Recent OD/Distortion Pedal Purchases

[duhvoodooman***]

Just a few comments on three OD/distortion pedals I've picked up recently on eBay:

1. Boss OD-20 Drive Zone -- This multi-distortion pedal (see pic HERE) offers 22 separate tones, ranging from subtle overdrive to death metal mega-distortion. This digital pedal uses Boss' Composite Object Sound Modeling (COSM) technology to emulate several vintage Boss OD/distro boxes, a number of competitive/boutique pedals, plus six "original" distortion tones unique to the OD-20. Subjectively, I find several of these quite good (the Boss OD-2 & BD-2, Stack, Klon Centaur, and Marshall Guv'nor emulations are my favorites), while others are just OK and several are of no real interest to me at all. Most of the latter are the ultra-high gain types which don't fit what I play, plus a couple others that sound just either nondescript or just plain weird to me (the Tube Screamer, MXR Distortion + and ProCo Rat emulations all suck out loud, IMO). Tonally, my main criticism is that several of these emulations sound very dry/sterile/synthetic to me. Admittedly, I'm not into highly distorted, scooped-mids tones and it's those that are least appealing to me. So maybe the issue here is the user's ear rather than the pedal's capabilities!
   
   As far as ease of use and controls functionality goes, I find the OD-20 pretty straightforward to use, despite its apparent complexity. In addition to the usual Drive (gain) and Level (volume) knobs, it offers separate treble (Tone) and bass (Bottom) controls, plus a couple of additional ones called Attack Shape and Heavy Octave. The former controls how smooth or sharp the attack portion of your tone sounds, while the latter mixes in a lower octave tone when playing in the lower registers. The models themselves are selected with an 11-position rotary knob, with a push-button Variation control determining which of a pair of emulations is selected for each of the eleven positions.
   
   The OD-20 also has four programmable memory settings that allow you to store your favorite tones, once you dial them in. These are controlled by one of the two pedal switches on the OD-20, while the other one selects between active or bypass mode for the pedal. One item of note--when bypassed, the effect is still very much "on", with indicator and button lights lit. If you want it to go dark, you have to either pull it out of your signal chain or detach the AC adapter plug (standard 9V type; will run off 6 AA batteries, also).
   
   One last comment: It came as quite a surprise to me for such a recent vintage effect, but I've noticed that the OD-20 definitely sucks some tone, at least where I have it in my pedal chain. I haven't tried shuffling it around any in my set-up to see if this improves, as it's easier for me to just remove it from the chain when I'm not using it.
   
   The OD-20 sells for $160 new, but used ones in good condition can be found on eBay in the $100 - $110 range. At this point, I still haven't decided if I'll keep it long-term or not. The issue is that almost all of the OD-20's tones that I like are available to me from other OD/distro pedals I already own. Where the OD-20 would really shine would be for the player who is (1) looking for a "do-it-all" distortion box, and (2) would regularly use the high-gain emulations that are of little interest to me personally.
   
   
2. Behringer TO100 Tube Overdrive -- Here's a pedal that's pretty much at the opposite end of the product spectrum from the feature laden OD-20! The Behringer TO100 is your basic overdrive pedal at a bargain basement price, as THIS PIC shows--a simple 3-knob OD box, with Drive, Level and Tone controls. Think "Tube Screamer clone", and you've pretty much got the intent of this one down pat.
   
   The cool part of this little pedal boils down to two factors: how well it achieves its objective, and how cheaply it manages to do it. I bought the pedal brand new on eBay, and paid a mere $16 for it. Even with shipping included, it only came to $23 total. Behringer lists most of their wide variety of effect pedals at $45, but they typically sell for $30 or so at the major online stores, and even better deals can be easily found on eBay, as I found out.
   
   However, even $16 could be too much for a crappy sounding pedal, so how does the TO100 perform tonally?? Answer: amazingly well. The pedal produces a nice TS-ish overdriven tone, a bit heavy on the midrange, and quite smooth in character. The controls work well with the Drive and Tone each having a reasonably wide and useful dynamic range. Does it sound "just like a TS-808?" Well, I don't have one of those, but I did compare it head-to-head with my homebuilt ZYS pedal, which is based directly upon the venerable TS-808 circuit. And while it doesn't have quite the transparency, note clarity and full-gain grit of that pedal, it gets pretty darned close! OTOH, it doesn't have as pronounced of a mid-range "hump" as the 808 circuit, which would be a definite plus for some people. And when you consider that the big stores get $170 for a TS-808 reissue and $100 for a TS-9, this puppy is an incredible bargain.
   
   One other comment here--the TO100 works great in tandem with another overdrive. I was playing my LP Std. through the ZYS and kicked in the TO100 behind it, resulting in a deliciously raw overdriven tone that was especially good for pinch harmonics, but still wasn't too harsh on the top end. Very useful!
   
   The TO100's one notable drawback is "gigworthiness". The Behringer pedals have plastic casings and comparatively flimsy knobs, features that are bound to be a concern for guitarists stomping around on dark stages or constantly throwing gear in and out of the backs of vehicles. Even though the plastic used seems to be thick & tough, these pedals aren't going to compete with those metal quasi-tanks made by Boss, Digitech, et al. as far as durability goes. But many of us "hobby players" really don't need that level of toughness.
   
   Bottom Line: A great bargain for the budget-minded guitarist looking for that Tube Screamer overdriven tone at an insanely low price point. A DVM Best Buy.
   
   
3. Marshall Guv'nor Plus -- This is my latest acquisition, purchased used on eBay for $48.50 (they typically sell new for $70). I went looking for one after enjoying what I'd heard from the Guv'nor emulation on the OD-20. After listening to the sound samples on the Marshall website, I decided I had to try one firsthand! I haven't had it long enough to put it through its paces thoroughly, but here are my initial impressions....
   
   Think "vintage-Marshall-stack-in-a-stompbox", and you'll have the gist of what the Guv'nor Plus is all about. Now while it's not really reasonable to think that you could get the tone of a JCM800 head and a 4x12 cabinet out of a pedal, the Guv'nor Plus gets awfully close! Tonally, the GP seems to fall into that seam between lower gain overdrive pedals, and high-gain distro boxes. Personally, that's exactly where I wanted to be, so this pedal delivers just what I was looking for. It's great looking, too, with its brushed aluminum finish and gold knobs and trim (see the pedal HERE). It's extremely sturdily built and very heavy for its size, and the knobs are recessed below the level of the top of the casing, protecting them from being stepped on accidentally.
   
   What makes the Guv'nor Plus stand out among the crowded field of distortion effects is its tone control system. While most pedals in this genre give you one or maybe two tone controls, the GP presents you with four! In addition to bass, mid and treble controls, this pedal includes a "Deep" control that really rolls on the thunder and gives an amazingly close approximation of that feel-it-in-your-chest thump of a 4x12 cabinet, as long as your amp's speaker(s) is capable of pushing the air. These four controls are located on two concentric knobs, supplemented with the customary Gain and Volume controls. The gain range on this pedal is very wide, affording anything from a middling overdrive to a fairly high gain distortion. Death metal players will probably want more output than this pedal can deliver, but using that Deep knob and scooping the mids should at least get you into that ballpark, if that's where you want to be. All in all, a very flexible and affordable pedal that wears its Marshall heritage well!

Well, that's plenty for now, kiddies....