Are You Using OD/Boosters With Your Mini Rec?

[soundchaser59]

I already had a couple of decent OD pedals before I bought my Mini Rec. I thought they would help me get a bit more sustain without adding grit, etc...

But I'm noticing that the pedals seem to take away more tone than they add. I might get a bit more sustain, but the tone is actually not as good as the amp without the pedals.

I'm tempted to just use a couple of modulation fx in the loop, and that's it.

Anybody found that their OD pedals or clean boosts don't degrade the sound of this little beast?

 

[KiwiJoe]

I already had a couple of decent OD pedals before I bought my Mini Rec. I thought they would help me get a bit more sustain without adding grit, etc...

But I'm noticing that the pedals seem to take away more tone than they add. I might get a bit more sustain, but the tone is actually not as good as the amp without the pedals.

I'm tempted to just use a couple of modulation fx in the loop, and that's it.

Anybody found that their OD pedals or clean boosts don't degrade the sound of this little beast?

Personally, I loathe distortion/OD pedals of any sort. Back in the day I used them with old Fenders that had plenty of power in the main amp but weak as preamp gain, ie, none. Or, to get them to go brown you had to turn the bloody things up to 11 which was way too loud to be practical for any place other than the Rose Bowl. Then in the early 80s I stepped up to a Music Man RD110-50 hybrid that served to ween me off the pedals.

To me the whole idea of a modern, variable gain tube amp like our beloved Minis and other Boogies is to take advantage of the organic sound of the tubes, and using a solid state pedal seems to defeat the whole purpose of having a tube amp. Of course, I know it depends on the type of music one plays, but for me I paid the dosh for the MESA sound. I get all the tone and sustain I need right from the amp, and, as a new owner, I'm still experimenting with it.

I like that fat, round tone reminiscent of somewhere between Larry Carlton and Santana, with a little Warren Haynes on the side for soloing, and I use a fully clean to slightly clipped sound for chord work, depending on the song and the setting/mix of other musicians and instruments. I copied the blank setting sheets from the owner's manual, and I keep a log of settings I like for the limited venues I've played so far with the Mini. With my Mini I have found a Mark I-ish tone that I am very happy with, and I am happy to share the settings with anybody who is interested.

The bottom line for me is no pedals. I just can't see the point with these amps for the tones I'm looking for. But I'm an old fart, so... :lol:

Keep in mind it's just my opinion. Your mileage may vary.

 

[soundchaser59]

A manager at an auth'd Mesa dealer near me said if he bought a Mini Rec he would not use pedals. Rather, he would have his modded to make the mode switches into foot switches. I like that idea because, unlike the Express amps, you dont really have to reset the gain and tone knobs to change modes!

 

[elvis]

Iuse an OD808 and a BBPre with my MR. The 808 works great, the BBPre less,so, though I have not really tweaked it yet.

Yes, the tone is probably better without them. But there isn't just one gain setting I want to use.

As for mode switches, the clean/pushed is OK, but going from vintage to modern is MUCH louder, so that is not something you could really footswitch.

 

[soundchaser59]

.....but going from vintage to modern is MUCH louder, so that is not something you could really footswitch.

Unless I could use it like a lead boost some how. I would never play rhythm stuff on the modern mode, only leads, so it's a possibility for me. Won't be a mod I will be doing any time soon, but it is tempting to try it some day.

 

[Third Age Amps]

If you are handy with a soldering iron, this could be a really cool booster.

http://www.buildyourownclone.com/fetpreamp.html

 

[KiwiJoe]

Perhaps consider using a Boss GE-7 or some other stomp-box EQ with the decibel output pushed up a bit for switchable lead boost?

 

[soundchaser59]

I used an Allums modded GE7 in the fx loop of the Express amp I had, that was a really wonderful thing! Really warmed up the tone nicely, even if the EQ is flat. Also used a Visual Sound Truetone boost in the loop, that was awesme too. Much nicer effect than running the boost in front.

I've been tempted recently to get another GE7, but I want to wean myself away from relying on EQ until I learn the true nature of the force using the amp as is. I think the most transparent boost I ever used was, surprisingly, the BBE Boosta Grande. But I wonder if they do something different with their power supplies because I always get a hum or buzz when I insert BBE stuff into my chain IF I power it on the same 1-Spot daisy wheel as the other pedals. Maybe that's why BBE stuff comes with its own adapter? I really should get a nicer PS.

I'm rearranging my guitar amp corner tonight, and adding a pedal (Barber B Cool Custom) to my board. I'm tempted to try this Subdecay Supernova in the fx loop as a clean boost (gain knob turned off). I really like the throaty cranked Fender character the pedal has, even though the gain is a bit too dirty for my taste. It has a 3 band tone stack that I like, and a good level boost.

 

[Chris_Lonerock]

I use an OCD v4 on the ch1 clean, it gives me a great crunch channel.
BTW I use a boost too (MXE CAE bosst) in the loop in order to have a volume boost for solos ( but an EQ like GE7 or better an PQ4 parametric EQ would work pretty well too.)
This amp rocks !