Supro 1305 Overdrive

An overdrive designed as a miniaturized Supro amplifier

The Supro 1305 Drive does not merely aim to "imitate saturation": it targets the full behavior of a Supro Class A amp, right down to what makes much of its signature sound-the power stage and the coloration from old-school transformers. Designed by engineer Thomas Elliot, this overdrive emphasizes the feel of a working amplifier, with natural compression and very organic dynamics.

For which guitarists and styles?

The 1305 is aimed at guitarists who want an overdrive pedal with an "amp-like" feel, capable of moving from a slight crunch to a thicker saturation without losing playing nuance. It excels in blues, classic rock, indie, pop rock, and all genres where an expressive overdrive is sought-one that responds to the pick and cleans up well with the guitar's volume control. In both studio and live settings, it naturally serves as the main drive, as a colored boost in front of an already crunchy amp, or as a complement to a second gain stage.

Controls, modes, and strengths in use

The Supro 1305 keeps it simple with a trio of controls: Volume, Gain, and Tone, complemented by the RICH/BOLD switch. In BOLD mode, expect more headroom, more punch, and a firmer attack-ideal for pushing a clean channel. In RICH mode, saturation comes on faster with a more compressed and generous feel, perfect for thick riffs and singing leads. The real advantage is the TRS input for an expression pedal: you set the maximum gain on the front potentiometer and the minimum gain via an internal trimmer, turning the pedal into a foot-controllable drive to switch from crunch to lead without touching the pedalboard.

The sound

The 1305 offers a clearly amp-voiced tone: a dense yet lively saturation, with that "heating iron" impression and natural compression associated with Class A circuits and vintage transformers. Dynamics are a strong point: it finely responds to pick attack, the pickup used, and the guitar's volume knob, while maintaining a strong presence in the mix. Regarding inspirations and real-world use, it appears on pedalboards of guitarists with very different approaches such as Paul Gilbert, Pete Thorn, KT Tunstall, Ariel Posen, and Carmen Vandenberg, proving its versatility between punchy rhythm, characterful crunch, and expressive lead.

Technical specifications

Effects	Overdrive	Type	sector
Technology	Analog	Use	electric guitar
Format	Pedal	Color	Blue
EQ	Tone

Potentiometers	Volume, Gain, Tone	Dimensions	8 x 8 x 12.5 cm
Switch	RICH/BOLD (transformer winding options)	Weight	0.5 kg
Internal trimmer	minimum gain adjustment for use with expression pedal	Consumption	less than 20 mA
Power	2.1mm connector, center-negative polarity	Required voltage	9V to 18V DC (optional adapter)
Enclosure	brushed anodized aluminum