Chandler Limited Germanium Drive Distortion Pedal Reviews

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.

Very nice pedal. Well built with premium components.

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.

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.

This pedal is excellent for adding definition between guitar tracks in recording, very intuitive and simplified how they have separated the boost range and highs. Adds quite a nice character to your sound, even in subtle applications all the way to intense fuzz, and I will say this is one of the clearest and most defined fuzzes that I've tried. Although, it's not technically a "fuzz" it sure can get in that area at 11... but at 10 is where you get a very manageable overdrive/distortion, past that it's really something to harness.

The treble booster element to this pedal is well balanced too, this pedal meets a lot of different tones in many ways from clean boost, treble boost, overdrive, distortion and fuzz but in all of them it retains its core quality.

If you're looking for an 'amp-in-a-pedal' - there is no such thing. But...if there was any more tone in this box it would need a speaker.

Not a subtle flavor, but SO sweet it hurts. The Devil Boost gets raunchier. This one is all Brown Sound, all even-order harmonic bliss, from sparkly chime up to the brink of fuzz.

Your guitar will gain at least 500 lbs. upon impact.

I bought the Chandler Blue and Red at the same time not really expecting to keep them both. Well, they're both outstanding and both keepers. I have to give them both fives, I've flip-flopped countless times as to which one I think I like better. Fiddle with one of them for five minutes and you'll be convinced you prefer it. Then go back to the other one and suddenly you won't be so sure. Put a Bogner Wessex OD (or the OD of your choice) in front of either of them and even bigger WOW! These are outstanding (and LOW NOISE) pedals.

I use my Chandler Limited Germanium Drive pedal in conjunction with my Vox AC15, mostly for recording, and this pedal has a sound scape that perfectly matches what I'm trying to achieve. While it can do fuzz tones, I rely on my Wampler Velvet Fuzz for really heavy stuff. Instead I use my Germanium Drive for tone coloration and I more or less keep it on all the time, even when I'm using a clean sound. The Germanium Drive is capable of a great deal of sonic variation and it just always makes my signal path sound better.

Chimey to wild smooth crunch sweet sustain very easy to use definetley unique tones

Ok, I hope this doesn’t turn into a book.

Disclaimer: If you're inclined to buy this pedal "because expensive" this review may not be helpful. If you're inclined to buy this pedal because your honest about your experiences on the quest for holy tone, then by all means, read the tale of a fellow pilgrim.

This pedal is the work of an artisan-engineer-musician. You kind of need to be those things to make what I’m about to describe.

Tone: This is so subjective…and frankly words sometimes fail. I can’t recommend the Germ Drive to everyone. It’s like wine. You enjoy what you enjoy. If it’s $5.00 or $500.00 dollars, it shouldn’t make a difference. You should be willing to pay either for something that is good.

Well, this pedal is not cheap, but it is so good. I enjoy it so much more than any pedal I’ve played, so yes, it is this valuable to me. I just switched from a BadCat 2 Tone OD/Pre. When I had it, I thought I’d never play a solid state OD pedal again. It had life, sparkliness, and great breakup for what I enjoy to play. The only problem was that there is a notable tone difference between the clean and dirty channels. The dirty channel was more lo-fi and I occasionally missed some of the highs I like to remain present. But I stuck with it because I hated the compression and downright obfuscation of my tone through most solid state pedals I had used. Well, the Germ Drive pedal has everything I enjoyed about the Bad Cat, without anything I hate about solid state OD. But it’s a different animal altogether. My tone is intact, but enhanced. I’m ok with that. It sounds better! I never turn this thing off. The boost is amazing and helps get a little natural growl out of my Bassman as well. The tone comes out sparkling, alive, and sometimes, downright mean. This thing can rock, but you get to choose how hard with the magical feedback selector. I don’t know what to compare it too, but it is so worth trying out in your rig.
Construction: Rock solid construction. Great tone shaping options/tools, but simple layout. Each control is perfectly suited for the option you’re selecting. The components are top-notch; studio grade but road-worthy.

Cons: none for me.

Support: Early on I had trouble with a motorboating-type noise. I RMA’d back to Sweetwater and have to give them props. The whole process was great and that’s why I buy from Sweetwater.
The second pedal they sent made the same noise. Even though I was filtering my power at two points, it became clear after trying the pedal elsewhere, that the problem was dirty power. Here’s the kicker: I reached out to Wade Goeke with my problem (after receiving the second pedal) and he was gracious and kind enough to walk me through the whole process of troubleshooting. How many founders of the companies you buy from help you troubleshoot the product they make? He even sent me a sweet t-shirt in the process. I can’t say enough about how pleasant, ultimately helpful, and informative it was to work with him.

So in summary, I’ll rock this pedal until I die. So it goes. And hopefully pass it down to one of my kids while complaining about what crap music they have to deal with.

This did turn into a book.

We got serial 0001 and have been using it for a CD we're producing now. Alone it is amazing! Combining with a Pete Cornish SS-3 and Z-Vex Fuzz Factory it is UNREAL! This is the 37th pedal in my collection and is number one for drive. Can't wait for the compressor...

Ok, when I first got the pedal, it made a static popping sound when I hit the foot switch to turn it on, it does it still , but less and I expect it to subside over time. Irregardless, I"m keeping it because it sounds That Good. It works well with the pedals on my board, and it just sounds Awesome! Well built, you do have to have two separate 9 volt cables to power it but It is worth having or you can use two 9volt batteries. Also, you have to LEARN the pedal, it"s worth the effort. Sweetwater Customer Service is Top notch ! So, this pedal is expensive! But WORTH it! And I will ABSOLUTELY be purchasing the Little Devil Colored Boost next. Yep. Stay Tuned.

I bought this after watching review on You Tube. I really didn't think that it would change my world and it didn't. That being said it is a great pedal for those looking to add that missing something for their rig. I leave it on most of the time and it plays well with all but my Caitlibread Galileo (the big one with the drive and the top boost). With that pedal it is just better off, but hey... that's why there is a switch.

At first I thought that it may replace my 69 pedal... but it didn't... It's more of a enhancer than a dancer. It adds a subtle color to my tone that I couldn't really get from anything else. Initially I thought that the feedback switch was useless but after playing with it for a while I find that it's great for different situations. It's a subtle pedal in my world but it's a keeper and I can't see not using it at this point as it is a nice clean quiet splash of spice.

Pros:
quiet, cleans up nicely but can add a nice amount of germanium stank when called upon, well built and versatile, plays well with others

Cans:
Uses two isolted 9v power supply outputs, more expensive than it ought to be, the volume knob is touchy but allows a huge range, not fond of the slope where the switch is... it's on the top of my board and isn't as accessible as if it were just flat.

If you usually have your pedals dimed or don't appreciate a subtle pedal, save your money. If you are looking for that extra little spice on top of your notes try this.

Pros:
Hardware quality is superb.

Cons:

1. Pedal only works on 9v batteries (you need 2 of them). The manual for the GE Drive is available online and says you can use an isolated power supply to power this pedal. Mine wouldn't work with a power supply (and yes, mine is an isolated supply, and I was mindful of polarity markings).

2. Hardware quality of pedal overall is superb... except the output potentiometer. Feels like a cheap potentiometer and moves way too easily.

3. Missing a lot of low end. Even with all the switches to color the sound--they just add more and more treble boost.

Bottom Line: Buy or build a Tone Bender MK 1.5 clone. You'll be much happier, and won't have to spend so much money (if you build your own).