Help me spend $150

[birv2]

Just got a gift and am looking for something effect-related to spend it on.

Truth is, I really like most of what I've got (see my sig). But I'm a sucker for overdrives. I usually go for cheaper stuff but maybe I can get one of them there booteek pedals for this much.

I play blues almost exclusively. Any suggestions?

Bob

[Robert]

Maybe something swirly, like any of these?

http://www.musiciansfriend.com/product/Ibanez-CS9-Stereo-Chorus-Reissue?sku=150341
http://www.musiciansfriend.com/product/Seymour-Duncan-SFX07-Shape-Shifter-Tremolo-Guitar-Effects-Pedal?sku=500252
http://www.musiciansfriend.com/product/BBE-Soul-Vibe-Pedal?sku=151034
http://www.musiciansfriend.com/product/Maxon-PT999-Phase-Tone?sku=155028

[birv2]

Maybe something swirly, like any of these?

http://www.musiciansfriend.com/product/Ibanez-CS9-Stereo-Chorus-Reissue?sku=150341
http://www.musiciansfriend.com/product/Seymour-Duncan-SFX07-Shape-Shifter-Tremolo-Guitar-Effects-Pedal?sku=500252
http://www.musiciansfriend.com/product/BBE-Soul-Vibe-Pedal?sku=151034
http://www.musiciansfriend.com/product/Maxon-PT999-Phase-Tone?sku=155028

Hmm. Well, I don't use much swirly stuff at the moment. I've got a couple of Dano pedals for tremolo and vibe, got a CH-1 for chorus, can't see that I would ever use a phaser.... Maybe I'm being narrow-minded. But thanks for the suggestions. I'll think about em.

[sunvalleylaw]

My opinion, since you like overdrive, is either the ZYS, which is the uber Tubescreamer swiss army knife, or the Rabid Rodent. The Rodent has great distortion sounds, but I also really like the more transparent, compressed overdrives built in. I would say between the ZYS and Rodent, get the Rodent since you have a TS9 already. Then you have a great versatile distortion box for harder edged stuff, plus a nice clean sounding set of overdrives! And you should have enough left over for another patch cable(s) or something. I personally really am liking my Rodent overdrive settings for blues playing with my strat particularly, but also the Vik!

[M29]

DVM :poke

[Robert]

You could just get the best overdrive pedal? This pedal is awesomelicous:

i6Q60TFGINo

[oldguy]

DVM :poke


Yep.

[sumitomo]

Birv you bees a blues man,so you need Vood to hook up up with a Rabid Rodent.Sumi:D The reason for the rodent is it fits in that 150 you are willing to part with.:french

[birv2]

So what is the pedal in the video? It doesn't look like the ZYS on the site. It's got two switches instead of one.

The Rodent sounds interesting, too.

Hmm.

[sunvalleylaw]

2mcEvmA7C3I
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2mcEvmA7C3I

This shows pretty much the distortion side, and with a humbucker guitar. You are more strat oriented blues. But still, it shows you how you could rock out with it too. I just finished messing around on a Mayer Gravity backer, with my strat alternating through my Bad Monkey and my Rodent on the second to the last overdrive setting with the distortion dialed back. Two great sounds, but very different. So much more mid range and warmth/saturation with the Bad Monkey, so much more bite and clarity with the Rodent OD settings. Good tool, I am telling you!

[duhvoodooman]

Man, you guys are great--I don't have to hawk my wares at all! Thanks for all the recommendations. :AOK

The Rabid Rodent, uber-flexible combo distortion-overdrive box ($145 + shipping, including the tone-doubling Ruetz toggle):


http://duhvoodooman.com/miscimages/musical/RRv2.htm

And if you want to blow that old TS9 away with the ultimate Tube Screamer type overdrive with independent onboard boost and effect order-switching ($180 + shipping), there's the ZYS Mark II:


http://duhvoodooman.com/miscimages/musical/zys_mkII.htm

[birv2]

Man, you guys are great--I don't have to hawk my wares at all! Thanks for all the recommendations. :AOK

The Rabid Rodent, uber-flexible combo distortion-overdrive box ($145 + shipping, including the tone-doubling Ruetz toggle):


http://duhvoodooman.com/miscimages/musical/RRv2.htm

And if you want to blow that old TS9 away with the ultimate Tube Screamer type overdrive with independent onboard boost and effect order-switching ($180 + shipping), there's the ZYS Mark II:


http://duhvoodooman.com/miscimages/musical/zys_mkII.htm

Do you have clips of the Rodent 2.0 somewhere?

[sunvalleylaw]

The most recent Rodent is the one Robert plays in the above vid. Blaze has done some clips, and i have my old clips too. I think most of them are linked in the Rodent review thread that is active again right now. I do not think the Rodent has been revised like the ZYS has.

[sumitomo]

Come on Mikey try it you'll like it.Sumi:D

[duhvoodooman]

I do not think the Rodent has been revised like the ZYS has.
Well, actually it was, kind of. There was one original "Rabid Rodent" that I made for myself from the "v.1.0" BYOC Mouse kit with some clipping mods--a one-of-a-kind pedal shown here:


http://www.duhvoodooman.com/miscimages/musical/rodent.htm

Good pedal, but not the range of tones that my current Rabid Rodent (based upon the BYOC Mouse v.2.0) is capable of. I sold it when I built myself one of the current RR's--to Peachhead, IIRC.

Comment for Birv2: Most of the demo stuff you'll hear here features the higher gain settings of the Rodent. But it does nice overdriven tones, too, and several of them. Just run the pedal on the 3 rotary switch settings on the right side of the dial, and keep the gain below 50%. You can also flip on the Ruetz switch, which reduces the gain and falttens out the EQ for a less aggressive tone. Tres flexible!!

[sunvalleylaw]

Well, actually it was, kind of. There was one original "Rabid Rodent" that I made for myself from the "v.1.0" BYOC Mouse kit with some clipping mods--a one-of-a-kind pedal shown here:


http://www.duhvoodooman.com/miscimages/musical/rodent.htm

Good pedal, but not the range of tones that my current Rabid Rodent (based upon the BYOC Mouse v.2.0) is capable of. I sold it when I built myself one of the current RR's--to Peachhead, IIRC.

Oh, OK. See, that is why you build all this cool stuff, and I just buy it. :thwap :AOK I guess I thought Birv2 was asking about revisions since the clips/vids that have been posted, esp. the one that I linked above of Robert playing. No revisions since mine was built, or his, correct?



Comment for Birv2: Most of the demo stuff you'll hear here features the higher gain settings of the Rodent. But it does nice overdriven tones, too, and several of them. Just run the pedal on the 3 rotary switch settings on the right side of the dial, and keep the gain below 50%. You can also flip on the Ruetz switch, which reduces the gain and falttens out the EQ for a less aggressive tone. Tres flexible!!


That is exactly what I am talking about above, Birv2! :happy With my strat, I use those three settings on the right A LOT! I like it as an alternative to my tubescreamer oriented Bad Monkey. I have been getting a much more clean and transparent overdrive comparatively. These sounds get along extremely well with my strat, and I think paint a nice blues palette. A good tool to complement my Bad Monkey. In fact, I have been using that overdrive sound more than the Monkey lately. I have not used the Ruetz switch much, but I should. That would be a whole new set of overdrive sounds.

I have had NO time for recording of late. The only recording I know of that uses the OD settings are maybe some DVM put up originally, and my short demo clips that are in the Rodent Review thread. http://www.thefret.net/showthread.php?t=9271&page=3 See post #25 for DVM's clips that cover those settings, then see my post #44 for my clips covering the settings, both with my strat and my vik. I will note that these clips do not show the sweet overdrive sound I am talking about. All settings stayed the same for these recordings. To get the overdrive I was talking about, I rolled back the distortion some more, and it gave me a whole new thing. I do not believe I have that recorded anywhere.

[duhvoodooman]

No revisions since mine was built, or his, correct?
Correct. I'm pretty sure all RR's I've sold starting with yours are exactly the same, except for the finishing.

[Monkus]

The ZYS Mk II gets my vote !! I have one and its mean ....

[birv2]

Thanks for all the replies and suggestions!

In my tonequest, I've come to another crossroads (fell down on my knees). Here's what I've come to:

I have more overdrive flavors right now in my current pedal setup than I will probably ever use. As amazing as the Rodent or the Zonker or the Les Luis or the Klon or the others may be, it's just not worth my time and money right now. I have a good friend who fronts a blues band and also moonlights as my GAS counselor -- he says I sound the same today as I did 3 years ago. And this is after multiple amps, guitars, pedals....

btw, there's a great article in the latest Premier Guitar on the psychology of tone. Check it out:
http://www.premierguitar.com/Magazine/Issue/2010/Feb/The_Psychology_of_Tone.aspx

But thanks for the suggestions. It all helps.

Bob