1981 Inventions DRV

The DRV is a highly nuanced preamp/distortion pedal designed in collaboration with Jon Ashley of Bondi Effects. Through 4 years of abandoned prototypes and circuit tweaking, 1981 feel that they have emerged with something really special here. 1981's Owner, Matthew Hoopes wanted the DRV to be an extension of himself and what he personally needed from a distortion pedal. It is vintage minded in sound and concept. There is a wide variety of sounds that can be found from tweaking three highly interactive knobs.

The pedal has a Clear and harmonic-rich warmth with guitar specific midrange, which brings a lot of clarity to almost any instrument. Matthew is most proud of the lower gain sections of the pedal, where preamp meets distortion. The DRV has a unique dynamic range and sensitivity, where instead of going clean to slightly overdriven, it goes from clean to slightly distorted. He also loves the thick and yet clear fuzz sounds that you’ll find in the high gain settings.

Matthew Hoopes talks about the inspiration behind the pedal:

"The DRV has a uniquely designed steel enclosure made with quality components throughout. My goal was to spare no expense. I realize that sometimes in the world of guitar gear, there isn’t always one answer in choosing the best components and designs, so I just picked my favorites. This includes Switchcraft 11 open frame jacks, and a super quiet soft touch switching system via an internal relay.

I have been working on this project for the better part of three years, as a collaboration and with engineering by Jon Ashley of Bondi Effects. I feel that the pedal is unique in design and sonically unlike anything I have ever heard, especially in the lower gain and boost settings. There is a subtlety that feels more like a vintage pedal than a modification of a classic. There are two circuits present in the pedal, one distortion and one preamp boost, running at 18v via an internal voltage regulator. I made this pedal with the idea to create a distinction for my own sound, and what I found is that it is an extremely useful tool for capturing a lot of different types of sounds. I am most proud of the lower gain side, as I feel it is the most unique section of the pedal, but I must also include that the gain section is extremely sweet sounding throughout, especially for heavy and complex chords. There is a midrange punch that I love and a warmth and thickness that reminds me a bit of a ribbon mic. When the development of this pedal turned into something new and unique, it became the catalyst to starting 1981 Inventions, so I decided to make this the first official release."

Built and wired in the USA. Vintage style through-hole components on the PCB. The DRV features off-board jacks and power enclosed in a uniquely subtle folded steel box. Each unit thus far is personally tested and hand numbered.