DOD Phasor/201

Cool factor number one: One knob. Speed. That's all you get. That's all you want. You're not looking for a "versatile" pedal or something, are you now?

Cool factor number two: It's a Phase-OR, not a Phaser. That's real important. Phaser is some lame space weapon someone from Star Wars uses to slice Chewbacca Cereal for a wholesome breakfast. Phasor is the guy who used to beat the crap out of you and your lil' buddies at school and steal your lunch money to buy Quaaludes which he then sold to Tommy Lee and his boyfriend for nine hundred bucks a piece. Now which one do you wanna have in your rig?

DOD is one of those companies that demonstrate the truth of the "they don't make them like they used to" stereotype. Cos they used to make pretty decent stomp boxes back in the day. The 201 is (long) living proof. Not sure where I stand on their current catalog... DOD used to be what EHX could have been back in those days, if they were making pedals in Sandy, Utah instead of NY and didn't waste half their time telling us how their pedals are from, like, New York City.

This one was in fact made in Sandy, Utah and cost me 18 pounds sterling. And it sounds majestic. You can't beat a deal like this. Good news is folk all over the place got some for sale, so you go buy ALL of them. Just cos they're so cheap. And so good for the price tag. I shouldn't have to remind you that old, cheap and good are three words you don't see combined that often any more. It's usually "vintage" and eight hundred bucks. For something you can't play, cos if you do you'll break it, or nobody will be able to hear what you're playing cos it's dying, or you'll electrocute yourself and miss your chance to die chocked on Jack Black's own vomit.

What the 201 does is add a phasing effect to your tone. You can control the speed with the single SPEED knob. It's warm and it shimmers, and stinks of cigarette-smoke-and-whiskey blues. The effect is pretty subtle, in a nice way, unlike the MXR Phase 90, which tends to give you a way more over-the-top range. I sure don't want that range, and if you don't either, go buy seventeen 201s, cos they're so cheap and swell.

It goes from rather slow to leslie-like on the clockwise extreme, remaining haunting all the way. Around two o'clock you'll find the quiet blues sweet spot. I don't like mine in front or behind an overdrive. But then again, if it's not a wah wah, don't drive it, is what I say.

It doesn't do your True Bypass thing and it will change the tone of everything when disengaged and hooked into your pedal chain. EVH didn't seem to mind when he was shredding with the mechanical-bypass-free Phase 90 so take a good long look in the mirror and ask yourself...