Imperial Overdrive

10 years already and not a wrinkle. That's what you could say about the Imperial Overdrive which is, after all these years, still one of our favorites by far! Indeed, the Imperial is part of the very select club of Overdrives that you absolutely have to own as its grain is 100% original and 200% addictive.

Light case, well finished, super quality PCB and parts, everything is there for the Precision to follow you for many years. In terms of controls, we find the usual Volume, Gain and Tone (called Color) as well as a Dyn toggle switch that allows you to play on the attack. Classic, but exceptional once connected.

With Imperial, you have several options. It goes as well on a super clear channel as on a Plexi crunch way. No doubt here we are at XAct Tone Solutions, in general, the Imperial OD works on just about everything you can find. Once plugged in, Les Paul in hand, Gain at 09:00, Volume at 13:00 and Tone at 10:00, you get a beautiful light breakup! It's FAT, it sounds big, very dense, it's warm and it's overflowing with dynamics with great articulation. Even with a restrained gain level, you already have plenty of sustain and density on every note. By pushing the gain to 12:00, we get a fluid and rich drive, typical muscular Blues-Rock. With a Les Paul, a 335, it's hell. By pushing the gain all the way and raising the Color to 03:00, we move into a strong Rock register with always this extreme density and this fun, easy and flattering side. The Color knob is incredibly effective. it sweeps very very wide but remains usable over its entire course. At XTS, musicality is their passion and it shows. The frequencies are perfectly chosen, it sounds amp-like and not pedal, with a lot of presence and body to flow naturally through the mix.

The XAct Tone Solutions Imperial Overdrive is a one-of-a-kind pedal. You can tweak it absolutely any way, it will still sound much better than many other pedals. Fabulous grain, superb dynamics, it's a must have that every serious guitarist should own!