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Chandler Tube Driver and BK Butler Real Tube

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  • Chandler Tube Driver and BK Butler Real Tube

    I have a rack mount Chandler Tube Driver and a BK Butler Real Tube pedal coming my way. Does anyone here have experience or own these units? I have a BK Butler Blue Tube that I have altered to use an octal preamp tube and installed a 6SL7 tube. I had to cut a hole in the side of the chassis to accommodate the larger tube. Here is a photo of the modded Blue Tube below.
    Who can tell me about their experiences with aforementioned units?

  • #2
    Re: Chandler Tube Driver and BK Butler Real Tube

    My brother used to have both, and they really don't sound all that similar. The Tube Driver sounds like a really loud OD pedal with a decent EQ, whereas the Real Tube sounds more like a Boss DS-1. Of the two we both thought the Tube Driver sounded better, but he sold both since they weren't really worth the trouble.
    Originally posted by crusty philtrum
    And that's probably because most people with electric guitars seem more interested in their own performance rather than the effect on the listener ... in fact i don't think many people who own electric guitars even give a poop about the effect on a listener. Which is why many people play electric guitars but very very few of them are actually musicians.

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    • #3
      Re: Chandler Tube Driver and BK Butler Real Tube

      Way back in the day a chandler tube driver was my main OD pedal. (one of the 3 knobbed versions) At the time I loved it, sounded better than the DOD or Boss Pedals that were common in my area at the time. When it died i started to look for a replacement and the guy at the music store let me take a Real Tube tube drives home and to band practice over night and it just didnt cut it. It was fuzzier and less dynamic than my 3 knobbed one and I just didnt dig it. I wound up using 2 TS9's for my overdrive and solo boost work. Funny enough this was actually the push that sent me from using my Marshall JMP to buying a JCM900 4100. Fast forward to last year and I see BK butler is making the Tube drivers again. A 4 knobbed version this time. So for nostalgias sake I pick one up hoping to get back that tone... and... well maybe my tastes have changed its a good pedal but it just doesnt blow my skirt up like i hoped it would.
      "It keeps you fit - the alcohol, nasty women, sweat on stage, bad food - it's all very good for you." -Bon Scott

      "Let me put it this way: the 5150 will treat
      you better than any girlfriend, because it screams louder, it's easier to pick up, and it shuts up when you take your plug out." -Rip Glitter

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      • #4
        Re: Chandler Tube Driver and BK Butler Real Tube

        I have one like in the pic, but without the tube sticking out the side.

        I thought it was kinda average. I put a 12AU7 in it and that improved it, but i can hear the restrictions of the circuitry, it doesn't sound natural. I was gonna do more work on it, but somehow that's never happened yet.
        Lumbering dinosaur (what's a master volume control?)

        STALKER NO STALKING !

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        • #5
          Re: Chandler Tube Driver and BK Butler Real Tube

          I have the gray and yellow version of your Blue Tube, the Real Tube 901. I also switched out the 12AX7 for a 12AU7. This lowers the gain, and cleans up the pedal a little bit. What it did for me was give me a wider sweep of the GAIN knob. It will still get really distorted at the top of the sweep, but there's more variation in the lower range of the knob. I like the sound of the pedal; I typically don't care for SS dirt boxes--they can get all noisy and hashy, and this sounds closer to a tube amp distortion. It was great with my Fender 75 and the Marshall JCM800, but I haven't used it much with the Mesa amps--simply don't need to with the great distortion tones from these amps.

          I know some people swear by the four-knob Tube Driver, like Eric Johnson.

          Going to be fun; let us know how they work out.

          Bill
          When you've had budget guitars for a number of years, you may find that your old instrument is holding you back. A quality guitar can inspire you to write great songs, improve your understanding of the Gdim chord while in the Lydian Mode, cure the heartbreak of cystic acne--and help you find true love in the process.

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          • #6
            Re: Chandler Tube Driver and BK Butler Real Tube

            I am not getting any reply about the Chandler Tube Driver. I am getting the Real Tube and another Blue Tube which are both on the way. With the Real Tube deal I am getting a pair of Rocktron Silver Dragon tube pedals. These are real high gain pedals and I am going to find a way to slow them down a little with a 12AU7 change and whatever else. Anyone have any experience with the Rocktron Silver Dragon pedals?

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