Queens Of The Stone Age, Them Crooked Vultures, PJ Harvey, Mark Lanegan and Chris Cornell collaborator Alain Johannes is one of the world's great unsung guitar heroes - as we attested in our in-depth interview with the man himself - and Dr. No Effects has enlisted his genius in creating his 11:11 signature pedal.
11:11 combines a set wah filter and low-gain fuzz, aiming to nail Alain's distinctive cutting tone, but the design has a deep significance for the guitarist.
The two bird skull knobs symbolise Alain and his late wife Natasha Shneider, and interact like a marriage: "some settings argue and some work very well as a couple".
Similarly, the larger coin knobs represent Alain's date of birth (2 May 1962) and Chilean origin, and control fuzz and fuzz volume; the smaller coins nod to Natascha's Russian heritage and 22 May 1956 birthday, and control balance and shape.
Dr. No quietly released the 11:11 11 months ago as 121 units for hardcore fans - 11 were sold every 11 months, ending on Alain's birthday. Even the price is symbolic: €335 (3+3+5=11).
The 11:11 is available now from Dr. No Effects - each stompbox is hand-signed by Alain, who recorded his own demo of the tones available, entitled The Adventures of Dr. No in the 11th Dimension - take a listen above.
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