The Danelectro Cash Cow is an overdrive pedal from Danelectro's Billionaire series, announced in June 2018 and available at launch for $79123. The idea behind the pedal is to emulate the massive sound of a huge amp stack, with crunchy rhythms and searing leads as its specialties2. Danelectro's own description promises chunky, full-bodied chords with note-for-note clarity, from over-saturated to classic tones, with a huge low end and bright chimey highs, and it cleans up with the guitar's volume control1.
Most coverage calls it an overdrive, though Guitar.com's news piece described it as a high-gain, heavily saturated dirt device that still maintains note clarity2. Pedal of the Day's review found the Gain control spans a wide range, from a slight bit of dirt to chunky, pulsing overdrive to almost distortion-like territory when cranked3, so it sits on the heavy end of the overdrive spectrum. For a player shopping the low-price end of the overdrive market, that range is the pitch: one knob that can cover light edge-of-breakup dirt through to near-distortion saturation, with a two-band EQ to shape the result.
The controls
The Cash Cow keeps it to four straightforward knobs: Volume, Gain, Bass and Treble2. MusicRadar reported a wide range promised from the volume, gain, treble and bass controls4. That control set is the classic amp-style layout: level, gain, and a passive-style tone stack for the top and bottom of the frequency range.
| Control | What it does |
|---|---|
| Volume | Sets output level; Pedal of the Day found it produces a ton of output, typical of what you'd expect from a 100-watt amp3 |
| Gain | Ranges from a slight bit of dirt to chunky, pulsing overdrive to almost distortion-like territory when cranked3 |
| Treble and Bass | Fine tune the EQ, getting dark and dirty if you want, bright and cutting if need be3 |
Pedal of the Day's reviewer summed up the pedal's versatility this way:
"the tones produced will work well with everything from a DS-1 to an original Klon, adding sparkle, shimmer and shine to your tone"
The same review described the pedal as aiming to reproduce the sound of a 100-watt amp stack, riddled with a wide array of tones and levels3. The cleanup behavior matters here too: because the pedal responds to the guitar's volume control, as Danelectro describes1, a player can set a saturated Gain level and roll the guitar back for cleaner chords, then push it forward for leads without touching the pedal.
History and the Billionaire series
The Cash Cow joined Danelectro's Billionaire series as a new family member at the NJAMM show in March 2018, ahead of the wider June 2018 announcement1. The series concept, as Guitar.com put it, is to emulate the massive sound of a big amp stack2. Rabea Massaad shot a demo video of the pedal for its launch1.
The Billionaire line also includes the Danelectro Billionaire Pride Of Texas, which appeared in a That Pedal Show Pick'N'Mix episode in October 2018 alongside pedals from JHS, Keeley and Thorpy FX. Danelectro's broader overdrive history runs through pedals like the Daddy O DO-1 from the late 1990s, the Cool Cat Drive, the FAB overdrive and the Wasabi Overdrive, and later the Breakdown Overdrive of 2019. Against that back catalog, the Cash Cow's place is clear: it is the Billionaire series' take on big-amp stack grind, where the Pride of Texas covers its own territory in the same family.
Power and practical points
Power comes from a 9V power adapter or Danelectro's Battery Billionaire power supply, which is not included with the pedal1. There is no standard internal battery operation in the published specifications.
The build is all-metal construction with a soft-touch true bypass footswitch, as reported at launch by both MusicRadar and Guitar World45. True bypass means the signal passes through without coloring when the pedal is off, and the soft-touch switch is quieter underfoot than a standard mechanical bypass. At $79 at launch4, the Cash Cow sat in the budget-to-midrange tier of overdrive pedals, priced well below the boutique overdrives it was compared against in the press.
Videos
Rabea Massaad
R.J. Ronquillo
Mike Hermans
Questions
Is the Danelectro Cash Cow an overdrive or a distortion?
Danelectro and most press coverage call it an overdrive pedal, part of the Billionaire series. Guitar.com's coverage described it as a high-gain, heavily saturated distortion device, and Pedal of the Day found the Gain knob reaches almost distortion-like territory when cranked. In practice it sits on the heavy end of overdrive.
Does the Cash Cow take a battery?
No standard battery operation is listed. It runs on 9V power supply operation, and Delicious Audio noted it requires a 9V power adapter or Danelectro's Battery Billionaire power supply, which is not included with the pedal.
Is the Danelectro Cash Cow true bypass?
Yes. Both MusicRadar and Guitar World reported a soft-touch true bypass footswitch when the pedal launched in June 2018, alongside all-metal construction.
Who demoed the Danelectro Cash Cow?
Rabea Massaad shot a demo video of the Cash Cow for its launch, as reported by Delicious Audio in March 2018. Published written coverage came from MusicRadar, Guitar World, Guitar.com and a Pedal of the Day review.
Sources (5)
- Danelectro Cash Cow Overdrive, Delicious Audio, 2018-03-29
- Danelectro releases Cash Cow distortion, Guitar.com, 2018-06-11
- Billionaire by Danelectro Cash Cow Overdrive, Pedal of the Day, 2018-08-31
- Danelectro's Cash Cow overdrive pedal promises to beef up your tone, MusicRadar, 2018-06-08
- Danelectro Unveils New Cash Cow Overdrive Pedal, Guitar World, 2018-06-08
