They say that two heads are better than one. We don’t always know about that, but perhaps it could be true when it comes to overdrive. So let’s help you achieve some exception overdrive sounds with the best dual overdrive pedals to buy now.
Quick answer: there are many to choose from, but if we were to select one then the Keeley D&M Drive Dual Drive Boost Pedal would be great for someone looking for a boutique overdrive pedal that sounds amazing no matter the settings. It’s also the most popular option in this list so far.
Considering that normally no two guitar pedals are created the same, you may want to also take a look at some of the others we selected below. If there’s something in particular you want, whether bypass, vintage booster, onboard EQ, or MIDI connection, there’s an option for you in one the options in this guide.
Music Production Nerds is supported by readers like you! If you buy something through our affiliate links, we may earn a small commission at no expense to you.
Top 9 Best Dual Overdrive Pedals
-
Keeley D&M Drive Dual Drive Boost Pedal
-
Strymon Sunset Dual Overdrive Pedal
-
Electro-Harmonix Hot Wax Dual Overdrive Pedal
-
Truetone V3 VS-XO Dual Overdrive Pedal
-
JHS Double Barrel V4
-
Wampler Paisley Drive Deluxe Overdrive Pedal
-
Friedman BE-OD Deluxe Dual Overdrive Pedal
-
JHS Sweet Tea V3 2-in-1 Dual Overdrive Pedal
-
Jackson Audio Asabi Mateus Asato Signature
Best Dual Overdrive Pedals Reviews
Keeley D&M Drive Dual Drive Boost Pedal
Pros
- Switchable FX order
- Overdrive and boost
- Independent controls for each channel
Cons
- The way nine-volt power input is positioned could make the use of some types of connectors awkward
See price @ Amazon / @ Sweetwater
Best features and specs
Keeley D&M is a hand-made overdrive pedal with an additional boost channel. Both overdrive and boost channels are independently controlled, so you can have everything starting from a creamy boutique overdrive to full-on distortion, with the addition of either a very clean or a dirty boost with everything in between.
User impressions
Users are quite impressed with Keeley D&M Drive Dual Drive Boost Pedal as it covers the entire range of gain from bluesy up to pure rock and roll. Users like that boost side gives a really great “pushed” sound that fattens things up marvelously without adding too much color. Also, when the Dan side is jacked up, you get a really gritty sound with a surprising range of tones.
What we think
We believe that the most impressive feature of the Keeley D&M is the ability to switch the order of effects or even use them separately. You can engage the booster before or after the distortion, or you can use just a booster with as much flavor as you would like considering how flexible the adjustments are.
Bottomline
Keeley D&M Drive Dual Drive Boost Pedal is a great choice for someone who is looking for a boutique overdrive pedal with a separate booster channel and very flexible controls. As you would expect from a hand-made pedal of that particular price range, it sounds exceptionally amazing no matter what settings you would dial-in.
Strymon Sunset Dual Overdrive Pedal
Pros
- DSP algorithm
- Emulation of 6 different overdrive circuits
Cons
- Options can be overwhelming
See price @ Amazon / @ Sweetwater
Best features and specs
Strymon Sunset is a dual overdrive pedal that recreates 6 of the most iconic overdrive circuits using its own DSP algorithms. Strymon is widely-known and respected for their modulation and spatial processing, so if you’re a fan of those particular effects, you’d be glad to know that the same quality translates to their overdrives also.
User impressions
Users like Strymon Sunset Dual Overdrive Pedal because of a lot of features that this little beast has and noticeable red color. Users add that this pedal has endless sonic possibilities and gives the tones that you have always dreamt of.
What we think
If you’re one of those people who still have doubts about digital sound, Strymon Sunset will most definitely change your mind. Moreover, the consistency with which you’ll get results of the highest quality possible is amazing.
Bottomline
Strymon Sunset Dual Overdrive Pedal is a great choice for someone who is looking for a digital overdrive pedal with 6 different types of classic overdrive. It is also extremely versatile, considering that you can stack up overdrives and boosters in any order you like or use them separately.
Electro-Harmonix Hot Wax Dual Overdrive Pedal
Pros
- Rather inexpensive
Cons
- Buffered Bypass
See price @ Amazon / @ Sweetwater
Best features and specs
Electro-Harmonix Hot Wax Dual Overdrive Pedal combines two of the most iconic EHX pedals in one. In the booster section, you have their aggressive and flexible Crayon and in the overdrive, you’ll find a rich and thick Hot Tubes pedal. And it’s needless to say that both can be used separately or in conjunction.
User impressions
Users say that Electro-Harmonix Hot Wax Dual Overdrive Pedal is a flexible and great-sounding pedal. Users also like that this pedal works well with the bass, not only electric guitar.
What we think
The thing about EHX pedals is that guitar players either love them or hate them passionately. It may be because each and every pedal has its own signature and highly distinguishable sound, which cannot be mistaken with anything else.
Bottomline
Electro-Harmonix Hot Wax Dual Overdrive Pedal is a great choice for someone who is looking for an overdrive pedal with a very distinguishable and recognizable sound of very high quality. Note that this pedal has a Buffered Bypass, which, if you prefer True Bypass, is definitely something to get used to.
Truetone V3 VS-XO Dual Overdrive Pedal
Pros
- Premium sound quality
- Exceptional flexibility
Cons
- Manual can be more detailed about how to use this pedal properly
See price @ Amazon / @ Sweetwater
Best features and specs
Truetone V3 VS-XO Dual Overdrive Pedal offers you almost infinite tone-shaping on top of a premium sound quality. And all of that comes at a fairly reasonable price. You can tweak both channels as much as you like and change the order of FX. And we’re fairly certain that you enjoy it if you like to tweak things thoroughly.
User impressions
Users like Truetone V3 VS-XO Dual Overdrive Pedal for being very versatile and musical. It lets you to customize the tone easily. Users note that this pedal sounds, plays, feels like a tube amp.
What we think
We never thought that we come across a pedal that would require us to read a manual. It’s not that the controls are complex, it’s just that they’re not labeled very intuitively. But on the bright side, once you figure what each button does, you’d mesmerized by the possibilities.
Bottomline
Truetone V3 VS-XO Dual Overdrive Pedal is a great choice for someone who is looking for a high-end boutique overdrive pedal with an exceptional sound and even more exceptional flexibility. Considering how this pedal looks and sounds, it’s rather surprising how reasonably it’s priced for a boutique pedal.
JHS Double Barrel V4
Pros
- 2 signature JHS effects in one
Cons
- Might produce a lot of unwanted noise
See price @ Amazon / @ Sweetwater
Best features and specs
JHS Double Barrel V4 offers you 2 of the most popular JHS drive circuits in one package. Morning Glory offers you a very transparent boost and Moonshine gives you very thick and glassy distortion with the emphasis on the mid-range. And, of course, the order of FX is interchangeable.
User impressions
Users agree that JHS Double Barrel V4 is an absolutely incredible pedal as it gives breath and marvelous harmonics to your tone and is amazingly versatile.
What we think
JHS doesn’t advertise this much, but the Moonshine circuitry is actually based on a certain vintage overdrive pedal. We couldn’t tell you which exact pedal that is, but it’s green and Japanese. So if you’ve always wanted to get your hands on one, JHS Double Barrel V4 provides a perfect opportunity.
Bottomline
JHS Double Barrel V4 is a great choice for someone who is looking for a boutique overdrive pedal with a very transparent booster and vintage overdrive with an emphasis on mid-range. Note that you may need to put an additional noise gate if you plan to use this pedal on live performances.
Wampler Paisley Drive Deluxe Overdrive Pedal
Pros
- Full 3 band EQ
- Signature Brad Paisley sound
Cons
- None that we know of
See price @ Amazon / @ Sweetwater
Best features and specs
Wampler Paisley Drive Deluxe is a signature overdrive pedal of country legend Brad Paisley. One channel features overdrive circuitry made in collaboration with him and the other recreates a classic Underdog Overdrive pedal, which used to be Brad’s favorite stompbox.
User impressions
Users are quite impressed with Wampler Paisley Drive Deluxe Overdrive Pedal for the exceptional build quality, being versatile and generally making it easy to extract great tone. Users add that they really find to like an Underdog channel as it represents the round overdrive sound that the majority was searching for quite some time.
What we think
If you’re into softer types of music, you probably know what significance Underdog Overdrive carried. But since it’s been discontinued, it’s very hard to find one, especially in new condition. So it’s really encouraging that Wampler decided to give it another iteration.
Bottomline
Wampler Paisley Drive Deluxe Overdrive Pedal is a great choice for someone who is looking for a boutique overdrive pedal, especially suitable for softer types of music. This pedal also gives you a lot of flexibility with its 3 band EQ, very thorough overdrive controls, and switchable effect order.
Friedman BE-OD Deluxe Dual Overdrive Pedal
Pros
- Classic British tube overdrive
- 3 band EQ
Cons
- It’s large, which might not be suitable for some pedalboards
- Complicated for beginners
See price @ Amazon / @ Sweetwater
Best features and specs
The original Friedman BE-OD was such a success that they’ve decided to make a 2 channel version of this pedal. Both channels have a very distinguishable British tube overdrive amp sound, but the second one offers you more mid-range control.
User impressions
Users like Friedman BE-OD Deluxe Dual Overdrive Pedal for being insanely powerful and having a lot of gain on tap. Users love the 3-way tight switch feature as it makes it easy to dial in new sounds without losing the old ones. The few downsides that users point out are that it’s a bit large for some pedalboards and it’s a much better fit for experienced guitarists.
What we think
What we found interesting about Friedman BE-OD is that there’s a switch that makes the sound significantly tighter. This simple switch can make your very loose Britsih overdrive sound way more modern, which is great news for all of the metalheads out there.
Bottomline
Friedman BE-OD Deluxe Dual Overdrive Pedal is a great choice for someone who is looking for a classic British tube amp overdrive with even greater flexibility than such an amp could provide. Be warned, though, it’s a fairly large pedal, so you’ll need to adjust your pedalboard accordingly. And controls might be a bit overwhelming if you’re not used to thorough and precise tweaking.
JHS Sweet Tea V3 2-in-1 Dual Overdrive Pedal
Pros
- 2 signature JHS effects in one
Cons
- Battery operation not supported
See price @ Amazon / @ Sweetwater
Best features and specs
As the previous JHS entry on this list, this one also offers you their signature Moonshine Overdrive circuitry, but this time with the addition of recreation of another classic overdrive. The second channel offers you a vintage JCM800 tube amp overdrive with thick mids and balanced highs.
User impressions
Users say that JHS Sweet Tea V3 2-in-1 Dual Overdrive Pedal is a great all-around pedal that might sound like an amp. You can very easily and quickly adjust and tweak controls to get the desired tone.
What we think
Remember that green Japanese pedal that we’ve mentioned before? It’s believed that it was at its true potential while plugged into Marshal JCM800. And JHS Sweet Tea V3 2-in-1 gives you exactly that opportunity but without the need for an actual amp, which is priceless in our book.
Bottomline
JHS Sweet Tea V3 2-in-1 Dual Overdrive Pedal is a great choice for someone who is looking for a classic Japanese mid-range based overdrive combined with a sound of a classic tube amplifier. The only downside is that it doesn’t run on batteries, so you have to make sure that you have a proper power supply.
Jackson Audio Asabi Mateus Asato Signature
Pros
- Compact body
- MIDI input
Cons
- Slight switching lag
See price @ Amazon / @ Sweetwater
Best features and specs
If you’re a passionate fan of Rapid Fire fast and highly competitive guitar playing, you know who Mateus Asato is and exactly what he does. This is his signature pedal that offers you both overdrive and distortion, characterized by exceptional clarity and precision.
User impressions
Users like Jackson Audio Asabi Mateus Asato Signature for having a massive amount of tones and feature analog distortion plugins. Users say that the resulting tone is very open, crisp and is so fun to play with. Also, you can find to your liking from 80’s hard rock to modern high gain tones.
What we think
We love ourselves some over-the-top machine guitar chops and it’s nice to know that there’s a pedal designed specifically with that kind of playing in mind. It’s not that you can’t achieve this type of clarity with other pedals, it’s just significantly easier and more convenient with this one.
Bottomline
Jackson Audio Asabi Mateus Asato Signature is a great choice for someone who is looking for a high-performance pedal that offers you both overdrive and distortion and provides you with great flexibility of tone. It also has MIDI input and if you got tired of the sound that this pedal offers you, you can easily swap the circuitry with Jackson signature analog plugins.
Dual Overdrive Pedals Buying Guide
Before we dive into our guide, there’s one very important question we have to discuss first. Considering that every decent guitar amplifier is capable of producing distortion one or the other way, do you even need it in the form of a pedal?
Generally speaking, no, you really don’t, especially if you already own a decent tube amp, but it’s not that simple. Overdrive guitar pedals are crucial to have if you gig a lot since you have no way of knowing what particular amplifier waits for you at the next venue.
So it’s safe to say that overdrive guitar pedals, first and foremost, will provide you with consistency when it comes to your own signature sound without any penalty to your mobility.
Reason to get an overdrive pedal
Now that we’ve established that overdrive pedals are something that might be of great benefit to you, it’s time to dig a little bit deeper into the reasons why we’ve chosen these particular pedals.
Sound
While compiling our list of the best dual overdrive pedals, we’ve decided to almost exclusively focus our attention on the sound. So each and every pedal on this list will give you the most beautiful distortion you can imagine. But since we’re talking about overdrive pedals with two separate channels, be prepared to squeeze some additional space on your pedalboard.
