QUESTION: WHAT DO YOU give a guitar player who wants to reproduce the lead sound you get from playing at high volume through a valve amplifier? Answer: a valve! At least, that's what the manufacturers of this device would say.

Funny - there's a great deal of high technology being used these days in an attempt to copy that low-tech sound, and it's refreshing to see an appropriately simple, low-tech solution. At least, I think it's simple, but as the casing of the "Real Tube" is riveted together it's hard to be sure - maybe it's crammed full of chips, but with the heat generated by the valve, they'd probably be, er, fried chips!

Munchies aside, the casing is solid and sturdy, with a button-type switch that responds nicely to the merest dab from a passing foot. There are two LEDs - one to tell you the thing's plugged into the mains, the other to indicate that the overdrive is switched on. And there are five controls: overall level, drive (distortion), and three tone shapers - from left to right, hi, mid and low, which seems rather left-handed to me. The pots are smooth, and you get the impression the whole thing has been well built.

The test amp used was a trusty little Roland Cube - fine when used clean, but an amp that could certainly use a bit of help in achieving a convincing overdrive. An ideal candidate, in other words, for the "Real Tube" treatment. Here we go, then. Tone controls centred, drive up to eight - good grief, it's Gary Moore! Half a second later it was 'Parisian Walkways' at top whack, and someone was trying to kick my door down.

It's a distinctive sound: very warm and full, and with as much sustain as you could possibly want. Maximum settings are seriously deranged, and while I felt compelled to back off a touch, I'm sure some people wouldn't. At the other end of the scale, maximum level and a touch of drive matches the "overdrive off" volume - it's almost completely clean, but there's a deeper vowel and a "distant" quality added to the sound. Somewhere along the line, there should be a level of dirtiness to suit anybody.

The valve inside the pedal rejoices in the catalogue number 12AX7A, and is described as a high-gain, low-noise unit, and while I'd happily go along with the "gain" part (it's certainly loud enough), I'd hesitate to recommend the Real Tube as being perfect for the studio because it does introduce a mite too much noise. It's made for using on stage, and for that kind of situation the noise levels are fine, and can be kept to a minimum by judicious use of the treble and bass controls.

For somebody wanting to improve the distortion channel of their transistor amp, or anybody with the desire to go completely ape at a bearable volume, a pedal such as this ought to be a serious consideration. It won't convert your practice amp into the stack of your dreams, but the lead sound it gives is definitely a cut above other distortion pedals I've tried. There's a lot of choice in this area, but if you're going to go out and try some of them, make sure you include this one.

REAL TUBE OVERDRIVE: £119 inc VAT

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