Electro-Harmonix East River Drive

Classic TS-style JRC4558-based overdrive

By Phil O'Keefe


There's no doubt about it - the TS-series of pedals has been one of the most popular and influential series of overdrive pedals ever made, with numerous models based on the original being released by scores of companies. These little green wonders (and the pedals influenced by them) are known for their midrange boost that helps them cut through a busy band mix; their symmetrical overdrive circuits use diodes for clipping and many use the famous JRC4558D dual op amp chip, although other chips were sometimes used. The sound of a TS is not as overbearing as some other dirt pedals; they're known for being very touch-sensitive and for allowing the underlying tone of your guitar to remain intact. 

In yet another killer new dirt pedal release, Electro-Harmonix has introduced their version of this classic overdrive circuit. It's called the "East River Drive."

What You Need To Know

• Designed in consultation with TS expert "Analog Mike" Piera from Analogman Effects and built in the USA, the EHX East River Drive is based on the early 808 version of the classic TS overdrive, and remains true to the original circuit.

• Unlike some budget-friendly pedals, there's no plastic here - the case is a compact die-cast metal enclosure that measures approximately 4 5/16" long x 2 1/2" wide x 2" high, including the knobs, jacks and switches.

• High-quality parts are used throughout the pedal.

• The switching is true-bypass. A green (what else?) LED indicates when the pedal is active.

• The input and output jacks are side mounted. The input jack has a switch that disconnects the battery, so if you use a battery to power the pedal, to prevent it from being drained prematurely, always disconnect the cable from the input jack when you're not using it.

• There are no internal trim pots or switches, and all controls are located externally. They consist of the usual Drive, Level and Tone controls that are typically found on an 808 or clone. For more dirt, turn up the Drive knob. Level controls the overall output level, and can be used to achieve greater than unity gain boosts.

• Power can be supplied from either an external 9V DC power supply (not included) via a industry-standard center-negative 2.1mm barrel connector, or from a 9V battery. The power adapter input jack is located at the top of the pedal. The battery can be accessed by removing the bottom plate of the pedal. I was surprised when I first unplugged the East River Drive from my power supply, only to see the LED still glowing - yup, EHX thoughtfully includes a 9V battery pre-installed in the pedal so you can start rocking the moment you unpack it.

• The most common ways to use an 808-style overdrive is to add grit and dirt to a clean amp, or to dial it up as either a semi-clean or dirty boost to slam the input of a tube amp harder, with the amp set to the edge of breakup and the pedal kicking it over the edge and into full-on distortion. I tested the East River Drive with both approaches, and it did pretty much exactly what I expected in both cases, and sounded great in the process.

• Subjectively, I felt there was a bit less midrange boost than some other TS-type pedals, and a little bit more fullness in the lows. It still has the classic EQ curve that you'd expect - just not quite as extreme as some other pedals that may be more loosely based on the originals. 

• I also tried stacking the East River Drive with various other EHX and third-party dirt pedals, and as expected, it performs well - both when pushing other pedals, as well as when being pushed by them. I particularly liked it with the EHX Soul Food; with the Soul Food slamming the input of the East River Drive, you can get much beefier and more aggressive tones than either pedal can provide alone. It also delivered the goods when used to drive the input of a EHX Glove harder - stay tuned for HC's upcoming review of that pedal.

• The East River Drive carries the usual Electro-Harmonix one-year warranty.

• The "street" price is about as musician-friendly as you could want for a pedal of this type, which may lead you to believe that shortcuts were taken. However, while it's priced low enough to be attractive to entry-level players and cash-strapped pros alike, the low price wasn't achieved by skimping on tonal or build quality.

Limitations

• It's an 808-style overdrive, with the usual caveats that go along with that design. If you prefer a pedal with full-bandwidth response, as opposed to a midrange boost and slightly restrained lows, then the East River Drive, like all other TS-type pedals, probably isn't for you.

Conclusions

Yes, I can hear some readers from here… "yet another TS-style overdrive. Yawn." Okay, I get it - the circuit has been used in countless pedals, and has served as the primary inspiration for numerous others, but it's a classic for a reason, and with the EHX East River Drive, you get a very competent TS-style overdrive in a die-cast metal case, with true-bypass switching and the tone-aficionado approved JRC4558 dual op amp at a price that is much lower than what many other TS clones go for.

You can spend a lot more for a TS-type overdrive, but you don't have to in order to get a cool sounding pedal with all the essential features. The East River Drive has the sound… without the boutique price tag. Nearly every guitarist should have a 808-style overdrive in their gear collection - now they can get one at a price that won't break the bank. Kudos to Mike Matthews and the folks at Electro-Harmonix for bringing solid musical tools like this to the masses at such great prices!


Resources

Musician's Friend EHX East River Drive online catalog page ($77.38 MSRP, $58.04 "street")
 
Electro-Harmonix East River Drive product web page

Phil O'Keefe is a multi-instrumentalist, recording engineer / producer and the Senior Editor of Harmony Central. He has engineered, produced and performed on countless recording sessions in a diverse range of styles, with artists such as Alien Ant Farm, Jules Day, Voodoo Glow Skulls, John McGill, Michael Knott and Alexa's Wish. He is a former featured monthly columnist for EQ magazine, and his articles and product reviews have also appeared in Keyboard, Electronic Musician and Guitar Player magazines.