Hardware Fixations Launches The Sledge, A Simple And Streamlined Drive Pedal

Two knobs and the truth is all you need for a set it and forget it gain tone.

Hardware Fixations has just announced and released their latest pedal, The SLEDGE overdrive. While you may often find me waxing poetically about pedals loaded with features, this is a sharp departure back to a streamlined product. But don’t let that scare you away, Sledge is a fantastic sounding drive for the more discerning pedal-head.

Coming in at $150 USD, this full range overdrive pedal boasts a mid-forward sound that’s shaped by only two knobs. The EQ is already dialed in to the sweet spot, so there’s no tone control. Instead you fine tune the output and gain structure, which will have implications on the EQ profile as well of course.

Demo Time

My Thoughts

Listen if you want simple, no frills gain that’s dialed in for heavier tones, this is the boutique pedal for you. Yes, having a ton of controls and tone tweaking potential is exciting for some people, but some folks would prefer to plug in and play with minimal barriers to entry. That’s exactly who SLEDGE is for. It doesn’t make it better or worse than more complex drives I’ve reviewed here, but it does make it different. I actually found myself really enjoying some of the more mellow, lower gain tones from SLEDGE, even though the high gain tones were incredible in their own right.

Towards the end of the demo I really opened this pedal and let it rip, and it did not disappoint. From the way Hardware Fixations has talked about this pedal, it seems designed with heavier/hardcore scenes in mind, so it was not surprising that I personally connected with it. A lot of the time I play punk I do so with only 1-2 pedals in my rig, typically set-it and forget-it types that won’t require me to twist knobs or dial in guitar-specific tones. While SLEDGE responds differently to humbuckers and single coils, it does so beautifully, playing to the strengths of each pickup type. It’s reactive, touch sensitive, and somewhat transparent in nature, though I did notice the mid boost. It’s not exactly Klon or Tube Screamer-ish at first glance, but it sort of sits around those types of gain pedals while keeping a touch-more of an amp-like vibe in my opinion. It nails the quiet crunch thing as well, which is a must for most ’90s influenced guitar players like myself. Overall, this is a highly personalized but high quality take on the classic mid-forward drive pedal that checks in at a good price for an independent builder. If SLEDGE sounds up your alley, head over to Hardware Fixations and grab one!