With the release of the Paisley Drive Deluxe right around the corner, I thought it would be a good time to discuss and a recurring topic that’s come up for years, but especially more frequently now that details have emerged about the Paisley Deluxe (or as Brad Paisley refers to it, the “Paisley Dog”). I’m talking about the limited edition Underdog overdrive. Released in 2009, with a limited run of just over 100, the UnderDog is based on a Nobels ODR-S but modified to clear up some of the shortcomings Brian felt were inherent in the design. Along with the transparent and flexible 3-band EQ, there is a toggle for higher or lower gain settings, and the Underdog became a favorite of Brad Paisley and Nashville players all around due to its versatility. It’s very transparent, the gain can be set minimal and used as a hefty volume boost with a bit of grit where the guitar’s voicing stays the primary focus, or it can get extraordinarily crunchy and fat, bordering on fuzzy distortion. It’s hard to miss, being in a larger enclosure with bright pink sparkly paint, with a decal for the graphics. 
 
Here’s an excerpt from Brian in 2010 regarding the cause behind the Underdog: “A close friend of mine has breast cancer and has no insurance, no family, and the government will not pay any medical costs for her to get the treatment she needs. Now, I’m not rich by any means, but I had to do something to help her. My wife and I came up with the idea of creating a pink pedal that is rich, dynamic, and very tweakable, and donate ALL the profits to her. Out of that limited run, famed country artist Brad Paisley bought one and loved it. A number of guitarists saw the pedal on Brad’s pedalboard and asked me to build one more for them, so I decided to start building more to keep up with demand. We are still donating all the profits to my friend, Ivy East, who is struggling to pay the doctor bills to combat this terrible disease.”
 
When the Paisley Drive Deluxe information initially was shared, and that it contained the Underdog circuit as Channel 1, there were a lot of mixed reactions. Overall most of them were overwhelmingly positive and excited, but there were a few discussions that immediately popped up regarding having the Underdog as a standalone pedal, not paired with the Paisley Drive. My goal with this blog is to set the record straight on where Brian and the company itself stands regarding this. It’s easier to give the full scope of the discussion in a centralized place for everyone to refer to instead of commenting on dozens of threads, which are still overlooked due to how fast comments pile up on FaceBook.
 
At this time, there are no plans to rerelease or reissue the Underdog as a single pedal. Let me explain why. As you read in the excerpt above, the Underdog was created for a particular purpose, and it was successful in alleviating the financial burdens that came about from a terrible situation. That being said, there’s a level of integrity and respect that comes along with that period and what the pedal stood for. It feels wrong to try to cash-in on that moment in time, and doing so would dilute the meaning behind the Underdog and it’s creation. After discussing that on FaceBook in our Tone Group, the question arose about changing the name and graphics and just rereleasing it under a different label. The same theory still applies. The Underdog is just that, a limited thing for a special friend who was in dire need. Changing the name won’t make it feel any less dirty or wrong by using that circuit setup for that purpose for personal gain.
 
So why does Brad Paisley have the circuit in his new signature pedal? The answer is pretty simple and straight-forward. Brad has utilized the Underdog alongside the Paisley Drive for years (see picture below), having one of the original Underdogs and buying several used version up as time went along to be sure the pedal was always there. It’s an integral part of his tone. Touring all over the world has its constraints on gear, and it was at his request that we build the Paisley Deluxe. “But you said you wouldn’t reissue it.” Correct, as a standalone pedal under the banner of Underdog. With the high number of requests and high used prices, we wanted to be able to offer the circuit for our customers, but without sacrificing the basis of what it meant at its core. The compromise is the Paisley Deluxe. 
 
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