This little unit does exactly what it's supposed to do, which is .....not an awful lot. I have a bunch of distortion/overdrive pedals that can be dialed to do the same thing. This one just looks really cool, and goes with the (awesome) delay pedal of the same name. It may help to retain the re-sale value of both if you keep them together, although I personally don't see mine getting sold. So yes, this is a very subtle effect that could be an "always on" thing. If you have the resources to build more than one pedalboard, the Echoplex preamp/delay combo could be a great addition to your milder side for country or rockabilly. However you use it, it won't disappoint you as long as you're not looking to shred with this preamp as your only dirt. Definitely worth it's moderate price.