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TC Electronic

collapse expand iconDescription

The TC Electronic Tube Pilot brings the dynamic touch sensitivity of vintage tube amp overdrive to your pedalboard. Powered by a 12AX7 vacuum tube, the Tube Pilot overdrive pedal delivers incredibly warm, organic tube saturation in a rugged, stage-ready stompbox. With the Tube Pilot's Tube Drive and Output Level knobs, you can shape every nuance of your overdrive tone. Crank up the Tube Drive for full-throated tube growl and natural compression or dial it back for just a hint of tube color. The Output knob lets you boost or attenuate your overall volume to perfectly integrate the Tube Pilot into your existing pedal chain.

Responsive Tube Dynamics With a 12AX7

The Tube Pilot is equipped with a 12AX7 vacuum tube, the same tube used in iconic vintage amps prized for their touch-sensitive overdrive. As you dig into the strings, the 12AX7 adds sweet, singing sustain and harmonic complexity, reacting to your playing dynamics. The more aggressive you play, the more natural tube compression kicks in, adding vocal-like midrange richness. Clean up your attack and the Tube Pilot smoothly cleans up as well. With a 12AX7 at its heart, the Tube Pilot gives your tone organic tube responsiveness.

Shape Your Sound With Tube Drive and Output Knobs

Tailor your overdrive tone with the Tube Pilot's simple but powerful controls. The Tube Drive knob lets you dial in the amount of tube overdrive, from subtle enhancement to full-on tube scream. With the Output knob, boost or cut the Tube Pilot's overall output level to perfectly integrate it into your rig. For lead boosts, turn Output up for more volume. For always-on tone enhancement, keep Output lower for unity gain through the pedal. Find your sweet spot for tube warmth and edge.

True Bypass and Analog Design

The Tube Pilot features a true bypass design that maintains the integrity of your guitar tone when the pedal is off. The Tube Pilot's all-analog overdrive circuit preserves your guitar's natural dynamics and frequency response. Pour on the tube tone without degrading or coloring your dry tone.

TC Electronic Tube Pilot Overdrive Effects Pedal
TC Electronic Tube Pilot Overdrive Effects Pedal
TC Electronic Tube Pilot Overdrive Effects Pedal

collapse expand iconFeatures

  • 12AX7-equipped real tube overdrive pedal
  • Warm and expressive sound with incredible dynamics
  • Ranges from full-bodied blues to distorted classic rock and smooth modern lead tones
  • True bypass for ultimate signal integrity
  • “Built-like-a-tank” metal chassis

Featured Articles

collapse expand iconReviews

4.24

25 Reviews

80%

of respondents would recommend this to a friend

Simple and easy way to get an authentic tube sound

Most Liked Positive Review

4

I finally got it!

My go-to guitar is a strat-style, HSH config. Alder body, maple neck & board, nothing fancy. The 5-way switch is wired so that when I go to positions 2&4, they split the 'buckers. Another main guitar I have played the pedal through is a neck-through, dual humbucker. The pedal comes with a Burgera 12AX7C tube. I pulled it and swapped in a Tung-Sol 12AX7A. I also tried it with Sovtek & JJ 5751s, trying to tinker with the gain. I ultimately went back to the Tung-Sol 12AX7. After some tinkering with it, I kinda settled on the knobs set at 10 o'clock. It has a strong tendency to feedback with the 'buckers on both clean & dirty channels. Single coils, not so much. There is a lot of rich, harmonic content to this pedal that some people might enjoy. Maybe a bit too much. As for me, I will keep it around to see how I can make it work. There appears to be a lot of nuanced playing with the 'buckers & this pedal. Looking forward to other's reviews on this pedal. I think it does have potential.

VS

Most Liked Negative Review

1

Swapped it for something else.

First off. Watch some demos on YouTube. If you don't like the way it sounds, don't buy it. It's not a natural tube overdrive sound by any means. It could be that I got a bad one but I couldn't find a tone I liked and I played with this thing for hours. I even tried swapping the tubes like some other reviews I found, and still didn't like it. I'm not really a pedal guy in the first place but was looking for something natural sounding to push my fender twin reissue into some light to medium overdrive for slide tones at lower volumes. My weapons of choice are a Gibson Les Paul Standard with Seymour Duncan 59's and a telecaster with stock fender pickups. It sounded a little better with the telecaster but I mostly play the Gibson, and with the Gibson it honestly sounded like bees were fighting inside of a tin can. That buzzy sound you hear in the reviews is the sound you hear from this thing. It should be called fuzzy tube pilot. This could be used possibly as a fuzz for some songs, however, it was just not pleasant sounding to me in the least. Keep in mind that this sound is not for me, but it would be good for some Cream and earlier classic rock. I will buy a tube screamer most likely.

Filters
Best Uses
  1. Performances14
  2. Home Studio8
  3. Outdoor Events / Games6
  4. Professional Recording6
  5. Amateur Recording5
Cons
  1. Poor Sound Quality4
  2. Limited Selection Of Effects3
  3. Not Responsive2
  4. Power supply was a separate purchase1
  5. Requires AC Adaptor but not included1
Describe Yourself
  1. Experienced16
  2. Professional Musician3
  3. Novice2
Pros
  1. Excellent Sound Quality13
  2. Responsive10
  3. Versatile6
  4. Compact5
  5. Very easy to dial in the right amount of drive.1

Reviewed by 25 customers

  • Simple and easy way to get an authentic tube sound

    4

    submitted4 years ago

    byJeff W

    fromDallas, Texas

    This is probably one of the absolute cheapest ways to get a tube driven drive pedal. Granted, it's super simple with just a drive and output controls so no real tone shaping. However, you can always run it through a good EQ pedal for more shaping. The pedal comes with a Bulgera 12AX7D vacuum tube which, as I soon discovered, is a company owned by the same one that owns TC Electronic and Behringer. In fact, many folks think that the Tube Pilot is a scaled down version of Behringer's own tube driver pedal, which goes for a lot more. The tube is indeed upgradable. I did a test and switched it out with a JJ Electronic 12AX7/ECC83 and a Sovtek 12AX7LPS, both of which changed the nature and tone of the pedal in subtle but interesting ways, especially with the harmonics. There's also a pot on the board that you can tweak to change the sensitivity of the Tube Drive setting. So, yeah, the pedal lends itself to a bit of experimentation. The sound is definitely interesting. By itself, it adds a hard, gritty drive that, due to the nature of the tube, is somewhat unpredictable. That's kind of its allure. It's trying to mimic a larger tube amp and, for the most part, it does a pretty admirable job for a pedal that cost less than $100. No way you can get a tube driven pedal like this for any less. Most tube driven ones, including the Behringer, are at least $300, which makes this one kind of a steal. It's definitely not a pedal that you can just use on its own. It's more a complimentary pedal. You use it to either add a simple overdrive or use it as a layer. It's but an element to your tone. Add some compression, thrown in the Tube Pilot, some EQ, effects, and whatever amp you want and you have a rather interesting tone to work with. It gets even more interesting when you start drive stacking. I threw an 808 style drive ahead of the Tube Pilot and got a really awesome tone out of it. Add a lot of extra character to other drives for sure. I'd say it's worth it if you're look

  • Back to the 60s

    5

    Verified BuyerVerified Buyer

    submitted5 years ago

    byT Guitar

    fromAtlanta Georgia

    Reasonably priced. Simple and effective. Just what the classic rocker needs

  • Yes, I think I need 2 more

    5

    Verified BuyerVerified Buyer

    submitted5 years ago

    bySwampdiesel

    fromNortheast Pa.

    It works great, also very cool when you use one on both sides of certain pedals!

  • good sound

    5

    submitted5 years ago

    byjohn

    fromlong island New York

    use with 1 watt amp to get over driven sound

  • Best sounding distortion/overdrive pedal out there!

    5

    submitted5 years ago

    byNone

    fromConnecticut

    I was looking for that Tube distortion sound without breaking the bank, and I found it with the TC Electronic Tube Pilot. From mellow subtle overdrive to crunchy metal tones available in one unit.

  • Great product, no fuss service.

    5

    submitted5 years ago

    byI don't have a nick name. Sue me!

    fromPortland, Oregon

    Easy to use, very responsive to pick attack, great price! I'm very happy with my new Tube Pilot.

collapse expand iconQ&A

Have a question about this product? Our expert Gear Advisers have the answers.

  • submitted6 years ago

    asked byFilthyRobot

    fromundisclosed

    Does this come with the 400ma 9v ac adapter?

    Does this come with the 400ma 9v ac adapter?

    Open Reply - Kenneth
    This will not come with a adapter

  • submitted7 years ago

    asked byTeresa

    fromVirginia

    Do I need to purchase a cord to connect this. And if so which one

    Do I need to purchase a cord to connect this. And if so which one

    Open Reply - Charles
    You will need a cable to hook from your guitar to this and from this to your amp or other sound source. This also requires a 9V DC 400mA which is not included.
    Open Reply - Charles
    You will need a cable to hook from your guitar to this and from this to your amp or other sound source. This also requires a 9V DC 400mA which is not included.