By Ian Waters
Posted 10/03/2024
The LPD Dutch is the overdrive for the minimalist. It’s a versatile overdrive that covers as much musical ground as compression and distortion could require, or as LPD Pedals puts it, a “transparent, on the edge of breakup, a medium gain heavy blues, a hard rock rhythm machine or a singing lead and all points in between”. When paired with a Stratocaster or Telecaster, or a Humbucker equipped Les Paul into silverface Fender, the LPD does in fact offer as wide a dynamic range as could be wanted.
Housed in an attractive, yet simple, robust packaging, the intuitive controls offer plenty of dynamic headroom, harmonic saturation and subtle EQ options to be a great all in one overdrive. Priced affordably and with a sensible used market, the Dutch is a strong option for the gigging guitarist as a boost, lead sound, or always on tone-shaper.
Layout
The Dutch offers a four-knob/two button format for controlling volume, gain, treble, bass and an on/off relay as well as a “punch” relay. We started with all dials at noon and played a variety of styles and pickup configurations in order to gain a starting point. Comparing the bypassed signal to the engaged, we notice an immediate jump in volume and an articulation of the high frequencies. The mid-range frequencies seem scooped, creating a mix-friendly sound from the beginning. In live settings, this creates an easy to use starting point for an edge of breakup sound that, especially on humbuckers, leaves the player missing that same articulation when turned off.
The volume on tap is a welcome component, where unity gain is achieved with the gain nearly off and easily added to taste. When playing single-coils, the added top end isn’t as noticeable and the scooped mid-range can feel a bit less pronounced. However, in both pickup styles, the bass control becomes a helpful tool to tailor to the guitarist looking for prominence in the mix for the sake of solos or beef in a mix for heavy rhythm. The “punch” button is aptly titled. There is an overall lift in the signal as well as slight accentuation of the mid/top frequencies.
In Application
The Dutch boasts plenty of volume and enough tweakabilty to exist as a powerful tool on a board for live or studio purposes. The amount of gain can range from subtle to searing, while never reaching true high gain (especially on a single-coil) even when the “punch” is engaged, making it well suited for use as a blues and rock pallet. From dynamic picking the signal can go from the much lauded “edge of breakup” even when the gain is fully maxed, which for the genre gives the player full expression with the pick attack and volume controls on the guitar.
The touted transparency of the pedal remains in tact at any setting, which makes it an excellent always on pedal. With the addition of the punch setting, it can be a fine tool as the only overdrive on the board. It will work equally well before or after other dynamics processing, whether accentuating and boosting with EQ pedals, compression, or other drives. The slight articulation of top end frequencies might require some tailoring of the amplifier settings, especially with our experience using an already scooped Fender sound, but not to the point of affecting musicality or usefulness. Overall, this pedal is an excellent platform to build on top of or use exclusively.
Who is the LPD Dutch For?
At an affordable price and fairly abundant on the used market, the LPD Dutch is a fine option for the guitarist looking for transparent overdrive and dynamics, offering plenty of headroom and versatility from single-coils to humbuckers. The best use of the Dutch would be for the player who has an affinity for effects that are already characteristic, such as fuzzes or Tube Screamers, who is looking for a versatile tone shaping tool to include in the signal chain. At around $200, the Dutch is perfect for the discerning player who values tone and transparency and who is looking for a well-built, versatile tool to be relied on for the foreseeable future.