Review of: Xotic Effects SL Drive
Reviewed by: Gabriel TanakaRating:4.5On August 28, 2013Last modified:October 6, 2016
Summary:
There have been countless effects pedal makers over the years seeking to emulate the sought-after tones of the legendary Marshall Super Lead and Super Bass amp heads. And now after the runaway success of the EP Booster and SP Compressor, guitar pedals inspired by the Echoplex EP-3 preamp and famed Ross Guitar Compressor, respectively, Xotic Effects have decided to tackle these holy grails of guitar tone with the brand new Xotic Effects SL Drive. Is this the best Marshall Super Lead/Bass pedal available? You’ll find out in our Xotic Effects SL Drive review.
The Marshall Super Lead and Super Bass amp heads need no introduction as they just might be the most famous guitar amplifiers ever made. Look up Marshall 1959, Super Lead, Super Bass, and Plexi for a history lesson about why this amp is so famous and the tone so sought-after. Legendary players such as Pete Townsend (whom we have to thank for the Super Lead’s existence), Eric Clapton, Jimmy Page, and Jimi Hendrix are a few of the noteworthy greats that played through Marshall 1959 Super Lead Plexi heads.
Capturing that sound in a pedal may seem impossible as there are so many variables that factor in to emulating this legendary amp. But the idea to me seems to be able make a great amp sound as close as possible to that famous Plexi sound at a tiny fraction of the price of an actual Marshall 1959, new or vintage. And there’s also the idea of just wanting to infuse your tone with a hint of that classic Marshall tone for a cutting edge modern, yet classic tone. The Xotic Effects SL Drive may be the key to all of that and more.
Let’s run down the features of this pedal, and test out the Xotic Effects SL Drive for a full review.
Features:
Tone, Drive, and Volume control knobs.
4 internal dip switches for adjusting between Super Lead and Super Bass modes, adjusting high/mid frequencies, and providing a +6db boost.
True Bypass for letting signal pass unaffected when disengaged.
Powered by 9-volt battery or 9VDC power adapter. Can also be run at 18-volts with the Xotic Voltage Doubler.
Visit Xotic for more info about the SL Drive.
See the lowest price on Amazon.
Sound & Performance:
I was waiting to try this pedal for months before its late Summer release. For my testing I played a Fender American Standard Stratocaster and a Gibson SG and started with a clean, flat amp setting.
With the Volume, Tone, and Drive controls set to noon, I activated the SL Drive and was projected into instant Marshall territory. There is a surge of Volume as this setting which you can roll back if you want a signal closer to unity gain.
The sound of the SL Drive is very Plexi-like, although its authenticity will vary depending on what you plug the SL Drive into. There’s a very distinctive character to that classic Marshall sound that every guitarist is familiar with whether they know it or not. This pedal will certainly hijack your tone with that characteristic Super Lead flavor. It makes you instantly want to bust out your best Jimmy Page licks.
The Drive knob gives you the full range of gain control expected from the classic Marshall head. You can roll back the knob for just a bit of overdriven warmth or push it up around noon for that distinctive Marshall crunch. Pushing the Drive knob towards 3 o’clock and beyond brings the gain to its peak for a fully saturated Marshall drive sound. On any of the grittier Drive settings, the SL Drive cleans up smoothly when you roll back your guitar’s volume knob.
While not complete with a full row of EQ knobs, the Tone control on the SL Drive will allow you to hone in the area of your sound that you want to accentuate with the pedal. Since the SL Drive is meant to be used with an amp, you can combine this pedal with your amp’s EQ section for maximum tonal flexibility. But you mustn’t underestimate the deep tonal shaping this pedal offers. Xotic Effects added 4 internal dip-switches inside the SL Drive to achieve the sound of the Super Lead and Super Bass heads with flexibility to tweak the high/mid frequencies to your personal tastes.
After spending a lot of time comparing the sound of all possible dip-switch combinations, I ended up settling on the original default position. The factory setting of the SL Drive seems to provide the most well-rounded character and is still adjustable with the Tone knob if you want to boost the highs or darken the overall sound.
If you treat this pedal like a preamp for essentially transforming your amp into a Marshall Super Lead infused hybrid, you can use boost and overdrive effects in front of it with an expected amp-like reaction. I found it especially pleasing to use Xotic’s own SP Compressor, BB Preamp, and EP Booster pedals to achieve some great sounds. Definitely try your overdrive of choice to create your own original sounds.
While the selling point of this pedal for many people may be to capture an authentic reproduction of the Marshall Super Lead or Super Bass, I find the SL Drive most interesting when used to infuse a different amp with some Marshall character for all-original hybrid amp sounds. Try it in front of your favorite tube amp or digital amp simulations. The SL Drive offers some great drive tones that might make it your Marshall-style distortion pedal of choice.
It seems like everything Xotic Effects puts into one of their micro enclosures is of the utmost quality. Not to be confused with the cheap, low-featured and sonically underwhelming efforts of many pedal makers trying to cash in on guitarists on a budget, the SL Drive, like the EP Booster and SP Compressor, is a top quality pedal for the most demanding professional musicians and tone connoisseurs.
UPDATE: I had a chance to got back and test the Xotic SL Drive with the Xotic Voltage Doubler (see video above). Essentially, running the SL Drive at 18-volts produces a slightly “hotter” sound. It gives the pedal added bite if you’re into the more aggressive or “hot-rodded” Marshall sounds. Definitely worth trying. If your power supply has an 18-volt output, try it with the SL Drive, or get an Xotic Voltage Doubler and run the pedal at 18-volts from a standard 9-volt output.
Let’s have the final result.
The Xotic Effects SL Drive continues the Xotic tradition of offering high quality effects for guitarists on any budget. If you’re looking for the best Marshall Super Lead/Bass sound in a stompbox format, definitely check out the SL Drive. The SL Drive is perfect for infusing your amp with Marshall-like character or using as your drive pedal of choice in front of a clean or dirty amp. The deep tonal contouring available in such a small pedal will ensure you find the perfect Marshall-style tones for your needs. If you’d like to add some of that classic Marshall sound to your rig, definitely check out the SL Drive.
That concludes our Xotic Effects SL Drive review. Thanks for reading.
Want to buy the Xotic SL Drive?
See The Lowest Price On Amazon
Gabriel Tanaka
COMMENTS
Zsolt Dubravcsik
May 13, 2015 at 11:53 pm
All three sounds really great and such a small enclosure! Awesome!
Sammy
January 31, 2014 at 10:32 pm
I’ve never been one to play Marshall amps but this is definitely a gnarly idea. I could see some great usage out of this
James Tomlin
January 31, 2014 at 1:36 pm
I really dig the sound of these xotic pedals
Vince
January 31, 2014 at 10:41 am
Nice review
alan
January 31, 2014 at 6:54 am
Very nice! Love the drive….:-)
Seth
January 30, 2014 at 8:22 pm
Thanks for great review, really hoping to win!
James
January 30, 2014 at 11:44 am
Sounds great! Would love to pick up one of these. Xotic makes top-notch effects and this one seems to be no different.
Skeith00
January 30, 2014 at 7:17 am
This is a really nice pedal, with a punchy marshall distorsion. I tried it on a Vox ac 30 and it did the job quite well. If you don’t have much room in your pedalboard and want something good this can do the job. When money will rain I’ll get it!
David Willett
January 29, 2014 at 8:48 pm
Really want one of these, but my budget doesn’t exactly allow for it at the moment
John Varney
January 29, 2014 at 6:52 am
Nice and compact!
Sam
January 29, 2014 at 6:10 am
The sound is really authentic!
I’d love to have one in my board.Cynthia Alvarez
January 28, 2014 at 9:09 pm
Looking to start a pedal board and this would be a great first pedal!!
Dave
January 28, 2014 at 6:36 pm
Really, really nice sounding. You can really sculpt your sound. I’d love all three.
Trent
January 28, 2014 at 5:43 pm
Gotta love anything that sounds this good and has such a small footprint.
zillah
January 28, 2014 at 4:31 pm
This will sound fresh on my board.~.
mark
January 28, 2014 at 4:22 pm
Mean and clean at the same time. Sounds good.
Ryan Opel
January 28, 2014 at 3:25 pm
Sounds frothy, I dig it
bob786
January 28, 2014 at 1:06 pm
sounds great! def want one!
Andrew Estes
January 28, 2014 at 12:21 pm
The SL has a really great sound. I like it a lot.
Ralf Schilberz
January 28, 2014 at 11:39 am
this is a realy nice sounding drive-pedal…a little spicy…just like the way i love to play my wildcat guitar.
greez
Nils
January 28, 2014 at 11:31 am
Checked it out in the store the other day, loved it!
Steph
January 28, 2014 at 11:09 am
The footprint is perfect and I love the sound of the change in signal.
StephMark Young
January 28, 2014 at 11:08 am
That is one sick pedal! I’m totally digging tone on this box. I’m all about getting one.
raymond seto
January 28, 2014 at 11:05 am
love the bass tone!
xrussianx
January 28, 2014 at 10:28 am
love the small footprint and sounds great! very sweet
Kirsten
January 28, 2014 at 9:38 am
My main amps are all Fender so having this pedal would certainly provide something different.
Tom
January 28, 2014 at 9:33 am
I will use use the above Strat clip audio as an introductory soundtrack to fantasy night with my wife. I’m 100 percent confident of a score. And play the Les Paul clip during the finishing move.
Marc
January 28, 2014 at 9:30 am
so tiny and beautiful.
Jeremy R.
January 28, 2014 at 8:48 am
After seeing the demo video, I’m hoping this is the one contest in my life that I win.
Frederick
January 28, 2014 at 8:40 am
Super BASS! I’d love to rock this pedal!
Carlos
January 28, 2014 at 8:39 am
Would love to try one !
Alain Robert
January 28, 2014 at 8:22 am
Must have!
Brian Kelly
January 28, 2014 at 7:37 am
So much tone in a small package
duncan
January 28, 2014 at 7:34 am
I don’t have any overdrive pedals. noise/fuzz/distortion yes, but a true tone driver I do not. This one sounds like the one to try.
kklee100
January 28, 2014 at 7:34 am
Very plexi tone and I like it!
Tom
January 28, 2014 at 7:22 am
I like the clarity even with the crunch
Joseph Earl
January 28, 2014 at 7:16 am
Crunch Time!
dave a
January 28, 2014 at 6:14 am
would like to try it!
John Niespodzianski
January 28, 2014 at 6:09 am
Want!
Bob Taylor
January 27, 2014 at 11:08 pm
My friend has about every overdrive pedal currently made and the funny thing is , he is totally enamored with this little Marshall in a box. Absolutely loves it and he is a tone fanatic like you have never seen.
greg
January 27, 2014 at 11:05 pm
SL is the boss.
Zac
January 27, 2014 at 9:21 pm
I just saw a video of Guthrie Govan rocking this pedal!
Marc
January 27, 2014 at 1:26 pm
Can’t help but love the fact that they are making pedals smaller and smaller. Just means I can fit more on my pedalboard!
Bob Dodge
January 27, 2014 at 10:22 am
I LOVE this pedal,,, tone to die for, and a mini footprint to boot. Everybody NEEDS one of these.
Andrey
January 27, 2014 at 12:44 am
This sound really amazing!
Pgbouchard
January 26, 2014 at 1:39 pm
Wow ! Another winner from Xotic 🙂
Bill Siepierski
January 26, 2014 at 11:26 am
SL Drive ROCKS!
Carl Martin
January 25, 2014 at 10:35 am
That pedal sounds awesome and the size is great!
Luka
January 25, 2014 at 7:41 am
Guthrie Govan uses this one on one song! 😀
hugo
January 25, 2014 at 5:46 am
so cool i want it!
Alexander Ivchenko
January 24, 2014 at 11:15 pm
Lovely little thing. Always liked marhsall tones, could be interesting to compare it with marshall bb-2
Dominik Šandord
January 24, 2014 at 10:40 am
One of the best drivers, i´ve ever tried
Slack Jack
January 24, 2014 at 4:47 am
Great review like all I have seen yet!
I really like the video examples so I am not just reading what it sounds like but also hear what it sounds like. All those three sound awesome but the drive pedal is my favorite!
Thanks!
chase
January 22, 2014 at 7:04 pm
This could totally fill in the gaps in my pedal board and boost my sound
Szczepan
January 22, 2014 at 2:24 am
wonder how it would sound with my bass guitar
Sean
January 21, 2014 at 9:02 pm
Thanks, nice one. I think I’d glue this on my amp and leave it on!
Peter
January 21, 2014 at 4:35 am
So that small thingie is the bomb huh?
For whatever reason, I really like the style of the knobs..
Mike Thomas
January 20, 2014 at 1:01 pm
Te Sl drive rocks, so versatile. Can be used as a clean boost to all out distortion!
GuitarDave
January 20, 2014 at 11:26 am
Looks interesting…I have the BB and AC already. The small footprint would be a winner on my pedalboard.
Yair Hollander
January 18, 2014 at 1:02 am
This Xotic pedal is great for lead tones. Very smooth. Even its smaller footprint is a good thing since it will fit right in my pedal board. The review of the pedal is great.
Great job Xotic.Tijana
January 17, 2014 at 10:22 am
Greate sound!
oszkar
January 17, 2014 at 1:58 am
Nice pedal, nice tone!
Mads Bjerrum
January 15, 2014 at 9:28 pm
The thing about the SL Drive is that it is actually what a guitarist is looking for tone-wise. It’s dynamic, natural and a real smoothness to it that makes is so easy for a (hard)working musician like myself to find the “sweet spot” you’re looking for. Whether you’re into country, rock, jazz, punk – it doesn’t matter. This pedal is what you need. I hope that Best Guitar Effects gives this pedal to (if not me then to) someone who really needs it because this is really one of the best pedals out there. Combine that pedal with the SP Compressor and you’ve got yourself THE tone.
sarah
January 15, 2014 at 1:55 am
Sounds FUCKn amazing
William Penn
January 15, 2014 at 12:13 am
This sounds like a great addition to my pedalboard so I hope I win!
Pavle Bodi
January 14, 2014 at 10:23 pm
awww man this would be great for boosting the volume during some killer leads https://audiour.com/wc5ko51k 4:08
The problem for me lies when the rhythm guitar is drowning the sound during solos which you want clearly and loudly heard. Sometimes I just turn up my amp but then I’m louder than the rhythm guitar and cant hear it the entire song… so yeah cant do that. Winning this contest would be a blessing from the sky !!! 😀Russ Mains
January 14, 2014 at 1:42 pm
A little more tonal control without sacrificing too much space on my pedal board sounds good to me.
Simon
January 13, 2014 at 9:04 pm
If its good enough for Guthrie Govan’s pedal board its good enough for me !
nice and informative review, good job. I have a much better understanding of the pedal and its tone now.
Cheers
Manos
January 12, 2014 at 4:03 pm
it’s so good and small, makes me wanna open it up see its secret
brent stewart
January 12, 2014 at 2:52 pm
One tone I don’t have is the Marshall in a box, and this one sounds great. I especially like the idea of the small enclosure, since floor real estate is modest on many stages.
Thanks
Alex
January 10, 2014 at 10:47 pm
Try my friend’s one.. warm sound and small on a board, plexi in a stombox. Would love to own one!
January 10, 2014 at 9:51 pm
Hands down one of if not the best Plexi in a box pedal out there. Who would have thought this little mini pedal would blow away pedals two and three times more expensive. Now if I can only win the contest for this january! Thanks.
yotam
January 10, 2014 at 3:05 pm
sounds great! love xotic pedals!
Rob_in_OC
January 10, 2014 at 11:29 am
There are a lot of bad sounding drive pedals out there but after hearing the xotic I’m adding it to my Want list.
Léopold
January 10, 2014 at 5:42 am
Small-sized and great sounding drive, the exact drive I’m looking for!!
Mattson
January 9, 2014 at 4:34 pm
i’d love to run that through my Deluxe Reverb
Rafael Alves
January 8, 2014 at 11:06 pm
so small, so powerfull!
WEI-CHEN CHENG
January 8, 2014 at 9:12 pm
Always love the plexi tone!!
Joshua Place
January 8, 2014 at 2:50 pm
After reading the review, this pedal is EXACTLY what I need for my current board.
The interesting dynamic this Booster will give me just may set me apart the way I have have looking for.
Great review, keep up the good work. So nice to come to a site where you can find so much great information all in one spot!
Hopefully I will be able to pick one of these up soon!Dovlex
January 8, 2014 at 2:02 am
Nice pedal, great videos !
Peter Homoki
January 7, 2014 at 11:31 pm
looks pretty
Carolina S
January 7, 2014 at 12:04 pm
Tiny but powerful.
Miguel Batalha
January 7, 2014 at 11:48 am
I want this.
jeff ledoux
January 7, 2014 at 11:22 am
the next best thing to a super lead? i’d love to try one and find out
Stephen
January 6, 2014 at 9:32 pm
Marshall in a tiny box. Definitely interested in one of these
Jeff K
January 6, 2014 at 9:28 pm
Great classic tones.
Doug kokkeler
January 6, 2014 at 8:38 pm
Marshall on a box? Maybe not, but a great sound, I am going to try this!
David
January 6, 2014 at 8:28 pm
This definitely sounds like a great pedal. From your review it seems like it will sound great and doesn’t take up much real estate on a much too small pedal board. Too many good pedals and not enough space.
January 6, 2014 at 4:07 pm
Very interested in playing around with this texture.~.
Jeremiah
January 6, 2014 at 11:47 am
What an awesome little pedal. Really love the sound, and that it takes up so little real estate on a board..
jon
January 6, 2014 at 10:21 am
I’m always on the lookout for pedals like these that take up so little space, but really broaden your sound!
Art
January 5, 2014 at 7:01 pm
Xotic makes great pedals! Hoping to add the SL drive to my pedalboard!
January 5, 2014 at 4:46 pm
i want this on my pedalboard!!
Ben
January 5, 2014 at 2:36 pm
Would love to get that marshall feel from my laney vc30! Super lead mode also sounds brilliant from suck a small pedal!
Sherman
January 5, 2014 at 1:50 pm
wow big sound out of a little pedal. This company has some good items. Planning on checking them out soon
Gene
January 5, 2014 at 11:23 am
re-creeating the sound is one thing but capturing the ‘feel’ is essential…be interesting to try this in person.
Chris Faricy
January 4, 2014 at 8:14 pm
Sounds Amazing… a 1959 Marshall Super Lead in a miniturized package that also has the same characteristics of the famous Ross Compressor. How much should tone like those Holy grails put me back. Well hopefully not the ten grand or so for the Real McCoys that this pedal apparently emulates. Please allow me to let you know with MY REVIEW after being the lucky guitarist chosen for the XOTIC SL Compressor. I’d like to try out the THREE options for compression release also. Thanks for this Opportunity 3:-)
January 4, 2014 at 8:21 pm
OOOppsss…In ALL The Confusion, I Commented On The Wrong Pedal erroneously leaving my comments for the SP Compressor on the SL Drive comments. Sooo My opinion about the SL DRIVE is that I do NOT have the pedal now but WANT to own one of each of these pedals so I can write a Proper review.
Giulio
January 4, 2014 at 8:28 am
I need a good drive pedal to put in front of my clean amp.. This could be a good choice!
joe f
January 3, 2014 at 6:27 pm
Sounds great looks KILLER!. Love the clear knobs, now hook me up with one
Jeff
January 3, 2014 at 2:10 pm
I was skeptical of the smaller/compact pedals. After playing one, I was blown away.
Half the size… double the sound quality.
Jeffrey Ballard
January 3, 2014 at 1:23 pm
Very cool pedal!
Michael Jacobs
January 3, 2014 at 12:48 pm
Can’t have too many Xotic effects, they’re great.
Will
January 3, 2014 at 8:18 am
As a fender player this would be great for getting some new tones
Scott
January 3, 2014 at 7:11 am
I sold my Marshall long ago, so I think a SL would be a great addition.
Leonardo Jr.
January 3, 2014 at 6:04 am
Great Review!
Ted Gomez
January 3, 2014 at 4:54 am
thanks for the giveaways and if it’s Xotic you know it’s gotta be good. I don’t have a Marshall type drive pedal in my arsenal and would appreciate the SL drive on my board!
Vivek
January 3, 2014 at 2:35 am
This pedal sounds awesome in demos! I have a Plexidrive and love it but for my smaller board would love, at some point, to get an SL drive.
Mike A
January 3, 2014 at 2:07 am
Nothing beats Plexi tone on tap! This rules.
luis neiva
January 3, 2014 at 1:32 am
i played one and i was impressed, especially in lead stuff
Mike Woods
January 2, 2014 at 10:11 pm
This is by far the best pedal I’ve ever played
Eric Baz
January 2, 2014 at 8:20 pm
Hmmm………I bet, if played through the “clean” channel this would make for a great third gain tone for my amp. Me likey. Thanks again for doing the great reviews.
Peter Mahoney
January 2, 2014 at 8:20 pm
Great review for a great sounding pedal !
Thorren
January 2, 2014 at 7:44 pm
I’ve got the SP compressor and it is one of the best pedals I’ve picked up, particularly in such a tight package. Would love to get this drive pedal on my board with it.
Jason Murphy
January 2, 2014 at 7:22 pm
I need it
john c
January 2, 2014 at 6:38 pm
it would be a handy way to add some fatness to my all fender set-up when needed. sounds sweet indeed.
Roland
January 2, 2014 at 6:23 pm
It’s something beautiful. Now as i see i want to win this too!!
Shane
January 2, 2014 at 4:55 pm
I know this is based on the Superlead and Superbass Marshalls but I’d love to see how close I could get to a JTM45 type sound.
Olly
January 2, 2014 at 3:51 pm
Defiantly got that Marshall tone!
Jeremy Judelson
January 2, 2014 at 2:02 pm
one of the best of its kind
Shawn Downer
January 2, 2014 at 1:17 pm
No board should be without the EP Booster, the SL drive and the SP compressor, sadly enough my board is missing all three thanks to a thief that stole my board a couple days ago after our New Years gig…
mike reynolds
January 2, 2014 at 1:03 pm
Sweet. Gotta try these…
jimmy aly
January 2, 2014 at 12:52 pm
looks good!
January 2, 2014 at 12:38 pm
Oh, I’d rather this SL Drive over the EP Booster.
Thanks for your consideration,
StephJanuary 2, 2014 at 12:33 pm
Love ya’ll’s work reviewing and demoing these products. Best support website on the net. I lean towards Drive Pedals and you’ve got me wanting this lil’ wonder, the Xotic Effects SL Drive.
Thanks for your efforts,
Stephjonny
January 2, 2014 at 12:09 pm
have a joyous moan at the sweet marshall tone
January 2, 2014 at 11:34 am
I like the super bass mode! Thick and creamy tone.
Alan Grimes
January 2, 2014 at 11:31 am
Small footprint, Marshall tone, I need one of these and I need it now!
christina marie
January 2, 2014 at 11:25 am
This is purrrdy.
Jimmy
January 2, 2014 at 11:16 am
That is a sexy little drive pedal!
TJ Jones
January 2, 2014 at 11:07 am
I MUST have this. It is absolutely perfect for what I need. Would compliment my custom shop tele and ac 30 beautifully
Bert Meyers
January 2, 2014 at 10:54 am
Great review, would love to hear it true my exelsior!
brupop
January 2, 2014 at 10:51 am
Looks good, sounds good, I’ll take it.
cristian
January 2, 2014 at 10:45 am
nice sound in a pocket sized marshall
Jonathan G
January 2, 2014 at 10:31 am
This seems to be one of the better “Marshall in a box” out there
Jason
January 2, 2014 at 10:28 am
This looks like a great little pedal.
Victor
January 2, 2014 at 10:16 am
Nice Marshall stack tone.
Jack Weisberg
January 2, 2014 at 10:16 am
Cool beans- send me one.
Jamie Lepage
January 2, 2014 at 10:10 am
I want one
Nathan
January 2, 2014 at 9:59 am
Looks/sounds great!
Joseph Bugg
January 2, 2014 at 9:52 am
I would love to have a Marshall – like sound coming from my fender rig! This pedal sounds sick! I’ve got to get me one of these.
Mike Harris
January 2, 2014 at 9:44 am
I love that they’ve hidden more options under the hood rather than make the pedal bigger.
Jared
January 2, 2014 at 9:41 am
I want this!! Nice pedal!
Justin
January 2, 2014 at 9:22 am
Seems like a very legit alternative to expensive old Marshalls!
Dave
January 2, 2014 at 9:22 am
NOICE
bertram
January 2, 2014 at 9:14 am
It won’t prevent me from using Marshall amps but it might open new unexpected ways to get a great sound…
Dylan Thomas
January 2, 2014 at 9:09 am
Thank you so much for having these giveaways! I really dig this drive pedal, as well as these other Xotic pedals. I could really use any of these.
Nicosonic
January 2, 2014 at 9:05 am
I need it !
Matt R
January 2, 2014 at 9:01 am
CLASSIC CLASSIC drive tone! great compact size too!
January 2, 2014 at 8:57 am
Every Xotic pedal is a must! I’d love to have this one too.
Jeff M
January 2, 2014 at 8:53 am
Just picked up the SL drive last week, still foolin’ around with DIP switches. I run a PRS with Duncans into a Hughes & Kettner TM 36 and am having trouble getting either too little or too much bass response. Seems likely I’ll get this dialed in. Sounds more alive than my OCD did with this amp.
Seth Okrend
January 2, 2014 at 8:48 am
I’ll take this!
Peter Trott
January 2, 2014 at 8:25 am
I’d love to have this pedal. Thanks for the contest!
Dan Sidoli
January 2, 2014 at 7:58 am
I want one! I have the EP booster and could use another. Great pedals.
John
January 2, 2014 at 7:55 am
Nice. One of the nicer Marshall-in-a-box pedals I’ve heard.
Ingo Wichmann
January 2, 2014 at 7:51 am
Want some for a little overdrive on bass…
Seth
January 2, 2014 at 7:35 am
Super Lead huh? Would love a pedal that could make my perfect fender clean go to that Marshall lead sound! I’m hearing that this pedal is then one. All reviews sound awesome.
Luke Payne
January 2, 2014 at 7:32 am
Thanks for the great review. I’d love to have this pedal.
Demian Rojas
January 2, 2014 at 7:32 am
Tiny drive!!! want it on my gear!
Robert Abernathy
January 2, 2014 at 7:21 am
wow 4 internal dip switches in such a small enclosure – totally cool – I don’t have a Marshall anymore…. I’ll have to try this out
fescue
January 2, 2014 at 7:05 am
Packs a a lot of wallop in a small package.
January 2, 2014 at 7:03 am
SL Drive sounds crazy! i love how compact and fancy it is! cheers to xotic for their great work
Pete Gaeta
January 2, 2014 at 6:55 am
I’m dissatisfied with my Plextortion. Maybe this would work for me.
jesse
January 2, 2014 at 6:50 am
I love these pedals.
Brian D
January 2, 2014 at 6:47 am
This sounds like a pedal I need to try as I’m a huge fan of Hendrix,Page,Clapton and others who utilized Marshall amps to get their sound. I already own the EP Booster and BB Preamp and am very happy with the tones I can get from them. Xotic builds pedals of high quality.The SL Drive would make a nice addition to my pedalboard.
Mark Nason
January 2, 2014 at 6:39 am
One of the things I love about these Xotic pedals is the small size. They’re really good for tight spots on pedalboards.
David
January 2, 2014 at 6:29 am
I’m always looking for the truly silent bypass. It’s not that easy to find on any pedal
John
January 2, 2014 at 6:28 am
Adds some nice heat.
Brent Johnston
January 2, 2014 at 6:28 am
Looks like a great pedal with a very small footprint
MauMau
January 2, 2014 at 6:02 am
good drive pedal in a small box.
Matt S
January 2, 2014 at 5:57 am
Interesting. I have a Sansamp GT2 that I have tried in front of my amp and it has a pleasing effect, though I haven’t used it in a DI situation yet (and that’s the point of it). But it’s also a bit noisy. I would be interested in checking this out.
Dom
January 2, 2014 at 5:53 am
Im looking to upgrade all of the Boss pedals on my board. This would be a great replacement for my BD-2 🙂
Edson
January 2, 2014 at 5:51 am
This is a great pedal. Tried it at the local guitar store, very sweet. Been thinking of buying it for a while…. 🙂
/Edson
January 2, 2014 at 5:40 am
Xotic makes great sounding pedals, I’d love to hear this one in my rig.
ron
January 2, 2014 at 5:23 am
this pedal will be the closest I coming to own a tube driven marshall amp.
Dale Randall
January 2, 2014 at 5:22 am
Love Xotic pedals! This would go nicely with my BB Preamp
Alan Bunn
January 2, 2014 at 5:18 am
Super drive pedal.
Florent
January 2, 2014 at 5:18 am
Those knobs !
Michael Scar
January 2, 2014 at 5:11 am
Small enclosure – HUGE sound! The best gift for a bluesman like me 😉
Rick
January 2, 2014 at 2:07 am
Wow, these are physically narrow boxes.
luca
January 1, 2014 at 9:31 pm
it sounds so nice
don hutchko
January 1, 2014 at 8:49 pm
Solid sound. Impressive pedal
robert koch
January 1, 2014 at 7:14 pm
I like the Marshall like character
January 1, 2014 at 5:06 pm
i want this!
Cody Budd
January 1, 2014 at 4:10 pm
Awesome! I want this!
Wolfboy1
November 6, 2013 at 3:54 pm
Own it, love it! Great pedal tone, size and cost all make this an outstanding pedalboard option!
October 17, 2013 at 7:00 pm
Seems like a cool pedal, perhaps it could give me some of the Hendrix sound through my Two Rock EXO 15… although, I do have a TC Electronic Mojo Mojo Overdrive, BOSS BD-2 Keeley phat mod and a Gigs Boson…. can one have too many overdrive pedals? 🙂
Nice review!
/Edson
craig Hurst
September 27, 2013 at 10:13 am
I just bought this & it rocks!
sounds fantastic with my es-295 & my Ibanez 7-sting.
A true alround winner.
thanks for the review.Lucas Fitzpatrick
September 16, 2013 at 2:47 am
Xotic effects is a fine company.
I have the EP, SP, & BB and all perform unique professional niches you can’t do without once u try them.
I was most impressed that I didn’t hear much noise when u put the SL drive on full.
Various crunch rhythm tones seem right on.
Sustainy solos not sure.
I’d love to put it side by side with Carl Martin single channel plexitone before purchasing:-)bob
January 31, 2014 at 4:41 pm
sounds rockin to me.
spangle
December 12, 2017 at 6:43 am
Instead of the Martin pedal ,try tone stacking with the Keeley 1962.
You’ll get every special Marshall tone you ever wanted .
