America's Pedal - Advertisements

This index of DOD/DigiTech magazine advertisements began with photographs of 9 vintage DOD ads in 2009. Ten additional ads became part of the archive in 2010, with 11 more added in 2011 (a pattern that was entirely coincidental), 12 in 2012, and 13 in 2013. So far, we have added three new ads in 2014. Although the site's main focus is on DOD FX-series pedals, we will include other related DOD/DigiTech ads as they become available. Please note that the source listed does not necessarily represent the first time the advertisement appeared in print. If an earlier example of a specific ad is found, its description will be updated accordingly.


DOD FX-series advertisements:

• New FX Series (Guitar Player, December 1982)
  The first 10 FX-series pedals, with "FOAM" treadles
  
  
• Electrifying (Guitar Player, June 1983)
  The first 10 FX-series pedals, now with "3SD" treadles
  
  
• You Asked for It (Guitar Player, July 1984)
  DOD proudly announces the FX90 Delay
  
  
• American Metal (Guitar Player, February 1985)
  "The FX56 produces the ultimate in heavy metal sounds."
  
  
• DOD: America's Pedal (Guitar Player, February 1986)
  Two-page ad with all 16 DOD FX-series pedals available at the time, including the FX55B "Super" Distortion
  
  
• Road Warriors (Guitar Player, June 1986)
  FX75 and FX65
  
  
• Heat it Up. (Guitar Player, February 1987)
  FX50B, FX55B, and FX56
  
  
• Ever wish you could play two guitars at the same time? (Guitar Player, June 1987)
  You Can. With an FX35 Octoplus from DOD
  
  
• Everything to gain. Nothing to lose. (Guitar for the Practicing Musician, August 1987)
  A 1/4-page sized ad featuring the FX-10 Bi-Fet Preamp
  
  
• Mega-Muscle. (Guitar Player, October 1987)
  Introducing the FX57, also featuring the FX40B, FX75-B, and FX-17
  
  
• Pick up a six pack to go. (Guitar Player, February 1988)
  The new PRC-6 Pedal Road Case
  
  
• Sharpen your axe. (Guitar Player, August 1988)
  FX87 Edge
  
  
• No matter what you play. Play with the best. (Musician, July 1989)
  DFX9, FX65, and FX56
  
  
• No matter how you play. Play with the Best. (Guitar Player, September 1989)
  FX57, FX55B, and FX50B
  
  
• No matter who you are. Play with the Best. (Guitar Player, January 1990)
  DFX5, DFX6, and DFX9, featuring the late Jeff Healey
  
  
• Who says you can't mix the Classics with Heavy Metal (Guitar Player, June 1990)
  Introducing the FX52, FX53, FX58, and FX59
  
  
• Compression and Distortion in one effects pedal! (Guitar for the Practicing Musician, December 1991)
  The FX 54 Attacker from DOD
  
  
• Here's the real boss! (Guitar World, September 1992)
  "The DFX9 Digital Delay Pedal from DOD," compared to the Boss DD-3. The ad also features the completely unrelated FX59 and FX65.
  
  
• Dirty metal to the pedal. (Guitar for the Practicing Musician, September 1993)
  Featuring the FX69 and FX70x
  
  
• Go fish, pus-brain. (Guitar Player, September 1994)
  Featuring the FX69, FX32, and FX33
  
  
• Scary! (Guitarist, circa 1994)
  Spotlighting the FX86 Death Metal, "FX32" Buzz Box [sic], and FX32 Meat Box
  The ad also included a list of other DOD pedals available from Arbiter, who were the exclusive distributor of DOD pedals in the U.K. at the time
  
  
• Monster Sounds (Guitar Player, April 1995)
  Featuring the FX92 Bass Grunge
  
  
• Go fish, pus brain. (Guitar for the Practicing Musician, September 1995)
  Featuring the FX86, FX69, FX76, and FX92
  
  
• Monster Sounds (Guitar for the Practicing Musician, September 1995)
  "When playing DOD FX Pedals, place a mirror close by so you can admire your own metamorphosis. Fly crawl, or stomp to the nearest DOD FX dealer."
  Includes the DFX 9, 94; FX20B, 35, 40B, 50B, 55B, 56B, 65, 70X, 75B, 80B
  
  
• Chill. (Guitar World, May 1996)
  The new FX64
  DOD engineer Jason Lamb, who created the FX64, is the snowboarder depicted in the ad.
  
  
• Vent your desire to rage (Guitar World, November 1996)
  Featuring the FX101 Grind and the FX100 I.T., plus the Ice Box, FX747, Gonkulator, and Juice Box
  The skateboarder in this ad is DOD engineer Jason Lamb, who also designed every pedal shown in the ad.
  
  
• Cookery Class (Guitarist, March 1997)
  Featuring Ace of Skunk Anansie, "cooking" with the DOD FX25, FX22, FX69, FX101, and FX12; plus the FX33 as a fashion statement
  
  
• Analog does some things better (Guitar, November 1997)
  Featuring the FX69, plus the FX86, FX55B, FX100, FX50B, and FX51
  
  
• Heavy Machinery: FX69 Grunge (Guitar, February 1998)
  "On the road to original sound, anything can happen."
  Note that the Grunge pedal shown was obviously meant to promote its final series incarnation as the FX69B, although it featured the "livery" of the second series version. It is likely that this pedal only existed in Photoshop.
  
  
• Classic guitar sound... So keep it that way. (Guitarist, 1998)
  Spotlighting the FX96 (in its original paint scheme), FX75C, FX69B, and FX102, this ad includes all available final-series DOD pedals, plus the never-available DFX98.
  
  
• Tools of the Trade: no border (Guitar, June 1998) with black/yellow border (Guitar World, May 1998)
  DOD's final-series FX pedals, including the never-produced DFX98 and final-series mock-ups of the FX20, FX55, FX69, and FX86
  
  
• Up to one analog effect at a time! (Guitarist, August 1998)
  "Here's eight of the best new effects pedals now available from DOD - NEW LOOK - NEW SOUNDS - NEW COLOURS and best of all NEW LOW PRICES. Bring some imagination to your Guitar sounds at a DOD dealer today !"
  Featuring the FX22, FX64, FX69, FX84, FX86, FX91, FX96, and FX102.
  
  

Other DOD/DigiTech-related advertisements:

• Dependable Performers (Guitar Player, July 1978)
  This is perhaps DOD's first advertisement (1/3 page size). While it is noteworthy for listing the products available at the time, the stark and simple presentation (2 tone black and white, footswitches omitted) obscured their details (e.g., which products were actually footswitchable effect pedals), and probably did not do them any favors. In addition, the tagline "Dependable Performers" had been used the previous year in advertisements by Altec loudspeakers.
  
  
• Take Your Pick (Guitar Player, December 1978)
  Extolling the quality of DOD's first series of effect pedals, including the gray box DOD 250
  
  
• Delaying Tactics (Guitar Player, January 1980)
  "When you need a clean delay of up to 330 ms, the DOD 680 Analog Delay is for you."
  
  
• Chorus (Guitar Player, November 1980)
  With the Chorus 690, "DOD has redefined the chorus for musicians."
  Note that this full-page ad also ran as a half-page-sized ad, as early as July 1980.
  
  
• Sound Improvements (Guitar Player, February 1981)
  DOD's entire lineup, including the yellow box DOD 250
  
  
• Compare. (Guitar Player, August 1981)
  Hot off the drawing board: The New 500 Series
  It is noteworthy that DOD didn't appear to have a prototype to photograph with this ad, and apparently hadn't even settled on the "Performer" designation yet.
  
  
• The Performer (Guitar Player, December 1981)
  Spotlight on the 575 Flanger
  
  
• Performer 500 Series (Guitar Player, July 1982)
  Introducing the first 7 Performer 500 series pedals: 525 Compressor Limiter, 545 Wah Filter, 555 Distortion, 565 Stereo Chorus, 575 Flanger, 585 Delay, and 595 Phasor.
  
  
• The Performer (Guitar World, September 1982)
  Spotlight on the 555 Distortion
  
  
• DOD Electronics is... Breaking the Sound Barrier (Musician, December 1983)
  Introducing the first 7 Performer 500A series pedals: 525-A Compressor Limiter, 545-A Wah Filter, 555-A Distortion, 565-A Stereo Chorus, 575-A Flanger, 585-A Delay, and 595-A Phasor.
  
  
• The Effect Specialists (Creem Close-Up: The American Band, April 1984)
  Featuring three pedals from the Performer "A" series, including the 575-A Flanger, 565-A Stereo Chorus, and 585-A Delay.
  
  
• DigiTech (Musician, July 1985)
  Introducing "a new series of products that represent the finest in state of the art digital technology", including the PDS 1000 Digital Delay
  The PDS 1000 shown has black knobs, while as far as we can tell, the first ones made had black knobs with light gray tops
  
  
• DigiTech Shapes Your Sound (Guitar Player, Septermber 1985)
  With the PDS 1000 Digital Delay
  The ad also notes that the PDS 2000 2-second digital delay is available
  
  
• Explode Your Talent (Guitar Player, December 1985)
  with the DOD 944 Chain Reaction
  The 944 appeared to be a hardwired collection of rackmounted FX pedals controlled by a 6-button footswitch, as opposed to a true floor processor
  
  
• Start at the Top (Guitar Player, June 1986)
  DigiTech's PDS 1550 and 1700 series
  
  
• Clean up your act. (Guitar Player, November 1986)
  Advertising the DigiTech PDS 20/20 and PDS 1550
  Ironically, the FX56 American Metal (which was arguably DOD's "flagship" pedal the previous year) is depicted as one of the "replaceable" pedals in this ad
  
  
• Buy one. Get one free. (Guitar Player, November 1986)
  The DigTech PDS 1700 Digital Stereo Chorus/Flanger
  
  
• For the first time ever, DigiTech does it again. (Musician, July 1987)
  Introducing the PDS-8000 Echo Plus
  
  
• Pedalverb. The next step in digital reverb. (Guitar Player, August 1987)
  Introducing the DigiTech PDS 3000
  
  
• It takes a winning team to build a winning pedal. (Guitar Player, November 1987)
  Celebrating the DigiTech PDS 1002's Music and Sound Award
  
  
• There's only one thing more explosive than the PDS 1550. (Musician, July 1989)
  
  
• WHAMMY! (Guitar Player, September 1989)
  Introducing the new DigiTech Whammy Pedal
  
  
• Two at a time. For the first time. (Guitar Player, October 1989)
  Introducing the first dual-function pedals, with the PDS 2730 Hot Box, PDS 2715 Rock Box, PDS 2700 Double Play, and PDS 1650 Programmable Distortion
  
  
• "THE TALKER" (Guitar World, May 1998)
  Introducing a new and revolutionary effect from DigiTech.
  
  
• It's back. (Guitar World, May 2000)
  The re-issue Whammy pedal from DigiTech.
  
  

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