The Dr. No Effects 11:11 is a limited edition two-in-one guitar pedal built by Dr. No Effects in collaboration with Alain Johannes. It combines a filter, described by the maker as a set wah-wah, with a low gain fuzz, and both effects can be used separately or at the same time12. The whole pedal was designed and developed with Johannes to capture his signature sound, and every unit is numbered and handsigned by him12.
The controls: coin knobs and skull knobs
The 11:11 carries four coin knobs and two bird skull knobs, and every one of them is symbolic as well as functional13.
| Knobs | What they control | What they represent |
|---|---|---|
| Two larger coin knobs | Fuzz and fuzz volume | Alain's date of birth (2 May 1962) and Chilean origin3 |
| Two smaller coin knobs | Balance and shape | Natasha's Russian heritage and 22 May 1956 birthday3 |
The two bird skull knobs are a chicken skull and a magpie skull. The chicken skull represents Alain and the magpie represents Natasha, his late wife and fellow musician Natasha Shneider13. MusicRadar described the way the two knobs work together:
"The two bird skull knobs symbolise Alain and his late wife Natasha Shneider, and interact like a marriage"
The maker puts it in similar terms: the combination of the Magpie and Chicken settings can create perfect cohesion or weird and contradictory tones1. For a player, that means the two skull knobs are meant to be set against each other, and the results range from cohesive to deliberately strange.
How the 11:11 was built and released
The 11:11 project with Alain Johannes dates back to 2014, when Dr. No and Johannes started their collaboration on a new guitar effect12. The pedal was then quietly released, with MusicRadar reporting in May 2016 that Dr. No had released it 11 months earlier as 121 units for hardcore fans3.
The release followed the pedal's own numerology. Only 121 (11×11) creations were handmade by Dr. No, with 11 made per lunar cycle over a period of 11 months12. MusicRadar reported that 11 were sold every 11 months, ending on Alain's birthday3. Of the 121 built, 110 reached people, because 11 were kept behind by Dr. No in his archive, one of every 11 lunar cycles1.
The 11:11 is sold out. The original 2014/2016 collaboration units are gone, and a later offering of archive stock made in 2016, limited to ten units, is also sold1.
Alain Johannes and the signature tone
The pedal exists to get what the maker calls "that inspirational signature Alain Johannes sound"1. MusicRadar described it as "aiming to nail Alain's distinctive cutting tone"3. Johannes is the player the pedal was built for and with: Dr. No states the effect was fully designed and developed in collaboration with him12.
Johannes also demonstrated the pedal himself. He recorded a music piece called "The Adventures of Dr. No in the 11th Dimension" at his own studio, 11AD, in Los Angeles, as his own demo of the tones available32.
"Dr. No quietly released the 11:11 11 months ago as 121 units for hardcore fans"
Videos
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Questions
What do the coin knobs on the Dr. No 11:11 do?
The two larger coin knobs control fuzz and fuzz volume, and the two smaller coin knobs control balance and shape. The larger coins represent Alain Johannes' date of birth (2 May 1962) and Chilean origin, while the smaller coins nod to Natasha Shneider's Russian heritage and her 22 May 1956 birthday.
How many Dr. No Effects 11:11 pedals exist?
Only 121 were handmade by Dr. No, with 11 made per lunar cycle over a period of 11 months. Of those, 110 reached players and 11 were kept behind in Dr. No's archive, one of every 11 lunar cycles. Each is numbered and handsigned by Alain Johannes.
Is the Dr. No 11:11 still in production?
No. The original collaboration ran in 2014 and 2016, and a later offering of archive stock made in 2016 was limited to ten units, which are also sold.
What is the demo video The Adventures of Dr. No in the 11th Dimension?
It is a music piece Alain Johannes recorded as his own demo of the tones available from the 11:11, made at his own studio, 11AD, in Los Angeles. It was released alongside the pedal as a demonstration of what the effect can do.
Why are there Russian and Italian coins on the pedal?
The four coin knobs are made from two 1 Kopeck coins from Russia dated 1956 and two Centesimo coins from 1962. The 1956 Russian coins refer to Natasha Shneider's Russian heritage and her 22 May 1956 birthday, and the 1962 coins represent Alain Johannes, born May 2nd.
Sources (3)
- The Story of the 11:11 Collaboration Effect, Dr. No effects webshop, 2026-06-26
- Alain Johannes 11:11, Dr. No effects, 2026-06-26
- Dr. No Effects unveils stunning, symbolic Alain Johannes 11:11 guitar effects pedal, MusicRadar, 2016-05-10
Alain Johannes
