DOD 250 Overdrive Preamp

2 knobs. 1 switch.

Mine is a yellow reissue pedal. I'm using it with a Fender Strat and a 79 Pro Reverb amp. I have a few other pedals that I use occasionally (a Big Muff, a Rocktron Vertigo Vibe, a DanEcho).

I won't say that this is the "best overdrive in the world", but it's EXACTLY what I was looking for. It works perfectly with my amp. I used to have a Lab L7 solid state amp and a Tube Works Real Tube pedal. That gave me a pretty good sound. But when I switched to the all tube Pro Reverb, the Tube Works OD sounded weak and lifeless.

So I tried a bunch of pedals, including an Ibanez TS-9. The DOD 250 really gave me the best sound. I might get hate-mail from tubescreamer fanatics, but I like this pedal more. It doesn't boost the midrange and cut the bass. It just adds overdrive.

I haven't noticed any noise yet, but I haven't played a gig with it yet.

It's about as solid as a stompbox can get. I've used dozens of DOD pedals over the years, and the only problems I've ever had have been with the footswitches. luckily- this one has a heavy-duty metal stomp switch, instead of the plastic ones DOD usually uses.

I'd gig with it without a backup. But then again, the only backup I ever use is an extra guitar.

No idea. It looks simple enough to repair.

I play Surf with my band, and everything else at home. I've been playing for 20 years. I've used tons of pedals, and I wish I'd found this one earlier. If it were lost or stolen, I'd find another one.

My only complaint is with the AC adapter jack. It's an 1/8 type, rather than the standard Boss/Ibanez barrel plug variety. I'll have to track down a special adapter for it. But I'll gladly do this, because you need to remove 4 screws to change the battery. It's a minor gripe, but there it is.

This is the re-issue DOD 250 preamp overdrive yellow pedal with the metal switch and two knobs for volume and gain. Very easy to use.

I have this re-issue along with a vintage DOD FX-50 overdrive preamp that I bought new in 1982, and the new Malmsteen DOD 308 overdrive.
This re-issue 250 has more volume output than my vintage FX-50. The Malmsteen 308 has more gain and treble than either pedal. Theres no compression, just adjustable clipping and volume boost. Goes from totally clean to raunch crunch. Great pedal at a great price. Forget about those overpriced overrated boutique pedals- they are for idiots who cant play the guitar to begin with.

Built DOD tuff! I still have my 1982 pedal in mint condition!

Actually DOD e-mailed me back with a list of dealers in my area when I complained to them about the total lack of availability of the DOD 250 and 308 pedals in the major music stores.

This DOD 250 and the Boss SD-1 are the two best bang for the buck pedals ever made. Nothing will ever change that fact- both pedals were first introduced more than 20 years ago. Classic design and sound. DOD 250 rules the world. The DOD 250 does a terrific crunch and boost and is very transparent, and has a big bass response. Perfect for adding sustain to an overdriven amp, or for adding some warmth to a cold amp like a quality 1980's solid-state Fender or Roland Jazz Chorus. I own a vintage Fender Strat and a 1980 Gibson Les Paul Standard which I play into the new 15 watt Class A Crate tube amp.

This unit is pretty straight foward Two knob configuration. A level and gain control is it. Sounds easy but you never know if its on unless you try a chord because there's no LED. Mines in a pedal board with power supply so I don't have to disconect cable from input to save battery life, so LED would be nice since MXR hase them on there reissue,s My new dyna comp sits rite next it to rub it in.

Sound quality is great in some applications and not so hot in others but always seems to work best with the volume knob maxed and gain backed off between one and three oClock level, kind of opposite a distortion pedal setting, this took awhile to figure out. I bought it originally as a mate for my old 201 phaser that was my first pedal I ever bought as a kid in 1979! I still have it and it works great! I found one of the best uses for the 250 for me has been getting a great overdriven sound out of my Roland JC120 amp if you can believe that! and that,s not easy to do, I've tried several different distortion's and the 250 give's the JC a convincing crunch(very little sustain)and a pro-co rat for heavy drive,that the dyna comp,small stone, and dan echo and the amps effects(chourus/vibrato,reverb)and I'm very happy with this set up. very versitile. I play Classic Rock in a cover band that only plays a Dozen or so gigs a year but this is a very simple set up and the 250 gave me a sound I was missing.

Well if it lasts as long as my old phaser then look out you can't kill it. I switched recently to a small stone phaser only because it,s more versitile sounding and I had some problems with that so.

I never try customer support I just grovel at my local music store

It,s inexpensive, classic looking, and sounds good for certain things gives my hummbucker equipt guitars some punch through a JC and I like that! Could be a missing link for some folks looking for a edgy overdrive!

Very easy to operate...turn two knobs to dial in volume and overdrive.

My 250 is the YELLOW one. Don't know about the grey one but I bought mine in 1981...22 years of use and it's still rockin!

This pedal was not meant to be a SHREADER-METAL, BALLS TO THE WALL pedal...but simply a nicely made overdrive pedal that will function nicely with tranny or tube amps.

Works better, if not best, with tube amp.

As above...you can really make MOST guitars sing with this pedal by using it through a TUBE AMP! It sounds really good if you are running a 15" cab...you get a nice mid and heavy bottom...add a tweeter or horn and your ears could possably bleed!

This pedal, as any pedal, WILL NOT sound the same on every amp so I can understand some of you not liking this pedal but try learning as much as you can about tube and tranny amps, how pickups work and
Knowing your guitar! All at once...everything will come togather and you will be amazed with what you have learned.

I prefer mid-range and some bottom for rythym...change some capacitors in your guitar so you can get better control over your tone. Makes a huge difference when using most pedals.

Sounds good with single coils (depening on your brand) but in my experience it is much BEEFIER using humbuckers or a combination of s/h.

I really like the SATURATION that this pedal is capable of producing usin tube amps but I barely overdrive my original signal by turning up the gain and adjusting the level on the pedal...then turn up the gain a bit so I have a good lead sound when turning my guitar tone toward the treble side then back off the tone for playing rythym.

MURPHY'S LAW RULES!

ALWAYS have a backup...guitar, amp, pedal or two, cables...and TOOLBOX!

Never needed em.

I am 48 years old...been playing since I was eight. I bought this pedal in 1981 and have been using it since then along with other pedals.

I have played pop, rock, southern rock, classic rock, blues, meatal, and a bit of country and this pedal will fit in just about anywhere.

Been there...done that...have used many brands of pedals, amps, guitars over the years.

I have a good sized home studio with items I have collected over the years and have a very good selection of guitars, amps, pedals, PA gear, and other FX...

If my DOD 250 were lost or stolen I would look for another one.

I'm a happy camper with this pedal.

Two knobs. It's straightfoward.

It does nothing but add thickness and/or volume, depending on how the knobs are set. It doesn't mess with the tone. It is not a miracle-working pedal. It requires a tube amp to do its thing, since a lot of the texture it creates is just from simply pushing the gain going to the amp.

Mine is grey. It must be 30 years old. It runs, but lately it's been cutting out here and there. I'll drop it off and have it fixed.

N/A for a pedal this old.

I bought this to replace the mxr micro amp i used to use for loud parts, solos, what-have-you. the micro amp was stolen. i'd probably still be using it if it weren't. This pedal can push the amp like the micro amp did, and then there's the option of an overdrive sound from the other knob. Since it's getting on, I checked out the Z-Vex Super Hard On. It sounds great, but I couldn't give a comparison without having tried the two side by side. If my pedal can be fixed, it won't be replaced. If not, I'll buy the Super Hard On. Change can be good.

easy to use, use your guitar and amp tone controls to get your sound.

Excellent. I get just what I want with it. Kind of reminds me of the treble bosters from the 70's. I play a Gibson Flying V with Dimarzio Tone Zone and Air Norton Pickups and a 62 U.S. Vintage Fender Strat with Lace California Specials. The effect itself is very quiet! I play through a Peavey 25 Bravo with a Celestion Vintage 30.

You could probably not hurt this thing

Never dealt with DOD

I play Blues, Classic Rock and now I'm getting into STP and Pearl Jam, so this pedal gives me what I want. I'd defineatley get another one if it were lost or stolen.

plug it in , tweak the knobs, out of the box it sounds like crap

This was one of the reissue, I had an original one and it actually sounded good, the only reason I bought it was a "frankenstein" science project pedal to goof around with. Heres what I did to it--- installed a 3PDT switch wired it for true bypass with LED and pulldown resistor (1 meg) Replaced the clipping diodes with assemetrical clipping diodes (LED)arrangement and switched the output resistor to a 1.5K. and now it's on my pedal board and sounds amazing for medium drive, solid not splatty without any EQ coloration, It sounds better than my Klon for adding a bit of dirt.

It's a cheaply built production pedal in a box that could survive nuclear war. It's circuit is the same as almost of all the small drive pedals from the 70's and is a great platform for Mad Experiments. Just be careful soldering new components cause the printed circuit board will peel, be prepared to patch with wires. I like the way you can loosen the pots and unplug the board to remove it. I may even rebuild a whole new board with real good quality components to see if it sounds better.

what do I need them for?

There's so much info on the net on building pedals and this is a good one to start with for a science project. I was lucky because after a few experiments I got it to sound pretty good. (I like my pedals to sound like the tube amp cranked and no transistor fizz or midrange treble or bass bump) This creation does just that. my 300 dollar Klon does'nt although as a clean boost it's killer.

2 knobs keep it simple, unless you're actually looking for a decent sound. Then it gets complicated (see below).

I was really disappointed with the DOD 250. I tried my Casino and my Strat through my AC30 and Fender Twin, and was unable to get a decent overdrive sound. As a boost it was fine, but turning up the gain knob resulted in a sound very similar to the pull-out boost on my Twin. . . and I *hate* the overdrive on the Twin.

I can see why people like this pedal, but it just doesn't work for the sound I'm going for (see The Kinks, Link Wray). It is, to my ears, very sterile sounding.

Seems to be built fine. I don't plan on using it too much anyway. . .

Haven't dealt with them.

sarcasm:Has the most gizmos and features I've seen on any pedal[/sarcasm]

Only has a Gain and Level control, but it gets the job done.

This thing sounds good when I run it after my Morley Distortion pedal. I played with it for about an hour last night trying to get the right sound I wanted (not just the pedal, I was messing around with the EQ and gain on my amp too). This thing sounds amazing when I run it on the Lead channel on my 5150, it gives heaven-like distortion.

Built solid, I changed the battery because the guy at the shop told me that it came with crappy batteries. From the looks of it, I'd gig with it without a back-up.

I've only had this thing a day now but I haven't dealt with them and don't plan to either.

I realized I could've gotten this pedal for about $25 less over the net, but I am just tired of buying things over the internet. Everytime I buy something it takes so long to order and I had having to keep calling up places asking if they shipped my order yet. Anyway, this pedal is great and if it was lost or stolen I'd congratulate them on stealing such a great pedal, then beat them senseless with it because it's built so well, and then tell them to buy their own. This thing is the greatest overdrive pedal I've ever used and from what I've heard there's a few mods I can do to it to make it sound even better. BTW, this is the Yellow Reissue version.

this is the simplest thing i've seen since toilet paper.
2 knobs and a switch.there is no LED indicator, but you don't need one. you KNOW when its on. i just wist there was an easier way to change the battery.(you have to remove the back).

this is the not old-ass grey one. its the yellow re-issues.but at least its not the the YJM308(a new Yngwie Malmsteen 250 replica).

i cant get a bad sound out of this thing. i' ran strats,a warlock, a jackson, gibson, and even my ovation through it. my amps were a crate 100 watt tube, marshall valve state, the new marshall atv, and a 10 watt practice amp.

it works really well by itself, and even better when used with the high gain channels on my amp. the only "problem" i came across was trying to use it on the practice amp. i blew the 10 inch speaker in about 45 minutes. but hey, that just shows you haw much gain this baby can dish out.

its a tank. indestructible. im looking for a bigger one to use as a nuclear fallout shelter. this pedal was made before my mom graduated high school, and it still works PERFECTLY.

i've never had any reason to deal with them.

i play ROCK. Rhodes.Malmsteen.Hammett.Smashing Pumpkins. ive been playing for 7 years. if this was stolen, id go buy another one, find the guy that stole my first one, and beat him sinceless with the 2 of them.

i wouldn't get rid of this pedal for anything.