Danelectro Pride Of Texas

Billionaire by Danelectro’. The name alone raises a wry smile. Despite their budget price point, Danelectro pedals have often punched above their weight class when it comes to sheer musicality. Some of the company’s pedals (the long discontinued Back Talk reverse delay being a case in point) have become classics – commanding high prices on the second-hand market. Unlike the usual plastic cheap and cheerful Dano pedals of old, however, the Billionaire range offers true-bypass, die-cast construction, sleek lines and some useful features that may elevate them above the competition.

In a now increasingly standard move, these pedals have no batteries and need juice from a power supply. This helps keep them compact and pedalboard-friendly, but they’re not the smallest pedals out there. Each unit has a blindingly bright purple LED to show when it’s on, and smooth-turning plastic knobs in hues that match the ‘custom automobile colours’ on the chassis. They’re sophisticated-looking units that certainly don’t appear ‘budget’.