The Couch Electronics Baker's Dozen is an overdrive pedal that ranges from a clean boost to medium-gain overdrive and maintains a fairly flat EQ response, with a tone control to tame high frequencies and a master volume to help it scream quietly and whisper loudly1. It runs a true bypass relay circuit with optical switching, plus an internal power-up state switch that sets the pedal to be ON or OFF when power is applied2. The hardware is custom work: every component you can see, the case, knobs and switches, was designed by the company's owner Slobodan and made custom for this pedal, with the knobs crafted from a solid piece of aluminum1.
What it does to your sound
The pedal covers a wide span for a Blues Breaker-style design: at the bottom of its range it works as a clean boost, and as you push it, it moves into medium-gain overdrive. Pedal of the Day's review notes that it "maintains a fairly flat EQ response" along the way, meaning it does not heavily reshape your amp's tone the way a mid-humped drive can2. The circuit is "based on a classic clean op-amp boost with some modifications and added features," according to the same review2.
Two controls shape the output:
Build and switching
The hardware is custom throughout. Delicious Audio reported that "every single component you can see (case, knobs, switches) was designed by the company's owner Slobodan and made custom for this pedal," with the knobs crafted from a solid piece of aluminum1. Pedal of the Day's reviewer agreed the knobs "have also been designed from scratch, crafted from a solid piece of aluminium"2.
"but this baby blue beauty features some solid construction, and looks like it can take a beating if need be."
The switching is a step beyond a simple mechanical bypass. It uses a true bypass relay circuit with optical switching, and that design brings a practical extra: an internal power-up state switch, which sets the pedal to be ON or OFF when the power is applied2. Players who want the drive always engaged when their board powers up can set it accordingly.
Size on the board
Pedal of the Day measured the pedal at 70mm in width, 100mm in length (105mm including the jacks), and just a little over 40mm in height, including the knobs. The reviewer noted it is "a bit bigger than its predecessor, but still manages to defy expectations" for its size2.
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Pedal of the Day
Questions
Is the Baker's Dozen true bypass?
Yes. Pedal of the Day's review describes it as having a true bypass relay circuit with optical switching. That design also allows an internal power-up state switch, which sets the pedal to be ON or OFF when power is applied, so you can choose whether it comes on automatically with your board.
Where is Couch Electronics based?
Couch Electronics hails from Slovenia. Delicious Audio, which reported the Baker's Dozen's launch in April 2024, described it as a truly homemade overdrive pedal, with the case, knobs and switches all designed by the company's owner Slobodan and made custom for the pedal.
Can the Baker's Dozen be set to turn on when powered up?
Yes. The pedal has an internal power-up state switch, which sets it to be ON or OFF when the power is applied. That is made possible by its true bypass relay circuit with optical switching, and it is handy for players who want a particular drive always engaged when their board powers on.
How big is the Couch Electronics Baker's Dozen?
Pedal of the Day measured it at 70mm in width, 100mm in length (105mm including the jacks), and just a little over 40mm in height, including the knobs. The reviewer noted it is a bit bigger than its predecessor but still defies expectations for its size.
Sources (2)
- New Pedal: Couch Electronics Baker's Dozen, Delicious Audio, 2024-04-22
- Couch Electronics Baker's Dozen Overdrive, Pedal of the Day, 2024-12-12