass filter like on the Steel String and the tone control of the Ultra Phonix, or some form of 3 band eq. I really loved the T Drive, but I did sell it on account of me wanting more options. A V2 would be awesommeeeee

[@wayguitar69]

I love a good OD with only 2 controls, yes not a "transparent" or whatever type of pedal, especially when boosting or pummeling an already dirty front end, then dropping your guitar volume down a notch or two, very lively. That's where I live anyways. Been thinking about trying 1 of these for quite some time, but I have too many already (all different), prob should thin the herd a bit. I remember all the great articles about Trainwrecks & Ken Fischer in Guitar Player Magazine.

[@jesusmelgares]

I have been using this pedal for two years. It is true that it is not a pedal to the use and that you need the control of potentiometers of the guitar. Accompanied by Tc Electronics' Hipergravity compressor, the tone is wonderful on a Telecaster with a Fender amp. I don't change my sound for anything.

[@VertexEffectsInc]

Glad you dig it!

[@recklesstoboggan]

@Vertex Effects Mason, As an update, I finally got a chance to play the Ethos TWE-1 and compare it directly to my Vertex TDrive. I'll personally take the TDrive hands down. The Ethos TWE-1 is really, really, really compressed, and has an upper mids frequency that I just can't tune out on any of my rigs or guitars. By comparison the TDrive has the gain, but remains open and dynamic, where the Ethos TWE-1 sounds crushed and overly, unnaturally compressed to my ears. Not ragging on Ethos, but it's just not for me. There are plenty of people who absolutely love the TWE-1, and maybe that's their sound. I personally prefer the TDrive as it retains headroom and dynamics even at extremely high gain. Any updates on a potential TDrive RT?

[@VertexEffectsInc]

Interesting...sorts sounds anti Trainwreck by your comments... hows' the clean up of it?

[@recklesstoboggan]

@@VertexEffectsInc I agree, it does seem counter to the reviews of the Trainwreck amps and KZbin videos of the amps, although I've never played on myself. But yah, kind of anti-Trainwreck. The TWE-1 is really compressed with the gain knob anywhere above about noon. Then is has this super tight initial compression and kind of blooms, but the initial compression is so quiet and compressed compared to the bloom, it almost has the same deafening/concussive/precussive effects as a bad tremolo, IMHO. It does sustain like crazy with the gain knob way up, but that sustain dies off pretty quickly with the gain knob low. Again, not raging on Ethos, and I know that some people absolutely love the TWE-1; variety is the spice of life. To my ear, the TWE-1 has the same very squished compression as some of the bad Dumble Overdrive Special pedals out there. I've tried the TWE-1 with several guitars with different pickups, and with a variety of amps, combos, heads, cabs. Maybe it was designed specifically for the 65 Fender Deluxe Reverb Reissue, as it sounds the best through that amp, but not great through others. I find that same thing with some JHS pedals...stunning through a 65 Deluxe Reverb Reissue, but a bit dull and lifeless through other amps. It's a design choice that Ethos and JHS are free to make, and they may sound really good through that one amp, and it is a pretty darn popular amp, so why not. The TWE-1, to my ear, sounds somewhat simar to the Burn channel on the Fender Supersonic 22 amp with the Master volume low, but the Drive2 knob at 10. It sounds weird in the room, but that amp (with a Vintage 30) actually records really well. The TWE-1 has even more of a compressed tonal quality, and there is just a mid-high end that is piercing or funky to my ear. [/end random whining] The cleanup in the TWE-1 is pretty good, but again, not as good as the cleanup with the TDrive, IMHO.

[@markdavidofficial4274]

What about a V2? With tone control? Perhaps a small enclosure? I’ve always liked the sound of this pedal, but it’s never made me want to kick off my Wampler Pinnacle tbh

[@Shaunquirk89]

In terms of marketing, what I would really try to get across is the power amp distortion that British amps have is Magical!! and it’s just something you’re not going to achieve at lower volumes but what this pedal achieves is adding a bit of that magical power amp distortion to your tone without the need for you to crank anything to 11 lol If I was gonna mod this to something that I think would be successful, I’d want this pedal to stack super well as like a second gain stage to add some character to our sound. I want the bass to be a bit tighter aswell tbf. I wonder if a bass contour switch would be a good idea… kinda like what Friedman do with the deluxe BE-OD I’d hike the internal power supply up to 18v so you can run it at 9 and get extra headroom. I’d add a tone control and let’s dial down the gain a bit in favour of a bit more clarity. This way (like an amp) we can push the pedal with an overdrive (which let’s face it everyone has) so if you want that extra gain you can stack it but really it’s going to add all those Voxy/Marshally harmonics and British flavour to your tone and be a bit of a tone shaper/enhancer aswell as an amp in a box thing. I wonder if it would be a good 2in1 pedal and perhaps you could stick a bluesbreaker style of overdrive in front of it (or after 🤔 for a solo volume boost) and then it’s all you need. If I was being cheeky, I’d call it something like the royal rumble overdrive 😂

[@jacobrockymusic]

I order one of these (the gold one). I loved the touch sensitivity of it. That’s how I like to play, with the amp or pedal gain set high then use volume and tone. The only reason I sent it back was the low end. It was just too much. When I returned it I mentioned that if it had a tone or bass cut or something that it would be perfect! I would love to see a revision!

[@paristhalheimer]

It sounded great with the Telecaster. As a Hotrod DeVille and Blues Jr guy, it sounded really good. I'm not a Marshall guy, but I'm using a Charlie Brown to get a Marshall like tone.

[@thesaj1110]

I appreciate your honesty. I ended up returning mine for a refund. it is a horrible pedal.

[@TheIndieGameDev]

In what way?

[@surfthejapstrat7010]

Sounds like a muddy mess to me

[@surfthejapstrat7010]

Sounds like a fender hot rod DeVille drive channel

[@billtownsend]

I own two of these pedals. In my opinion, they aren't replicating a Trainwreck, but are a good pedal that is easy to use. One of the great things about Ken Fischer's amps was their simplicity. This pedal also has that with lots of overdrive and gain. What's interesting, is I like this pedal with my Vox and Fender amps, but not so much Marshall amps.

[@VertexEffectsInc]

Where do you feel they fall short of the TW sound?

[@tomduckworth8335]

Good video I like your honesty. I don’t think people understand these pedals.After hearing you talk about it I have a better understanding of it. I also think people equate knobs and switches Quality “If it doesn’t have a bunch of switches how can it be good “?

[@AlexPriceMusician]

I love my T-Drive. Literally it has been my favorite drive pedal for the last year or two now - even inspired me to purchase a Trainwreck-style Mesa/Boogie amp a few months back. I do think it'd be way more accessible to most players if there were an EQ on it. Maybe just a bass cut toggle even for those who think it has too much low end. The first time I played it I thought that too, but then I used it in a full band context and it all made sense.

[@PXB91]

I think this pedal is amazing. I've had it for a while, and no complaints. I can really nail some of those old british classic rock tones I like...people need to understand that it is a must to learn how any specific pedal can match your needs as a guitar player, based on your style of playing, the guitar and amp you have, among other factors...I don't think there are UNIVERSAL GENERAL GOOD PEDALS kinda ONE-SIZE FITS ALL...these are tools that we gotta learn how to get the most of in order to achieve what we want to.

[@VertexEffectsInc]

Good feedback! Thanks Xavier!

[@anmolatwal]

This needs a bass cut and more grind to it. The 3 position toggle switch idea for liverpool climax and trainwreck is cool too.

[@milesanderson3682]

I bought my T-Drive years ago, really loved it. But it started emitting a high-pitched squeal, so I retired it and went with other pedals. I'll try it on battery and see if that changes anything.

[@donaldnelson8764]

I purchased the Tdrive as soon as thery were made available and really enjoy it. Part of that relates to the fact that I also purchased a Dr Z Z Wreck because of Ken Fishers contribution to its development. Also I got to play a Trainwreck amplifier while in Stockholm Sweden in May 2019 for some studio work and a few shows. I hope your video educates a few players.

[@Greg88888]

I'm picking up a used one later today. I'm interested to see what's on the inside. It mentions on some forums that it's very similar to an SD9

[@VertexEffectsInc]

It has some similarities, the Dynamic Distortion is based off the SD-9 with some mods for clean up and more gain at the top end, bordering on Fuzz.

[@Greg88888]

Honestly, I'm very happy with the T drive. Everything you need, nothing you don't. Nice and sturdy. Was relieved to find a battery snap inside as I prefer using batteries. Looks like decent workmanship. The aesthetic is cool. I'm using it with the gain maxed out through a '74 Peavey "Vintage" and through an old EV PA 15" driver and it's perfect for me. Proper stoner tone. Was a bit worried it wouldn't cut that heavy a sound but I need not have worried 👍

[@maxostrowski5269]

I’ve watched countless videos by you and I do feel like it wasn’t advertised well. After this video I think this would be a hit! Do your take on it, either add a low pass filter or something or even make it so you can choose your caps or diodes to choose how fat the tone is! That’d be epic!

[@PhillipMoita]

"The Rig Doctor"!! 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

[@windowjamb]

The "T" is one of my favorite high gain pedals to play at home because of the touch sensitivity and the lack of tone controls means it's a set and forget thing for me but like you said it really works better with more mid focused amps, especially when playing with at gig volume level. Before lockdowns I had the T on my main gigging board for those function gig 80's rhythm guitar parts and it really unleashes my Mad Professor OS21 amp to a whole new territory. Paired with an eq pedal after I'm able to get my lead lines heard but not overflow the bass frequencies. Maybe include some solo boost side to the pedal as in SSS and or a very delicate presence knob.

[@dustinscott3906]

I enjoyed it when I played it, but I remember thinking that I wish I could EQ the tone to for more control, and thought it’d be nice with a presence control as well

[@patchadams06]

Great video, pedal sounds awesome, I have played through one of the real amps in the wild, this totally does the thing, I have a feeling you will sell out of your B-Stock. I am curious what amp/ cab were you playing through for reference?

[@dinfante1123]

i won one on a live episode and i love this thing.. its 100 percent true about the volume and tone knob on the guitar. when i first played it i thought it had alot of high end bite but when i stopped using it so much a a pedal and rather a pedal to change the "clean" tone it made a huge difference.. people just need to treat it like amp tone and it will go from there!!

[@recklesstoboggan]

I've always wanted the TDrive pedal. The alure of clean to high-gain with the guitar volume was the most appealing aspect of it. Controlling the high end with just the guitar tone knob, from Vox-y to Marshall-y is also very appealing. I am familiar with TrainWreck amps. I knew the TDrive was based off the amp. So... Today I bought the TDrive. I play mostly through Marshalls but also have a couple of Fender combos. I'm not a fan of pedals that "build in" a cab sound (ie. 4x12) because if you don't have the ability to bypass or turn off the "cab" sound, the pedal just isn't going to work with certain rig set-ups...typically in the bass frequencies. Maybe you could show a step by step video or sell a kit to mod the pedal to add a bass cut switch to bypass the 4x12 greenbacks part of the sound?

[@JBGuitarInstruction]

The Vox/Marshall is an acquired taste if you grew up on Fender. I didn't get it in the beginning but now dig it.

[@patrickcarroll1754]

If I could offer one suggestion, Mason, I'd made suggest making it smaller... if you can. I'm always more likely to buy a pedal if it's more compact. The less real estate, the better. Having said that, the Steel String Supreme was far smaller than I expected. And though not AS small as say, a standard MXR enclosure,the amount of features justified the extra width. Hope that helps.

[@manuknobs8710]

Yo loving your telecaster. I think the pedal sounds great, i can imagine using it 🎧

[@brandonkruse6412]

I’ve been craving that TW sound for a while now and forgot y’all had this pedal. It’s probably my favorite guitar tone ever and I’ve been impressed with what I’ve heard of demos.

[@VertexEffectsInc]

Get it Reverb while you can :)

[@shinjial]

Having seen a couple of demos of this, I'd take a wild guess and say that probably the amps it was designed to emulate aren't as well known to justify the nod - and from the comments I'm not alone in this. That said, the tones are really nice. I do mostly low-mid gain stuff, but I've been learning to use my volume and tone more (because all the players I try to channel with my playing do so), so I see a lot of potential for a pedal like this to be the only drive in a small board, with a delay and reverb, or something that could "be" the amp (when you don't know what the backline is and you want consistency). Suggestions with this in mind: a bit more control to shape the tone (the lows specially - they are really proeminent), and maybe a second switch to change it's voicing - a boost with low end control? A switch to tailor the levels of gain it can do?

[@graggjoel]

make it smaller and add a tilt eq or a low cut maybe? I think it's a great sounding pedal.

[@nathaniellarson8]

Flubby bass is likely the problem for most people. A bass cut seems to be the consensus #1 thing to add. Yes, it would be great to keep it simple and as true to the original as possible, but like nobody runs 4×12's now. Look at the Wampler Pantheon tone controls. I can adjust it to sound good with any amp(that I've ever used) with the active bass and treble controls plus the presence control. I thought the T drive sounded pretty good in this video, but knowing it gets flubby on the low end with some amps would steer me away.

[@larswinstrom9943]

I bought one after have done a very carefully comparation between several overdrive pedals on KZbin, especially the Shawn Tubbs demo got me hooked. However I did let it go due to the very compressed tone i did not like ( your example playing the LZ influenzed riff) and it did not fit my playing style at that moment (and of course my skills are far beyond Shawns). I liked the two knob approach and the idea to control the tone only by adjusting the vol. on the guitar.

[@JasonGutierrez]

Sounds great. To make the low end more universally usable maybe just add a hi-pass filter.

[@potken]

Purchased used. Sounds terrible (strat) - high-pitched, audible, constant squeal, 3K+, even with the knobs turned down. Extremely annoying, cannot evaluate tone of the pedal due to squeal. Already tried using a graphic equalizer, didn't help much, removing the squeal just made the guitar sound bad. I'm going to try it again tomorrow with my Les Paul. Any suggestions for a fix?

[@zacharylindsey7679]

I’ve not known about this pedal from you… but this sounds amazing.

[@VertexEffectsInc]

Hope you check it out!

[@benzirkle2817]

I don’t own it, but a 3 band active eq would be really nice. Maybe tailor the eq in keeping with your original vision but allow the player to tweak for their particular set up.

[@joemanez5290]

I can speak to my own preconceptions about the Tdrive: I didn’t get those intentions. I was definitely enticed to see “AC,” “Plexi” and “high-gain” in the description. At the same time I was turned off by the two-knob format and didn’t understand the point of doing that until this video. But to be fair, I generally avoided am-in-a-box pedals, partly because I never feel certain they’ll work with my rig (my stage amp is an Egnater Rebel). Still, I appreciate the honesty and relegation here. It was a really nice look into the thought-process behind the design and it took a lot of courage to reflect on what happened.

[@dougiemonday]

Maybe add a bass response toggle..? I think it sounds great.

[@MK-oz2lf]

What a minute. What if you put a treble booster or a tube screamer in front of the T Drive in a high gain setting? Can it reign in blood?

[@VertexEffectsInc]

You might have to lower the gain on the pedal to make it work, but yes, it will sound great!

[@alexledford4747]

1 reason, the SAME reason I haven't owned a Steel String Clean Drive UNTIL the Steel String Supreme: NOT ENOUGH CONTROLS. I need more control over this to ensure it plays nice with the rest of the board!

[@smashallpots1428]

give it the mini treatment you did for the steel string and please do add a way to tweak the low end for people to suit their amp

[@brentled]

You playing sounds great Mason! It's not a lost cause, it sounds great. I need to buy before you discontinue.

[@MrDavemiley]

Dang Mason , you being a bit too honest !! However , it is appreciated ! If I had not already grabbed an Ethos TWE-1 a couple of years ago , I would have tried the Tdrive .

[@kosmicwizard]

Make a V2 TDrive with a toggle switch with 3 modes (like the Zvex Distortron) that gives you different amounts of low end that would be useful depending on if you are using single coils or buckers and with what amp. Adding a 2 band baxandall eq would also be kick ass, as that would allow me to cut the bass and add some tops taking it into what I consider to be even more of Vox territory. Thanks, Mason. Happy belated birthday!

[@VertexEffectsInc]

Thanks for the suggestions! Thanks for the birthday wishes!

[@dstads]

I had and really liked the T Drive. I’m not a high gain player, but this NAILED Dumbly tones, especially with lower output guitars. Definitely agree that more people know about the Dumble and that makes D pedals more popular. Also agree that a Baxandall or even a high pass filter would be killer on this. I didn’t find noise to be an issue on my Pedal Power 2+ and I thought it was a touch responsive monster. And I play into vintage fender amps. To remake this, I’d recommend 1) either high pass or baxandall, and 2) a low gain and high gain switch to divide the gain knob and allow more precise dialing in of gain.

[@popeye089]

Sounds, quite honestly, never heard it played before. For me and my personal experience, just wasn’t out there enough to get on my radar

[@DeadShred9]

I ever only have 1 Question with pedals or Amps & Guitars , does it SHRED ??

[@jsr79-81]

It's a fantastic pedal (and I mainly play it through a 5E3 clone so this was a great video for me). It's the most open-sounding amp-like drive pedal I can think of. Completely different to most other pedals. I also own a Liverpool clone so I was probably more open to it as well. I use a Keeley Red Dirt Germanium in front of it (to shelve off a bit of the low end and push the mids for lead). Brilliant pedal....

[@jessejohnson8210]

I love the T Drive! You could break out a small knob low end sculpting control and a small knob mid control.

[@VertexEffectsInc]

Good idea!

[@Ris1993]

Great video! Whats the second song you did a demo on? Heard it so many times, but i forgot the title 🙃

[@VertexEffectsInc]

Life in The Fast Lane?

[@Ris1993]

@@VertexEffectsInc the one after Life in the fast lane! 😃

[@ZPIZZ74]

It's an impressive pedal and you must managed it. The headroom is enormous, the saturation loaded with harmonics, a lot of dynamic. Turn down the volume of your guitar to go from clean to saturated. ...no other distortion pedal gives me this subtlety. Add a clean/treble booster up front, and you've got the midrange you've been missing. A pedal that would have to be discontinued for it to become a legend :=)

[@Tubescreamer81]

I have wanted to try one. But I just like the UltraPhonix so much I was afraid I would just end up flipping it. I really like Vertex stuff!! Just don’t have the funds for the couple more of them I really want. Maybe put a bypassable tone control in it for those that want to tweak it. Also, I enjoyed your playing you sound great through that pedal!!!