DAD250+

AUTHOR: Nick Ecker

“For some odd reason, despite making their debut prior to the Ibanez TS808, and Boss OD-1, the DOD 250 and the MXR Distortion Plus do not receive the recognition they so desperately deserve.

This has always baffled me, given that the topology works with practically every rig, whereas the TS808 and its ilk are useable within specific contexts (E.G. Strat with a Black Panel Fender, into an overdriven amp to cut flub, or to stand out in a mix).

Yet that’s not to say that the DOD 250 is a flawless piece of kit. The pedal is notably darker in lower gain applications, which could theoretically tame brighter amps and pickups. The treble noticeably picks up as gain is introduced to the signal, and without a tone stack, there is no way to adjust the EQ accordingly.

This is where boutique manufacturers had come into play. From the nineties onward, countless boutique pedal manufacturers would offer their own spin on the circuit, be it the omnipresent Fulltone OCD, the Earthquaker Grey Channel, the JHS Preamp Overdrive or DOD Engineer Tom Cram’s own Yellow Spiral Overdrive.

A friend had put me on to the Progress Pedals DAD 250, which is co-produced with John Cusack, an industry veteran that took on the responsibility of manufacturing.

The DAD 250 takes the basic idea of the pedals it drew its foundation upon, and modernizes the topology. Soft Switching, 9-18v operation, two new clipping options, along with a no clipping option.

With no clipping diodes, the pedal sounds most akin to a cranked tube amp, and will push your amp into a more natural sounding state of overdrive or distortion.

The Silicon/Germanium hybrid clipping will theoretically sound most familiar to fans of the topology, with a new twist: it delivers something of a hybrid between the DOD 250’s tonality and the MXR Distortion +’s tonality. The former featured silicon clipping diodes whereas the latter provided a warmer, germanium driven tonality.

In a sense, this strikes a nice balance as the DOD 250 is often considered to be too bright as the gain is introduced, whereas on the inverse the Distortion + can become muddy.

Lastly, we have the Loose mode, which is my favorite. This mode utilizes LED/BAT Asymmetrical clipping, which to my ears sounds akin to a sagging tube amp. I could easily dial in tones similar to that of Neil Young’s legendary Tweed Deluxe, Rolling Stones grit, Velvet Underground, White Stripes and many others.

For good measure, a secret fuzz mode is also achievable. Max out the gain and dial your guitars tone knob to zero. This provides fuzz tones not dissimilar to early fuzz circuits, and cleans up well with your guitars volume knob.

At the heart of the DAD 250 is the LM741 Op Amp, which is also featured in the original units, so achieving tones accurate to the legendary yellow preamp is a cinch.

In conclusion, the DAD 250 could theoretically be your only dirt pedal, or your Swiss Army knife of a dirt box that provides you with a workstation when heading to gigs or jams. Unlike many TS variant drives, this pedal works with virtually every amplifier and guitar combination I had tested it through, be it my Tweed Champ, Twin Reverb, Hot Rod Deluxe, Blues Jr or Tweed Deluxe. The various clipping modes plus the secret fuzz mode will make the DAD 250 an affordable staple, a pedal to purchase if you have overdrive fatigue and want multiple flavors in one unit.”