DOD 50 Overdrive Preamp

Two knobs it isn't exactly rocket science. Everything sounds good.

I always hate the first question can i get the sound of my favorite artist? That is a stupid question the last thing that I want to do is copy everyone else. My setup goes a cheap Lotus strat copy(slightly modified read my review of it to find out how)---->to this pedal----> to a DOD fx57 hard rock distortion (slightly modified read my review of it to find out how.) ----> to a dod Flashback Fuzz----> to a Morley PWA power wah (mine has Red lettering if that makes any difference)-----> to a DOD FX 20 phaser-----> eventually my FX90 delay will go here when it gets fixed-----> to my Laney GC50A amp (great acoustic and electric amp you have to try one out.)
This pedal sounds awesome by itself perfect for single note funk rythms should I choose to overdrive them. My only problem is deciding wether this pedal or the amps overdrive should be used they both sound great. The only difference is I set the amps overdrive at 4 and this pedal the OD/dist. knob is at about 3 o'clock (maybe an 8.) One is for blues and one is for funk/rock and sometimes it is hard to choose. Combined with the fx57 they make the best hard rock or in my case Hard Funk Rock sound ever. The FX57 sounds like crap if you turn the distortion up to much (forgot to mention this in my review of it though). So I just have the FX57 set with the distortion way low (like not even 5) and the FX50 before it and the od/dist. knob on the FX50 set at 3o'clock it is perfect. I am not going to sound like Dimebag or anything (and I wouldn't want to), but it is perfect for having a hard sound with still being able to hear every note in a funky 6th9th chord.

I don't know why DOD gets such a bad rap. So the switches go out. Just order them for $.35 off the website and you only have to make two solder joint to install them. Not even a 5 minute fix. Piece of cake. Your minimum order at DOD is $5 so just order a whole crap load at a time to have as spares (you never know they might quit selling them.) i have had this pedal for at least 5 years with no problems It was also used. I think that it is from the early 80's still no problems.

I have asked them several questions and they are always helpful. They even emailed me shematics before. That's better than paying $10 for one off of that Schematic Connection website. After I first got it I asked them for some info. They said the FX50 was supposed to replace the 250. It is basically the same thing as the 250(yellow 250), but with the different casing style and switch.

If you are very unsatisfied with your amps distotion get this pedal or a 250, but if you see one of these (FX 50) on eBay or somewhere else it will probably be a better deal. I see them go for only $15-$20 all the time. The 250 can go for $50 for a yellow or $300+ for a grey one. You take your pick. Well anyway all of these pedals are great for an overdrive that sounds like it is a natural amps overdrive, but better in alot of cases (especially if you have a cheap practice amp.)
I got this pedal at a pawn shop for only $15 it was covered in stickers. I didn't even get to try it out I just bought it because it was DOD and it was only $15. DOD's sound alot better than most people claim. This pedal is just awesome for any kind of rock. It also sounds great in conjunction with other overdrives. Boss sucks except for the DS1 and DS2 and Robert Keeley Modded pedals. All modulation and pitchshift Boss pedals especially suck major portions of ass their sound just hurts my ears. Well anyway if this pedal was lost or stolen I would probably look for another one on eBay or a 250. For as cheap as they are you can't beat them.

Level and distortion. I use mine at 2 & 12 o'clock.

I mainly record with a direct to PC configuration that consist of '77 Fender Strat to the FX50, Early 80's CryBaby & a Johnson J-Station. If I crank the distortion up over 2 o'clock with the levelup above 12 then I get some noise. I bought this pedel back in '80-'85, time got lost in those years, it has been subjected to both abuse and neglect but some how continues to work. The pots are a little crackelly but it plays just fine.

It has been through abuse, got wet and left in a leaking shed for 15 years, and neglect moved to a none leaking shed, and still works. I think we could send this with our soldiers to Iraq and it would come back intact.

Never dealt with them.

If your looking for the Pantera sound you may want to look else where but if you are looking, like I always am, for a nice warm and fuzzy tone then you will like this one. It's rugged, easy to use and doesn't take a lot of tinkering to get the sound you want.

This is the FX-50 Overdrive Preamp with two knobs for volume and distortion. Very easy to use. Mine is an original vintage model from the very early 1980's. Made in America!

I recently pulled this pedal out from storage and am using it to overdrive my new Crate V-58 class A five watt tube amp! I was using the Banzai Cold Fusion as my main overdrive, but Ive packed the Banzai away as the DOD does pretty much the same thing- provides transparent gain without added compression. I am off today to try to find a new DOD Malmsteen pedal in the music stores (wish me luck!), which I believe is a recreation of my old DOD pedal.

They really built shit well twenty years ago! Ive gigged with this pedal decades and its still in perfect condition- sure theres probably some dust in the pots that is causing a bit of noise when I turn the knobs, but its minimal.

Later for the new DOD company. They sold out and are the worst, though I want the new Malmsteen pedal. I use the DOD pedal in my new band.

Forget about those boutique pedals that cost $200. They are for suckers! I paid $30 for my yellow DOD twemty years ago (the ones with the large black plastic switch) and it sounds better than most of the new stuff thats around these days. Other pedals I use are the Maxon OD-808 tubescreamer, and the Austone Millenium Overdrive.

2 knobs, duh!

Got this in a trade way back in the day, never really used it much. Pulled it out recently, looking for a "clean boost" for my marshall, just to push it harder, without changing the tone. My surprise! it is perfect for that. Gain and Drive at about 2:00, into an old MkII marshall is perfect, I can quit looking at all those high dollar boutique pedals now, I'll shut up and play.

Considering I got it used back in about '86, I put some tuner cleaner in the pots, put in a battery, and it came back to life. Of course the battery cover is missing (I got it that way), but the years of neglect didn't seem to effect it (which is sometimes worse than abuse)

...Here goes... I've been playing since 1978, mainly a gibson sg, through marshall amps. I play rock, alt, metal, and am addicted to TONE! this helps me play at the lower volumes I have to without cranking the marshall so loud, and gives me more of what is good about the marshall. The treble gets pretty hot as you increase the gain, so I keep it below about 3:00, I also like the LED, which the new reissues do not have, it helps to know for sure when its on, and an indication of battery condition. I play a lot of fast, technical, picked lines, and this lets the color come through, it does not compress the sound, it just gives more of it. I like it!

TWO KNOBS- volume and distortion. My pedal is an original 1982 or 1983 yellow overdrive with a large black plastic switch instead of a metal switch. The pedal included a schematic which I still have.

This is a classic overdrive pedal. With all Fender equipment I can get a Santana or Clapton sound. It can also be used as a clean boost, or as a boost to your amp's distortion channel for lead solos. I set the volume to 10 or 11 o'clock depending upon the amp, and the distortion knob to 2 o'clock to dial in Santana or old Eric Clapton tones. The sound is that of a typical 1970's overdrive distortion. This pedal is not noisy but becomes too bright at max distortion settings.

I have owned this pedal for nearly 20 years and its still in mint condition. Its very heavy- built like a Panzer tank, with LARGE knobs instead of those new skinny garbage knobs that everyone uses now.

Never had a fleck of paint chip off of this beast of a pedal so I dont know. I dont believe DOD manufactures quality pedals like the way they did 20 years ago- their new stuff is total junk.

This FX50 may be the same circuit as the original FX250, but the FX50 is packaged in a stronger housing. The FX50 is very versatile and is in my opinion the most classic vintage overdrive that was available years ago. I play blues and rock and this pedal has now found a use as a clean boost as I have new fuzz pedals- Roger Mayer Spitfire and Austone Textone, both of which are excellent.