Studio & Recording Sale: Up to 50% Off
Similar Best Sellers

Chandler Limited Germanium Drive Distortion Pedal

Gain Boost/Overdrive/Distortion Pedal with Germanium Transistor Circuitry
Chandler Limited Germanium Drive Distortion Pedal
$335.00
6 months
$55.83/month with 6 month financing
See all payment options
36 month financing available* with minimum qualifying purchase of $399.00 required. Details

Backordered - More On The Way!

We expect more from Chandler Limited in a week or two. Order today to reserve yours now, risk-free. Estimated by October 27.

Notify me when in stock
Add to Cart
Sales engineer photo
Ask An Expert

Our expertly trained Sales Engineers are ready to help!

What is a Sales Engineer?
Sweetwater Gear Exchange

Have one to sell?
Check out Sweetwater's Gear Exchange!
Learn More

Complete Your Order
Product Image - This Item - Chandler Limited Germanium Drive Distortion Pedal
Chandler Limited
Germanium Drive Distortion Pedal
$335.00
+
+
=
Buy all:
Chandler Limited Germanium Drive Distortion Pedal
Backordered - More On The Way! Notify me
$335.00
Add to Cart
Add to list
Most Popular Accessories & Related Items
Back to navigation

This article was Written By

Our Product Research Team

Get to know them!

Tap into Germanium Sound - LIVE!

The Chandler Limited Germanium Drive guitar pedal lets you take Germanium sound to the stage! For years, Chandler Limited's Germanium series preamps have been the secret weapons of live sound engineers and guitarists alike. That's because Chandler's Germanium pres sound amazing on guitar, especially when you push them hard. The Germanium Drive makes this sound more accessible than ever! Like the rackmount Germanium Pre Amp, the Germanium Drive features germanium-transistor-based drive and feedback controls, so you can perfectly shape the contour of your tone. Whether you're after a thicker, more present bottom end, rich and airy distortion, or anything in between, you'll get the tone you want from the Chandler Limited Germanium Drive guitar pedal. And yes, it goes up to 11!

Chandler Limited Germanium Drive Guitar Overdrive/Distortion Pedal at a Glance:
  • Time-tested Germanium sound built for the stage
  • Germanium technology specifically tuned for guitar
  • Feedback control lets you dial in the tone you crave
Time-tested Germanium sound built for the stage

Equipped with genuine germanium-transistor-based Drive and Feedback circuits, the Germanium Drive guitar pedal lets you dial in luscious lows and creamy highs. Germanium transistors have been instrumental in the most revered preamplifiers and signal processors for decades. That's why Chandler Limited uses germanium transistors in many of their most popular models. With a Germanium Drive, you get to take this amazing sound on stage!

Germanium technology specifically tuned for guitar

If you're still a bit curious about a guitar pedal created by renowned studio gear maker, Chandler Limited, here's something you might not know. Wade Goeke, the mastermind behind Chandler Limited, has been an avid guitar player for several decades. That's why he took a particularly unique approach to making the Germanium Drive. In addition to tried-and-true germanium technology, he decided to give the Germanium Drive controls including three high-frequency shaping settings and three filter selections for the drive circuit - all of which give you even more control over your guitar tone.

Feedback control lets you dial in the tone you crave

The Germanium Drive's Feedback control is the key to its incredible tone-shaping ability. Like all amplifiers, the Germanium Drive guitar pedal uses feedback (the process of feeding the output signal back into the input of the amplifier) to boost gain. But unlike typical preamplifiers, Chandler Limited's Germanium Drive lets you control the amount of signal that's fed back. The Feedback control affects more than just gain, it alters the overall character of your sound, including its total harmonic distortion and frequency response. This makes the Germanium Drive ideal for sculpting your guitar tone. And with five distinct feedback control zones, you'll get instant gratification as soon as you take hold of the feedback knob.

Chandler Limited Germanium Drive Guitar Overdrive/Distortion Pedal Features:
  • The sound and drive of a Chandler Germanium Pre Amp in a guitar-ready pedal
  • Genuine Class A, germanium-transistor-based drive and feedback circuits provide the sought-after Germanium tone
  • Feedback control with 5 distinct zones allows you to dial in the tonal contour, giving you total control over the character of your sound
  • High-frequency contour shaping switch lets you select from smooth, to bright, to extra bright treble
  • Boost range filter controls let you isolate the drive effect, easily avoiding muddiness and providing an extended range of tonal possibilities
Take the sound of Chandler Germanium Pre Amp technology onstage, with a Chandler Limited Germanium Drive guitar pedal!

Resources

Warranty Info

Sweetwater's FREE 2-Year Total Confidence Coverage Warranty

Extra peace of mind at no extra cost.

  • Save money with FREE parts and labor
  • Get back to making music with the industry's fastest turnaround time
  • Fix it the first time with our award-winning, factory-certified Service Department
Learn More about Total Confidence Coverage
Back to navigation

Tech Specs

  • Pedal Type: Overdrive, Distortion
  • Analog/Digital: Analog
  • Controls: Knobs: Feeback, Drive; Switches: Highs, Boost Range
  • Number of Footswitch Buttons: 1
  • EQ: 3-way Highs switch, 3-way Boost Range switch
  • Inputs: 1 x 1/4"
  • Outputs: 1 x 1/4"
  • Bypass Switching: True Bypass
  • Power Source: 2 x 9V DC power supply (sold separately)
  • Batteries: 2 x 9V
  • Width: 3.45"
  • Depth: 5.7"
  • Manufacturer Part Number: GermDrive

What Makes Our Sales Engineers Great?

Sweetwater Sales Engineers are a world-class team of experts dedicated to you. Hand selected from across the globe, each brings a wealth of experience and expertise in the world of music gear to provide you with unparalleled service completely free of charge. Friendly relationships, real trust, and the right gear are only a call or a click away!

Back to navigation

Reviews

Rated 5/5
Stellar!
Reminds me of a Treble Booster in its clarity and excited harmonics with the guitar wound up along with the responsive cleanup and slight compressed clean of a Fuzz Face with guitar backed off. Definitely has its own sound or color whether going for clean or dirty tones. Reacts very well from guitar controls. It feels, plays and sounds like it should be a classic from way way back. Top notch tones and feel. Needs a fairly loud and already compressing tube amp to get the best out of it but I'm telling you if you can do that it's a sound you've heard. Old school edge of pick clarity and snarl to snappy clean within a twist of your guitar's controls.

I tested it initially my Fender Tweed PJ IV, Heritage H150 and Gibson R7 Goldtop Les Paul. Drive 9-10, Negative Feedback 2, both switches set to High with amp volume at noon. I stayed stuck there for a while. Addictive tone and feel right out of the gate. Lively attack and lost an hour just playing there. Ran an Analog Echo after it and it played very nice with it as well as Wah or Analog Modulation before it. I don't use but 3 or 4 pedals on my board but it seemed to play nice with all of them. Next, I ran it into my Germino Lead 55LV 50 watt Plexi wound up. Ear splitting loud to get "there" but oh so classic tones. May need to stack with it to get some volume wiggle room and compression behind it. I suspect my RYRA Klone will mate well for that. Should've tried that.

Can't speak highly enough if you like always on Treble Boosters or Fuzz Faces to work your tones from the guitar. On a very short list of best pedals I've ever plugged into. I'd looked at it for a while. Limited discussions in forums. Most were over 10 years ago but all were more than positive. I get the same "Wow" impression. Expensive yes but if you know what circuits like this does you won't dwell on the cost compared to dozens of overdrives I've tried in 40 years of playing to only dump later. Absolute keeper and defines "sleeper".
Music background: 4 decades. Rock, Blues, Southern Rock, NWOBHM.
Rated 5/5
Sorry, I Waited So Long!
I've had the Color Boost Pedal for many years & recently took it out of storage to use on a Two Rock Classic Reverb Signature 50 Watt Amp. Adding the Germanium Drive after the Color Boost is as close to that sound in my head as I've come.
This is not just a super high gain drive, but a subtle, dynamic pedal that will vibrato cleanly as long as you like.
Expensive but worth every penny. Simple to use & quiet until heavily boosted. Don't overlook the Color Boost, by itself it's really great.
Music background: Hobbyist
Rated 5/5
G drive
Very nice pedal. Well built with premium components.
Music background: Guitar 40yrs.
Rated 5/5
WOAH! Infinite capabilities
I am blown away with this thing. I could not get it set up right at first as it doesn't come with two 9vdc cables. However, I slapped two 9v batteries in this thing and the TONE is incredible. I now use this on tour and at the studio in combination with other pedals, sometimes you can make it work as a distorted/overdriven boost. I really love this thing and if you are thinking of buying this, just buy it. It is more than worth it.
Music background: Audio Engineer/Singer/songwriter/Guitar/Drums
Rated 5/5
The Best Rangemaster Ever
I love Rangemaster circuits. I've built dozens of them. To me, that kind of booster is the only really essential effect. Well, this has gone way past that. It's got treble-smoothing capacitors and you can adjust the input capacitor; neither of those is a new thing, but both are executed perfectly. No, what's new here is the amount of gain on tap without a high noise floor. Also, the rotary bias switch which can completely change the nature of the boost. The appeal of this kind of pedal is that it can lose the flab in amps like a JTM-45 or an AC30, but it can also add a tiny bit (or much more) germanium breakup without crossing over into a full-on fuzz. Although, this can push things pretty far into fuzz territory at the extreme settings, which is cool. It's really a Swiss Army pedal. Crazy expensive. I looked at them for years before buying, but it turned out to be a wonderful purchase. Great company, too. Based in a tiny little town where they're probably a significant contributor to the local economy.