Ratings
Pros:
Nice analog tones. Easy to adjust and program. 16-channel MIDI controllability.
Cons:
Can’t get very brutal. EQ could be more expansive. Side-by-side presets can’t be cascaded in Bank mode.
Tones:
Ease of Use:
Build/Design:
Value:
Street:
$189
Company
decibel11.com
Players who crave multiple outboard overdrive and distortion flavors but hate programmable effects may see a compelling middle ground in the Decibel 11 Dirt Clod. Its all-analog signal path is controlled by gain (labeled “dirt”), mid (“core”), treble (“crystal”), and output (“mass”) knobs, and you can access up to 10 presets in two ways: In Preset mode, footswitch A scrolls through sounds while footswitch B engages or bypasses the pedal. Bank mode lets you use the footswitches to toggle between two sounds as if you had separate pedals running side by side.
The dirt knob has three other functions, too. Tap it to toggle between two clipping styles (one is thicker, the other—indicated by the adjacent “form” LED—is slightly more focused and compressed) or hold it for five seconds to save a preset or, in Bank mode, press it as you use the footswitches to scroll through dual-preset banks.
Despite its clever digital controllability, the Dirt Clod serves up organic sounds that range from impressively transparent boosts and glassy overdrives to thick blues and mean hard-rock tones. PG
Test Gear: Squier Vintage Modified Jazzmaster w/Seymour Duncan Antiquity II pickups, Jaguar HC50 combo