Johnson DEQ-1 Distortion EQ

Some people have no understanding of EQ. This pedal has Hi, Lo and sweepable (semi-parametric) Mid. You should still get one of these, because it will give you the opportunity to learn fairly easily, as there are relatively few controls compared to a professional full parametric EQ unit. Plus, it's fun!

Excellent. Nothing in it's price range comes close for overdrive/distortion/tone (If I were to compare it to something like a Mesa Boogie V-Twin, or a Pete Cornish or something, it would obviously score lower, but those are totally different beasts).

I know the guy below had issues with his. I suppose that can happen to anything. I own three, and they all work fine. They may not be as solid inside as others, but I've never opened one up.
I think the price vs. sound quotiant still makes this pedal WELL worth it.

I've played many styles (still do) most of my life. I'm almost 50, love music (especially guitar), and have played and recorded professionally my whole life. Once again, these are VERY good for the money.

No harder or easier to use than any other distortion.

This thing sounds pretty amazing. I only give it a 9 because it's not a true bypass and audibly sucks a little of the high end out of the guitar's natural tone. Otherwise, as distortion pedals go, it's very versatile and just sounds damn good. If you want to make horrific noises, this is the pedal to go with. The EQ puts plenty of sick sounds at your fingertips.

This is the reason I chose to submit this review. Trusting one of these pedals is a mistake. I bought one after playing around with a unit my friend had just bought and being extremely impressed. Within a month, my friend's pedal was broken. Mine lasted about year; I fixed it once by fiddling with it randomly, then it broke again for good (turning every sound that came out of it into an ugly buzz). At the very least, if you absolutely must use this pedal, NEVER gig without a backup.

Dunno... I've never dealt with them.

I play many different styles and love a pedal that allows me to experiement with odd sounds. This pedal was wonderful for that. Too bad it's now a useless hunk of metal. All things considered, the hassle isn't worth it. I only wish the folks at Johnson had designed the pedal to be more durable; there's sure no problem with the sound, other than fact that it's not true bypass. Unfortunately I can't recommend this to anybody... at least it's cheap.

This pedal sounds good no matter what, you can only tweak it to make it sound BETTER!! I haven't even had to look at the manual. if you know sound, and how to adjust mids, then this pedal is really simple to use.

This pedal Rocks ass. I've been trying to get a good distorted sound out of my new Roland Jazz Chorus amp (built in distortion is totally worthless). I have a Marshall Jackhammer, and a ProCo Rat, and both pedals sound horrible and muddy compared to this one. Only complaint I have is that there's some hiss in the background when not playing.

yeah, i'd depend on it to a certain extent. I'm sorta skeptical of Johnson products in general (seem sort of cheap to me), but this seeps to be of the same quality of a Boss pedal. I dunno about the plastic knobs, but seems to be fine.

no clue

I play Metal/ Nu-Metal, and this pedal is awesome, plain & simple. for being able to beat a Marshall & a Pro-Co, that's impressive for a little company. Very good value.

If you can handle the EQ knobs on your amp, you can handle this pedal. It also has a level and distortion knob. Pretty simple to use.

For 15+ years I never used a distortion pedal, I just tweaked the amps and got my sound. Then I started looking into all the distortion boxes out there and fell in love with this one. By tweaking the knobs I have been able to get every sound I need. I looked at a lot of different distortion boxes, most priced more than I paid for this. This one beat the others hands down. If this box is any indication of how the other Johnson pedals sound, I will be replacing all my other pedals eventually with Johnsons.

Do I depend on it? You betcha. Would I gig with a backup. Without a doubt. Did I mention this thing is built like a tank? Now, should it quit on me would I get another? Yes I would, even if I had to pay twice the amount.

I haven't had any trouble, nor any reason to contact Johnson. But, I would like to find their web site. I can't seem to find them on the web. Web searches just send me to music stores that sell Johnson pedals.

Now, before you say I paid way more than everyone else. I bought it when I lived in Hawaii. Everything there is way overpriced. You should see how much they were charging for Boss pedals. But, even though I paid that much for this I am very happy with this pedal. If this quit working I don't think I could replace it with any other distorition pedal. I'd have to track down another Johnson.

If you have a clue about EQ, you'll be OK

I've been playing for more than 30 years professionally (in other words, that's all I do).I own (and have owned) lots and lots of stuff, studio and live gear.
When I first saw this unit on eBay, it peaked my interest, because there are not many distortion/overdrive pedals out there that have a 3-band (sweep-mid!) EQ section in them, and none in this price range! Well, I finally found a deal ($24.05 including shipping), and I must say that I am very impressed.
Aside from the ability to do some subtle to severe EQing, the little box has a pretty smooth (or as all the boutiquers on eBay like to say, "CREAMY") distortion, that can go from slightly overdriven to full bore sustain.
I find it somewhat reminisent of some classic rock guitar tones that I always loved from the late 60's and 70's (when EQed right).
I probably shouldn't submit this review, because I'll never be able to get a great deal on one of these again (although most of the previous reviewers seem to be thinking along the same lines as me on this one).
Anyhow, this one kicks it, and I'll probably buy another one (or two) if the opportunity comes up. Your not not gonna find a marshall or mesa boogie in a 2 1/2 by 3 1/2 inch metal box (believe me, I've
been looking), but you can spend alot more and do alot worse than this one.

Who knows? It's a metal box that seems as well built as any of the other boss, etc. stuff out there.

N/A

Probably not too good for jazz or country, but I would try it on anything else. If you like EQ with your Rock Soup, this is your boy.

I give it a 8 because you need to have adept ears to make the the mid-gain work for you, primarily because the MID FREQ knob can totally change what your MID gain knob is adjusting. This feature is an AWESOME feature, dont get me wrong, but some newbies may not get the sound the wont right away, and rather than playing around with it, they will just leave it alone sounding all crusty. "Use your mind, Trust your ears"

Im using this in conjunction with a ProCo RAT distortion, with the RAT closest to the guitar. This pedal offers a sound unlike any distortion ive ever heard. Quite simply, when setup properlly it is the best sounding distortion I have ever heard.

Never had a problem with it, built stong unlike some Pedals on the market.

Never dealt with them

This pedal is amazing. Although Johnson is not a industry standard brand name, they should be. They make affordable products that can kick the shit out of most of the "industry standard" stuff out there. Its about the sound, not the name. This pedal is great for cranking out the heavy.

The knobs are self explanitory...HIGH,LOW,MIDDLE,MID FREQ.Just don't forget to turn it ON!!

Well,wuddaya know...this thing is acually very good!The E.Q. knobs let you scoop out the mids for that crushing,Sound Garden tone.Or,you can go Super 80's and blow out your windows.Does it have bass you ask?? You'll need some Tylenol!! The E.Q. dist. is extremely tweakable and the distortion is rich,not phoney sounding.I use this thing as a utility dist. box when I don't want to use my Rampage or Smash-box.Aside from it's versitility and raw power,the E.Q. distortion pedal is CHEAP!! For $29 bucks,you get a nice,little can of WHOOP-ASS! Try it,I think you'll be suprised.

Don't know yet.It seems to be pretty tough.

???

I think it sounds very good!The Smash-box gives me a good basic crunch.But when I want something raw or scooped I kick in the E.Q. dist. for tone to the bone!
It's a little noisey on my Twin(tubes),but that's my only complaint.

When I A/B'd the Johnson against my other boxes,the Rampage tried to bite it(bad doggy).However,the E.Q. dist held it's own and is now part of my arsenal.
All beginners...sell your other pedals,buy this box and take your girl to the movies.
It's cheap and good.

This is a distortion pedal with knobs. Pretty easy!

Great "metal", "hard rock", "Nu-metal" sounds. If your looking for a wimpy distortion, look elsewhere.

This thing is built similar to a Boss pedal. Metal housing and a stupid battery compartment like a Boss too. Seems like it would take a beating.

Don't know.

I've been playing for around 12 years. To me this is one of the best buys ever if your looking for a good cheap distortion. Totally smokes the Dano Fab Tone. If your looking for a good cheap "Metal Zone" than buy this pedal. By far cheaper than a Metal Zone and sounds just as good.

This pedal is way easy to get a good sound out of. Just make sure you turn the distortion all the way up, and the volume only a third of the way up. Scoop it, and you have a metal tone that is ALIVE.

Nothing is as good as a tube amp. I play an Ibanez s1520fb, with humbuckers and it sounds awesome. It even sounded good on the $150 Squier strat I had. I seriously think that this pedal sounds just as good as the Metal Zone or better.

Built like a Boss.

The E-bay seller sold it to me new with a 14-day guarantee on the tone!

This pedal is awesome. It sounds killer through a Crate GFX-30 amp. If it was stolen I would get another one and beat the guy who took it if I ever found him. Can't argue with $40.