Drive block

This page is a work in progress by forum member CBoothe01. The goal is to create a dedicated page to the drive blocks just as we have for the amp block.

Please note: Until the page is "final" expect there to be incomplete information for each drive block.

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FRACTAL MANUAL

Drive Block

DRIVE MODELS
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BB PRE

Based on: XOTIC BB PREAMP
Xotic Effects Website
"The BB Preamp offers a wide variety of sounds. It's capable of a 30dB+ clean boost with an adjustable ±15dB two band active EQ which adds a wide range of harmonic content to your ideal sound. The BB also utilizes a pre-gain stage which allows the Pedal to go from a very pristine clean to a very smooth,compressed, overdriven sound."
Original Controls: Gain, Volume, Treble, Bass
Pro Guitar Shop Strat Demo
Pro Guitar Shop Les Paul Demo

BENDER FUZZ

Based on: THE CLASSIC TONE BENDER CIRCUIT
One of the first fuzz pedals to come out of England in the mid 1960s. There are numerous versions and circuits, and has been copied and cloned by many manufacturers and boutique companies.
Original Controls: Vary based on circuit and manufacturer.
Wikipedia Tone Bender Page
Premier Guitar Article on the Tone Bender Circuit
Sola Sound Demo
Jimmy Page Tone Bender Demo

BIT CRUSHER

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Based on: BIT CRUSHER
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BLUES OD

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Based on: MARSHALL BLUESBREAKER
From the Marshall website: The Bluesbreaker II takes the philosophy of our original Bluesbreaker pedal one step further by adding two modes, Blues and Boost, effectively making it two pedals in one. Boost mode is designed with the vintage valve amp or ‘tone purist’ player in mind, for when you don’t want to alter the tone of your amp at all, but want to drive the front end harder to push the amp further into natural overdrive. The Boost mode features a clean boost controlled by the pedal’s volume control, which will not affect your original tone. It can also be used for boosting the signal which can sometimes be lost when using long leads (particularly with single coil pick-ups). Blues mode is reminiscent of the tonal and distortion characteristics of our non Master Volume amps, such as the classic Bluesbreaker combo from the 1960s. This mode produces a wonderful natural style overdrive for crunchy chord work and singing single notes for truly inspirational leads, all delivered with the warmth and tonality of those early Marshalls.
Original Controls: Gain, Tone, Volume. Mode Switch, Drive, Tone Volume on the BB-2 BLUESBREAKER II.
Marshall Web Page for the BB-2
BB-2 Manual
Tone Shack Demo of the Original
Original Demo with Gibson SG

ESOTERIC ACB

Based on: XOTIC AC BOOSTER
Xotic Effects Website
"The Xotic AC Booster Overdrive Guitar Effects Pedal creates a warm and pleasant sound by using the finest quality parts available. The AC Booster is a natural sounding "overdrive" pedal. Not "heavy" distortion, but a sweet thick overdrive with an "open" non-compressed feel. It's capable of a 20dB+ boost with an adjustable ±15dB two band active EQ, which adds a wide range of harmonic content to your ideal sound. The super wide range gain control allows for enough gain for it to work as a distorion pedal when turned all the way up. Equipped with not only boost Gain but also Treble and Bass controls that allow you to adjust your sound anyway you like. The AC booster features true bypass for eliminating any signal interference when switched off. "
Original Controls: Gain, Volume, Treble, Bass
Pro Guitar Shop Strat Demo
Pro Guitar Shop Les Paul Demo

ESOTERIC RCB

Based on: XOTIC RC BOOSTER
Xotic Effects Website
"The RC Booster offers a super transparent 20db+ clean boost with an adjustable ±15dB two band active EQ that adds a wide range of harmonic content to your ideal sound. As a clean boost, it can enhance other pedals, such as "overdrive and distortion pedals," or you can crank the gain for a "crunch" sound. But, the RC Booster is so extremley transparent that many players find they leave it on all the time. It also features true bypass for eliminating any signal interference when switched off."
Original Controls: Gain, Volume, Treble, Bass
Pro Guitar Shop Demo
XOTIC Guitars Demo

ETERNAL LOVE

Based on: LOVEPEDAL ETERNITY
Lovepedal Website
"The Lovepedal Eternity can be 3 pedals in one – Overdrive, Treble Booster and Clean booster – depending on where you set the dials. You can also blend these 3 factors. Darker tones brighter tones, etc. Unorthodox tone control. It’s a treble boost instead of a normal tone control. It is a very smooth type of OD. It can go from nothing at all to sounding like a very warm vintage overdriven tube amp or a clean flat booster or a treble booster even a tweed amp. With the treble boost all the way off, it is warmer than most tube amps. The Eternity Overdrive always stays true to what’s coming out of your guitar so you never turn into the pedal. No matter how hard you drive it. It also breaks up the harder you dig into the strings, which is priceless."
Original Controls: Level, Drive, Glass
Pro Guitar Shop Demo
Gearmandude Demo

FACE FUZZ

Based on: DALLAS ARBITER FUZZ FACE
From Wikipedia: History: Arbiter Electronics Ltd. first issued the Fuzz Face in 1966. Later units bear the "Dallas Arbiter", "Dallas Music Industries Ltd.", "CBS/Arbiter Ltd." or "Dunlop Manufacturing Inc." name. The earliest units used germanium transistors. Silicon transistors were used in later editions of the pedal. Silicon transistors provided for a more stable operation, but have a different, harsher sound. The electronics are contained in a circular-shaped metal housing. Ivor Arbiter "got the idea for the round shape when he one day saw a microphone stand with a cast iron base".[1] The pedal uses two knobs, one for volume, and one for the amount of "fuzz" the pedal produces. The arrangement of controls and logo on the box suggests a smiling face. The circuit is based on the shunt-series-feedback amplifier topology - a standard in engineering text books. Sola Sound and Vox had been using the same circuit topology for some of their Tone Bender pedals earlier in 1966. Dallas Music Industries made a final run of Fuzz Faces in 1976 or 1977, shortly after they had moved to the United States. The company bought Crest Audio in the 1980s and although it was operating under that name when it reissued the Fuzz Face in the 1986, the units bore the Dallas-Arbiter name. They made about 2000 Fuzz Faces until 1990. In 1993 Dunlop Manufacturing took over production, making a variety of Fuzz Faces to this day. Several germanium and silicon models are available. In 2013 smaller versions with status LEDs and AC power jacks were introduced. In the late 1990s Arbiter reissued the pedal as well.