In late 2025, I picked up a Mashed Voltaire fuzz pedal from Gigahearts, a small builder based in Manchester, England. It sounds great, has superior build quality, and was shipped quickly. I was so impressed with Gigahearts’ work that I emailed the company to see if it could build the dual-overdrive pedal that has been floating around my head for more than a year. The overdrive pedal of my dreams has become a reality in the Gigahearts Silva Bell.
Combining Two Relatively Uncommon Dirt Pedals
The Gigahearts Silva Bell combines modernized versions of the circuits found in the Bixonic Expandora and the Colorsound Power Boost. The Power Boost was designed by Gary Hurst, creator of the Tone Bender fuzz, and was released in the late 1960s. Many consider it to be the first overdrive pedal. Jeff Beck and David Gilmour are two of the most famous guitar players that used the Colorsound Power Boost extensively.
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