Danelectro CO-1 Cool Cat Overdrive

Basic overdrive controls, level, tone, gain. Simple neough. True bypass, and power adapter jack. Built well enough, made of metal and seems solid. I didn't like the knobs being on top.

Gibsons through Marshall tube amps. It is a good sounding overdrive, and matches up well to a Fulltone OCD. Like the OCD, as you turn up the gain, more bass and it overpowers the tone. I had a v3 and v4 OCD but got rid of them because of way too much bass. If you leave it on all the time, then it isn't an issue, but to switch it on and off it ruins the tone. It would score higher if it didn't have this problem like the OCD.

Too early to tell but it seemd sturdy. With the cheap parts inside, it may give out, but I would give it the benefit of the doubt.

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OCD clone really. If you like the OCD, you will like it. For the price, it can not be beat. You can buy 5 of these for the price of one OCD. Gives you the flat mids tone, but to bass heavy with higher gain settings. A poor man's OCD.

-Volume, tone, and drive controls...similar to any other overdrive/distortion pedal
-True bypass switch, input and output jacks, and 9v DC in.

There's a small manual for all the Cool Cat pedals...just basic instructions and sample settings to get you started. When I get a new pedal, I generally turn all the knobs up first. I'll then turn all the knobs back to zero and crank one knob all the way up at a time to see how it affects my sound. Only then do I start tweaking for a usable sound.

So far I've only tried this in front of a Line 6 POD 2.0 going into computer speakers with a seven-string Squier Fat Strat. Just happened to be most convenient when I first received the pedal.

More or less every combination of setting on the CO-1 has its uses, if limited for some. I bought this with just a slightly gain-y sound in mind, and it works wonderfully for that. With the tone and drive controls turned to 10, you get a fuzzier distortion, similar to my EH Russian Big Muff Pi.

I think I may use this as a slight volume boost in combination with other distortion pedals.

The visual conveyance of reliability has always been Danelectro's biggest problems...and is probably why they released the Cool Cat line. I previously purchased the Danelectro "Best Seller" Pack, which includes the Fab Metal, Fab Echo, Fab Flanger, and Fab Chorus. I had also purchased the Fish n' Chips EQ. All were solid pedals (especially the Fab Metal) and well worth their price; however, none made it on to my pedalboard simply because I couldn't see myself stepping (let alone stomping) on them.

As you've probably read from all the advertisements and product descriptions, all the new Cool Cat pedals have metal input jacks, metal casings, and true bypass switching. I also noticed an easier to access battery compartment and slightly recessed knobs.

The CO-1 is definitely better built than its predecessors, and I can't see this thing breaking during a gig. I do have a couple other distortion pedals on my board, so it wouldn't be an issue for me.

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I play in a progressive/post rock/metal type band. I bought this pedal for some of the lighter gain ambient post rock type stuff we've been doing lately...and simply to have more tonal options. I also have an EH Metal Muff, an EH Russian Big Muff, and the aforementioned Danelectro Fab Metal.

As with all Dano pedals, the CO-1 could use a few more knobs for tweaking...maybe some EQ functions. However, their three knob approach is simple and straightforward, and the price tag is truly amazing.