« Reply #10 on: October 24, 2016, 06:23:39 AM »
The Flux Drive arrived on Saturday so I had only a brief time to spend with it so far. I will review it in the context of the manufacturer's description and the way I tested it.
This is how Mesa Engineering describes the pedal:
The FLUX-DRIVEā¢ is the overdrive pedal for those who want more of all the best things from an overdrive! It has more liquid gain and enhanced sustain that easily feeds into rich harmonic overtones making it incredibly addictive and inspiring to play, whether into a clean amp channel or especially to enhance a crunch or higher gain channel! It also offers a more complete tone-shaping network with individual Treble and Bass controls. This architecture makes the FLUX-DRIVE a more complete preamp with added versatility beyond that of most overdrive pedals.
I used it before an amp set to a clean tone (my Bassman which I converted to a Bluesmaster D-style amp). With the gain set to zero the Flux-Drive can be used as a clean boost. Set to 9.00 it starts to crunch. Set midway the crunch gets stronger. Up from that the crunch gets progressively stronger until 2.00, from there onwards not much perceivable gain is added. By that time the pedal gets really loud, so with anything past 2.00 on the gain, the level control needs to be backed down to 9.00 for unity volume. There is quite a bit overall gain available but not as much as my Barber Direct Drive or the MI Audio Blue Boy Deluxe.
The Treble and Bass controls have a wide range. However, I find the useable range of both is between 10.00 and 3.00 - on the Treble anything beyond 3.00 gets harsh quickly and below 10.00 very dark, and on the Bass anything beyond 3.00 gets woofy and below 10.00 too thin for me. Still enough useable range for me. Added versatility beyond that of most overdrive pedals? That is a quite lofty claim, and I dare to say that there are quite a few pedals out there that can match the Flux-Drive's versatility.
How does it sound? That is not easy to describe so I start with what it does not sound like. It does not sound like a Tube Screamer - it has more overdrive and less of that characteristic mid hump. It does not sound like a Marshall-in-a-Box pedal - nothing like e.g. the Barber Direct Drive. It also does not sound like a Dumble-style pedal to me - I can get the D-style tones easier with my MI Audio Blue Boy Deluxe. I also don't really hear Mark I or the later Mark series in it - for these tones it is a bit too dark overall and does not offer the gain levels the Mark series offers. It does sound good, though. Before a clean amp I see its strengths in rhythm tones, various shades of good crunch can be had. As a lead pedal it is also good but it does not feel to me as easy to play as e.g. the Barber Direct Drive or the Rockett Blue Note. It's like I have to fight more with that pedal than with the others.
I have not yet explored the way it sounds before an already overdriven amp. Due to the massive output the pedal has it could work great that way. More to come ...
Cheers Stephan
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