Another Zendrive post

[WannaBe83]

Scored a mint used Zendrive (original version, not the tube one) off the 'bay, got it in yesterday. Did NOT bond with it immediately. Seemed too compressed almost, and the chirpiness of it seemed to make my ears tired. I'm used to playing old Marshally style amps pushed a little bit, so the Zen in front of a clean '69 Twin felt very foreign.

Messed w/ it for an hour, then went to bed thinking I might sell it, but messed around with it a little more this morning, and changed my mind completely. I stepped on it and immediately dug how it sounded/felt. Weird. This might sound strange, but it reminds me of a smoother sounding, lower gain version of a BK butler tube driver. Am I crazy, or does anyone else hear/feel this? It has a lot of different "voices" and that may be why I had to monkey with it a bit before I felt everything line up just right.

[jacstraw84]

It's definitely very smooth sounding. I had been using a tubescreamer for a while and definitely dig the zendrive more. Not as in your face.

[WarrenZ]

The Zendrive doesn't sound its best through all amps. Mine sounds average through a Trademark 60 solid state amp where a Maxon OD808 sounds great. However the Zen sounds killer in front of a old Marshall and the OD808 sounds best used as a booster. Go figure.