LOW – HIGH GAIN Overdrive / Distortion / BOOST
If you play the pedal in front of a clean or slightly overdriven amp, you get an open overdrive and medium distortion sound. The tone remains clear, structured, and assertive.
If you want to get even more gain out of a clean amp, you can simply stack the pedals, i.e., connect them in series. This gives you a massive portion of extra gain in the setup. Important: The level controls of the individual pedals should be cleanly matched to each other so that the sound remains open, dynamic, and controllable.
Some players claim the pedal only works well in front of an already distorted amp. In reality, this is not a limitation of the pedal itself, but rather a matter of application, settings, and amp configuration.
When used in front of an already overdriven amp, the pedal reveals its second major strength, exactly the way Steve Lukather uses it. The sound becomes tighter, more focused, and more lead-oriented, with additional gain, while preserving the core character of the amp. Rather than altering the amp’s tone, the pedal integrates organically, pushing the amp further into its sweet spot.
Steve Lukather:
,I hear you EVERY night, it’s my fave Overdrive / Distortion pedal! I use them (SL-OD, SL-OD Deluxe / SL-OD DLX) in various situations, in the studio, live etc.‘
Steve Lukather has been using my pedals continuously since 2017, live and in the studio. For him, it’s his ‚Main Overdrive‘.
Reliable, full of character, and an integral part of his sound.
Background noise:
LEVEL CONTROLS – Three completely independent pedals in one enclosure
Each sound of the SL-OD DELUXE operates completely independently. To ensure perfect interaction between the sounds, the Level controls should be carefully adjusted. Setting all three channels to maximum can result in extremely high output levels and may cause the pedal to behave uncontrollably. With precisely matched level settings for each channel, the sound remains open, dynamic, and fully controllable.
Power supply 9V DC – 18V DC
The pedal can be operated with 9–18V DC.
Regardless of the supplied voltage, the internal circuitry is fully stabilized, ensuring that the core tone remains unchanged. The standard operating voltage is 9V DC, this is also how Steve Lukather uses the pedal.
Higher voltage operation is possible, but not required..
Power Supply Note:
For noise-free operation, we recommend using a well-regulated, properly shielded power supply.
Some digital power supplies, especially those with insufficient shielding, may introduce hum or high-pitched noise.
When using a multi-output power supply, the outputs should be galvanically isolated from each other.
If noise occurs, it is not generated by the pedal itself, but rather caused by an unsuitable power supply or an unfavorable combination of devices. It is possible that a power supply works perfectly with one pedal, but causes noise issues when used with another.
We recommend the following test if noise occurs: Connect the pedal directly in front of the amplifier, without connecting a guitar, and power it using a separate power supply. When switching the pedal on, only normal switching or gain-related control noises should be audible. There should be no hum and no high-pitched noise.
This test is very effective for checking the pedal independently of the rest of the signal chain.