Danelectro DJ-12 Chili Dog Octave

It’s clear Danelectro did some cost-cutting in the construction department: The knobs on the test unit were flimsy and hard to read, and the footswitch didn’t always switch properly. A detachable plastic knob guard made it hard to turn the knobs (that’s kind of the point)—but it’s a tradeoff that seemed worth it, since it certainly upped the pedal’s durability factor. Sonically, the Chili Dog satisfies: It tracks well, and there’s a certain beauty to its simplicity. The octave effect sounded fat and full—exactly what you get from eating too many chili dogs.