The Danelectro Pride of Texas OD is a boost and overdrive pedal from the company's Billionaire series, launched alongside the rest of that range in early 2018. Guitar Interactive Magazine described it as a pedal that "recreates that 'holy grail' bluesy tone", with a UK list price of £89.99 as the BP11. It is covered in more detail on the Danelectro BP-1 Pride of Texas page.
What it does
Danelectro's own description of the pedal, quoted by Delicious Audio, sets out its intent plainly: "Adds push and fatness to single coil or humbuckers. Plenty of boost for crunch rhythm or solos." The same source adds that it "fattens up signal without loss of clarity or voice", and that it "aces the bluesy tone of one of the greatest players ever to walk the earth", a reference to the Stevie Ray Vaughan-style blues market the pedal was aimed at3.
In practice that places it in the crowded field of blues overdrives, where most pedals follow the Tube Screamer template. Guitar.com's reviewer Michael Watts heard it as more than that: "While it's obviously being pitched at the SRV blueshound demographic, this is more than just another TS808 or TS-9 attempt"4. For players weighing it against the familiar options, our Boss SD-1 vs Ibanez TS9 Tube Screamer comparison covers the circuit most of these pedals are measured against.
Where it sits in the Billionaire range
The Pride of Texas is one of a range of Billionaire pedals Danelectro brought out in this period, a point Dan and Mick noted on That Pedal Show when they plugged it in as part of a four-pedal Pick'N'Mix episode, introducing it as a "Pride of Texas, Danelectro Billionaire fuzz" in the episode's intro2. Other overdrives from the same maker's wider catalog include the Danelectro Cash Cow, the Danelectro Daddy O DO-1 Overdrive and the Danelectro Breakdown Overdrive, with more options on our Overdrive Pedals page.
Videos
ProGuitarShopDemos
R.J. Ronquillo
Phillip McKnight
Questions
Is the Pride of Texas just another Tube Screamer?
Guitar.com's reviewer, Michael Watts, did not think so. While he noted the pedal is pitched at the Stevie Ray Vaughan blues player, he wrote that it is "more than just another TS808 or TS-9 attempt", suggesting it goes beyond the familiar Tube Screamer formula that many overdrives follow.
What does the Pride of Texas OD do to a guitar's tone?
Danelectro's own description, quoted by Delicious Audio, says it "adds push and fatness to single coil or humbuckers" with "plenty of boost for crunch rhythm or solos", and that it fattens up the signal without a loss of clarity or voice. It is aimed squarely at bluesy overdrive tones.
Sources (4)
- Danelectro launch Billionaire Pedals, Guitar Interactive Magazine, 2018-01-16
- Keeley RS Phat Mod, JHS Unicorn V2, Dano Pride Of Texas, Thorpy Fat General, That Pedal Show, 2018-10-16
- Danelectro Pride Of Texas OD And Big Spender Spinning Speaker, Delicious Audio, 2017-11-17
- Danelectro Billionaire Pedals, Guitar.com, 2018-03-21
