The Black Tooth Doom Octave Distorter is a distortion pedal from Discomfort Designs that puts three effects in one signal path: a clangy analog octave up, a high gain hard-clipping distortion and a clean MOSFET booster. Pedal of the Day, reviewing it in June 2021, summed it up as "a high gain, hard-clipping distortion with a clangy analog octave up and a MOSFET booster," and found that it "sounds as mean as its name might suggest…and then some," describing the overall sound as crushing and not for the weak or faint-of-heart1.
Octave, distortion and boost in one signal path
The three sections are wired in a fixed order: the signal path goes Octave > Distortion > Boost1. Each of the two main blocks, the Octave Distortion and the Booster, can be used independently with its own respective footswitch, so you can run either section alone or stack them1.
The Octave section is a classic "green" style analog full-wave rectifier circuit built on Germanium diodes1. Like all analog octave effects, it is monophonic, meaning it tracks one note at a time rather than chords. Pedal of the Day found it works best playing single notes above the twelfth fret while using the neck pickup1. If you are new to octave effects, there is more on the type at Octave & Pitch Pedals.
The Boost section is a simple MOSFET booster designed to blast the front end of a tube preamp. Pedal of the Day describes it as "a 100% clean, high impedance boost that adds very little color," with plenty of output to push tubes into saturation1. For other clean level-raisers, see Boost Pedals.
The clipping switch and the three sections
The distortion section is modeled after a certain iconic rodent distortion unit, supercharged for hard-clipping and high gain1. The original circuit uses a single pair of silicon diodes for a tight, compressed crunchiness, and the Black Tooth Doom adds a clipping switch with three positions that change how the diodes sit in the circuit1.
| Switch position | Clipping configuration | Character |
|---|---|---|
| First | Diodes lifted from the circuit | Full, open, grinding Op Amp assault at maximum volume1 |
| Second | Two silicon diodes and one LED, asymmetrical | Slightly compressed and smooth crunch, similar to a valve amplifier1 |
| Third | Stock double silicon diode configuration | The pedal's stock hard-clipping setup1 |
The asymmetrical second position pairs two silicon diodes with one LED, and Pedal of the Day found it delivers "a slightly compressed and smooth crunch, similar to a valve amplifier"1. If you want to hear how other makers approach clipping options, the Distortion Pedals page covers the wider field.
Where it is made
Discomfort Designs builds the Black Tooth Doom by hand: hand wired, one at a time, in Gloucester, MA, which the review described as a stone's throw from the depths of the ocean1. The maker's later pedals covered on this site include the Doomsailor Distortion and the Riemann's Grave.
Videos
Pedal of the Day
Questions
Can the octave, distortion and boost be used separately on the Black Tooth Doom?
The Octave Distortion and the Booster can be used independently, each with its own footswitch. That means you can run the distortion alone, the boost alone, or stack the sections in the pedal's fixed order of Octave > Distortion > Boost.
What is the signal order in the Black Tooth Doom Octave Distorter?
The signal path goes Octave > Distortion > Boost. The octave up section feeds the high gain distortion, and the clean MOSFET booster sits at the end of the chain, where it can push the front end of a tube preamp.
Is the Black Tooth Doom's octave polyphonic?
No. Like all analog octave effects, it is monophonic, meaning it tracks one note at a time. Pedal of the Day notes it works best playing single notes above the twelfth fret while using the neck pickup.
Which pickup works best with the Black Tooth Doom's octave?
The neck pickup. Because the octave is a monophonic analog circuit, it tracks single notes best, and the review found it works best playing single notes above the twelfth fret with the neck pickup selected.
Where is the Discomfort Designs Black Tooth Doom made?
It is hand wired, one at a time, in Gloucester, Massachusetts, which Pedal of the Day described as a stone's throw from the depths of the ocean.
Sources (1)
- Discomfort Designs Black Tooth Doom Octave Distorter, Pedal of the Day, 2021-06-24
