What makes this pedal great? The Aquatone Overdrive/Distortion

Sometimes life throws curveballs that force us to dig deep and find our true calling. That's what happened with Ben Carlin. In a small workshop in Ballston Lake, he channeled the adversity his family faced-his wife Mary's fight against breast cancer and his young daughter Charlotte's struggle with a brain tumor-into something profoundly positive: Electric Love FX. This isn't just about dialing in the perfect tone; it's about dialing in hope.
Late last year, I noticed what Ben was up to, and it was too inspiring to ignore. We joined forces for a project for this cause, blending the heart of Electric Love FX with the tone chasing, marketing, and technical knowledge we've honed here at Wampler Pedals, Inc. The result is Aquatone, I have no doubt you're going to love this pedal as much as I do!
reverb.com/shop/electric-love
Now let's talk details. Inspired by the iconic Boss BD-2 Blues Driver, Aquatone is far from your average overdrive pedal. With the flip of a toggle switch, you're taken from a lush, nuanced overdrive to a searing, high-gain distortion. And if you're keen on perfecting your tone, the active 3-band EQ-Bass, Mids, and Treble-has got you covered.
We've also included buffered bypass to keep your bypass signal pristine, and it runs smoothly on a standard 9-volt DC adapter. No complications, just plug and go.
But here's the heart of it all: Every penny of profit made on this pedal (and all of their pedals) is going directly to the Breast Cancer Research Foundation. And we're kicking it off with a minimum donation of $1,000. This isn't just an extraordinary pedal; it's a lifeline to those fighting a battle much bigger than bad tone.
We have about 65 pedals built in total, and they are going to go QUICK. Buy now here:
reverb.com/shop/electric-love
When you add Aquatone to your rig, you're not just getting unparalleled tone; you're joining a movement that's much bigger than any of us alone-a movement amplified by Ben's resilience and our technical expertise at Wampler to make some real-world change.
So why pick up an Aquatone? It's simple. You get to own a badass pedal, born from one man’s resilient spirit, that shapes your tone and shapes the future for people facing the fight of their lives. That’s a sound and a cause worth investing in. Grab an Aquatone and be part of something that doesn't just sound good; it does good.
reverb.com/shop/electric-love

[@billducas]

My wife of 36 years beat breast cancer 8 years ago. I'd buy this pedal for that reason. And to go with my 7 Wampler pedals.

[@chingletree5397]

Great pedal and a great cause. We already knew Brian was one of music's top good guys; now we know Ben is too. Fingers crossed things stay good with Mary and Charlotte too.

[@64north20west]

65 pedals minus the one I just bought. I didn't even finish watching the video before I hit 'pay'. I don't need anymore pedals, but what a great excuse. I can feel the heart that you guys put into this. Brian, you struck again!

[@user-uw9nt9fy2d]

Haven’t seen you fail ever to make a killer pedal and you’ve continued with this one. Really great tone… And I would love for everyone facing that cancer to come out on top.

[@woodja7]

Just got mine in the mail today. I'm a fan of the Blues Driver sound and this pedal certainly does not disappoint. It definitely goes places no other Blues Driver inspired pedal seems to go... at least in my experience. Thanks Electric Love, Brian and team for making this pedal happen!

[@wampler_pedals]

I’m glad you like it! 😊

[@bryantherocker]

@@wampler_pedals Good day sir, Question, 1) Is the the Boss Bluesdriver is cascaded JFET ? ...... 2) Is the Wampler Pinnacle also cascaded JFET design ? like an Amp in a Box Pedal ? .......Because I want to a buy a Cascading Transistor Based Pedal like teh Boss Bluesdriver but it too bright for me, and the Waza version does not over too much for the money

[@EricMerrow]

You did a great job designing this pedal Brian! It sounds phenomenal and it’s so versatile

[@seanbarker4610]

Awesome idea, respect to you both!

[@theoversouls]

You are the MAN, Brian. I love all my Wampler pedals. When you flicked that high gain switch it was like jet afterburners - flames, baby!

[@Bob-Whiting]

Very cool pedals, Very Admirable cause. I hope you sell a million of them! My dear ole Mum had breast cancer, God bless her soul.

[@javiercabrera3517]

This is Awesome!! Please make more of pedals to Great Causes man! You Rock Sir!!!

[@seanjessie9921]

Brian may be the best dude in the biz. That’s so awesome. Kudos to you and the entire @wampler_pedals team! You guys are amazing people!

[@robertturner8267]

Awesome sounding. Awesome cause. A major round of applause to everyone involved 👏

[@greggpbowlz]

Love this idea. Great pedal for a great cause.

[@felixjordanguitar]

Beautiful in many ways...blessings Brian

[@RobAndelo13]

Hats off to you guys... Pedal sounds great! Great Reason for making it.

[@scottcurry4116]

Great job Brian and Ben!

[@BuddyLee63]

I saw a link to an article about the pedal this morning, then saw Marty Schwartz had done a video on it so I made a mental note to check it out after work. Twelve hours later I'm happy to learn that not only is it sold out but Electric Love is taking preorders for the next batch! Happy to wait a few months for a great pedal to support a worthwhile cause.

[@rprochowski3930]

Good stuff Brian. Great cause, and that Aquatone has some great tone possibilities!

[@dnhrage1]

Ordered this 4 days ago when i saw your video,received it today,im speechless,beyond perfection!

[@ebeep]

Sounds super ampy to me! Great work as always!

[@_RLP]

Great pedal and great cause. Always pleased to fear from Brian - coolest dude in the business.

[@vanessajazp6341]

I actually LOVE the low end boost of the Blues Driver over the mid boost of other overdrives.

[@jason_cornelius]

Read your email and ordered immediately. Thank you for being such a good man, Brian!

[@mariodriessen9740]

Wow, that pedal cleans up beautifully!!! ❤ I like what you’re doing. And Ben of course I’ve lost way too many friends and family to cancer.

[@benthomas8290]

Heard about this on the podcast last night. Fantastic stuff Brian! I'm in but looks like the first 65 are gone already (unsurprisingly) so will keep watching!

[@aronvanalstine]

Kudos, Brian!

[@alexwoolridge94aw]

Cool stuff Brian. My father has been battling cancer for 3 years now. Hate cancer. Hope ever person fighting it beats it. Great pedal for a great cause. You rock dude

[@lyricbread]

@wamplerpedals when the dust settles, please consider making this part of your pedal line. This thing sounds incredible!

[@ChrisRash]

Sounds great!

[@alexwood8555]

Ah! This is amazing Brian, I love the idea. Really dig that extra mode you added to it, and personally have always found asymmetrical clipping (i think its the clipping, and jfets usually) to give me the closest thing feel wise for an amp.

[@ronmoes42]

Cool pedal and collabertion! The pedal looks nice

[@ChrisBrayden]

Much Respect and Love to everyone involved in the pedal. Cancer sucks balls. AI needs to cure cancer asap. The graphics are too cute and love the retro look. Love the knobs too! Love the Blues Driver circuit and this just seems to give it that much more flexibility. Can’t wait to try it out in my board!

[@MoreMeRecording]

Very cool!

[@jamiew.lacroix7055]

Like your creations you're truly a wonder, thanks for being you.

[@DMSProduktions]

Sounds great Brian! Great cause too! ROCK for cancer! \m/

[@Yyz1971]

Damn it. Between you and Andy, I'm never gonna save up anything for retirement!

[@perryadams3159]

Pre-ordered (hopefully). I didn't get a chance to check out the email in time for the first batch. My wife has breast cancer, so this is definitely something close to my heart as well.

[@johnqpublic2718]

Oh man that does sound nice.

[@nohillforahighstepper]

I like how responsive it is to the touch... 😊😊😊

[@drivin69]

respect

[@mopsvonmiez]

A Wampler Blues Driver is exactly what I'm waiting for 🤯 Now how do I go about getting one, preferably in Europe?

[@wadeyes]

I'd like to see a pedal with distortion a lot quieter than a fuzz - like a range of waves breaking to a vinyl record distortion - like a quieter whooshing fuzz that has a surge in the center - similar to breaking waves.or putting your ear up to a conch. Call it something like the "White Cap - Foam or Wake" or "Conch LP" or "Wave Breaker". So, thinner fuzz, but organized and sentimental - like listening to a vinyl record I'll give or challenge that idea to Mr. Wampler - as long as he never claimed any connection to me or tried to claim any of my ideas. He seems cool. I dont know who the Ben guy is or DigitalLove. Ive seen some of Wampler's videos before. The Blues Driver 2 video was prompted to me recetly.

[@benjaminlichtenstein6747]

Can we have a quick demo on bass too?

[@haymakersboston]

Hey, Brian -- kudos to you for helping the BCRF! Now that the Aquatone has sold out, do you think we'll ever see a similar pedal as a production model?

[@wampler_pedals]

We (wampler) won’t, but electric love company might do another run soon

[@tedcookson4919]

Richard Oliver called. He wants his shirt back.

[@VIDS2013]

I'm interested in getting one...but only seems to be available in the four-pedal bundle, which is out of my price range. Oh well!

[@wampler_pedals]

We sold out of the them, but a new batch will be ready shortly. You can pre-order it from the reverb link in the description.

[@michaelgizzi]

Will there be another run of these?

[@jimmarciano6957]

He had a few left over after the 2nd batch and i was finally able to snag one, f@ck cancer

[@J.C...]

Is that a B/G Bender? Why's the strap hooked to the rear of the body like one?

[@wampler_pedals]

Yes, it’s a b bender currently

[@lyricbread]

So, is this officially the first BD-2 clone with a three band EQ? 🧐

[@wesmitchem825]

Are you gonna make the schematic available for us shlubs who couldn't get one of the limited pedals

[@wampler_pedals]

Sure! Though if you pause it just right you can see it in the video :)

[@danielhoskins4690]

Maybe just promise to donate to cancer research before looking at the schematic

[@wesmitchem825]

@@danielhoskins4690 no problem I do that anyways and usually when I do play live the proceeds generally go to some form of charity I'm lucky if the gas to get there and back is covered lol and I appreciate a few free drinks if they actually carry something non alcoholic I feel really bad about turning in drink tickets for bottled water lol

[@waynegram8907]

What is causing the Fizzy problem in the bluesdrivers circuit? you didn't show in the bluesdrivers schematic what is causing the fizzy problems

[@wampler_pedals]

Just make the capacitor tied to the tone control larger, or increase the low pass filtering after clipping, that will fix it.

[@bryantherocker]

Good day sir, Question, 1) Is the the Boss Bluesdriver is cascaded JFET ? ...... 2) Is the Wampler Pinnacle also cascaded JFET design ? like an Amp in a Box Pedal ? .......Because I want to a buy a Cascading Transistor Based Pedal like the Boss Bluesdriver but it too bright for me, and the Waza version does not over too much for the money

[@wampler_pedals]

No, blues driver is cascaded “discrete” op amps, with a little diode clipping. The pinnacle is cascaded mu-amps, which use jfets. Our plexidrive is cascaded jfets, as is our phenom pedal, but they both sound completely different from each other. It’s important to note that the circuit type alone doesn’t determine how it’s going to sound necessarily, it’s part of the equation

[@bryantherocker]

@@wampler_pedals thanks

[@bryantherocker]

​@@wampler_pedals Good day sir, Question, with the Surface mounted components of todays Regular Boss Bluesdriver and its tiny PCB, does it still use Cascading “discrete” Transistors, or does it now use a Chip to simulate the Cascading “discrete” Transistors ?

[@wampler_pedals]

On the smd bd-2 it’s still the same circuit, just different size parts. On the waza it’s still a discrete op amp but a lower noise and more efficient version of it.

[@richardlynch5632]

😎👍👍 😎✌👍❤🖖

[@LogicDerp]

Wish I had the cash 😢

[@georgewilkins4231]

The links lead nowhere.

[@wampler_pedals]

I just checked, they're working properly. They go to reverb.com

[@georgewilkins4231]

Was expecting to find your pedal for sale??

[@J.C...]

​​@@georgewilkins4231are you blind? Lol. Click the link. It's clearly for sale.

[@HEZ63]

Does not sound bad, but alone because of the look I never bought this pedal. But I anyway prefer using real tube gear.