This is a really good sounding drive pedal, whether you use it as a level boost or use the gain on the pedal itself it has quite a tonal range and can be tweaked to find a nice sound. Having never played the pedal it is based on I couldn't commend on how they compare, but in its own right its a nice pedal. I have had a few reliability issues; my first was replaced due to faulty input and my second had a loose ac input, but the latter was easily fixed. Thomann were superb in replacing the first.