Roger Mayer Voodoo-1 Overdrive Effect (1990s).

Roger Mayer Voodoo-1 Model Overdrive Effect (1990s), made in England, black enamel finish.

Any obsessive over classic rock tone is sure to know the name Roger Mayer, the man whose sought-out sonics were the choice of players like Jimi Hendrix and Jimmy Page. As desire for his modded and custom-built circuits for these stars grew strong over the decades, he began to release his own effect pedal designs under his own name.

This early large box example of the Voodoo-1 is a rich, volumptuous overdrive; there are just three knobs to control the overall output volume, amount of drive, and "fatness" which functions as sort of tone control. While Jimi's Strat may come to mind, according to Mayer this pedal works at its best with humbuckers but is still effective especially through large amps with any guitar. There is a single stomp and the battery cover is a swanky sliding door on the front of the pedal for easy battery access.

The outputs are a unique feature of this drive; there is a single input and several buffered output options for minimal tone loss or degradation of the signal. There is one traditional hardwire output and two of the buffered outputs. Mayer, per his website, has extremely strong feelings about tone loss from long cables or pedal chains; according to him, he left the option for the regular output and the buffered output side by side so the player could "compare" and have both options. We hear his point!

Length is 9 3/8 in. (23.8 cm.), 3 1/2 in. (8.9 cm.) across at the widest point, and 2 3/4 in. (7 cm.) in depth at deepest point.

This Voodoo-1 is in somewhat worn cosmetic condition, but fully original internally and functions exactly as intended. The only missing thing here is the "Voodoo-1" bubble sticker meant to be on the top. Beyond this, there are only some scuffs and scratches from gig use and some pieces of velcro on the back which could surely be removed if desired. It runs off a standard 9V adapter or battery and does not come with the original box. Overall Very Good + Condition.