Airis Savage Drive Rev 1

August 03, 2016 / Rithiya Khiev

Build Quality:

So here we have is the Savage Overdrive version 1.0 made by Airis Effects, and I must say it really is geared to go up to 11! Build quality is excellent especially the power connector for the 9 volt AC adapter, It also features a nice clear coat covering the whole pedal which really adds to its boutique flare. Airis Effects also uses custom circuit boards to keep connections point to point but also as short as possible for signal optimization. You can tell the construction for this pedal has been meticulously thought out which is always a plus for any gigging musician.

Tonal Qualities:

The output on this pedal is somewhat ridiculous in a good way! The Savage Drive almost acts more like a pre EQ’d clean boost with a bit of grit and has an enormous amount of output. The tone knob really accentuates pick articulation even when set to a moderate amount giving the player more head room when tweaking, but however I did noticed that the Savage OD gets extremely noisy when the tone knob is set too high. In a way that also makes it flexible enough if playing through a darker amp i.e. a Marshall or a Mesa Boogie Roadster. Pretty much any amp with that “rubber tone” characteristic. The Tightness you achieve with this pedal is unbelievable. It eliminates any "flubbiness" on the low-end and adds a wonderful texture to the gain stage.

Conclusion:

I really enjoyed having this pedal in my signal chain overall. In a live setting it really cuts through well, and really controls the low end at high volumes. It can add a bit of noise but don’t be afraid to dial it back past 12 o clock, it just has that much head room. All in all I give this pedal a rating of