The DOD Overdrive/Preamp 250 is a two-knob overdrive pedal first designed in the 1970s. MusicRadar's Trevor Curwen calls it "a 70s-designed overdrive pedal"1. It began life as a preamp-style pedal meant to beef up a guitar signal and push an amp harder, and in doing so it imparts overdrive of its own, as Origin Effects' John Dines puts it2. DigiTech describes the reissue as an overdrive/preamp with loads of output, usable to overdrive an amp or as a stand-alone distortion3.
What it does
The circuit is an op-amp with hard clipping into overdrive: turning up the Gain creates more clipping as it pushes the op-amp5. The clipping is done with silicon diodes, as That Pedal Show notes when comparing the 250 with related pedals7. In practice that gives the pedal a wide range: gearnews describes it as covering everything from clean boost to "almost" distortion10, and Guitar World's Alex Lynham found "there's a lot of volume gain on offer, and it does a brilliant job of pushing tube amps into saturation"8.
DigiTech's own demo by Ryan "Fluff" Bruce describes the 250 as "particularly good for single coils, Marshall, and things of this nature"6.
Controls
| Control | What it does |
|---|---|
| Gain | Sets the amount of clipping as the op-amp is pushed5 |
| Level | Sets output volume, with loads of output on offer3 |
The reissue features a blue LED6. Sockets are Input, Output and Power8.
Versions and history
The 250 has been through several editions:
- Early versions: an early version came in a gray painted box and a later yellow box version followed, with part values varying over the years9.
- Discontinuation and reissue: the pedal was discontinued at one point and reissued after several years of absence on the new pedal market9.
The 50th Anniversary Edition differs from the standard reissue: it is a limited, hand-built three-in-one version with a socketed op-amp aimed at modders1112.
Related circuits
The 250 sits close to the MXR Distortion+: General Guitar Gadgets describes the DOD Overdrive 250 distortion pedal as very similar to the MXR Distortion Plus9. DIY builders can cover the DOD 250, the DOD YJM 308 and the MXR Distortion+ from the same board13, and a DOD Overdrive 250 DIY replica kit is listed as a distortion project9.
On That Pedal Show, Dan and Mick compared a new reissue DOD 250 with an early '80s MXR Distortion+ through a cranked Marshall, alongside a Ross Distortion, Reeves Electro Plus Distortion, Boss DS-1 and Boss BP-1w, noting that "the do250 uses silicon" clipping7.
DOD's wider range includes other drive and dirt pedals such as the DOD Looking Glass, DOD Gunslinger Mosfet Distortion, DOD Grunge and DOD Boneshaker.
What reviewers said
- Guitar World's Alex Lynham found a lot of volume gain on offer and a brilliant job of pushing tube amps into saturation8.
- MusicRadar's Jonathan Horsley called the 50th Anniversary "the most versatile and expressive 250 pedal ever made" in DOD's own announcement coverage, describing a three-in-one overdrive usable as a clean boost, dirty boost, low-gain or full-on drive with some fuzz character at extreme settings1411.
- Delicious Audio's Paolo De Gregorio calls the new DOD 250 "a faithful reissue of an evergreen classic first released in the early '70s"4.
Videos
JHS Pedals
ProGuitarShopDemos
Sweetwater
Questions
What is the DOD Overdrive 250?
It is a preamp-style overdrive pedal first released by DOD in the early 1970s. It was designed to beef up a guitar signal and push an amp harder, and in doing so it imparts overdrive of its own. With Gain and Level controls it can be used to overdrive an amp or as a stand-alone distortion, and it covers everything from clean boost to what one reviewer called almost distortion.
Is the DOD 250 the same circuit as the MXR Distortion+?
They are closely related. General Guitar Gadgets describes the DOD Overdrive 250 as very similar to the MXR Distortion Plus, and both pedals have been discontinued at one point and reissued after several years of absence. DIY builders can cover both circuits from the same board, along with the DOD YJM 308.
What is the 50th Anniversary Overdrive/Preamp 250?
Released for DOD's 50th anniversary, it is a limited edition three-in-one take on the classic that can be deployed as a clean boost, dirty boost, low-gain or full-on drive with some fuzz character at extreme settings. It has a socketed LM741 op-amp and through-hole components for easier modding, as the original was known for.
Sources (14)
- DOD Overdrive Preamp 250 review, MusicRadar, 2015-02-11
- Tone Chasing and Matchmaking With the DCX BOOST, Origin Effects, 2023-09-15
- Announcing the 'Comeback' of the DOD Pedals, DigiTech, 2023-02-10
- DOD 250 Overdrive Preamp, Delicious Audio, 2025-02-21
- OVERDRIVE PREAMP, JHS Pedals
- DOD Overdrive Preamp 250 Review by Ryan ‘Fluff’ Bruce, DigiTech, 2023-10-04
- MXR Distortion+ & DOD OD Preamp 250, That Pedal Show, 2025-02-21
- DOD Overdrive Preamp 250 review, Guitar World, 2023-06-14
- DOD™ 250™ Overdrive Clone: DIY Kit, PCB & Schematic, General Guitar Gadgets, 2014-05-12
- DOD 250 Overdrive Preamp reissued as Tom Cram works with Cor-Tek, gearnews.com, 2023-02-10
- Overdrive Preamp 250 50th Anniversary, DigiTech, 2026-01-02
- “The most versatile and expressive 250 pedal ever made”: DOD celebrates its 50th anniversary with limited edition Overdrive/Preamp 250, MusicRadar, 2024-11-29
- YJM250 Plus PCB, Griffin Effects
- “Surely the most versatile version yet, putting different flavours of gourmet crunch on the menu”: DOD 250 Overdrive/Preamp 50th Anniversary review, MusicRadar, 2025-02-04
