The Donner Umbria Distortion is a compact distortion pedal made in collaboration with guitarist Ruben Wan. Donner released it alongside the Celestia Chorus on May 7, 2026, as a two-pedal collaboration1. On Donner's own product page it is listed simply as "UMBRIA - Distortion"2.
What it does
Pedal of the Day describes the Umbria as delivering "a more aggressive distortion voice" than a standard overdrive. Its core recipe, as the review puts it, is "classic overdrive, a touch of compression, and a subtle boost," which the reviewer says helps a guitar tone stand out in a mix1.
A toggle switch selects between two modes:
- Low-gain mode: a warm, low-gain distortion that simulates the "clean breakup" of a tube amplifier
- High-gain mode: high-gain breakup with a built-in Boost1
The three usual dirt controls (Vol, Tone and Gain) shape the distortion voice1.
Build and what is in the box
The pedal is housed in a durable aluminum alloy casing that is described as anti-scratch and wear-resistant, with metal-textured knobs that are anti-slip and anti-fingerprint. The metal-contact footswitch is rated for thousands of cycles1.
The collaboration packaging includes extras beyond the pedal itself:
- Ruben Exclusive Panda String Dampeners
- Custom DIY stickers
- Stylized iridescent flash cards, in premium special packaging1
Where it sits in Donner's range
The Umbria is one of several artist collaborations Donner has released, following the Donner x Third Man Hardware Triple Threat, a three-in-one analog pedal made with Jack White's Third Man Hardware1. Donner's broader catalog also includes dedicated high-gain pedals such as the Donner Metal Head and the Donner Morpher.
Videos
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Sources (2)
- Donner + Ruben Wan Umbria Distortion & Celestia Chorus, Pedal of the Day, 2026-05-07
- Donner X Ruben Wan Guitar Pedal, Donner (us.donnermusic.com)
