Reading about Jimi's recent disappointment with the ZenDrive he ordered got me thinking (always a dangerous thing)....

There are so many pedals out there, particularly of the "dirt" variety (overdrives, fuzzes and distortion pedals), and it's gotten pretty rare to see one under $150. Heck, most of the "big name" pedals are $200 and up, which seems ridiculous to me. So whatever happened to great sounding overdrives under $100? Does anybody make one anymore??

In a word, yeah. A couple of months ago, BYOC came out with a clone kit of the Maxon OD-820, basically Maxon's response to the popularity of the Klon Centaur. Keith calls it the Green Pony, and you can read all about it HERE. It's a great sounding pedal that can be used as a clean boost or an overdrive. And they made a good thing even better by adding a 3-way EQ switch for more or less bass and another 3-way switch for different signal clipping options. It's been in my pedal chain since I built it, and I'm very fussy about my dirt boxes.

The kit price, including a nice powder-coated and silk-screened enclosure, is $99. But I know not everybody is willing or able to build a DIY kit pedal. So I'll build one for you. For that same price of $99, plus shipping! Now, how are you gonna beat an offer like that?? (Don't worry--I get a price break on the kits as a BYOC forum moderator, so I'll still make a few bucks.) And you get a great sounding boost/overdrive, professionally built, with a great-looking, durable finish. You can also have your choice of knobs and LED color from what BYOC carries--there might be an upcharge of a buck or two, based upon your choice.

Now, if you'd rather get the original Maxon pedal, be my guest. But that'll run you $200 or more for a new one--HERE'S ONE on Reverb.com, with a video clip--and you'll end up with fewer features and less tonal flexibility.

As some of you know, I've been out of the pedal-building business for a few years now. But since this kit comes with a pre-finished enclosure and I don't have to screw around with the whole painting/decaling rigamarole, I'm willing to knock out a few. PM me if interested. PayPal payment required, and I only ship to the US and Canada.

Here's a pic of the Green Pony: