Judging from the recent explosion of manufacturers seeking to capture the tone of revered Dumble amps in pedal form and the resulting fervor with which these pedals are talked about on various guitar forums, the Zendrive seems like a good starting place for this site. If you are unfamiliar with Dumble amps, they have been made since the late 1960’s by Howard Dumble. These are extremely rare amps, with only about 300 in existence. They have been the standard tone for artists such as Carlos Santana, Larry Carlton and Robben Ford. A Dumble has also become a part of John Mayer’s extensive rig. They are admired for their incredible dynamic response. I cannot claim to ever have played a real Dumble (they sell for well over $10,000), but I decided to get a taste of the Dumble tone with the Alfonso Hermida Zendrive. 
The Zendrive is available direct from www.hermidaaudio.com for $179 + shipping, though there is quite a wait for the pedal. They can be had via eBay for a premium if you don’t want to wait. I got on the list back in 2006 and my name came up just over a year later. You might be thinking “why would you wait around for a pedal for a year when you could go to Guitar Center and buy one today?” I can only say that I didn’t have to put any money down, so there was no loss. I’m still waiting on my Analogman King of Tone, which I’ve been on the list prior to getting on the Zen list. I’m getting close, though. Maybe.
So, is it worth the wait? Well again, I cannot compare it to playing the real deal, but I found the Zendrive to be a fantastic pedal. The Zendrive can be great for rhythm playing, and with the gain around 9 o’clock, you can have a great jazz tone that is clean with just a hint of dirt. But, the main event here is using it as a lead pedal for searing, well-defined solos. The Zen really excels in giving you smooth, ringing sustain on every note. With the gain right around noon, every note just blooms and holds. Slide around the fretboard and you are just getting singing tone on every note. It’s quite remarkable. With the gain cranked you never lose note definition. Granted, this isn’t a high gain pedal in a distortion sense, but going full blast on the gain gets you some good drive and is very reactive to your touch. The Zendrive has two knobs that affect the tone of the pedal, tone and voice. The voice knob is almost like a presence knob, opening up the pedal as you turn the knob right. The tone control is pretty much the standard you would find on most pedals. However, the two knobs are very interactive and have enough range to match the pedal to your particular rig. You may not ever even see a Dumble amp in person, much less play one, but the tone is within your reach with the Zendrive.
Worship Gear and Discussion 