As I tend to take residency in my low-gain overdrive section more often than not, my curiosity with such pedals led me on a meandering exploration of the many great options that today’s marketplace has to offer and, while the focus here may be skewed towards low gain, the ability to reach into high gain territory is always a welcomed feature.

Pedals featured in this post (as pictured above):

• Barber Compact Direct Drive v.4 (British Voice Inspired),
• Benson Preamp (Preamp section from the Benson Monarch, influenced by the Marshall JTM 45)
• JHS Charlie Brown v.4 (JTM45 AIAB),
• Buffalo FX TD-X (Tubeless clone of BK Butler Tube Driver)
• Barber Gain Changer (American Voice Inspired – Not Pictured Above)

Pedals NOT discussed specifically in this post but, certainly in the realm of discussion:

• Thorpy Peacekeaper (link here to a NPD Review I posted): a great option with a lot of versatility but no longer in my possession
• Future Considerations: Greer Lightspeed, PettyJohn Chime MKII, and Boss Blues Driver Waza, Origin Effects Revival Drive.

​[The purpose of this post]

There are plenty of YouTube demos to include some great compare & contrast videos for all to enjoy and hear these pedals in action. My intent in sharing this particular post is to focus more on the control mechanics and provided voice offerings, similarity and differences of the characteristics thereof, to identify strengths and breadth of options; this, to address such questions like: ‘Which one best fits my needs & wants?’ or, ‘Which one might work best with my setup?’
[Compare & Contrast]

The five pedals in this compare and contrast share great similarities in some respects and, in others, are quite different. All excel in providing low-gain/cusp of breakup tones. Some observations:

• Build Quality is Excellent on All. The Charlie Brown (CB for short)and the Compact Direct Drive are, in what I would consider, more normal sized enclosures. The TD-X and Benson are a bit larger in size and, specific to the Benson, presented in an horizontal configuration. Extra points go to the JHS Charlie Brown for its fun, colorful and yet, simple design.
• The Benson Preamp, Charlie Brown, and Direct Drive all share the JMT45/Bluesbreaker circuit as a foundation, either in part or full. As such, one can dial-in (almost but never quite there) similar voices on all three pedals. Switching back and forth, there were times when I felt that the pedals were indistinguishable in voice and response and yet, to an OCD level of attention, one could certainly find differences to the feel and EQ structure.
• Specific to the the Charlie Brown and Benson, the CB provides a touch more ‘hands on’ control over the EQ/voice and manipulation thereof while the Benson forgoes a [MID] control by offering a [HIGH] and enhanced [BASS] control. To get these two pedals in the same ballpark, I keep the [MIDDLE] Control of the Charlie Brown just past Noon (~2pm) on the dial, adjust the [BASS] accordingly to match the Benson, and keep the [Treble] between 1~3pm. Whether the Benson is set for the the British or more American flavor (via the that enhanced [BASS] control I mentioned), the Charlie Brown keeps pace.
• As for the Barber Compact Direct Drive, while it provides just the Hi Cut control via the [Tone] knob (to note: always important to read the manual), the left toggle switch allows one to select 3 different EQ options that adjust the prominence of mids, bass, and/or provide a more flat voice. The Gain Changer is very similar but with a more traditional Tone knob. In this respect, these pedals cover a lot of ground with concerns to their EQ settings. Example: With the Direct Drive set on the low gain setting and, with the EQ switch set in the middle (mid focused), keeping the [Tone] control around 3pm give-or-take, the Barber can match many of the Marshall-esque voices of the other two pedals. It is only the lack of a dedicated BASS dial/control that introduces any sort of perceived limitation in comparison to the granular control provided by the other two pedals and YET, the reality, as I have come to find, is that the EQ offerings in the switch pretty much nail the most desired settings that I would have dialed in on the CB or Benson anyway. Additionally, the Barber Pedals have a few other aces up their sleeve to include a wide variety of Gain/Voice options that, something like the Charlie Brown does not offer.
• The voices offered by the Charlie Brown, Benson, Direct Drive, due to their inspirations, are very much in the same ballpark, at times rather indistinguishable but, as to feel and response (compression vs. more open), there are very subtle differences due to some nuanced differences in the circuit design/approach. This became more evident to me when observing how differently the pedals interacted with other drives/effects that followed after in the chain to include the amp itself. Example: With all three pedals being dialed in to the same approximate voice on one amp, if I was to then switch to another amp or drive pedal after (think: stacking), with nothing else having changed, I found their response/sound was slightly different in comparison than before — perhaps again, due to their circuit design and how those tones interact with things later-on down the chain. This isn’t drastic by any means but something worth noting.
• The Charlie Brown has the least amount of gain available really keeping true to its low-gain roots, hence why there is an Angry Charlie available for those who want more. The Barber Pedals, TD-X, and Benson can easily adventure into hi-gain settings.
• The Benson Preamp, when compared to the Charlie Brown, has just a bit more presence in its core voice characteristics. This can provide a touch more note articulation in certain settings but, as the Charlie Brown has the [High] control, the net difference is almost negligible.

[… and now for something a bit different, the Buffalo FX TD-X]

• The Buffalo FX TD-X is a Tubeless/9V Normal clone of the infamous Butler Tube Driver. It has far less mids than the other pedals but can go from boost/cusp-of-breakup drive to fuzz territory with ease. In keeping to the theme of this discussion, the [Gain] setting almost never passes 9pm for my intended use. To compare/contrast to the other pedals:
  • Due to lack of Mid Control on either pedal, the Benson (stronger mids) and the TD-X (more neutral/scooped) share little in common with concerns to voice. They both provide more gain on tap than the Charlie Brown.
  • Because the mids are adjustable on the Charlie Brown and the Barber Direct Drive, both can dial in very similar (never exact) voices/effect as the TD-X in the low gain settings. The Charlie Brown (with MIDDLE set around 11pm) has the slight advantage of having the [BASS] control to better match EQ settings depending but, is limited in its range of Gain/Drive while the Barber Direct Drive (with EQ switch set to the far left) can more than keep up with the TD-X in this respect. With the gain cranked, the TD-X maintains a smoothness throughout. The Barber in contrast has a bit more bite and growl. The point to be made here is that the Direct Drive and Charlie Brown can cover many of the root characteristics of the JMT45 circuit and/or Tube Driver vibes and yet, there is just always something special and different about the TD-X.
  • As the Gain Changer is a bit more mid scooped in nature and, much like the CB and Direct Drive, I was able to dial-in some very approximate tones to the TD-X but never quite get all the way there. Beyond the slight nuances of EQ/Voicing, there is this smoothness and tube-like saturation that the TD-X brings to the table. Like the Direct Drive, the Gain Changer can match the Gain levels of the TD-X and, I would suggest, to tryout on both pedals, leaving the gain switch set to the high setting and then dial back the [Gain] controlled with the knob to desired levels. In these settings, I found the breakup characteristics to match a bit better while introducing a bit of chewiness.
  • As Buffalo FX is no longer in existence, the Charlie Brown, Direct Drive, and Gain Changer might be nice alternatives for those looking to have a similar effect. Probably more so, and as recommended by Gilmourish.com for this purpose, check out: the Wampler Plexi-Drive and the Boss BD-2w.

As with so many things in the world of guitars and gear, much of this is a matter of taste and, how a certain pedal/effect plays with the rest of one’s setup. As stated in many of my reviews, I gravitate toward pedals that offer great flexibility and adaptability to whatever I might throw at them; this, to keep in a budget and the reality that I don’t have endless amount of space on my board to have a pedal of every flavor. Given a baseline and comparable quality of both effect voice and physical build, the most appropriate question is most likely ‘What option might best fit my board and find a solid match to my needs and wants?’

The last few weeks have been great fun and, at times neurotic, in jumping back and forth to better understand the personality of these pedals and, as to how they work for me and, fit/adapt with the rest of the rig. I really have a hard time choosing a favorite because each brings something unique to the table. I welcome everyone to chime in as to their thoughts, observations, and insights. Certainly, if I shared some incorrect information, please chime in as to the circuits and their inspiration, please chime in. Also — I have my board setup with the pedals as pictured above so if there are any specific questions , please feel free to ask and I will try to answer as best possible (this, to include the Barber Gain Changer).