DOD releases Chthonic Fuzz, first new pedal under Cor-Tek

October 31, 2023 · 6 sources

DOD announced the Chthonic Fuzz on October 31, 2023, a dark-sounding silicon fuzz pedal that Guitar World calls the company's first new release proper since Cor-Tek, parent of Cort Guitars, bought the DigiTech and DOD brands from Samsung¹. Guitar.com dates that acquisition to 2022²; Guitar World says Cor-Tek announced it last year¹.

The circuit is built around a pair of 2N2222 silicon transistors³¹²⁴. MusicRadar reports the DOD R&D team started from a single-knob fuzz from the 1970s and expanded it to three controls: Fuzz for gain, Level for output and Lustre as a passive, post-gain tone control³. Premier Guitar describes Lustre as a gentle passive tone control that keeps pick attack audible across the frequency range⁴. DOD advises placing the pedal first in the signal chain and setting all controls at noon before adjusting³. It runs on 9V from a battery or a pedalboard power supply³²⁴, and Guitar.com and Premier Guitar both list true bypass²⁴.

DOD describes the fuzz character as "fat, corpulent, fudgy, sludgy"³ and says the pedal is designed for brighter single-coil, P90, DeArmond or gold-foil pickups, though it works with any pickup type⁴. Guitar.com reports DOD says it also works well with PAF-style humbuckers². MusicRadar notes the pedal is sensitive to the brightness of low-capacitance cables, with shorter cable runs giving better results³. The housing carries a Kraken/Cthulhu graphic by the same artist behind the DOD Carcosa Fuzz artwork²⁴.

Pricing is reported differently. MusicRadar gives $149 street³; Guitar World says $149¹; Gearnews lists MSRP of $149⁵; Guitar.com and Premier Guitar give $149.Guitar Pedal X cites $149⁶. The pedal was available on October 31⁴.