Crunch Transparent Overdrive
Transparent overdrive for working guitarists and bassists. Adds breakup and sparkle without coloring the signature sound of your instrument—the pedal pros reach for when they need edge-of-breakup drive, not another flavor overlay.
▶ Watch video demos | Press release
Why pros use the Crunch
- Truly transparent — soft, amp-like clipping that reacts with your rig, not against it
- Your tone stays yours — ideal for blues, roots, low-gain rhythm, session work (wherever you need to maintain the tone of your guitar)
- Dynamic & quiet — responds to picking dynamics and changes in volume; High quality parts = low noise.
- Board-friendly — top-mounted jacks, 7–10 mA draw, LED brightness trim for outdoor stages
- Hand-soldered in British Columbia, Canada — high-grade components, true bypass
Which version is for you?
| Version | Best for | Look |
|---|---|---|
| Original Crunch | Maximum transparency and subtle edge-of-breakup—the reference low-gain transparent overdrive | Standard knobs / LED |
| Extra Crunch | Same open character with ~30% more gain—more of a “dirt box” when you want it; stacks beautifully with Original | Black knobs, blue LED |
Select your version above before adding to cart.
Trusted by working players
“The Extra Crunch is an incredibly open and airy sounding overdrive. It really keeps your original sound intact while giving you a bit of amp-like grind. Killer pedal!”
— Joey Landreth, The Bros. Landreth
“The number one pedal on my board. Absolutely great for getting a fantastic blues, roots, or low-gain rhythm or lead tone without coloring the tone of my guitar or amp. Just an invaluable tone tool for the professional guitarist.”
— Michael Schau, blues/rock session player
“Run the Crunch to taste and experience a ‘super transparent’ overdrive whose overtones and harmonics are musically focused. My first test strum gave me goose bumps—it felt so real and unprocessed. It retains your core amp tone signature… almost impossible to make it sound bad when twirling the knobs.”
— Anthony DellaCroce, The Headpins
“I've never been much of a pedal guy, but once I played a Crunch, I found the one pedal I can't live without. Just enough push to warm up my guitar no matter the situation or amp.”
— Tom Holland, James Cotton Band
“Excels as a boost in front of an amp’s overdrive channel, adding touch-sensitive crunch, clarity, and sustain without muddy overtones or buzzy top-end. Tested well with single-coils and humbuckers, retaining their inherent tones.”
— Vintage Guitar Magazine (VG Approved Gear), September 2021
Read the full Vintage Guitar review →
Video demos
How to use it
- Stand-alone transparent overdrive: Start with Volume, Tone, and Gain at 1 o'clock. Bring up Gain for crunch; bring up Volume to push your amp's front end.
- Preamp before another pedal: Same starting point—dial to taste.
- Dirty boost after other pedals: Dial it in; it stacks nicely with other pedals.
- Always-on preamp: Last in chain, leave on—helps restore feel on boards with stacked buffered bypass pedals.
- After fuzz: into a cranked amp—especially sweet with The Classic Fuzz.
- LED brightness: Side trim pot (jeweler's screwdriver)—from dark stage to bright sun.
Specifications
- Type: Low-gain transparent overdrive (guitar & bass)
- Controls: Volume, Tone, Gain
- Bypass: True bypass (high-quality Alpha stomp switch)
- Power: 9 V DC, center-negative 2.1 × 5.5 mm (Boss-style). 7–10 mA depending on LED setting
- Dimensions: 2.6″ × 4.8″ × 1.5″ (66.5 × 122 × 38 mm)—height excludes knobs
- Built: Hand-soldered in British Columbia, Canada
- Battery: No battery compartment (RoHS-compliant build; use regulated PSU)
The story (short)
Michael Schau—the player who set the bar—couldn't find a low-gain overdrive that was truly transparent. Garth McGregor Heslop applied a physics background, built a proof of concept, and after a year of tweaks landed right where the circuit wanted to be. Michael, and an increasing number of serious pros have used it live and on recordings ever since. That pursuit of transparency—not hype—is what the Crunch is.
Need more saturation?
- Crunch Plus Overdrive — The Crunch circuit plus distortion. More drive when you want to push further
- Double Crunch Transparent Overdrive — dual channels. The Crunch with 3 gain stages
- Shop all McGregor Pedals
What players say
“It doesn't colour your sound like other ODs can—it allows the sound of your gear to come through.” — Rick Halisheff
“Very responsive and doesn't mask your tone, just enhances what you got.” — Carter Low, Lee Ritenour Six String Theory Grand Prize
“I bought the Crunch Transparent OD. It's truly the best OD I own and I own many of the great OD pedals ever made. No joke.” — Johnny T.
“Normally I would never park a pedal in front of an amp in the studio, til this one… Full bandwidth all the way. Nothing lost, everything gained.” — Scott Y.