Artec CDV-1 Cooldrive

(Originally written by cachalotblanc/translated from Audiofanzine FR)
Vintage tube overdrive pedal.

Connections: in and out

9-volt battery or external PSU operation.

UTILIZATION

Excellent finish with metal housing. Compact, sturdy and light pedal.

Easy to use (it's an overdrive so you'll only need one minute to find satisfying settings!! )

SOUND QUALITY

I already owned the Blues Overdrive (I wrote a positive review here) which prompted me to buy additional products of this brand.

It's terrific!! It will blow you away!!

The sound is warm and thick and the controls are ultra effective. You can get a ZZTop sound or a typical heavy metal sound as if you had a high-gain tube amp.

It's the ultimate tube overdrive for every application regardless of the settings...

Excellent!!



OVERALL OPINION

I just bought it and I tried it out with a Stratocaster, a Telecaster and a Les Paul copy plugged into an all-tube '73 Fender Pro Reverb.

As a booster or an overdrive it gives you an additional amp channel. The combination with a tube amp is awesome. No noise and true bypass (very important!! )

Considering that this pedal provides a typical tube overdrive sound, it doesn't sound transparent...

What about the value for money??? I haven't found anything better!!

I'm a fan of this brand when it comes to distortion and overdrive.

I would definitely buy it again.

A good analog distortion, robust housing and very pleasant
though not beefy knobs plasticky, efficient bypass

USE

Step setup
simply manipulate the pedal a few minutes to grasp the full potential and understand rglages PRE POST

SOUND QUALITY

The rendering is bloeuffant with a Strato, a tl or even a les paul.
I even tested with low to push further the test, the new step.
a is not the first use, but without going bad.
so I was pleasantly surprised, it is the dynamics of an amp lamps we find
artec mistaken on this. full volume on Crunchys sounds, even a adclenche
super lightweight warm tremolo gives the impression to touch the sublime.

its more than convincing in all registers blues / rock and even folk for clear but electric sounds.

the price quality ratio is total, the case is beautiful, well built and sturdy.
you can do anything with, warm clean sound the limit of the beefy crunch distortion for challenging in ACDC records and big sounds. Hendrix, SRV P. chubby and its largely the ropes of this marvel of distortion. at the size of the case is a bit bigger than the Boss size but still small enough to not take up too much of a pedalboard.

NOTICE GLOBAL

Used for several months, I love everything about this distortion.
what I like least looking good, is not to have, unwanted with a 9V battery.
it holds out for several weeks in intensive game. I noticed that my old 9v battery but not completely discharges too nazes other matriels pass this distortion, without any loss of or remark. a way to finish the HS cells, of course home, on stage or avoid repet. I'm all fawns feed it with a power brick Artec also. the pb is solved. with the experience I'm glad I made this reference not too known but who wins really becoming. go there with eyes closed, it's 100% ok. the kind of pedal that makes you want to buy four or five, just by what you feel to have found THE rre pearl. A blow sr, this is for me a sre value I keep very long. I plan TWIN home Artec that if it is as good must be worth the detour.

for now it is not too much OCCAZ but ds that will be the case I throw at me, just to get at least two Cool Drive in stock and not knowing whether the brand will last.

See notice below

USE

See notice below

SOUND QUALITY

Pedal off in terms of dynamic standards and grain
2 shape allows many rglages

The amricain up sound, lights, even if there is no
bleuff completely!
It can make a metal sound like a grind!

https://www.sendspace.com/file/qqt2p3

Pedal branch in the return of the dc ceriatone 30, cross gain and shape mode v
in boost, a bad monkey, all 12 knobs except zero gain

On a good clear sound with a reactivates qua without problem you get there
In my case, a DC 30 ceriatone (EL84 power)
I would push to try on a harley benton GA15 to satisfy any scholarships

NOTICE GLOBAL

A killer, sold a price dfiant concurence!
The black mr mojo is not better, it is the same thing
your wallet

Model "custom" from Artec.
Supposed to reproduce the classic overdrive of a tube amp vintage ...
True Bypass.
Manufacturing Box and brawny apart plastoc trapping stack.
Beware the power supply connector is reversed (center +) compared to most pedals on the market.
On paper this is a very good quality / price ratio.

UTILIZATION

Button level for output level, a Gain knob.
Preshape a knob for gain and tone before PostShape to gain after the tone.
A foot switch on / bypass.

It leaves everything to noon beginning to get an idea, then turns and ... hmm weird sound is still thin.
I try to find the "sweet spot" with the 2 tone controls, not obvious at all. There are many differences, but the grain noise produced by this pedal is not famous.

SOUND QUALITY

But where are the bass???
This is the first thing that shocked. I'm turning the tone knobs in every sense, this pedal clips low whatever happens.
Else, even putting the "Level" maximum output level is slightly lower output level directly taken from the instrument, anything, suddenly we can not even get serve as a boost. I tested with different batteries and same result ...
It generates a lot of noise, even at low gain.
To finish it off, the overdrive product is really disgusting, I do not see what song I could exploit this thing sounds provided by: skinny, sharp, dirty, noisy. A mixture with a simulation of distortion pedals early years of digital consumer and 90 FM radio that can leave between 2 stations.

OVERALL OPINION

To read the two opinions above, I wonder if my pedal is not part of another series or simply HS.
I tested out different combos and it's still unusable.
She will break the legs until the end because we must invest more in a polarity inverter for connecting AC power.
The effect is similar to the sound of a trumpet, but low output level.
I do not know what is its utility, a kind of "treble booster" or rather yucky bass filter.