“Designed to be the ultimate professional boost, overdrive and distortion device”: Human Technologies’ first-ever stompbox promises to cram “dozens of expensive high-end vintage pedals” into one little box
Hand-built in Northern Ireland, this new pedal offers greater control of pre- and post-gain staging to make a highly tweakable and transparent overdrive
(Image credit: Human Pedals)
From the UK comes a new pedal firm, Human Technologies, and its first creation promises to condense “dozens of expensive high-end vintage pedals” into a single transparent overdrive pedal that's “designed to be the ultimate professional boost, overdrive and distortion device.”
At first glance, the Amp Driver looks like a standard overdrive pedal, offering four controls for Drive, Tone, Presence, and Volume. However, it gets interesting with the four switches beneath those knobs, which are labeled Pre-Gain, Focus, Tight, and Post-Gain.
Pre- and Post-Gain both switch gain stages into the signal path to emulate the sound and feel of tube amps, while the Tight control – which only works when Focus is engaged – filters the signal frequency in incremental stages.
With these switchable tube-simulating gain stages, the Amp Driver can dramatically revoice guitar signals, and is designed to work with any guitar and amp combination – versatility is key here.
Human says its newly designed circuit delivers an “unparalleled transparent natural overdrive” that can handle any overdrive-fueled task players need it to. That includes pushing or tightening amps, or for use as a preamp or dedicated overdrive when placed in front of a clean amp.
The firm, founded earlier this year, adds that it cuts no corners with its “component choice or build quality,” which is why you’ll find high-end audio jacks, potentiometers, switches, and German-made WIMA capacitors making up its debut offering.
There is also true bypass switching, as the pedal vies to become a suitor for both the studio and the stage.
Get The Pick Newsletter
All the latest guitar news, interviews, lessons, reviews, deals and more, direct to your inbox!
All of Human Technologies' pedals are hand-built in Northern Ireland, with the Amp Driver costing $230 and available to ship worldwide.
A freelance writer with a penchant for music that gets weird, Phil is a regular contributor to Prog, Guitar World, and Total Guitar magazines and is especially keen on shining a light on unknown artists. Outside of the journalism realm, you can find him writing angular riffs in progressive metal band, Prognosis, in which he slings an 8-string Strandberg Boden Original, churning that low string through a variety of tunings. He's also a published author and is currently penning his debut novel which chucks fantasy, mythology and humanity into a great big melting pot.