Los Angeles-based Messiah Guitars offers handmade guitars, tube amplifiers, and pedals. The Eddie Boostdrive pedal represents more than a year of collaboration between Messiah Guitar’s Tom Hejda and Nashville-based professional guitarist Eddie Haddad.
The Eddie Boostdrive signature Overdrive pedal is a true bypass, dual mode overdrive pedal. The pedal contains two separate effects; a MOSFET booster and an overdrive circuit with two soft-clipped voicings selectable via a mode toggle switch. The first voicing utilizes a pair of silicon diode clipping for a traditional, smooth overdrive. The second position uses LED clipping for a more open, amp-like tone. A tight switch on the side serves as a high-pass filter eliminating some of the bottom end from the input signal to help you cut through the mix even further.
“I wanted to have ultimate control over the drive section with an interactive EQ. I made sure that we included 18V for more headroom, a powerful, independently operated booster, and a tight switch to help me shape my tone as much as possible. And this drive has it all.” – Eddie Haddad, guitarist
The MOSFET boost circuit is placed before the drive circuit, and its control could not be simple—it is operated by a single knob that produces tones from transparent chime to a loaded overdriven tweed amp. You can use the boost circuit as a standalone effect to liven your tone, or in conjunction with the overdrive circuit. Engaging both foot switches at the same time can send the pedal to heavy distortion, even fuzz-like, territory.
The foot switches are clearly illuminated via LED rings to let you know when each of the effects is on. The drive switch ring will change illumination color according to which mode is selected. A pair of optocouplers in the switching section isolates the LED lights to minimize the unwanted switch pop.
The pedal’s design utilizes an internal charge pump, giving you 18 volts while still being powered by a standard, center-negative 9VDC pedal supply. Using a power supply with a higher voltage will damage the internal circuitry.
The Eddie Boostdrive signature Overdrive is a premium effect pedal made of top-shelf parts that check all the boxes of what an overdrive + boost pedal should be. The pedal is the result of Eddie Haddad’s extensive real-world experience, both live and in the studio, and all the features built into it are ones that many professional guitar players would want in their toolbox.
“I wanted to have ultimate control over the drive section with an interactive EQ. I made sure that we included 18v for more headroom, a powerful, independently operated booster, and a tight switch to help me shape my tone as much as possible. And this drive has it all,” says Haddad. The drive effortlessly dials in a tone suitable for nearly any style. “It was a challenge, but we did not rush the pedal release until it was perfect. In addition to Eddie’s design choices, I have included two distinct voicings to really open up the tonal palette,” says Hejda.
The sounds generated by the Eddie Boostdrive are highly usable. And the combination of the available settings, 3-band EQ, and the tight switch, provides for an almost unlimited range of tones on tap. As a bonus, the internally supplied 18 volts generate extra-clean headroom that comes in handy, especially when running direct into an amp modeler or profiler.
The Eddie Boostdrive signature Overdrive is available for ordering on the Messiah Guitars website for $279.00. As these are true boutique pedals built one at a time in small batches, delivery timelines can vary.
For more information, check out Messiah Guitars’ website at messiahguitars.com
