The Diablo overdrive (now out of production) was one of OKKO‘s most successful stompbox designs, featuring some novel fine-tuning controls like the Headroom switch (which ups the circuit’s headroom to 18v), the Feed knob (controlling the amount of bass in the input signal) and the Body knob (affecting mids and dynamics). The pedal’s main selling point was that it sounded great also through through clean amps – something rare for overdrives.
15 years after its first release the German manufacturer decided to offer an upgraded version of it with the Diablo Dual, which sports some features often requested by the many fans of the original device.
The main difference of the Dual version is that – yes you guessed it – it features two channels. Switching duties are taken care of by the left footswitch, which, in a previous version called Diablo+, was used for a simple extra gain boost placed on top of the OD; the Diablo Dual, instead, gives you two overdrives with separate Drive and Level knobs.
The setting on the upper row knobs are shared by the two channels, and feature two new, three-way toggle switches that let you tailor the pedal to your guitar’s Input and find the best sounding Mids for your amp.
Okko FX Diablo Dual Overdrive, Builder’s Notes
Since the first Diablos hit the market 15 years ago they found a permanent place on thousands of pedalboards all over the world. The Dual adds some often requested features to the classic Diablo circuit.
The DIABLO DUAL offers exceptional dynamic qualities and super-clear, amp-like sounds.
Unlike many other overdrives it works perfectly with clean amps.
What makes it so special is a set of controls that affecst the “feel” of the pedal, the way how it reacts to your playing.DYN(AMIC) adjusts the internal voltage from about 6 to 18 volts.
Increasing the headroom results in less compression, tighter bass and more punch.FEED controls low frequencies in the input signal allowing tight and transparent sounds even with the fattest sounding neck pickups.
BODY control is a bit different from the older Diablo (and also from the GH model). It adds bass and low mids for a fat sound and different gain structure.
INPUT 3-position-miniswitch (normal/lowgain/top boost) sets the sensitivity of the input gain stage for best interaction with your guitars.
MIDS changes frequencies in the tone control. Perfect for matching pedal and amp tone.Each of the two channels is adjustable in GAIN and LEVEL. You can change during playing or pre-select the channels when in bypass mode.
