Basically because of recentish events with this pedal being touted as a ripoff of a more expensive OD (one I had always wanted to try), I picked this up for super cheap and thought I'd give it a spin for everyone's benefit.
Dan Electro Cool Cat Overdrive
I'm calling this a mini review because:
1- I currently have no A strings, this severly limited my playing choices! You can hear it in the clips.
2- The clips were banged together super quick and are only DI'd so I've got no complimentary amp clips. Another symptom of speedy clips is I've left the tone control in one spot and only fiddled with the gain. Tone is rolled of just slighty to what I consider a Flat EQ (same as the bass going in)
3- I havent had it that long and I haven't played at rehearsals/live.
First of I'll give you an idea of the type of OD I like on bass to give context to my comments. I like amp like, touch sensitive flat EQ, low-mid gain overdrive. I do however at times like a bit of crunch, so thats mainly why I tried this baby out, since it's father pedal is known for crunch.
First some clips:
Light gain chords with just a bit of breakup to provide some nice character, having no A string to mute made these quite clear actually
http://www.soundclick.com/bands/page...songID=7679769
Light gain fingerstyle, I begin playing softer and then dig in to show that this OD is very touch responsive
http://www.soundclick.com/bands/page...songID=7679768
Medium gain crunchy pick playing, this is probablly what this pedal excels at the most, sounds better through an amp but
http://www.soundclick.com/bands/page...songID=7679767
Here is gets into high gain territory, and this is only about 1 oclock! Gets more fizzy and lame when it gets any higher though, here is some ridiculously obnoxious gallop sounds
http://www.soundclick.com/bands/page...songID=7679770
Short summary.
Pros-
- I'd consider it a very very good overdrive for the measly price. - It's got a nice mid-high gain crunch sweet spot and is capable of lower gain sounds if you lay back a bit with your playing.
- It's got an amp-like quality to it that I like, specifically it lacks the annoying mid bump that I dislike out of tube screamer circuits or the trebly clank of some guitar overdrives that I also dislike.
- Doesn't lose low end and gets dark and thumpy if you roll the tone down a bit. Small foot print, easy power requirements, strong metal case, it's tougher than a pedal of this price usually is.
Cons-
- Ugly, ugly, ugly.
- Switch is weird, not necessary bad, just different in a way I'm not fond of.
- Perhaps too much gain for the average bass player. I find it gets fizzy and very clippy after about 1 oclock and at that point sounds more like a poor attempt at distortion/fuzz and loses its touch sensitivity.
- Moral/ethical concerns may make you feel pooey. Bad press as of late, I'm not sure how comfortable I am with their two major press items.
Final thoughts.
Really good sounding and ridiculously cheap. I can only really accurately compare to drives I've owned in the past. It would rank a bit behind the Barber and the Blueberry, but it's better than the Muff'n, Zoom Power Drive and Boss OD-2.
I've always had this backup plan in my mind if I ever became too poor to have the pedals I want and I had to sell off my board. I have a back up board in my head of a few pedals that are priced very cheaply but still sound good that would replace those particular effects. Up till this point it was the DOD250 but after buying this pedal, it really takes the cake. This would be an absolutely excellent beginner OD for a bass player looking to dabble, one which might simultaneously end their search early.
Aside - I'm thinking of making it my first re-house project to overcome some of my issues with it, any who can give me some tips or link me to a guide that focuses on rehousing?
