Fifth Gear

The Fifth Gear Overdrive by Southampton Pedals is a transistor OD pedal designed to deliver a range of overdrive tones, from subtle overdrive to a distortion that borders on fuzz. The pedal features interactive 'gain' and 'heat' knobs, with the 'gain' knob setting the drive level with a relatively flat EQ when 'heat' is off. Turning up the 'heat' knob adds midrange and grit, pushing the overdrive into a wall of distortion. The pedal also includes a passive volume roll-off to tame the pedal when the other knobs are cranked.

The 'heat' knob changes the DC bias, which may cause static to be heard. Similarly, the 'gain' knob can also produce static, which is considered normal and will not damage the pedal. The static can be silenced by turning down the volume before adjusting.

The Fifth Gear Overdrive is housed in a 1590BS enclosure, which is half an inch taller than previous versions with the same footprint. The pedal is handmade in Guelph, Ontario, and has a current draw of approximately 5 mA.