Zen Drive Project – Bodhi

Back in the day, the Zen Drive from Hermida Audio  was a super-hot, super-hyped, super-loved boutique overdrive pedal. It was on everyone’s board, from P&W church bands to post-rock hippie ensembles. Many said it was magical and unlike any other drive pedal; some said it was “just a Tubescreamer with big price tag”. Turns out they were both wrong. It’s actually a semi-original drive circuit, starting off like a Tubescreamer but ditching the famous “mid-hump” tone control and opting instead for a simpler buffered passive tone (high) cut, as well as adding the “Voice” control that adjusts frequency gain in the first op amp stage. Cool, I suppose. If you’re into that kind of thing.

Zen Drive Clone Project: Bodhi

So I figured I’d rustle up my own Zen Drive PCB layout. I made this one way back in the days when doing so would get you branded as a “pirate” or “thief” or even “terrorist.” Hyperbole is a crutch for the callow and unimaginative carnival barkers of society. 🙂

This layout has offboard wiring of everything, which makes it suitable for the DIY who doesn’t want to be constrained by precise drill layouts. I updated the artwork in 2023, but the original layout dates from 2012.

Download the Bodhi File Pack, which includes Eagle CAD files, schematic and PCB images, and gerber files for having your own PCBs fabricated.

Zen Drive Schematic – Bodhi Version