The Gunslinger is designed to help clean combo amps sound more like a modded British-style amp. The Gunslinger features a robust, brushed-metal chassis making the pedal look as bold as it sounds, a crisp blue LED power indicator, and four independent control knobs providing a wide range of sonic possibilities: GAIN adjusts the amount of gain being applied to the signal; LEVEL allows the user to adjust the output level. The active EQ section allows LOW boosts or cuts low frequencies from bone-rattling low-end sounds to a more cleaned-up midrange tone; HIGH lets the player boost or cut the treble. Aside from massive amounts of output and a variety of gain options, the Gunslinger makes it even easier to stay on target with a choice of 9 or 12V operation.
As a MOSFET (metal oxide semiconductor field-effect transistor) device, the DOD Gunslinger can effectively emulate those highly sought-after valve sounds, enhancing the player’s harmonic dynamics, much as the preamp tubes in an old-school guitar amp. This results in unparalleled touch sensitivity, saturation, and string separation. Since the Gunslinger is so responsive to the dynamics and style of playing, the distortion will become more aggressive the harder a player attacks the strings and will “clean up” nicely and become less distorted when played lightly.
The Gunslinger’s true bypass circuitry ensures that tone remains unspoiled even when the unit is off and its modern 9V DC power supply input and compact footprint (4.68” x 2.63” x 2.25”) make it ideally suited to any pedalboard.
Whether aiming for big, crunchy chords or lightning-fast lead lines, the DOD Gunslinger always hits the mark.
For more information, please visit digitech.com.
DOD Gunslinger Reissue with Charlie O’Neal
DigiTech/DOD invites guitarists to embrace their darker side with the release of the Chthonic Fuzz (pronounced “thaw-nick” and meaning “of or relating to the underworld”) , a minimalist, vintage-inspired pedal with impressive versatility and a distinctive voice.
Expanding upon an initial ‘70s informed, single-knob (Output) fuzz circuit, DOD engineers added functionality via a separate gain control (Fuzz) and a gentle passive tone control (Lustre) that ensures audible pick attack throughout the entire frequency range, making for a still easy-to-use, but more flexible pedal, capable of the darkest, most potent fuzz to subtle touches of sonic grit and everywhere in between. A pair of 2N2222 transistors allows for traditional transistor clipping that can be dramatically reined in by dialing back the guitar volume knob. As a two-transistor pedal, the Chthonic Fuzz – like many vintage-style fuzz boxes – works best when placed first in the signal chain.
The Fuzz and Output dials are most prominent on the pedal, side by side at the top of the housing, with the smaller Lustre knob sitting just beneath the Fuzz control at the upper-left of the pedal. The Chthonic’s eye-catching visual presentation is rounded out by a sturdy footswitch, crisp blue LED power indicator, and a unique “Kraken/Cthulhu” graphic by the same individual responsible for the artwork of the DOD Carcosa Fuzz, conceptually considered a “bright twin” to the darker Chthonic Fuzz.
The Chthonic Fuzz includes true bypass and accepts a linear 9vDC adapter or 9V Alkaline Dry Battery.
Guitarists seeking fat, meaty fuzz, and singular overdrive textures need to look no further than the Chthonic Fuzz available on Halloween, October 31st. MSRP is $208 and Street Price is $149.99
For more information, please visit digitech.com.
The DOD Envelope Filter 440, however, hits the sweet spot for me. It’s simple enough to plug and play. I can easily find the sounds I want and dial them in with accuracy. Better yet, the DOD 440 has its own personality—a distinct warm voice that sets it apart from the competition—as well a long history behind it.
What’s Old Is New
The Envelope Filter 440 was first introduced in the ’70s, and you may have heard that unit on the pedalboards of sonic pioneers like Jonny Greenwood or Steven Drozd. It was reissued by DOD back in 2014, before the company’s temporary demise. But now that they’re back, so is the 440.
While the 440’s colors have changed occasionally, this pedal has always had a simple, retro look to it. That aesthetic is in line with the pedal’s utilitarian controls. The original version’s knobs for sensitivity and range are duplicated here (though the sensitivity control is called level, it performs the same function). With such simple features, any addition is dramatic, and the reissue includes a voice switch, not found on the ’70s iteration, that reverses the direction of the filter—a welcome and crucial addition.
Fun Funk
There’s something inherently fun about envelope filters, and the DOD is no exception. It’s a responsive unit with a wide range of sensitivity, so I was able to find the sound I wanted as I switched around on different guitars. And the range of the two knobs led me to some great sounds.
The sweep of the 440’s filter can be smooth and fairly quick. It’s fast enough to reward high-energy melodic playing, where a note’s attack gets an assist from the filter. But it’s not so quick that you don’t hear the sweep, and a big part of the fun is finding the settings where that sweep can be coaxed for dramatic effect. Using the 440 in combination with overdrive and delay amplifies that sweep into a synth-y goo, a great reminder that envelope filters are great, not just for funk jams and Jerry-heads, but also for cathartic noisy adventures.
The switchable voice direction elevates the 440 from a super-basic two-knob unit to a still-basic pedal with twice as much functionality. It’s a cool, useful feature that lots of envelope filter tourists, myself included, would love to have without going all-in on something more option-heavy like a Mu-Tron, fantastic as those might be. I loved contrasting the light-to-dark/dark-to-light voices and finding inspiring tones that kept me writing riffs and layering my sounds.
The Verdict
Simplicity is a key for a lot of envelope filter users. The 440 absolutely nails simple, sticking closely to the original’s user experience and adding one really cool control in the voice switch. In both settings, the 440 delivers a warm, responsive tone with a just-right filter sensitivity that will scratch the itch for most players. Other brands offer more features to varying degrees at a similar, reasonable price. But if simplicity is key, the DOD still sounds great right out of the box. PG
