DOD FX54 Attacker

Child's play.

This puppy works very well for slide blues playing using a humbucker equipped guitar (SG Standard) into a smaller (Fender Super Champ) tube type amp. Think: Derek Trucks.
It will NEVER produce Metal sounds. Don't expect any pedal to do something it wasn't designed to do.

I have been using mine since buying it new in the early 90's. Take good care of your equipment, it will take good care of you.

Never had the need.

Been playing the blues for over 30 years. I have written songs just because of this pedal and the sound it inspires. Maybe this little pedal isn't the be-all-end-all sound every guitarist searches for, but it surely deserves it's day in the sun.

Very easy to use. How hard can it be? It's self exlanatory.

I use a Strat through a ( 60ies ) Ampeg Reverberocket and a Silvertone Twin Twelve. I love this thing. It can get thick as mud, or you can just add a little bite to your sound. After reading the other reviews I realize I should experiment more with just the compressor. I love cheap pedals because of their gritty and cheesy sounds but this actually has a pretty nice vintage-y sound to it. I was hoping for some tooth-gritting, nerve grinding chainsaw fuzz/distortion when I bought this, and you actually can't really get that out of this pedal.

I've had no problems but then I don't abuse my gear and these days I mostly just record and don't gig that often. If you hit it with a hammer it will certainly break! I'm sure there's sturdier stuff out there but for a cheap pedal what do you expect?

Never dealt with the company.

I bought this on sale in a local music store for $15. I've certainly more than gotten my money's worth! I forgot to mention I also use this in my recording chain for grit and effect. I've used it on drummachines, vocals and synths. It works great for that too. Buy one! Cheap pedals rule! Cheap equipment rules period! Don't fall for all the sales hype and max yourself out for some fancy schmancy overpriced piece of crap that does everything except make coffee and sounds like dirt! Nothing like a cheap piece of equipment to bring out your creativity and make you sound like nobody else! ( Now it's time for me to take my medicine )

Well, as far as using this thing for a regular old distortion stomp box, if this is hard, then you're in the wrong friggin' business...

Ok, my entire setup, is actually quite complicated, but only part of it involves the Attacker (I use an old MXR Loop Selector pedal with my main distortion on the a-loop, and the b-loop runs as follows:
MXR B-send --> Dunlop Cry Baby --> Nobels Overdrive Special (WAY underrated o.d. pedal...) --> Boss SYB-3 Bass Synth (set to a really weird, sci-fi distortion sound) --> Line 6 DM4 Distortion Modeler --> Sans Amp Classic --> MXR B-return)

Anyways, the relevant part of my setup lies on the A-loop of the MXR, and it runs like this:
___DOD FX54 Attacker ______________
MXR A-send ---<___DOD FX86 Death Metal Distortion____>-- Radio Shack 4-Channel Mini-Mixer.

The way it works is: I split the signal from the Loop Selector with a simple y-adaptor cable, then I run one side into the Death Metal with the highs cranked, the mids completely scooped, and the lows at about 4 o'clock; the other side runs to the Attacker, which is set with full distortion and compression, and the tone knob at around 10:30.
The idea here is that I can get the full bottom and sharp highs of the Death Metal and combine them with the relatively warm low-mids of the Attacker. When used in this fashion combined with another pedal run parallel, the Attacker becomes a whole different animal. I love the way it sounds like this! I'm kind of considering replacing the Death Metal with a Boss Hyper Fuzz (a totally kick-ass pedal!), or one of the new Ibanez Tone-Lok dist. pedals (Smash Box of 7th Heaven).
I don't run through an amp at all normally, instead using a Zoom 505 at the very end of my effects chain running a "User Patch" centered around the built-in "Amp Simulator" effect (this feature is THE reason I still have this pedal; it makes EVERYTHING sound fatter, fuller, thicker, and better, in my opinion (I also use a tiny bit of chorus in that patch).

The Attacker by itself is an o.k. sounding pedal, but I recommend trying the method I use to utilize it's lovely low-mids without sacrificing the option to get those shrill highs or friendship-ending lows...
It makes me think of what kind of sound Tool might have used if they had been around in the mid 80's, and slightly more mainstreamed (<--I really don't know what that means :(

My rating of "8" is mostly because of how it can complement a much more extreme distortion pedal rather nicely...by itself I'd give it a "5" or so...simply because as a standalone it doesn't produce the type of distortion I would normally use...

Since I've got this thing hooked up to my MXR Loop Selector, my foot NEVER touches it, so I'm not at all worried; all it has to do is carry a signal and stay attached to my pedalboard...
I don't use backups for anything per se...and this is for two main reasons.
1. my entire setup is centered around distortion versatility, so if something were to break or stop function on stage, I'd just use a different pedal to get a similar sound, nuff said.
2. the pedals that I do actually step on are all 3 times more sturdy than my car (SansAmp, Line 6 DM4, Boss, and MXR) if they're gonna die, it's my own friggin' fault, so it's not gonna happen any time soon...anyways 99.999999999% of what I do with my pedalboard and pedals is recording direct (through the Zoom 505! HAHA!), so I'm really nice to my pedals anyway.

This thing IS, however, made of metal, and regardless of what some of these other reviewers have said, this thing won't fall apart unless you remove all the damn screws, so take my advice: if you own one, don't remove all the damn screws, and it won't fall apart, ok?

This is probably the least likely addition to my pedalboard given the style I play, except maybe the SansAmp (my style is somewhere between Tool, Deftones, and Nine Inch Nails, all sealed up in a nice little bow :)
I am going to judge this pedal overall basically based on what on life would be like without it...
on the one hand, I would have an extra space on the pedalboard;
and on the other hand, my A-loop distortion would sound like crap.
so I'm gonna give it a "7," although I believe "7.5" would be more accurate............

Distortion&compressor pedal"all in one".All in one piece of sh*t that is.

Like all other DOD pedals i have tried,this one is no different at sucking a major one.Noisy as hell(when you turn the compressor past 3 you get a loud bassy feedback,no matter how much distortion gain is used),the distortion should be labeled"novelty",cuz this ones a joke folks.I think they used this pedal on the accordian soundtrack to "Freeway".

For materials,yes...for sound,NO.

I play all the great metal and classical stuff,and believe me,this pedal is not worthy of anything but a practice tool(if that).If it were stolen id flag down the crook and give him a shitty noisy Fender California Cable to go with it.If you like distortion that sounds like buffalo farts,this ones for you!

an idiot could use it

awesome fat sound

very reliable sturdy and solidly built

don't know

good for any heavy types of music

Easy to use. Good "tone" boost/cut range. Compressor settings go from barely there to extremely tight/focused. Volume control (output) is neutral at 12 O'clock. Output range is good. Distortion goes from slight grit to scream. Good manual.

I run a solidbodied guitar with high output humbucking pickups through this guy and into a 1976 Fender Princeton Reverb. The guitar overdrives the Princeton pretty well, all by itself. I use the ATTACKER, with the compressor set to maximum and the volume set to 2 O'clock to give me a tight, focused rhythm crunch with my guitar volume cranked way down. With these settings on the ATTACKER I can roll up my volume and go from semi-clean to scream with tight sounding chords and articulate note soloing. The Princeton can roll into fabulous harmonic feedback/sustain in seconds. It's great. Frankly, I never use the distortion knob. The unit produces a typical solid state vibe when the distortion is up. Sometimes I'll turn it up to 10 O'clock just for fun-to get the preamp tube into the slam zone but I don't really use the distortion knob when playing out.
=
By the way, this pedal is GREAT for pushing any of the Tubeworks/H & K all tube pedals into the slam zone. I dime the volume and compressor knobs when I use this guy in front of my Tubeworks REAL TUBE pedal. It kills!! GREAT for pushing the clean channel of a SS amp. Really warms 'em up for that great '70s rock tone.

I've always run this guy with a wall wart power supply. I've dropped it a few times and loaned it to people so I guess it has seen some abuse over the years. I will continue to gig w/o a backup.

This is a good pedal for rock and blues styles. Combined with other distortion pedals, it really has a wide range of uses. I find it very versatile for my style of music. In front of a tube amp, it behaves wonderfully-better than my old Ibanez TS 808, which ain't no slouch in its own right. I recommend it to folks who want a tighter, more focused sound. It works great!

If you can't figure out things like stepping on a pedal and turning knobs to get sounds then you should take up drums. Ding Ding :)

Every DOD pedal I have ever tried has been mediocre or crap. This one is no different.
DOD, I believe, makes lower quality effects targeted at kids, and casual players. Serious players and professionals using DOD has to be few and far between.

I use PRS and Strat guitars. Marshall & Soldano amps.
Budda Bud Wah, Fulltone Deja Vibe 2, Choral Flange (Fulltone is the best stuff going. BAR NONE)
TS-9 Tubescreamer modded to 808 specs. Carl Martin Compressor Limiter. MXR Phase 90, & a Boss DD-5 digital delay.

Good quality stuff. DOD is very inferior.

Totally undependable like al DOD effects. Cheap switches and components. Their housing is pretty sturdy though.

I used the DOD years ago when I bought it before a gig to substitute for a TS-9 that was stolen. I ened up using for a month or so until my replacement Tubscreamer came in. It only broke 3 times that month. I guess that's pretty reliable. DOD should be proud of there work and quality. Yep, that's sarcasm boys and girls.

I would never dream of gigging with any DOD, let alone having a backup for them.
If however, I did gig with a DOD I would bring 2 backups since they are such dog S--t

My switch broke. I called and called. Got the blow off.

My overall rating for this is -4. My overall rating for DOD is 2.

It is damn easy to use.

It is a great pedal. I use it for my lead and distorted tones. It is very reliable and I have never had any problems with DOD. I own tow other pedals and all three have held up over the years.

I can depend on this pedal. I think I would not need a backup for this at a gig.

I got this pedal for free. My drummer in one particular group didn't know what it was and said I could take it. I like it alot and wouldn't trade anything for it. It has held up thusfar, and that is the only thing people are complaining about. They are bitching about how it falls apart. They probably just aren't taking care of their gear.

As the name suggests, this is a compressor pedal FIRST AND FORMOST. There are a couple of postings here which reveal the contributors' ignorance of the proper use of compressor circuits, which seem to give this fine pedal a bad reputation. To them I say: "Dudes..purchase a METAL ZONE and go away!" Back to the FX54....I use the volume as a boost for my '75 Fender Princeton Reverb. It fattens up the CLEAN sound of the amp, which is why I use it! Adding the compressor (i set it at 10-1 o'clock) adds punch and attack to the individual notes. Chords sound fuller and more articulate. The FX54 brings out that Fender clank much better than my TS 808. I think this pedal is a HUGE sleeper!! If I want some grit in my amp, I can always dial in a little with the distortion knob but quite frankly I'm a clean tone guy with the Fender. If I want saturated grind or even smooth distortion I actually rely on a solid state design. By the way, the FX54 isn't very practical in front of my SS amps and it doesn't sound very well. Like the old tube screamers and the new Daddy-O, some pedals were made for tube stage driving. This is one of those pedals. It comes with a pretty good manual and it's very easy to use. Work with it and it will reward you with a trip to the amp's sweet spot every time.

Humbucking equipped guitar into the volume pedal into the FX54 into the amp. Fairly quiet at modest levels. Makes my Princeton sound like a Kendrick, VHT, Dumble...well maybe not quite as good but it's in the neighborhood.

No problems. I take good care of all my stuff.

N/A

A great value considering how good it sounds. BUY ONE!!

Easy to use. It's a distortion box, it just happens to be terrible.

I bought it 5 or 6 years ago and used it live quite a bit, until the switch brokem, after 2 months! I jimmy-rigged it and ended up with a much better switch than DOD had installed. It sounded OK with my setup at the time. Marshall JCM 900, Strat with Seymour Duncan JB in the bridge, Crybaby wah, & Boss Super Chorus. I now use a TS-9 Tubescreamer, way better.

I think DOD makes very unreliable products, I will never buy another DOD effect again. Like I said the switch broke within 60 days. I can only guess that their target customers are 13 year old boys just learning to play guitar. Any semi-serious player, or anyone that has any experience with equipment would never in their right mind purchase such poorly made effects. I am not even talking about the sound quality, that is irrelivant. Would you buy a Ferrari if it ran great, handled nice, but broke down every 2 miles? No. So who cares how they sound, they are made poorly. I am not basing my opinion on just the Attacker. I have had experience with other DOD's over the years. Toys not to be taken seriously. Why buy and DOD when BOSS makes effects that can take a direct hit from a Tomahawk missle and still work? A 13 year old boy might say, "because they look cool, and have groovy names like "GRUNGE", or "ATTACKER". Please.

Never called them. Fixed it and improved it's quality 100% in doing so.

I play rock, (Bob Mould, Buffalo Tom, Janes....etc.) I would never buy any DOD again. I would rather wrap tissue paper around a comb and slide it under my strings than use this box. The paper and comb would probably stand up and last longer than the DOD.