FX50B

Overdrive Plus

DOD introduced the FX50B in early 1986; featuring a Tone control, it all but completely replaced the FX50 Overdrive Preamp in DOD's lineup. (With the introduction of the FX50B, the two-knob FX50 was no longer featured in advertisements or catalogs, although we have seen a legitimate example of a FX50 from late 1988.) Its circuit was very similar to the FX55B Supra Distortion, but with less distortion and gain. Although the FX50B was a descendent of DOD's highly-regarded Overdrive Preamp/250, sound-wise its competition (the JRC4558-loaded Boss SD-1 and Ibanez TS9) sound better to our ears. In about 1987, the FX50B's circuit was revised such that maxing out the Drive knob also provided a boost in the output signal. The FX50B was discontinued by 1998, with the then-new FX102 Mystic Blues Overdrive (and the December 1997 re-issue of the 250) apparently replacing it in DOD's lineup.