Damage Control Engineering was founded in 2004 in Westlake Village, California by four former Line 6 employees: Pete Celi, Gregg Stock, Lucian Tu, and Dave Fruehling. The company built a reputation for high-end guitar pedals that incorporated real 12AX7 vacuum tubes inside the pedal enclosure, combining tube warmth with sophisticated signal processing.

The brand's initial lineup consisted of four tube-driven distortion and overdrive units: the Demonizer, Womanizer, Liquid Blues, and Solid Metal, each featuring onboard opto-compression and pre/post EQ. The company later expanded into more DSP-intensive tube hybrid pedals, including the TimeLine delay and Glass Nexus modulation multi-effect.

In 2009, the core team transitioned away from the Damage Control name and began releasing products under the Strymon brand, where they continued developing effects that blend analog circuitry with digital signal processing. Damage Control pedals are manufactured in the United States and are sought after on the used market by players interested in tube-based distortion and preamp tones.

Damage Control has 5 products cataloged on Equipboard, including Distortion Effects Pedals, Delay Effects Pedals, and Multi Effects Pedals. Their gear is featured by 2 artists, with the strongest followings in Electronic, Rock, and Pop. Notable users include Justin Vernon and Jody Wisternoff.