The Moon Canyon is a multi-effect pedal from Dr No Effects that houses three effects in one enclosure: a transparent overdrive, a long digital reverb and a digital delay with analog sounding characteristics, plus a switchable FX loop between the drive and the wet sections1. It was designed in collaboration with Sarah Lipstate, the guitarist who records as Noveller, and MusicRadar described it at launch as "a jaw-dropping signature delay, reverb and drive for ambient genius Noveller"2. Only 350 were made, all by hand, and the edition ended in 202513.
The pedal is a statement piece as much as a tool: each effect is engaged by its own footswitch, and doing so lights up a different third of a moon model in the center of the enclosure, with the FX loop's switch ring glowing red. Guitar.com noted that engaging all four sections at once puts the pedal in "full cycle"4.
What it does: the signal chain
The three effects run in a fixed series order: overdrive first, then reverb, then delay16. Between the overdrive and the reverb and delay sits an FX loop, which the maker is careful to distinguish from a recording looper: it is a send and return for placing your own effects between the drive and the wet sections, switchable by footswitch1.
With no FX chain or patch cable between Loop In and Loop Out, the FX-loop footswitch works as a mute1.
A practical detail for ambient players: the delay's Repeats control is live feedback. The maker warns that turning it to maximum, or turning it while a signal runs through the pedal, can create runaway oscillation1. Guitar.com confirmed the delay "is capable of self-oscillation"4.
The controls
Each section has its own footswitch and its own small control set, which keeps the pedal approachable despite everything it houses.
| Section | Controls | What they do |
|---|---|---|
| Overdrive | Volume, Tone, Drive | Standard drive voicing; a mini toggle on top of the effect adds more low end16 |
| FX loop | Footswitch | Engages your inserted chain; acts as a mute with nothing connected1 |
| Reverb | One knob | Adds more or less reverb6 |
| Delay | Mix, Time, Repeats | Mix sets the delay level, Time sets the tempo, Repeats sets the feedback16 |
The overdrive is described by the maker as very transparent and extremely suitable for dynamic playing1, and Guitar.com called it "a transparent, articulate one that's meant to work beautifully with the reverb and delay"4.
The reverb is a single-knob digital circuit based on a high quality Belton reverb brick, voiced as a "Long" reverb16. The maker says that with a nice amplifier, or with multiple amps, it can sound like playing in a cathedral6, and Guitar.com found it "capable of cathedral-filling atmospheres"4.
Power: 9V, at least 400mA
This is the specification most likely to trip up a buyer on the secondhand market. The Moon Canyon runs on 9 volts only, and it requires at least 400mA from an isolated and stabilized power supply16.
The maker states plainly: use lower than 400mA and your Moon Canyon will not work correctly16. A typical compact-pedal output or a shared daisy chain will not drive it. The jack is 2.1mm, negative tip, positive sleeve6.
Two mono outputs and routing
At the end of the chain the pedal offers two mono outputs14. The maker suggests two uses: running two amplifiers, which is how Noveller herself uses it, or sending one output to an amp and the other into a new chain of effects and then to an amp1. Guitar Pedal X highlighted the second output as a way to connect the pedal to two amps, "like Sarah does"5.
A limited run of 350, released by the full moon
The Moon Canyon was sold only and exclusively through Dr No's own webshop, drno-effects.com16. The maker built 50 pedals per moon cycle and released each batch on a full moon until the limit of 350 was reached1. The first series went on sale on the full moon of 30 May 20181, and MusicRadar reported the launch price as €4292. Two years in the making, the pedal was signed and numbered, and each came in a Moon Canyon book box with a numbered certificate of authenticity12.
| Series | Build | Date | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 01/50 | 1 to 50 | March 2018 | First release1 |
| 51/100 | 51 to 100 | June 2018 | 1 |
| 101/150 | 101 to 150 | August 2018 | 1 |
| 151/200 | 151 to 200 | March 2019 | Blood Moon edition1 |
| 201/250 | 201 to 250 | 1 July 2020 | Sparkle coating build13 |
| 251/300 | 251 to 300 | 1 July 2020 | Blood Moon edition1 |
| 301/350 | 301 to 350 | 2025 | Blood Moon edition, last series, released in very small batches; pre-orders shipped 31 August 20251 |
All series are sold out1. Guitar Pedal X reported that production ended after 104 moon cycles, with a final flurry of 15 units5. The very last pedal, numbered 350/350, was offered as a single unit at the maker's shop; the maker kept number 01/350 for himself7.
"I've poured my heart and soul into each of these 350 handmade pedals"
The Blood Moon edition
The Blood Moon edition is a special series within the 350-pedal run, finished with a darker colored moon graphic2. It first appeared in March 2019 as a limited release of 50 handbuilds8, returned in the July 2020 builds, and closed the run as the final 301/350 series1. Since the edition ended, the maker has occasionally released single archive units from his personal stock, new old stock, describing these as the only opportunity to get one39. A replacement book box has also been sold separately as merchandise for both the Moon Canyon and Blood Moon Canyon10.
Designed with Sarah Lipstate (Noveller)
The Moon Canyon is billed by the maker as "A Novel by Dr. No Effects. A Collaboration with Sarah Lipstate (Noveller)"1. Guitar.com described the partnership with Lipstate, a guitarist who records under the pseudonym Noveller, and noted the pedal ships in an intricately illustrated box sharing the pedal's Art Deco-inspired graphics4. Concept, execution and manufacture were 100% by Dr No Effects, dated 2016/2019 by the maker1.
Guitar Pedal X offered one practical observation about how the pedal fits its signature artist's own use: even Lipstate does not particularly regularly gig with it, possibly making it more of a home studio piece5.
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Questions
How many Dr No Moon Canyon pedals were made?
Exactly 350, all handmade by Dr No Effects in Eindhoven. They were built and sold in series of 50, released on each full moon from March 2018 until the run ended in 2025 after 104 moon cycles. Each pedal is signed and numbered, and the maker kept number 01/350 for himself.
What is the Blood Moon edition of the Moon Canyon?
The Blood Moon edition is a special series within the 350-pedal run, finished with a darker coloured moon graphic. It appeared as the 151/200 series from March 2019, again in the July 2020 builds, and as the final 301/350 series. It was sold only through the maker's own webshop.
Where can you buy a Dr No Moon Canyon?
The Moon Canyon was sold only and exclusively at the maker's own webshop, drno-effects.com. The edition is now sold out. Since then the maker has occasionally released single archive units from his personal stock, which he has described as the only opportunity to get one.
What reverb does the Moon Canyon use?
A single-knob digital reverb based on a high quality Belton reverb brick, voiced as a long reverb. The maker says that with a nice amplifier, or with multiple amps, it can sound like playing in a cathedral. There is just one knob, to add more or less reverb.
Can the Moon Canyon delay self-oscillate?
Yes. The delay is digital but voiced with analog sounding characteristics, and it is capable of self-oscillation. Turning the Repeats knob to maximum, or turning it while a signal runs through the pedal, can push the delay into runaway feedback.
Why won't my Moon Canyon work on a standard power supply?
It needs a 9V supply delivering at least 400mA, isolated and stabilized, on a 2.1mm center negative jack. Most compact pedals draw far less than 400mA, so a typical small or shared supply cannot feed it. Below 400mA the pedal will not function correctly.
Sources (10)
- MOON CANYON MOON CANYON, Dr. No effects webshop, 2026-07-30
- Dr No's Moon Canyon is one of the most extraordinary pedals we've ever seen, MusicRadar, 2018-05-23
- Archive Moon Canyon, Dr. No effects webshop, 2025
- Dr No’s new pedal is a space cadet’s dream, Guitar.com, 2018-05-15
- Guitar Pedal X, Guitar Pedal X, 2025-06-17
- MOON CANYON "BLOOD MOON" EDITION -, Dr. No Effects (drno-effects.com), 2026-07-30
- Last Moon Canyon N0#350/350, Dr. No effects webshop, 2025-08-10
- NEW MOON CANYON, Dr. No effects webshop, 2019-03-18
- Archive Moon Canyon Blood Moon Edition, Dr. No effects webshop, 2026-07-30
- Original Handmade Dr. No Effects MOON CANYON BOOK BOX, Dr. No effects webshop, 2025-10-18
