Cort Guitars’ parent company, the Cor-Tek Corporation, has acquired the DigiTech and DOD pedal brands from Harman/Samsung.
In a statement, Cor-Tek president Jun Park said, “We’re pleased to inform you that we, Cor-Tek Corporation, maker of Cort guitars, have entered into a purchase agreement to acquire the DigiTech/DOD brand, including all DigiTech/DOD intellectual property and assets.
“Since 1973, DigiTech/DOD guitar effect pedals have been iconic in the guitar industry, and we have a deep admiration for the heritage and legacy of the DigiTech/DOD products. We look forward to continuing the manufacturing and selling of the iconic products as well as investing in new features and products.”
Rumors surrounding the status of the pedal brands had been circulating in recent weeks following DigiTech’s removal from the Harman website, as highlighted by Ryan ‘Fluff’ Bruce.
This latest development will therefore be welcome news to guitarists worried the brand could be going under; instead, it looks likely we’ll be seeing the first new products under the DigiTech and DOD banners in over five years.
DigiTech’s parent company, Harman, was purchased by Samsung in 2017. The subsequent reorganization resulted in the firing of the brand’s staff and halted the release of any new pedals from DigiTech or DOD.
At the time, Marketing Manager Tom Cram indicated he had a five-year roadmap for future DigiTech and DOD products, but it remains to be seen whether these will be resurrected under the new ownership.
Cram had been the brains behind the rejuvenation of DigiTech during the 2010s, reviving the DOD brand and launching innovative pedals such as the Trio and FreqOut, as well as refining the company’s iconic Whammy tech for a new generation of players with fresh treadle-based units and the Ricochet, Drop and Luxe spin-offs.
Cor-Tek builds its own instruments under the Cort banner, and also produces guitars for other brands such as Ibanez, Squier, Manson and PRS, including the recent SE Silver Sky. The purchase of DigiTech and DOD expands the company’s remit into dedicated pedal territory for the first time.
Thank you for reading 5 articles this month*
Join now for unlimited access
US pricing $3.99 per month or $39.00 per year
UK pricing £2.99 per month or £29.00 per year
Europe pricing €3.49 per month or €34.00 per year
*Read 5 free articles per month without a subscription
Join now for unlimited access
Prices from £2.99/$3.99/€3.49
Mike is Editor-in-Chief of GuitarWorld.com, in addition to being an offset fiend and recovering pedal addict. He has a master’s degree in journalism, and has spent the past decade writing and editing for guitar publications including MusicRadar, Total Guitar and Guitarist, as well as the best part of 20 years performing in bands of variable genre (and quality). In his free time, you’ll find him making progressive instrumental rock under the nom de plume Maebe.
