I personally autograph each tube driver on the bottoms side. Ive heard au7 is pretty popular and that bk butler would give clients a yugo au7 from his secret stash. Posted by pedal of the day on friday, december 19, 2014 in chandler industries, overdrive distortion 1 comment. This is the original model, designed by bk butler, built by chandler. Heart of the tube driver is a real handselected 12ax7 tube by bk butler himself. By 1985 butler was using chandler industries to distribute the tube driver. Tube driver real tube overdrive bk butler chandler the original, classic 4 knob tube driver with the iconic case color and graphics, made circa 1985 to 1987. Chandler marketed his product for a while using their name.
These pedals have to be dialed in for each individual amp and guitar combination as they are relatively low output and the tube drive tends to kick in at a lower level than some pedals. Still great sounding circuit with nondetatchable ac cord. Tonewise, i would perhaps place the chandler somewhere between a tube screamer and a bk tube driver. Baja real tube driver 12v dc online stripboard layout. Butlers company at the time was making the 5knob real tube and blue tube pedals. Chandler copied the bk butler design there was never a chandler tube driver. This is a selfverified layout of the famous baja version of the bk butlerchandler tube drive. I think its designed for ax7 but mine is getting a lot of gain quickly. Butler tube driver the core circuit design on the 2000s reissue 911 tube driver is similar to the original 198587 versions, but there are some minor changes and component value differences, as.
Forgot to mention before, if you have a chandler wall mart tube driver you can easily convert it to a authentic tube driver by rebuilding the tone stack section. Now there are plenty of variations on this design from b k butler himself, chandler and tube works among others. Chandler tube driver vs tube works 911 telecaster guitar. Skip to main content skip to footer site51542496 vintage 1542496 in store vintage vintage 1980s chandler b. Butler tube driver famously used by david gilmour, eric johnson, billy gibbons and joe satriani to name a few. In the mid1980s bk went to work for dean markley industries. Butler real tube overdrive the tube driver is a boosteroverdrive. Utilization the general configuration of the tube driver is really easy to follow, and it is easy to get a good sound from this. It is made in the usa has a 14 inch input and output and i believe is has a 12ax7 type tube. The chandler tube driver is an overdrive pedal most famously used by eric johnson, david gilmour, billy gibbons and joe satriani. Im about to order a tube driver from bk butler and he is voicing it for bass guitar. During its long life the tube driver has appeared in many forms. Some used 4knob tube drivers marked chandler are not the original design by bk butler.
Butler and chandler, but thats kind of the fun of them. Tube pilot is, according to tc electronic, a legendary tube overdrive modelled, but then further developed by them. Heart of the tube driver is a real handselected 12ax7 tube by bk butler himself controls. This is a classic overdrive pedal used by professionals such as by eric johnson, joe satriani, david gilmour and many others. I have never seen one dated earlier than 1985, but butler said he first designed this version in 1983. This is the original model, designed by bk butler, built by chandler industries with. Those who want to reserve a unit, please contact me via email. What other items do customers buy after viewing this item. The 3knob version was an entrylevel tube driver produced when tube works b. The pedal had already been used by gilmour, satriani, bonamassa, j mascis and many other great. For sale is a 1987 chandlerbk butler tube driver tube driven overdrive effects pedal. Moreover, the tube driver comes with mpn tdp911 and is ideal for any guitarist seeking not only a light, smooth overdrive tone, but also a classicrockstyle heavy distortion. They then decided that they were the owners of the product and took butler to court where they promptly lost their suit. Essentially, bk is the designer of the tube driver.
When chandler copied the bk butler design they totally messed up the tone stack section all schematics to compare the different versions are here on this thread. I dont think butler ever completely stopped making the 4knob tube drivers, but they would have been on the back burner during that period. Chandler industries tube driver overdrive pedal of the day. Signal chain paul reed smith custom 22 brazilian ltd chandler tube driver orange dual terror mesa 4x12 rectifier slant akg c414 xlii. It is in used condition with some cosmetic wear from use. Tc electronics tube pilot budget valve overdrive pedal.
It definitely doesnt sound like a stock tube driver at least in terms of the amount of. Bk butler tube driver 3 vs 4 knob version the gear page. Overall in great shape considering the age of the pedal. When i figured this out though, the chandler immediately went on ebay. Shown above left to right the 1985 bk butler tube driver, the revised 198687 bk butler tube driver, the unauthorized 1988 knockoff made by chandler after butler parted ways with them, the 1990s tube works 911 tube driver, and a b. The original project runs on an 16v ac adapter so chances are that the original will sound better than my 12v dc version. The 4 knob both the chandler i used to have and the bk one i currently own have a built in power cord. I suspect by the reference legendary that they are hinting at the tube driver by b. I took a look at various schematics with a view to modifying the overlord to fullfill its true potential. Preamp 12ax7s in my guitar amps are warm to the touch but 12au7s in my hifi preamp if i recall correctly are very very hot so just wondering how things are here. For sale is a vintage, original 1986 bk butlerchandler tube driver tube driven overdrive effects pedal. The core of the pedal is a handselected 12ax7 tube which gives you a lovely sort of fuzzdrive sound than can sound amazingly smooth and textured in the hands of masters like david gilmour who still features 2 of these within his rig. The first, original, one was the bk butlerchandler tube driver.
For the bias control my favorite settings are maximum for gilmour tones and 10 notches below maximum for my original tones, which is roughly 2. This pedal works perfectly and is in used condition with some cosmetic wear from use. Pedals with separate ac power supplies or wall warts are not original and do not sound the same. The tube driver is a legendary pedal used by players like eric johnson. Butler tube driver 5knob w bias control youtube eric johnson interview guitars amp effects on up close. The tube driver is not an extremely versatile pedal but what it does it does very well. The layout included is for an offboard tube socket not mounted on the pcb. The chandler tube driver is a real tube based overdrive guitar pedal. This is a pedal that has been around for over thirty years and has become a longstanding favorite amongst some of the most elite players in the business for its smooth distortion and boost capabilities. It features controls for out level, eq sometimes split into high and low eq, and tube drive level. The bk butler 911 tube driver has been one of those items for me. Chandler then tried to stop butler from making his tube drivers and real tubes pedals, claiming it was their circuit design and trademark.
Tube driver original by bk butler with bias control. The level and hi pots are scratchy as is common with these pedals. The tube driver is a holy grail type pedal, but many people, especially younger players, have never heard of it. About as close as you can get to the original chandler tube driver. This is a great allrounder overdrive that became famous by the continuous use after being played by eric johnson, billy gibbons, david gilmore, and many others as part of their signature sound. Order here and get a real bk butler handmade tube driver.
Up for consideration is a chandler butler tube driver overdrive pedal, an authentic b. Butler vs chandler tube driver by elswan64 20110401 chandler tube driver by elswan64 201209 chandler tube driver vintage by don felipe 20171025 bk butler tube driver vs ts9 tubescreamer vs sd1 lpd comparison by lawrence petross. If you want a tubedriver, then bk butler is the guy who you should be talking to. The chandler had a wall art style plug see pic 1 and the bk is a standard 3 prong. Compatible with all electric guitars and amplifiers. There is some tonal variation between these early models, and this is a great sounding example. Used bk butler tube works tube driver, vintage tube overdrive pedal from the 1980s. Some used 4 knob tube drivers marked chandler are not the original design by bk butler.