Keeley Red Dirt Germanium Overdrive

Keeley ‘s latest mod to the venerable platform has everyone grinning here at the shop. The new mod happened as a result of them trying to be a touch lazy. Or let’s say, they were trying to find a short cut and struck gold.

In modifying the circuit the makers came across a way to have variable gain on different parts of the frequency response. The rather small change isn’t ground breaking, but I’ve never seen it done this way in a tube screamer type of circuit.

The resulting sound is exceptional. It sounds 3D. It’s more of everything. It in fact cleans up really nicely with the volume control even though it has plenty more gain on tap. It makes a stock screamer sound very flat and one dimensional. By allowing differing gain rates for the bass response, the bass stays tight and forceful. The mid range and highs are soaked in sustain and saturation. The balance is exceptional.

Keeley Red Dirt Germanium demo video