The Acheron (Αχέρων) is a bass overdrive from dpFX Pedals, a maker based in Greece. It is built for bass players who want their amp to "growl" without losing any of their fat low-end tone, and Pedal of the Day's reviewer, who featured it in January 2020, judged that they have succeeded at exactly that.1
What it does
The Acheron is an overdrive voiced for bass. Its stated aim is to make your amp growl while keeping the fat low-end tone intact, which is the usual tension in bass overdrive designs: drive circuits tend to thin out the low frequencies that hold a band together. Pedal of the Day's review put it plainly1:
"spoiler alert: they've succeeded"
Controls
The big knob right in the middle is your Gain control, setting how hard the circuit drives.1
| Control | What it does |
|---|---|
| Gain | The large central knob, sets the amount of drive1 |
| Boost | Controls the Boost function's level1 |
| Tone switch | Three positions: I. More High-Mids & Treble; II. More Mids; III. More Low-Mids1 |
The second footswitch activates the Boost function. When engaged, it boosts your Drive and Volume, and the amount is controlled by the Boost knob. That gives you two sounds at your feet: your set overdrive tone, and a louder, more driven version for choruses or solos.1
Where it sits in the dpFX range
The Acheron (Αχέρων) is a bass overdrive from dpFX Pedals, and it sits alongside the maker's other bass effects such as the Echidna Bass Overdrive and the FuzZ-2. Pedal of the Day describes it as aiming to make your amp "growl" without losing any of your fat low-end tone, and adds: "spoiler alert: they've succeeded".1
For more on where an overdrive fits on a bass board, see Bass Pedals and Overdrive Pedals.
Videos
the wetter bass
Pedal of the Day
the wetter bass
Questions
What does the Boost footswitch do on the Acheron?
The second footswitch activates a Boost function. When engaged, it boosts the Drive and Volume, and the amount of boost is controlled by the Boost knob. It lets you kick the pedal harder for louder, more driven passages without changing your main settings.
What are the three tone switch positions on the Acheron?
The Acheron has a three-position tone switch. Position I gives more high-mids and treble, position II gives more mids, and position III gives more low-mids. It lets you place the overdrive's character in a different part of the frequency range to suit your bass and amp.
Sources (1)
- dpFX Pedals Acheron Bass Overdrive, Pedal of the Day, 2020-01-16
