What's yer best OD pedal? Duh, any ideas?

[deeaa*]

I don't change my setup very often, but one thing I do vary some is OD pedals.

I've used a few tubescreamer variations, liked 'em...and then gone back to Marshall Jackhammer. (very little drive, OD mode, some boost - sounds very much like a cranked old JCM800 on my Ceriatone and loses no definition).

I also bought a BOSS Od-2 (I think - the yellow one) and I loved that too, but then in comparison, again I reverted to the Jackhammer. For a really big part though I only use a compressor to make the ceria scream, or sometimes a tech-21 clean boost.

Now I understand Duhvoodooman builds pedals and understands a lot of them...is there really much difference between the pedals, or is it just between the ears? What would be your suggestions? Remember I live in Finland so I have no access to his or many other boutique pedals.

What I would like is an OD pedal that has bare minimum of controls - wouldn't change the sound very much but still give my already very crunchy EL84 amp sing 'over the edge'. I need only one setting on it anyway, I hate pedals with lots of options and tone knobs and whatnot - no need for those. Just gain and maybe volume is already too much :-)

I wonder if I should also try some distortion pedals, maybe I could get something out of those as well...haven't really owned distortions in 10 years or so, except all those modelers I've played. Well there's a distortion mode in the jackhammer, but it isn't too good - quite buzzy.

But...anybody know a tubescreamer that retains clarity well and doesn't clutter up or darken the sound much?

Oh one more thing...I don't really like tube pedals/drivers in front of a 100% tube amp either...it gets way too saturated/thick and warm, gets that buzzy quality just like Santana and Moore and even Slash etc...I hate that guitar hero warm thick 'easy listening' sound, it's gotta have some liveliness and edge to it.

[vroomery]

I've you're looking for a quality OD pedal that isn't too complicated you should check out the Lovepedal COT 50 (Church of Tone).



Thats a pretty good review of it, but it really sounds and feels amazing in person.

I think tubescreamers are kind of like ice cream. They are all sweet but they all taste a little different and everyone has their own preference. Some days I really like my typical ts-808 clone, but somedays I really want the smooth sound of my fulldrive 2. Its all in what you hear and how your feeling that day. Most of us can't settle on one OD for too long.

[tunghaichuan***]

You might try to find an Ibanez TS-9DX Turbo Distortion. Very common througout the world.



It has four different modes of OD from vintage Tube Screamer sounds to modern boutique Tube Screamer sounds.

tung

[Gutmann]

And if you want to compare a few, try this cool thing:

http://www.oldtonezone.com/distortio...-comparinator/

[Tig***]

And if you want to compare a few, try this cool thing:

http://www.oldtonezone.com/distortio...-comparinator/

Excellent comparison tool. Thanks for posting it!

The Holy Fire Overdrive/Distortion pedal from Creation Audio Labs is quite an impressive pedal. Use the oldtonezone.com "comparinator" tool and run it against the other pedals, and you might agree. The Bad Monkey is one of the best overdrive pedals for the money.

[hubberjub***]

My Lovepedal Eternity does the EL-84 thing very well. It also cleans up very well with your volume.

[tunghaichuan***]

The Holy Fire Overdrive/Distortion pedal from Creation Audio Labs is quite an impressive pedal. Use the oldtonezone.com "comparinator" tool and run it against the other pedals, and you might agree. The Bad Monkey is one of the best overdrive pedals for the money.

That Holy Fire pedal sounds pretty good. I wish that the guy doing the demo would turn off the reverb and let us hear the pedal unaffected.

Here's another demo:



Thanks for giving me GAS, Tig :

tung

[Tig***]

Thanks for giving me GAS, Tig :
tung

You're welcome! I guess you owe me.

The pedal has a huge rage, but still retains your original tone better than most, all while staying fairly simple. G for gain (nice clean boost). O for overdrive. D for distortion. The bottom knob cuts out either high or low frequencies. Roll off your volume at any pedal setting still produces a great nearly bypassed tone without sounding muddy.

The Vince Genella demo digs into the controls at around 1:30, and yes, he's using way too much reverb in the last part.

Here's a good demo...

[ibanezjunkie]

another one from lovepedal! the Purple Plexi overdrive.

cranked marshall tones, as you could guess from the name. and its purple.

its one-up from the church of tone, as mentioned by the PGS guy.

[pes_laul]

I know everyone was talking about how cool their bad monkeys were so I wanted to be one of the popular kids so I bought one. Up to date it is been my favorite overdrive pedal Ive played/owned.

also it's sits pretty nice between 50 and 60$

[ibanezjunkie]

the purple plexi is $200

bit of a margin on the bad monkey :P

[Perfect Stranger]

I'd say my BBE Green Screamer or my BBE Crusher

[duhvoodooman***]

Now I understand Duhvoodooman builds pedals and understands a lot of them...is there really much difference between the pedals, or is it just between the ears?

There is certainly a wide range of difference between the countless OD pedals out there. It's true that many are variations on the Tube Screamer circuit--not surprising, because it's a great sounding effect in many people's opinion, my own included. But there are OD pedals that far different from the old TS design and have their own unique sound, and it's even possible to substantially alter the characteristic TS tone by changing a just handful of components.

You don't have to spend a fortune for a good sounding OD pedal either. While there are any number of $300 - $400 boutique pedals out there, there are also great sounding overdrives like the Digitech Bad Monkey or the Danelectro Transparent Overdrive that can be had for under $50. Obviously, you're not going to get a handbuilt & customized pedal of the type I offer for that kind of price, but you can still get a good sounding OD.

But...anybody know a tubescreamer that retains clarity well and doesn't clutter up or darken the sound much?

The aforementioned Danelectro Transparent Overdrive fits this description well. Another pedal that I have been very impressed with is the Boss BD-2 Blues Driver with the Allums "H2O Plus" modification installed. This is the most transparent overdrive pedal I own (though the BYOC British Blues is very close) and has plenty of treble clarity and top-end bite. Lots of gain, too, when dialed way up. The BD-2 is widely available, and Allums ships their mod kits internationally.

Remember I live in Finland so I have no access to his or many other boutique pedals.

You guys have mail over there, right? I don't know about those "other boutique pedals", but the ol' Voodoo Man has been known to send a pedal or two across the big pond under some circumstances....

[SuperSwede]

You guys have mail over there, right? I don't know about those "other boutique pedals", but the ol' Voodoo Man has been known to send a pedal or two across the big pond under some circumstances....

Listen to Duh Vodooman and decide on a botique pedal built for you! The shipping and handling is about 13 usd which equals a bottle of finnish Koskenkorva Vodka...

[deeaa*]

Well, I'd hate to spend 200+ on an od pedal sight(ear) unheard, so I guess I'll first check out the Bad Monkey which is common enough 'round here, and then see if I can find the Danelectro. If those fail to gratify enough, I'll look into the BD-2 mod thingy.

This is sort of a difficult matter...you know, I'm happy with what I have, so reluctant to spend bigger money, yet there's always this nagging feeling maybe something out there is better...:-) plus I can't think of anything else I could hunt for or improve on my guitar gear, so I really feel the need to go look and shop for something - anything - but just can't think of anything I could use other than another OD pedal.

I have a bad habit of selling off good gear too. I had this amazing old DOD pedal, tubeFX 100 or something, which was crap on my full rig but simply :amazing: in front of an SS amp like a Cube or whatever. I really regret selling that one...

Anyway, thanks a lot for the suggestions...something to hunt for a good while now :-)

[deeaa*]

BTW I tried the comparison thingy, and...well I just can't hear any differences between the pedals listed. I dunno if there's a problem, but those sound exactly alike to me. Live, I hear plenty difference...but those clips, nada.

[Robert****]

I find the Danelectro Drive as well as the Transparent Overdrive sound significantly better than the Bad Monkeh. At least with my Suhr and my amps.

[Gutmann]

BTW I tried the comparison thingy, and...well I just can't hear any differences between the pedals listed. I dunno if there's a problem, but those sound exactly alike to me. Live, I hear plenty difference...but those clips, nada.

Try with some good headphones.. They made very similar soundclips and some pedals nearly sound the same - but there is a difference. The medium gain-comparison shows a lot of the character of each pedal.

[R.B. Huckleberry]

The Fulltone OCD retains my original tone. Just makes it dirtier. The plain ol' Boss BD-2 will keep your sound intact EQ-wise, but add some fur around the edges.