You might say that King's X bassist Doug Pinnick's dUg Pinnick DP-3X Signature Pedal is dUg's Tech 21 Ultra Bass 1000 Signature head and sound somehow crammed into a 7.75 L x 2.5 W x 1.25 H-inch 12-ounce pedal. This is the sound Doug first developed in the '80s that combined customized distortion with a big bass amp sound. At that time he used both a guitar and a bass amp together plus a rack of outboard effects.
The all-analog DP-3X pedal is valuable for any musician--especially the touring musician who might be faced with the uncertainties of a different backline amp at each venue. As tested on a recent European tour, the DP-3X proved invaluable in providing dUg with the tone he wanted both easily and consistently.
Controls include: the Mix mode button engages Drive to bring in distortion and/or Chunk for upper harmonics while the Gain button provides additional distortion and compression. There is also a clean/full-range mode where Drive and Chunk are disengaged but Comp and Gain remain active so you don't have a big drop in level going to clean.
Other features include: three-band EQ, master volume, chromatic tuner, headphone capability, and an XLR direct Output.
The Tech 21 dUg Pinnick DP-3X Signature Pedal sells for $289 MAP.
Barry Rudolph is a recording engineer/mixer who has worked on over 30 gold and platinum records. He has recorded and/or mixed Lynyrd Skynyrd, Hall & Oates, Pat Benatar, Rod Stewart, the Corrs and more. Barry has his own futuristic music mixing facility and loves teaching audio engineering at Musician’s Institute, Hollywood, CA. He is a lifetime Grammy-voting member of NARAS and a contributing editor for Mix Magazine. barryrudolph.com
