The M Drive – Emerson Custom EM Drive Transparent Overdrive Clone
Another tiny board that gained a really big following, a great beginner board for overdrive and boost!
Price range: £3.50 through £4.50
| Build Docs | M-Drive – V1.0 – Build Docs |
|---|---|
| Interactive B.O.M | M-Drive – Interactive B.O.M (.zip download) |
| Schematic | M-Drive - V1.0 - Schematic |
| General Build Guide | Five Cats Pedals - General Build Guide V1.1 |
| Compares to | Emerson Custom EM-DRIVE Transparent Overdrive |
Here's a really simple, great beginner project!
The "transparent overdrive" circuit was one of those pedals that was the must have, mystical tone give a few years ago - which still commands a hefty price today.
It's been compared to a KLON and a Timmy - the original uses fancy paper in oil caps...you don't need them...don't get suckered into that hype! The board is super small and has 8 components (including the pots!!). A really nice used as a mild overdrive or just a clean boost, then crank the gain and you'll get a nice bluesy sound. You can also run it from 18V if you want more headroom and boost (just make sure your components are rated to deal with that voltage!
Controls:
- Gain
- Volume
Note: Remember to socket your transistor.
Compares to: Emerson Custom EM-DRIVE Transparent Overdrive
Additional information
| Build Docs | M-Drive – V1.0 – Build Docs |
|---|---|
| Interactive B.O.M | M-Drive – Interactive B.O.M (.zip download) |
| Schematic | M-Drive - V1.0 - Schematic |
| General Build Guide | Five Cats Pedals - General Build Guide V1.1 |
| Compares to | Emerson Custom EM-DRIVE Transparent Overdrive |










