Difference between revisions of "Digitech"
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Digitech is a division of Harmon-Kardon in Salt Lake City, Utah. | Digitech is a division of Harmon-Kardon in Salt Lake City, Utah. | ||
| − | It | + | Digitech began life as the DOD Electronics Corporation. It was started by David O. DiFrancesco and John Johnson in 1974. Compared to Boss and MXR, DOD always seemed like the "cheap" pedal. |
| − | DOD gets its name from the guy who came up with the original pedals: | + | DOD gets its name from the guy who came up with the original pedals: <u>'''D'''</u>avid <u>'''O'''</u>reste <u>'''D'''</u>iFrancesco. At least he wasn't vain, right? |
| − | At any rate, the website that has the most complete information on DOD and their line of pedals is [http://www.americaspedal.net/ | + | At any rate, the website that has the most complete information on DOD and their line of pedals is [http://www.americaspedal.net/ AmericasPedal.net]. Digitech/DOD had some notable successes in the 1990s with the DOD Meatbox, the DOD Buzzbox, and the DOD Gonkulator. And they did things like naming pedal controls that had nothing to do with what sounds the knobs were controlling. |
| + | |||
| + | ==Timeline== | ||
| + | * 1970s: DOD pedals opens | ||
| + | * Early 1980s: the DOD "Performer" series | ||
| + | * Mid 1980s: DOD creates the "Digitech" line of double-pedals to appeal to a more upscale market. | ||
| + | * Late 1980s/Early 1990s: DOD makes sleeker boxes, but effectively puts the same old guts into these new boxes. | ||
| + | * Mid 1990s: DOD comes up with oddball pedals like the Meatbox, the Buzzbox, and the Gonkulator. DOD takes to naming the controls on many of its pedals oddly, presumably to be "edgy" and appeal to teens. The oddball pedals actually are novel enough to create a niche and become highly collectable after being discontinued by DOD. | ||
| + | * Late 1990s: DOD pivots away from the "DOD" name and makes "Digitech" their flagship brand. Most pedals now fall into predictable categories, and a Boss-style enclosure aesthetic is embraced. | ||
| + | |||
| + | In the 2000's and into the 2010s the DOD brand was pretty much abandoned by Harmon-Kardon except for the DOD YJM Overdrive for Yngwie Malmsteen who is a fan of the old DOD Overdrive 250. Given Boss's dominance in the market, in the late 1990s, the company pivoted to Digitech with pedals that were aesthetically far closer to Boss pedals than the old DOD style. Later Digitech released the "Hardwire" brand of pedals in an effort to cater to up-market pedal buyers. | ||
| + | |||
| + | Most recently with Dunlop and MXR making analog circuits viable again, DOD has been reintroduced as a pedal brand and seems to be doing alright. | ||
Latest revision as of 05:50, 2 February 2018
Digitech is a division of Harmon-Kardon in Salt Lake City, Utah.
Digitech began life as the DOD Electronics Corporation. It was started by David O. DiFrancesco and John Johnson in 1974. Compared to Boss and MXR, DOD always seemed like the "cheap" pedal.
DOD gets its name from the guy who came up with the original pedals: David Oreste DiFrancesco. At least he wasn't vain, right?
At any rate, the website that has the most complete information on DOD and their line of pedals is AmericasPedal.net. Digitech/DOD had some notable successes in the 1990s with the DOD Meatbox, the DOD Buzzbox, and the DOD Gonkulator. And they did things like naming pedal controls that had nothing to do with what sounds the knobs were controlling.
Timeline
- 1970s: DOD pedals opens
- Early 1980s: the DOD "Performer" series
- Mid 1980s: DOD creates the "Digitech" line of double-pedals to appeal to a more upscale market.
- Late 1980s/Early 1990s: DOD makes sleeker boxes, but effectively puts the same old guts into these new boxes.
- Mid 1990s: DOD comes up with oddball pedals like the Meatbox, the Buzzbox, and the Gonkulator. DOD takes to naming the controls on many of its pedals oddly, presumably to be "edgy" and appeal to teens. The oddball pedals actually are novel enough to create a niche and become highly collectable after being discontinued by DOD.
- Late 1990s: DOD pivots away from the "DOD" name and makes "Digitech" their flagship brand. Most pedals now fall into predictable categories, and a Boss-style enclosure aesthetic is embraced.
In the 2000's and into the 2010s the DOD brand was pretty much abandoned by Harmon-Kardon except for the DOD YJM Overdrive for Yngwie Malmsteen who is a fan of the old DOD Overdrive 250. Given Boss's dominance in the market, in the late 1990s, the company pivoted to Digitech with pedals that were aesthetically far closer to Boss pedals than the old DOD style. Later Digitech released the "Hardwire" brand of pedals in an effort to cater to up-market pedal buyers.
Most recently with Dunlop and MXR making analog circuits viable again, DOD has been reintroduced as a pedal brand and seems to be doing alright.
