Believe it or not, I have never owned, borrowed or even seen an actual DOD 250 Preamp pedal. I’ve used effects that were based on this legendary unit, but haven’t had to privilege to hold one in my hands and hear it in all its vintage glory. Needless to say, then, I was pretty excited about the release of the JHS Pedals Overdrive Preamp – although slightly different from the Gray Box version that everyone is used to, this exact replication of one of the FIRST TEN DOD 250s EVER SOLD put a big smile on my face. It lives up to the hype, too, so let’s see just what this one can do…
Two knobs represent the majority of the controls here: Level adjusts the overall output of the circuit, letting you boost or cut the signal to taste. Gain adjusts the amount of gain inside the overdrive circuit, creating more clipping as the op-amp is pushed into overdrive. There’s a slider switch here as well, letting you explore 2 variations within the DOD V1 clipping arrangements. In the Down position, the clipping from the earliest version of the 250 Preamp is replicated; in the Up position, clipping from a later version is used, creating a more open, louder and clearer signal.
THAT’S IT! Two knobs and a switch and you’re off to the races. There’s a whole awesome history lesson about the 250 on the JHS website, and I highly suggest you give it a read-through. Josh’s deep dives into this kind of stuff are legendary, and this one is no different. Thanks to him and all at JHS Pedals for sending over this Overdrive Preamp – give it a look and listen in our demo video below if you’ve got a minute, cheers!
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