http://carvinaudio.com/blogs/news/unveiled-steve-vai-legacy-drive-preamp-pedal?utm_source=newsletter&utm_campaign=vai%20launch&utm_medium=email&utm_content=unveiling
 
Guitar legend Steve Vai and Carvin Audio are excited to announce the new Steve Vai Legacy Drive Preamp Pedal! Take your tone anywhere with the versatility and portability of the Legacy DRIVE pedal.
Steve Vai wanted his Legacy tube tone in a format he could pack in a carry-on, so Carvin Audio worked with Steve to create the new Legacy Drive pedal. The Legacy Drive Pedal features:

• 12AX7 TUBE STAGES The ability to reproduce the true Legacy sound could only come from real 12AX7 tubes, utilizing the full Legacy preamp circuit. The four gain stages and tone stacks are faithfully incorporated, running at the same operating conditions as they do in the full Legacy 100-watt amps.
• FULL TONE CONTROL The passive BASS, MID, TREBLE, and PRESENCE tone controls are the same tube driven tone circuits used in the Legacy amplifiers. The Drive Channel’s PRESENCE control is designed to adjust the “edge” on your sound. Its range allows for warm, thick sounds at lower settings or turn it up to cut through. The Clean Channel’s PRESENCE switch adds sparkling clear highs to clean tones.
• SUPERIOR TOUR PERFORMANCE Precision machined all metal chassis with easy to see recessed control knobs and solid foot switches. Take your tone anywhere you go with this portable preamp pedal.

The new Steve Vai Legacy Drive pedal will be available to purchase on Thursday, February 16.

to me,
the idea of an active vacuum tube inside a device that typically gets kicked around,
seems a bit dangerous.
 
i know that vai stole a lot of bogner tweaks to create the  legacy,
so the DNA of the sounds is solid, 
and a lot of manufacturers have taken the 'lunchbox' amp idea to the next step,
which is to be able to use any backline that a traveling musician would need,
and dial in your own tone quickly with it.
 
besides traveling musicians who actually rent back lines,
who would this device be for?
 
certainly not me.
 

batsbrew
who would this device be for?

Steve Vai fans?
The same people that pay thousands for Steve Vai signature guitars?
Maybe use it like a "tube Driver" pedal... make your Fender Champ sound like a shred monster?
Use it for recording into your audio interface along with a convolution cabinet simulator?
 
 
 
 

i would figure,
that most 'steve vai' fans would be playing full sized rigs, 
either in a working band,
or at home in the studio,
i just don't see where this device is necessary, except like i said,
guys that travel and don't carry rigs.
 

Just what the world needed, another stomp box / pre amp/ way to make distortion. 
 
With  modern modeling technology most of these products are doomed to fail. We can pretty much dial in any tone we want with modeling. My self I found my tone 40 years ago , my little Fender Princeton. I use my Blackstar sometimes, but always return to the "real thing". 

Tube-based overdrive/distortion pedals like this have been around for decades.  Never heard of anyone getting hurt on one and lots of them have the tubes with little protection around them so I don't think you have to worry about this pedal being dangerous.  They are basically the same idea as any other overdrive/distortion except with the soft clipping of tubes instead of the hard clipping of diodes/transistors and usually with a full tone stack so they can be marketed as preamps.   
 
This would be for anyone who wants to get the tones that this pedal can produce out of an amp that can't produce them.  Simple as that.  A lot of really nice tube amps have only one or two channels so sticking a "preamp" pedal like this in front of it gets you some nice flexibility without having to get a new amp or a modeler.  For example, I used to have one of the Mesa Rectifier-based tube preamp pedals to get that nastiness out of an amp that couldn't do it.   
 
Also, a lot of Vai fans are hobbyist guitarists with something like a Line6 amp or cheap solid state amp that might be interested in something like this rather than paying the price for a full rig and dealing with the volume level.

I live in Japan and in big cities regular sized amps aren't practical. Not only is there limited space on stage, but the halls are narrow and parking spaces aren't readily available. I've seen people bring nice amps to gigs, but it isn't the norm. Unfortunately for carvin I don't think they have anyone to distribute their stuff, because I think something like this would be a hit here. I like modeling amps personally, but some don't so this might be nice for those people too if they want to record something at home.

You want a good drive pedal, checkout the Friedman BE-OD.
Wonderful modded Marshall dirt... touch sensitive... and cleans up well.
I'm usually not a big fan of dirt pedals.  This one sounds great.
Pete Thorn has a good demo on YouTube.
 

Jim Roseberry
You want a good drive pedal, checkout the Friedman BE-OD.
Wonderful modded Marshall dirt... touch sensitive... and cleans up well.
I'm usually not a big fan of dirt pedals.  This one sounds great.
Pete Thorn has a good demo on YouTube.
 

Yes! That Friedman BE-OD sounds amazing. Of course Pete Thorn is great at making anything sound great in his demos. I have heard other demos and it really does sound good.
 
I do not use distortion pedals and I can't see spending $500 on the Legacy pedal when there are so many good sounding pedals out there. Having said, I do have a Legacy 3 and a Carvin V3 and like them both a lot. :-)

Agreed on Pete Thorn.
I've yet to hear any of his demos sound bad.  
 
The BE-OD is one of the few dirt pedals that I actually like.
Stock, the internal gain trim pot is turned up pretty high.
Many folks go in a turn it down to ~ 9 O'clock.
Yields a more usable gain range...
Liked the pedal so much that I returned a Friedman Runt 50.