The Danelectro Cool Cat Transparent Overdrive is an overdrive pedal from Danelectro's Cool Cat series, a line built around inexpensive, straightforward pedals in solid metal housings. Premier Guitar listed it at an MSRP of $49, placing it firmly in the budget tier of the overdrive market1.
What it does
The pedal gives a player four controls: Gain, Volume, Bass and Treble, with the Treble and Bass knobs arranged in a stacked configuration, meaning one knob sits atop the other on a single shaft position. Premier Guitar's reviewer described the stacked tone controls as offering "some minor tone shaping options" rather than deep EQ control1.
The Cool Cat series as a whole is built to a consistent spec. JHS Pedals, which has covered the line, describes it this way2:
"The Cool Cat series offers a solid metal casing, true bypass switching, metal jacks and superb tone."
The series even includes a decorative touch: "It even has a real photo lens inside!" according to the same page, referring to the camera-lens styling of the Cool Cat enclosure2.
How it sounds
What a player gets from it, according to Premier Guitar's reviewer, is a pedal that stays out of the way of the guitar. In the reviewer's words, "in lower to medium gain situations, the pedal retained my guitars' fundamental (a Telecaster and LP) without smothering" tone, and the pedal came across as "surprisingly clean and clear for such an inexpensive design," without noticeable compression at low to medium gain1.
The pedal's manual also suggests a starting point players may recognize: a "Woman Tone" setting, the classic mid-heavy lead sound, printed among its recommended settings1.
Where it sits in the Danelectro range
The Transparent Overdrive is one of several overdrives Danelectro has offered. Guitar.com, writing about the wider Cool Cat line, noted that "the Danelectro Cool Cat is a two-knob machine with few frills," a description of the series' no-nonsense approach to controls3. Players comparing it within the maker's catalog might also look at the Danelectro CO-1 Cool Cat Drive from the same series, the Danelectro FAB overdrive from the even simpler FAB line, or the Danelectro Daddy O DO-1 Overdrive from the late-1990s lineup.
Videos
Robert Renman's Master Guitar Academy
Robert Renman's Master Guitar Academy
David Niles Guitar
Sources (3)
- Danelectro Cool Cat Pedals Review: Fuzz & Overdrive, Premier Guitar, 2008-12-16
- DANELECTRO COOL CAT MOD, JHS Pedals
- 15 best chorus pedals to buy in 2019, Guitar.com, 2019-09-24
