Choosing OD pedals

Curmic

Hey

I am looking at buying an overdrive pedals at the start of next year. I am thorough and have a lot of questions ?. When I am in a shop I will probably connect a few in series then try them out, but I would like advice before I go shopping.

I am not keen on spending more than a R1000 on an overdrive pedal. I don't want to get a brand that isn't as well known or that I can't get from any guitar shop.

Looking for something that will be great for modern rock (Foo Fighters, U2), punk (Blink, Green Day), classic rock (Deep Purple, AC/DC) and blues (Stevie Ray Vaughan, Jimi Hendrix). That doesn't sound too demanding does it? I already have a MetalZone distortion pedal for when I feel like metal.

I am considering...
<> Boss Overdrive OD-3... will it have a different tone to my 30W Marshall amp's overdrive and will it be an improvement on tone/quality?
<> Boss Blues Driver BD-2... great when I want to play Hendrix and other blues. But I play rock most of the time so it needs to do both. Can this compete with the drive level of other OD pedals?
<> Ibanez Tubescreamer... of course it is supposed to sound like a tube amp, but does it? How does it compare to the previous two pedals in price, quality and drive level? I know there are a few models of the Tubescreamer, but which one is best?
<> Also thinking about Vox or Marshall overdrive.

Well, I could use a certain overdrive pedal for playing some genres and then use my amp's OD for others. That selection being based on which one has harder drive and the right tone.

Should I wait to buy a 50W or 100W combo amp/stack, if its OD channel will have same/better tone compared to pedals listed above?

Cheers

AlanRatcliffe

I've never been much of a Marshall guy, but my experience with them tell me they work best with a overdrive pedal doing more of a volume boost that kicks the input of the amp harder.

Tube Screamers don't sound good through Marshalls as they provide a bit too much mid boost - and Marshalls are already midrangy amps.

Some of the other guys are more pedalhounds and will no doubt come up with some recommendations.

Did you see the drive/booster shootout by a friend of mine in the US that I posted? http://www.guitarforum.co.za/guitar-gear/for-the-pedalholics-around-here/

kayDUB

Be sure to check out the Boss SD1, a steal at between R300 and R400, does a great OD sound IMO. more sort of classic rock.
Used my friends SD1 yesterday, realised what a cool pedal it is for the price again!

I have never played a blues driver, but hear good things bout 'em.
I think the reissue tubescreamer are over a grand... ? anyone?

As far as using your amps od, it depends on the quality of the amp, I generally find that you can get a better tone from a more affordable amp using pedals, but that is just my opinion... ?

JoeyBones

What gear are you using ? I think look for a good amp and guitar combo first.Get the most out of that and then add on what they are lacking. A guy I know uses a PRS Custom 22 and he played it through my Ashdown fallen angel. None of my guitars get as good tone as his PRS gets through my Ashdown and the amp drive works brilliantly with it as well.

A lot of us will tell you buy a tube screamer or a BOSS OD/SD/DS pedal, but your ears will tell you what you want. Try out as many pedals as you can. Don't be in a hurry. Guitar shops are there for a reason and remember, you are the customer. Demand respect (Just venting a bit) ... I've found that had I spent more time testing stuff, I could've been where I am today with my tone for a lot less money, frustration and way sooner.

My personal favorite right now is the Cusack Screamer Fuzz. The Blues Driver is a good versatile pedal and mods are pretty cheap for them if you wanna get finicky about your tone. The tube screamer is a beautiful thing when mated with the right tube amp. Works wonders on my Ashdown, but Like Allan said it isn't as impressive on Marshalls, unless you're just using it as a booster for lead work.

JoeyBones

Oh, and this might help. I picked this up of guitargeek.com . Might be a little outdated, but should give you an idea of the gear you might wanna look at :

Foo fighters :

Dave Ghrol : http://guitargeek.com/rigview/379/
CHRIS SHIFLETT : http://guitargeek.com/rigview/380/

U2 :
The Edge : http://guitargeek.com/rigview/594/

Blink 182 :
THOMAS DELONGE : http://guitargeek.com/rigview/315/

ACDC
Angus Young : http://guitargeek.com/rigview/312/

Jimi Hendrix : http://guitargeek.com/rigview/354/

azraelscorn

I have the tubescreamer from ibanez(the new one,not the re-issue) and its great,doesn't really suit my metal needs but is lots of fun for screaming lead..for the sound u want i'd go for that

JoeyBones

The great thing about a tube screamer is it cuts through the house sound really well.

teleplayer

If u have a mate in America or an ebay account, get a Fulltone Fulldrive II, amazing overdrive pedal, I've tried plenty and this just tops them all.. It has an on/off switch as well as a boost, really cool if u wanna add some balls.. two for the price of one..

Gives a Tubescreamer kinda tone, with a boost when u want it

kayDUB

+1 on the fulldrive! ? awesome, but quite tough to get hold of here.

Vintage-Vibe

Foo Fighters - Dave Grohl likes his Gibsons - through VOX AC30's for clean tones, various modern voiced MESAs for dirty tones (Rectifier, Heartbreaker) at 1 point he used the BOSS Overdrive/Distortion (I think the OS-2 ?) - great little pedal
U2 - the Edge uses AC30's but a HELL of a lot of FX processing, (more the amp's tone for clean & dirt)
punk: Blink 182 - Mesa Rectifier cranked mixed with Marshall rackmount units ,
(try a Tech 21 GT-2 if u can find one - clones Marshall & MESA tones using analogue
modelling - killer !)
Green Day - more classic Marshall stacks these days (Tech 21 should work here too)
Classic rock - Deep Purple, AC/DC, Hendrix - non-master volume 100,100 & 50 watt Marshall Plexi heads
respectively - often with a fuzz pedal on top for a 2ndary dirty tone
Stevie Ray Vaughan - Fender & Dumbell combo amps cranked loud with a TubeScreamer (TS808 re-issue most
easily avail. locally)

YES - a nice pedal through an under-sized amp (in terms of wattage & speaker) won't get to spread its legs properley ESPECIALLY if the amp is a cheap non-valve variety.
The Marshall MG100DFX is NOT VALVE-POWERED and doesn't get NEAR that classic tone - there is a Marshall DSL40 1 x 12" combo going for R 3500 on Gumtree - RIDICULOUS PRICE - full valve !)
Always check Gumtree - u can save a packet !
For my liking the MG also breaks (specifically the bearings on the cooling fans die a lot in my experience of sales)
If you want versatility the VOX Valvetronix 50 watt 1 or 2 by 12" combo is MORE than enough - it also has a single 12AX7 preamp valve which warms the ENTIRE signal at the END of the signal NOT just on the OD channel ala Marshall Valvestates !

A decent-sized/quality amp is ALWAYS better than a fancy pedal through an inadequate amp.
BTW Fulltone 2 is GREAT - but more for Fender tweed-ish blues/classic rock tones (4 me anyway)

Good Luck !

VV

kayDUB

hey Curmic, I can organise you a second hand but virtually new tubescreamer.
PM me if you're interested.
or anyone else?

teleplayer

My Fulldrive is going through my Vox ac30, so it works well for what i'm going for..

A new pedal i saw at a music shop is the Ibanez Tube King, i think it's worth taking a look at, it goes from a sparkle OD, quite low drive to a huge distortion, very versatile pedal, it also has a gate u can turn on to get rid of that OD hum that's there when u aren't playing..

deanBailey

Curmic wrote: Hey

Looking for something that will be great for modern rock (Foo Fighters, U2), punk (Blink, Green Day), classic rock (Deep Purple, AC/DC) and blues (Stevie Ray Vaughan, Jimi Hendrix). That doesn't sound too demanding does it? I already have a MetalZone distortion pedal for when I feel like metal.

All those bands you mentioned use The OD channel straight from their amps with probably a tube screamer in front, sometimes not. Metalzones on the other hand (and this is just my opinion based upon research) works better as a door stopper than a guitar tone enhancer ?. The only metal band I know that uses Metalzones on an album is Cannibal Corpse and they're not very well known for their guitar tone. At the Gates uses HM heavy metal pedal but still into a OD channel of an amp into a custom cab.

Curmic wrote: I am considering...
<> Boss Overdrive OD-3... will it have a different tone to my 30W Marshall amp's overdrive and will it be an improvement on tone/quality?
<> Boss Blues Driver BD-2... great when I want to play Hendrix and other blues. But I play rock most of the time so it needs to do both. Can this compete with the drive level of other OD pedals?
<> Ibanez Tubescreamer... of course it is supposed to sound like a tube amp, but does it? How does it compare to the previous two pedals in price, quality and drive level? I know there are a few models of the Tubescreamer, but which one is best?
<> Also thinking about Vox or Marshall overdrive.

Well, I could use a certain overdrive pedal for playing some genres and then use my amp's OD for others. That selection being based on which one has harder drive and the right tone.

Should I wait to buy a 50W or 100W combo amp/stack, if its OD channel will have same/better tone compared to pedals listed above?

Cheers

You can never go wrong with a Tube screamer (if you know how to use it) into an OD channel of a tube amp. I almost NEVER use it. Also I think it IS possible to get one tone that works for all genres.

If you can tell me your favorite band and your favorite guitar tone, I MIGHT be able to tell you what they use(d).

Curmic

Hi

I went ahead and got a Boss MultiEffects pedal secondhand - the ME-50. It actually has Boss Overdrive, Blues Driver and Tubescreamer amp sounds, which were the 3 pedals I was considering.

It has 22 overdrive/distortion sounds in total. That way I can be flexible about tone and the main genre I want to play, in years to come. And I was planning on getting a delay pedal soon anyway.

But this forum will hopefuly be useful for other people when they choose overdrive pedals.

Curmic

JoeyBones

Not a bad option. My buddy was blessed with one and although it doesn't match the stompbox equivalents exactly, it's good enough to be used live. Its nice that they included the volume/wah expression pedal, but I would suggest getting a separate wah pedal. Did you get the footswitch to switch through the banks ?

Curmic

JoeyBones wrote: Not a bad option. My buddy was blessed with one and although it doesn't match the stompbox equivalents exactly, it's good enough to be used live. Its nice that they included the volume/wah expression pedal, but I would suggest getting a separate wah pedal. Did you get the footswitch to switch through the banks ?

I have to wait a few months before I can get home to try it out. But I have some ideas...

I have a latched footswitch, which I might have to stomp twice at a time to change banks, so could be inconvenient.

I also have a separate expression pedal (for my Zoom 505 II). It actually works as an Overdrive on/off for my 30W Marshall amp, when plugged into Footswitch In! (used that way, the volume does not fade). I am keen to see what that does with the ME-50. Hopefully a good bank switcher...

Curmic