Costalab Sun Drive

Description

COSTALAB SUN DRIVE

The Costalab Sun Drive is a pedal built inspired by the classic Big Muff. Its circuit is based on the four canonical gain stages, two of which house silicon clipping circuits with a very vintage sound.

The sound it produces is massive, full of harmonics and mid frequencies that easily cut through the mix. It also produces very powerful low frequencies that are nonetheless precise and always well-focused. The result is an aggressive and rich sound, yet stable and controllable. Despite the remarkable gain levels achievable, the pedal maintains excellent quietness thanks to the many improvements made to the circuit and the careful selection of components used.

The tone control is implemented with the classic subtractive circuit. When the knob is at its maximum range, the circuit allows all frequencies to pass, but it should be used in relation to the gain level. The amount of harmonics produced is directly proportional to the sustain, so the tone must be used accordingly.

The Sun Drive features an always-on Class A buffer, characterized by very high input impedance. This preserves every sonic detail, providing definition and space between notes, and effectively rejects radio interference.

In addition, the CostaLab Sun Drive is equipped with a ground loop prevention system. For this system to function correctly, however, the pedal must be powered by a specific power supply not connected to other pedals (such as a Boss PSA or equivalent) or by a power supply equipped with galvanically isolated outputs. The Sun Drive can still function with shared power supplies used with other pedals.

The CostaLab Sun Drive is equipped with a "Buffered" mechanical switch system, with the buffer always active and an anti-pop system.

Power is 9 volts DC and connects via the classic 2.1 mm DC connector with center negative. Current consumption is less than 20 mA. The unit can also operate with a 9-volt battery. In this case, the circuit is activated by inserting the input jack.

To extend battery life, it is advisable to unplug the input jack when not in use. It is still possible to keep the battery inside the pedal even when it is powered via the DC jack, because the external power system is able to automatically bypass it.

The pedal measures 118x93.4x34mm excluding knobs and jacks.