Donner + Ruben Wan Umbria Distortion & Celestia Chorus

Releasing a new pedal seems like a lot of fun…but what about releasing TWO pedals on the same day?? Doubling the fun today, the folks at Donner have teamed up with guitarist Ruben Wan to bring to the world the Umbria Distortion and the Celestia Chorus, out now!! These two pedals have simple controls, along with big, bold sounds, to easily transform your less-than-stellar rig into a true powerhouse of tone. We’ve got 2x the info to bring you today, let’s get down to it…

Starting on the heavier side, the Umbria (meaning “shadow underworld”) Distortion delivers a more aggressive distortion voice. Its core recipe—classic overdrive, a touch of compression, and a subtle boost—it helps guitar tone more stand out in mixing. The three usual dirt controls (Vol, Tone & Gain) are here, along with a toggle switch that moves from a warm, low-gain distortion, simulating the “clean breakup” of a tube amplifier, to a high-gain breakup combined with a built-in Boost, designed for intense note penetration, perfect for Rock and Hard Rock lead solos. The tone here stays expressive, warm and smooth, making it a perfect match for the way Ruben shapes his guitar solos in his music.

Grab both of these Donner pedals from Amazon https://amzn.to/3Z9YH6F

On the modulation side, the Celestia (meaning “the sky, paradise”) Chorus tone delivers a pure and sacred auditory experience. Its modulation brings a sense of new life and openness to the music, adding beautiful color and movement. Rate and Depth controls are expected, of course, but I love the mode toggle here as well. Classic Mode delivers a classic, wide chorus effect with a strong sense of stereo diffusion, suitable for the atmospheric accompaniment of 80s Pop Rock and Post-Punk, while Dream Mode gives you a chorus combined with subtle Tremolo, simulating the “dizzying effect” of tape or rotary speakers — ideal for the dreamlike atmosphere of Shoegaze and Alternative Rock. Whether used in fingerstyle playing or chord-melody arrangements, it provides sweet, expressive enhancement that elevates every note.

Each of these pedals comes with unique and very cool packaging, too. Included in the boxes are special Ruben Exclusive Panda String Dampeners, which help you maintain clean, noise-free performance and playing. There are also custom DIY Stickers, which allow you to apply personalized decoration and customization of the pedal casing. Finally, some creative collectibles include a set of stylized iridescent flash cards and premium special packaging. This additional swag just shows how much Donner and Ruben really care about these effects, and want them to not just be pieces of gear, but a real experience.

The Umbria Distortion and Celestia Chorus are housed in a durable casing that features an aluminum alloy casing, which is anti-scratch and wear-resistant, with metal-textured knobs that are anti-slip and anti-fingerprint. The reliable metal-contact footswitch is rated for thousands of cycles (long lifespan), ensuring it remains reliable even with frequent live switching. In short, these pedals look, feel and sound fantastic – head over to the Donner website for more info, stop by our YouTube channel for demo videos for BOTH pedals, and go to Amazon to grab one of each for yourself!! Cheers!!