Danelectro DC-1 Cool Cat Chorus

as straightforward as every other chorus pedal out there, two knobs and a foot button

i own two other good chorus pedals (Ibanez CS9 and EHX Polychorus), so i'm aware of the range of chorus sounds out there at various price points. and i've always liked the Cool Cat a lot, it's quiet, sounded good, and it always stood up pretty well against my more expensive pedals...

...until one night this week, when a girl i was trying to impress came over to hear me play guitar, and the thing crapped out for no reason. i mean, i've used this pedal regularly with no problem since i bought it new six years ago. and on this night, when it actually mattered...nothing. (yes, this was with a fresh battery AND an adapter.) piece of crap.

i've had enough Danelectro products over the past six or seven years to know that some are great, some stink, and the company is utterly indifferent. i'm not even going to bother trying to reach them.

what can i say? it was a fine enough pedal, but it has s****** timing.

2 knobs is pretty straightforward and some good suggested settings in the accompanying manual.

Use predominantly with Simon & Patrick SP 6 Electro Acoustic and pedal has a beautiful deep rich chorus and no unwanted noise. Not as flexible as my Boss CE-5, but overall I prefer the Cool Cat

Sseems OK so far, would probably be happy to gig w/o a backup

N/A, however website seems to have no company contact details should I need them which is annoying...

Excellent piece of kit, sturdily built and nice retro styling.

Tracking down a suitable 18V adaptor was difficult, however this guy www.owenelectronics.co.uk provided a great friendly service and was able to provide one which was delivered next day!

Very easy to set up and adjust -- two knobs.

Main shortcoming is that mine requires 18V supply. It's therefore the only pedal in my chain that I can't drive with my external 9V supply. So I have to stick two 9V batteries in it, and I have to remember to unplug the input jack after each use; otherwise the batteries are dead the next time I use it. Since I'm a scatterbrain, especially after a 3.5 hour gig, this is a problem. Even when I remember, it seems to eat batteries fairly quickly. Had I known about these issues, I might not have bought it.

It sounds much better (more musical) to my ear than my (much cheaper) DOD Ice Box. My only complaint is that, when engaged, it seems to boost the level noticeably. This could be an advantage if you wanted to engage it only when playing a solo, but more often, I'd prefer that the level stay the same.

Using it with a strat through a bunch of other effects into a Gibson GA-15RV tube combo. I'll use it for the intro riff for Message in a Bottle, Come as You Are, and for lead solos on modern rock songs; otherwise I mostly leave it off.

Seems solid. If it failed during a gig, I'd simply do without... no biggy. I'm giving a 9 based on the presumption that it's unlikely to fail, but honestly, I've only had it a few months (bought it used, though).

Bought it based on a recommendation that it was a good all-around chorus. I haven't compared too many; just knew that my DOD wasn't doing it for me. If it were lost or stolen, I would probably switch to a 9V model (this or some other brand), as my inability to use my external power supply is a serious annoyance.

Very simple! Turn the knobs, step on the switch. Doesn't get any easier than that.

I had the 18V version but now have the 9V version... a bit more on that later.

Fantastic! Even the 9V which isn't quite as good as the 18V has a rich, warm chorus. It doesn't effect my sound when it's off, so I'm happy with that. At least, not anymore than I can tell given me chain of pedals.

My setup is: Raven RP450 > Ernie Ball Volume Pedal > Vox Wah > MXR Blue Box > Dano Compressor > Proco Rat > Ibanez TSDX9 > Dano Cool Cat Chorus > Dan Vibrato > EH Small Stone > Vox Amp

It gives me a nice mellow chorus that I love having for my clean sound to give it a bit more depth. Combining it with the vibrato and small stone creates insane psychedelia. I love it.

Okay... so here's the deal... my 18V copy of it died. No reason, no rhyme to it. Tried batteries, tried the adapter...couldn't get anything out of it....no idea why it died... read onto the customer support section for the rest of this story....

...so after searching for a few weeks, I finally found contact info for Evets Corp, who owns Dano. I called their 800# and they said that if your pedal wasn't working to mail it back and they'd fix or replace it. So, figuring I had nothing to lose, I put it in a box, put in a note explaining it, and sent it out. Four weeks go by, nothing. I was ready to write it off. I went abroad for business, got home, and lo and behold, there's a package for me from Evets Corp. Open it up and what's in it? A brand NEW chorus pedal. Granted it is the 9V version rather than the 18V version, but honestly, I'm not complaining. The fact that they replaced it was fantastic. I have to take points off because of how long it took me to get in touch with them, and for not being able to speak to someone, but in the end, I'm happy. I have a new chorus and it sounds great.

Fantastic chorus. One of the best I've played through. Gives me sweet mellowness, or some crazy psychedelia if you turn the speed up.

Very easy to use. I have had mine about 8 months and have now gotten to know it enough to post a review. Manual has some very good starting points. I wish I could say the same for some of the other manufacturers "suggested settings." This is the stock 18v unit.

I have used this in two distinctly different setups. One is with my Ibanez acoutic/electric AE40 TBL into the Cool-Cat into a cheap delay into a 18 year old Peavey Rage practice amp or an Acoustic 130 4x10 combo. Simply amazing! I could not believe what I was hearing! Just couldn't quit playing simple chord progressions. So sweet.

My Electric rig at the moment is either a '81 Gibson Les Paul or an '02 SG special with a SD Custom/Custom bridge pup into Crybaby > old (pre LED) Small Stone phaser > MXR Zakk Wylde OD > 2 channel LOOOPER (Channel 1: Boss MT-2 > Boss EQ-7, Channel 2: Boss DS-1 > Boss CE-2) > Dano Cool-Cat. From there I run the DC-1 into two seperate paths. The wet path goes into a cheap-ass chinese Leagion Sound delay into my homebrew 6V6 (1987 Marshall) plexi amp and the dry channel goes into a modified Electar Tube 10 (running an EL34 power tube into a Weber 8" speaker.) Running this in stereo sounds so beautiful! In mono was good but in stereo.. WHOA! Seperate the two amps a bit or turn them at 90 degrees to each other with you in the middle... amazing!

This unit does not make any noise in and of itself that I can tell that is intrusive or uncharacteristic of a chorus pedal. Compared to CE-2 it is a bit more open and has a bit more headroom. BUT, if you are going to hold chords or notes for asignificant amount of time, the DC-1 will simply cut out. Bummer! Someone has to find a cure for this and then I would not have any qualms about this pedal.

I like to use this to add depth to my clean tones and with distortions. Does not completely overtake your sound like the Small Clone (another excellent chorus) or the CE-2. It has an airy/spacey feel to it and adds body. I have tried all the possible combinations on the knobs and while they all sound good, I usually run mine with both of the knobs at about 10'oclock. It does sound better clean than distorted, but with a bit of tube amp breakup it simply shines!

I have compared it to the CE-2 which is an awesome pedal, but is not stereo. I may get a CE-3 just for a taste test.

While the sounds a textures created by this pedal are superb, I have to give it a 7 just for the cutting out due to the degredation of the input signal. Maybe a Compressor/Sustainer would take care of that, but in alive situation you can adjust for that shortcoming.

I do gig with it but I do have a back up, the CE-2. But I have it set for a much deeper and quicker tone. There has been some concern over the reliabilty of the input jacks. Theses are soldered directly to the PC board. Inserting and removing the guitar cable can put some stress on the solder joints. If yours has trouble, take it apart and reflow the joints. No biggie. I am also gentle with my gear. If you have in living on a pedal board with everything hooked up, you shouldn't have any trouble.

Just for the PC mounted jacks: 7 (But that is the way it is when you want to save money and kick out a mass-produced item these days... OH well)

Never dealt with them. Not sure I even could with success. Haven't read anything good about their customer support.

I have been playing for roughly 18 years. I play just about everything from clean acoustical ballads to jazz, rock, blues, metal, speed metal, spacey ambient stuff. I also play praise and worship at church as well, which places greater demand on getting exactly the sounds you want for the moment. This pedal does fit the bill and it would perfectly if it weren't for the note decay issues.

I did compare it to the Small Clone, which would be useful a boost for chorused leads. And to the CH-1 (way too thin, kinda fake) and the CE-5, which was ok but sterile, may have to try again. I did get the CE-2 after having this for about 4 months. The Ce-2 is good, but in alot of ways overpowering. The Dano is the right mix for me, just fix the note decay thing!!

It has helped me make music. Oh man, has it helped me make music! For the acoustic guitar alone it would be worth it. If it were lost or stolen, I would try a CE-3 or get another one.

There is nothing more that I wish it had. Yes it does eat batteries, but I use an adapter.

Two controls: Speed and Chill: rate and depth in other words. Very easy to get a good sound and even the more way out settings with knobs past 12 o' clock produce useable sounds in the right context. My favourite setting is speed full off and chill full on.

I play a Gordon Smith GS2 and a Yamaha Pacifica 112 into an MXR Phase 90, Danelectro Tuna Melt, Cool Cat, Danelectro Dan Echo and then into a Fender princeton 65. It's not too noisy. I sometimes put a compressor before everything else and that, together with the chorus, gets you a lovely, 'glassy' sound. Very good for rhythm parts (a la Johnny Marr), but with thick compression you can get an 80's George Harrison sound which is perfect for slide. On its own witha touch of delay you can get some nice jazz sounds like John McGloughlin is currently using- very nice for soling, although it won't get you playing like JM!

I gig and practice fairly regularly and it hasn't let me donw, so I;d go wothout a backup. The only slight problem is that when I'm practicisng at home there's a touch of break up at the very end of a note/ chord that you let ring till the very end. I suspect the effect dies off as it stops getting a signal. This is only really noticeable if you're playing by yourself and not as bad as someone mentioned below. I've noticed it about three times now since I've had the pedal, but luckily and thankfully each time the problem has gone. I guess the pedal needs to 'warm up' as it were, because it occurs if I haven't used it for a while.

As other people have mentioned, I would certainly get the adapter, as it eats batteries.

n/a

I play a little bit of everything. I got this because I saw it cheap, already had a Dan Echo and loved it and knew the company's reputation for sound quality. I wanted to get something that would get close to the sound my friend gets with his Boss CE-2 and I think the Dano matches it. It certianly helps me make music, and has helped me branch out to play different musical styles, like Jazz and Country.

If it ever gives out on me I'd be tempted to get another. Certainly other pedals I;ve heard don't have that warmth to it that the Dano has. Get one if you see one. They're getting rarer and rarer!

Very easy to get a good sound. Its as straightforward as a chorus pedal can get. All the sounds are very useable, too.

I use a mexican strat through a blues junior. The chorus sounds great. Considering its low price, this is an excellent bang for the buck. The more expensive boss pedals and other chorus pedals aren't as good as this one. The chorus can be pretty thick compared to other pedals. I literally sat in Guitar Center for about 1 hour comparing this pedal with the Boss chorus pedals and one or two other ones. Cool Cat won hands down. It's not wimpy and thin like the other ones. The stereo outputs don't seem to do anything though. I don't know if its just my pedal, but when using two amps, the second output doesn't have as much of the chorus effect as the first one. Perhaps this is how it is supposed to be, just seems strange to me.

I don't do any gigging or anything, so I can't say, but its held up a long time just sitting on the floor in my house. All the other Danelectro pedals I have seem to be sturdy as well.

This chorus pedal is good for very subtle effects to very thick chorus and even sounds good with distortion. Like I said before, its your best bang for the buck. The next step up would be a Small Stone chorus, but those pedals break apart easily (so I've heard). One downside is that it requires two 9 volt batteries, so you're definately better off getting an adapter for it.

This ubit is quite simply plug and play. I have never owned a unit so eay to get a good tone out of. On its "turned down setting" (both knobs turned counter clockwise all the way) there is a nice, rich, subtle chourus. All the way up (both knobs turned fully clock wise it still never gets to outlandish. I find that the best sound for me is setting the speed to 10 or 11 o'clock and the chill to 1 or 2 o'clock seeting. this gives me a rich, milky, swirl that fattens the tone without adding unwanted harmonics or muddying up the bottom end. This really is is the best sounding chourus I have ever used.

I use and OS-30 by Oscar Schmidt (great axe for the money), a Fender US hIghway 1, and a Schecter C-1 Classic, and on each of these guitars I find the cool cat adds warmth and flavor. I use the Strat for a funky sound (think Curtis Mayfield) and it works great, On the OS-30 I get a great, full, warm jazz tone with this pedal, and on the Schector it rounds out the lead sound and is great for adding character to a reggae sound. I use this with a Dunlop CryBaby Wah pedal, an SDD-2000 Multi effect sampling delay by Korg, and an RP-100 by Digitech. I have only played it live through my little Peavey Trans Tube practice amp so far and I am looking forward to using it for some recorded tracks in the near future.
The unit is pretty quiet when your strings aren't vibrating, but as soon as you strike a chord there is some slight white noise that comes through, nothing that a very subtle noise gate (like on my RP-100 cant cure quickly and effectively. All in all there is not anything to terrible for live situations but I can see I will have to work with it a little for recording. It is quieter than my strats single coil hum however. Also, as I said above this unit sounds GREAT!!!. Milky, Fat and Warm without unwanted harmonics or a muddy bottom end. As for Harmonics you play from your guitar, it fills them out and makes them almost bell like. Quite a transparent and useful chourus if there ever was one. It gets a 9 on this only due to my critical ear and having to gate it when recording.

This this is steal! It wieghs as much as a brick and I can't forsee any damage from normal use. (I would venture to say that you could drop it from a substantial distance witout any serious damage.) I would use it without a back up only because I am a dope, but Danelectro is a long time company due to Quality not Quantity. I would trust this although I would recommend a power supply and not relying on the two 9v batteries. The power supply I would use with a backup.

Never had to deal wit DE so I will hold comment for now.

I play a soulful, jazzy, funked out style of alternative music, kinda like Tom Waits fathered Nick Cave and then he married Curti Mayfield (figure that one out!) I have been playing professionally for 30+ years and own what I listed above, Have owned much more, Have a digital/analog Studio (Mac based) and have 8 more guitars and basses in my house (acousti and electric), Percussion equiptment, Synthesizers and drum machines, Sequencers and controller, mixers etc... So as you can see I have a well rounded selection of gear. If this unit was lost or stole I WOULD BY ANOTHER, AND ANOTHER, AND...
Compared to my pluggin chouruses fro my recording software and to the chouruses on my SDD-2000 and the RP-100, I like this one head and shoulders more than the rest. Danelectro got it right with this unit! It really is the sweetest, most milky, warm chourus I have ever used. I had a chourus from Electro Harmonix back in the 70's and this is as good and I think better. The Cool Cat is a great device for mellowing out your sound, I would reccommend it for any style from jazz to blues to rock to metal, there is a setting for everyone and it never gets to outthere or obscene. Time to check out other DE pedals and see it they got it right a second time.

TWO KNOBS, IF THEY CONFUSE YOU, DONT BUY IT

My Setup
Fender Tex Spec Tele > Boss CS-3 > Dan Chorus > Fender Princeton

I dare you to find a better combo than that, sound is beautiful, just makes your playing sound bright and colorful, the chill is phenominal, I played the Boss version, and being a boss fan, i liked this one better, probably could even do without the cs3 because i can taste a little bit of compression in it. It was used by Nirvana in "Come as You Are" and Collective Soul uses it too and we all know collective soul kicks ass. Its an awesome pedal.

When not using it, i carry it in my purse to smack robbers with, still works fine even with that.

Why would u even need it?

I play mostly alternative and this thing can hit anything i do. I Love it. Played for a while now and it beats any chorus on the market. Its the only dan ill own. If stolen, Id buy 2 more, 1 to play with, and the other to beat the hell out of the robber with. actually, in that case id only need one cuz they are built to endure. The only flaw is that its 18v. O well, i can live with that. BUY THIS PEDAL

Easy to use.
I also use it as a splitter to send my signal to 2 amps.


Made in China.

I don't use effects often and I use this one on minimal settings to add a slight amount of chorus to my plugged-in acoustic sound.
I also use it with my Guild Bluesbird P-90 through a JCM Marshall half stack to recreate some Skynyrd sounds and to get weird on occasion.

This is a newer 9 volt model but I had an 18 volt model many years ago.
The old one never failed me.
I have only gigged with the new one a few times.
No problems so far.

I play everything from jazz to hard rock to country.
Both acoustic/plugged-in and electric.
Been playing over 30 years.
This is my second one.
I like it.