MusicRadar Verdict
An amp expander/booster of the highest order. Looks cool too, huh?
Pros
- +
Can transform an amp and expand your tonal options.
Cons
- -
Expensive.
MusicRadar's got your back Our team of expert musicians and producers spends hours testing products to help you choose the best music-making gear for you. Find out more about how we test.
Jon Dickinson is the man behind those wonderfully mad aluminium-cased amps used by Muse's Matt Bellamy and Squeeze founder Chris Difford, among others. Dickinson also makes an all-valve overdrive pedal called the D1, which combines similar audiophile- grade electronics with recognisable design and bomb-proof build quality.
Originally, D1s were available only with point to point hand-wired circuits; however, increasing demand has prompted Dickinson to make them more efficiently, resulting in this production D1 version.
Sounds
"It's far from cheap, but the D1 has a rare ability to transform a so-so amp into something quite special"
The production D1 uses a printed circuit board and swaps rotary switches for standard pots, but is otherwise similar, with the same stainless steel casing, custom-milled aluminium knobs and two 12AX7s. There are controls for gain, tone, boost level and output, with a second footswitch for the D1's boost function.
In use, the D1 provides exceptionalclarityandlow-noise performance, combined with some wicked overdrive effects - there's a slight hint of fuzz at higher gain settings, which is instant ZZ Top with a decent Les Paul plugged in.
It's far from cheap, but the D1 has a rare ability to transform a so-so amp into something quite special. Lowernon-boosted settings add valve warmth and dynamics with a particular presence that makes a guitar part sit nicely in a mix, while the overdrive sounds are a match for other top valve products.
If you own a classic non-master valve amp, the D1 could be just the pedal partner you need to add class and versatility.
“For most of the songs, you need old, dead strings for sure, or else it does not sound right”: Nick Baxter reveals the setup secrets and custom Gibson acoustics behind Timothée Chalamet’s tone in Bob Dylan biopic A Complete Unknown
“One of the best guitar solos ever conceived - captured live on stage!”: Uncovering the truth about the Clapton classic that he called "wrong" but Eddie Van Halen loved
Behringer says it's squeezed the sound of a Roland Jupiter-8 into a $99 portable package with the JT Mini analogue synth
