DOD FX100 Integrated Tube Even Harmonic Overdrive
FX100 Integrated Tube Even Harmonic Overdrive from mid-1996, with original box
The FX100 Integrated Tube Even Harmonic Overdrive was introduced at Summer NAMM 1996, along with the FX101 Grind distortion pedal. Sharing the same circuitboard as the FX101, the FX100 was voiced to emulate Marshall tube distortion, but compared to the FX101 it is closer to an overdrive rather than a distortion pedal. In a first for DOD, the FX100 and FX101 also included a speaker emulator output jack, for plugging directly into a mixing board or a recorder. Although the FX100 was well-received, it was discontinued in 1998 as DOD revised their effects pedal lineup.
- Controls: Output, Lows, Highs, Drive
- From the manual: "The FX 100 I.T. (Integrated Tube)TM isn't just an overdrive distortion, it has special circuitry that adds even harmonics, emulating tube overdrive distortion. All of the dynamics of an overdriven amp are present. The distortion will 'clean up' when playing softer, and to get a really aggressive tone, get an aggressive forearm. Since the tone controls 'LOWS' and 'HIGHS' are centered at popular amp frequencies, this pedal sounds like a preamp, not a pedal. As an added bonus, the FX100 now gives you the ability to run straight to the board with the speaker emulation direct out jack."
- Technical info:
- Notable IC chip: Two 4558-type op amps
- Component-side circuitboard image: June 1996
- Related circuits: FX51 (loosely based)
FX101 (same circuitboard, but D6 is missing in the FX100); DOD's I.T. circuitry was also used in a series of small practice amplifiers (including the "Grind I.T.") released at the same time. - External links:
- FX100 Integrated Tube Even Harmonic Overdrive on Effects Database
- FX100 Integrated Tube Even Harmonic Overdrive on Noise Guide
- These were not prototypes.
- They were not factory rejects.
- They were real-deal production pedals that made it into boxes and into the world.
The "InteRgrated" FX100 Error Run
This is the kind of stuff I live for.
Most people know the FX100 as the Integrated Tube Even Harmonic Overdrive, but some of the very first ones didn't say that at all. They said "Intergrated." Yep, spelled wrong, right there on the pedal.
Now, this isn't a one-off oddball. There are enough of these out there to know it was an early batch before someone caught it and fixed it. That part has been floating around in collector circles for a while.
But today I was able to lock down something I've never seen documented before, and this is where it gets really interesting.
I was talking with fellow DOD pedal collector, Matt Gurney, who owns some of these error pedals. He actually has one, mint condition, in the original mint box, and here's what's interesting. The serial number on the box matches the pedal. He sent me these photos:
We've now answered one of the questions about these pedals that has been asked for the last 30 years: Did the error pedals have error boxes? Now, thanks to Matt, we know for sure.
The box is correct.
The pedal is wrong.
The box says Integrated. The pedal says Intergrated.
Answering that question lends more insight as to what actually happened back in 1996.
It solidifies that this wasn't a naming mistake or some early concept that changed later. The packaging was already finalized and printed correctly. The error happened at the pedal graphics stage after everything else was already in motion.
So now you've got a fully boxed, retail-ready unit where the outside is right and the inside is wrong. That's a very specific window in production where something slipped through.
And here's where it gets even better...
I had a chance to talk with Tom Cram, who was actually on the production floor at the time. According to Tom, Jason Lamb owned the mistake. He admitted the spelling error was his fault and said he should have caught it sooner.
And honestly, that just makes me like the story even more.
We're talking about one of the most creative minds in the pedal world, and even he let one slip through. It's a great reminder that this stuff wasn't built by machines in a vacuum. It was built by real people, moving fast, doing the work, and occasionally missing a typo that ends up becoming part of history =)
And here's another cool factoid. Let's hear this in Tom Cram's own words: "This is Jason Lamb's first proto of the FX100. Except that he wasn't the greatest speller... Jason threw this away and I rescued it from the dumpster."
The rescued error pedal. An incredible artifact of DOD pedal history!
You'll hear numbers thrown around about how many of these pedals made it into the wild. DOD pedal lore says somewhere in the 100 to 200 range along with stories about them being recalled by DOD. Maybe. Maybe not. As of this report, I haven't seen anything official that confirms a recall or exact quantities.
What I can say with confidence is this:
And now that we know the boxes were correct, that narrows the story down even further.
If you happen to have one of these, especially with the original box, I'd love to hear from you. Serial numbers, photos, any backstory at all. This is exactly how we piece this stuff together.
This is the fun part. This is how the real history gets uncovered. This is why I love collecting DOD pedals!
*Special thanks to fellow DOD pedal collector, Jed Wesolowski, for his Facebook post on the error pedal that inspired me to research and write this update.
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