For years, Dr Z amps have been celebrated as some of the best pedal pairing platforms out there, and it seems the good doctor is finally ready to dip a toe into the ocean of boutique overdrives. This week, Dr. Z announced a collaboration with Ohio neighbor Jamie Stillman of Earthquaker Devices dubbed the Z-Drive. This pedal packs two drive channels with a global EQ, and will surely be a potent match for the Ghias and Maz 18s of the world.
For more info on the Z-Drive, check out the press release shared on Premier Guitar earlier today:
Cleveland, OH (August 26, 2015) -- The idea of adding a pedal to our line of products was on our shop’s “to do” list for some time. The goal was to release a killer overdrive and stick to the quality, craftsmanship and distinguished tone of our brand. Fortunately for us, one of the best pedal companies is just a stone’s throw away; so we enlisted the talents of Jamie Stillman and EarthQuaker Devices... and the Z-Drive was born.
The Z-Drive starts with an active global EQ and gives you a choice between two distinct sounding preamp channels (via the channel footswitch). The germanium channel uses NOS germanium diodes and is a lighter more open sounding overdrive. The mosfet channel is a more compressed, higher gain overdrive. Both gain stages use hi-fi OPA 2134 op amps. Because the signal goes through the EQ first, turning the EQ controls clockwise can increase overall gain/distortion.
With the Z-Drive you essentially get two pedals in one. You can use one channel as a cleaner boost and the second channel for full overdrive or dial in overdrive sounds to bring out the different characteristics of each channel. Between the two channels and the full EQ the Z-Drive will open up a world of possibilities while complementing the tone of your amp.