Keeler Designs Pull boost pedal review

Rob Keeler describes his Pull stompbox as "the ultimate low gain overdrive pedal". There's no shortage of competition out there, and not just in the boutique world; MXR's Micro Amp is the boost of choice for many a touring professional.

Although it's more than three times the price of a Micro Amp, the Pull's trio of controls gives the unit a much greater degree of flexibility than the single-knob MXR, and players who use Tube Screamer-derived pedals but don't max out the gain control should find much to love here.

In use

For players who like to work their amplifier's power stage hard, a good low gain boost is often all that's required to make lead lines sing a little more and to add extra crunch to riffs. In addition to a level boost, the Pull's tone and texture - imagine it's labelled 'gain' - pots allow you to fine tune the specific voicing of your boosted sound and get the best out of your chosen combination of guitar and amplifier.

Okay so there's nothing remotely revolutionary going on here but this unit does sound very classy indeed and is right at home with blues and rootsier indie styles. It's also an extremely useful tool for keeping your front-of-house level constant when switching between single-coil and humbucker-loaded guitars during a live set, or as a level boost to work another stompbox a little harder. Some players might even leave it switched on all of the time and ride their guitar's volume control to clean things up.

Many of us would balk at paying just shy of 300 notes for something as seemingly unglamorous as a low-gain overdrive, but sonically the Pull is right up there with the heavyweights in its division and more than worthy of a place on any A-lister's pedalboard. And it's cheaper than a Klon...