The GUP Tech DCD is a dual channel distortion pedal, described by its maker as based on "the now famous \"Friedman\" sound" and able to "bring any clean amp to a Rock monster."1 It gives you two footswitchable gain stages in one box: a low gain side and a high gain side, so you can move between rhythm and lead tones without changing pedals. It sits in GUP Tech's distortion range alongside pedals like the 1982 RAT Tribute Distortion and the Pile O' RATs.
The two channels and how they are switched
The DCD's layout is built around two gain ranges. GUP Tech describes the split this way: "Channel 1 is little more on the Low gain side while Channel 2 is on the High gain side."1
- Right footswitch: activates the pedal.
- Left footswitch: toggles between the low gain and high gain channels. The lower row of controls, with the LED off, covers the low gain channel; the upper row covers high gain.1
That means each channel keeps its own set of controls, so your low gain and high gain settings stay independent as you switch between them.
Power and setup
The pedal's controls are two footswitches: the right foot switch activates the pedal, and the left foot switch toggles between the low gain and high gain channels, with the lower row of controls and the LED off in low gain mode.1 It measures 5.717" L x 4.772" W (145.21mm x 121.21mm) x 1.547" (39.29mm), so it takes up a fair amount of pedalboard space.1
GUP Tech recommends a buffer first in the signal chain. On hiss with high gain settings and high gain amps, the maker says: "If you experience weird hissing when using high gain setting with high gain amps, it's always a good idea to have a buff"1 A dedicated buffer pedal early in the chain addresses this.
DCD and SMK
The DCD shares its circuit with GUP Tech's smaller SMK Distortion Douche Edition, the SMK (So Many Knobs! Distortion). The difference is the enclosure and the channel count: the SMK is the same circuit in a mono-channel enclosure, and GUP Tech calls the DCD its bigger sibling.1 If you want the Friedman-style circuit but can live with one channel, the SMK is the compact option; the DCD adds the second, footswitchable gain side.
Versions and where it is made
GUP Tech gave the DCD a new enclosure design in November 2024, noting "New design, same circuit!"1 The pedal is built by GUP Tech in Saguenay, Quebec, Canada, where the company makes all of its pedals in house.1
Videos
GUPtech
GUPtech
GUPtech
Sources (1)
- DCD - Dual Channel Distortion Pedal, GUP Tech, 2024-11
