Looking for a boost pedal....down to two choices

[mikey383]

I've been looking something to boost the front end of my 2 channel Dual Rectifier for solos and stuff, and I've come down to 2 choices. Unfortunately, I can't try out either of these locally.

First is the Maxon OD808.

Second is the Fulltone OCD.

I've heard good things about both of these, but there's nowhere local that sells either one of them.

Right now, I'm using a stock Boss DS-1 that I had lying around, and it just sounds ok for boosting leads and such. It makes the amp sound muddy, but it does get a nice midrange. Even with the gain turned all the way down, I can use it on the clean channel and get a very, very dirty sound. But, it doesn't get a very good tone, and like I said, it's just too muddy for me.

I'd like to have something that I could set up for a volume boost, but will get a nice smooth tone also.
Any input on these two pedals would be greatly appriciated.

 

[jesserides2005]

Just my two cents worth, but I would suggest the Fulltone Fulldrive over either of the choices you've listed. I own the OCD and it's a great pedal, however, the Fulldrive is cleaner and not as muddy in my opinion. (I use the OCD as a gain on cleaner amp settings) The Fulldrive is especially effective when you cut the compression on it and use it as a "Boost".

 

[dmotisko]

This seems pretty interesting and may match up with your amp pretty well. Sounds pretty close to a mark IV. There are a couple decent sound clips.

http://www.pedalgeek.com/cgi-bin/new_shop.cgi?config=&uid=RYhTsgAA1204599908&command=link--ano

 

[wildrat666]

both are great but I prefer the maxon od808. more transparent.

 

[AJ_Newkirk]

I'd highly recommend the OCD.

 

[nathan28]

+1 OCD!!! cant say that enough!

 

[ibanez4life SZ!]

For solo boost, I say the Maxon HANDS DOWN!

The recto is a scooped amp, so the mid boost the the TS-type pedal is perfect for a lead application.

The OCD, to my ears, is more of a scooped overdrive, as compared to the Maxon, or any tubescreamer for that matter.

Overall, I'm just not a fan of the OCD either

But still, I think a Tubescreamer type pedal would be perfect for a solo boost...it's what I do with my Mark IV, and it,s outstanding!

 

[Mastervolume]

Depends on what you mean by boost.

The OCD will have it's own compression going on and can be a great pedal into a clean amp but I would never use it as a boost. The 808 is a tube screamer, set to just boost the signal would be OK but you are going to get a mid freq hump that will also make the amp sound different.

I would suggest for just a boost

Micro amp
Fulltone Fatboost (either version)
and my personal fave - Xotic Rc boost

 

[MusicManJP6]

Depends on what you mean by boost.

The OCD will have it's own compression going on and can be a great pedal into a clean amp but I would never use it as a boost. The 808 is a tube screamer, set to just boost the signal would be OK but you are going to get a mid freq hump that will also make the amp sound different.

I agree!! (oh yeah - '+1' - haha)

You can use an EQ pedal as a boost if it's in the loop so you can 'sculpt' your lead tone, or a volume pedal with a minimum volume level adjustment if you want to keep the same tone and just make it louder (aka 'boost'). That would make for smooth transitions b/w rhythm and lead. Just some different options for you to think about aside from distortion pedals. If you are after more gain and a slightly tighter sound then a distortion pedal is the way to go, but i'm not sure which one to recommend...

 

[visualrocker69]

The Full Drive is more of a TS clone than the OCD. I use the red one with Mosfet. Can't recommend it enough. BOUTIQUE QUALITY, BABYYY!

 

[mikey383]

Depends on what you mean by boost.

Well, I'd like something that I can get a significant volume increase with, but at the same time boost the mids and smooth out the high end. The DS-1 does a decent job at smoothing things out, but at the same time, it muddies everything up when I turn it up to get any sort of volume out of it.

Basically, I won't be using it for anything other than on solos or parts where I need to stand out of the mix. I'm satisfied with my rhythm tone, just not my lead tone.

 

[mikey383]

Also, I have the Valve FX in my loop, which has a 4 band parametric EQ, and I could set it up so that I can get an increase in volume as well, but it still doesn't seem to cut well enough to me.

A little more gain is what I'm after.

 

[Mastervolume]

Here is my board. I am using the FDII for most of my gain structure. I have a fatboost to take me over the mix when I need it.

 

[phyrexia]

I almost bought an OD808 and I think they sound great but I bought an HAO Rumble Mod instead.

You can buy an SD1 and spend $25 on parts and have a Fulldrive.

 

[mikey383]

What are the differences between the OD808 and the OD9?

 

[cb101]

You might also take a look at the Xiotic effects line. The AC, DC and BB Preamp. Great sounds all the way around.

 

[Newysurfer]

Firstly, the Maxon & the OCD are OD/distortion pedals, not boost pedals, and I wouldn't recommend either for Mesa owners. They're good distortion pedals for non Mesa users but they won't add to the pallette of distortion flavours your amp already does much better. They give American style distortion tones just like your Mesa. Just more of the same except not as good.

To really widen out the variety of distortion tones your Mesa can't do I use an MI Audio Crunchbox. It totally nails the cranked Marshall JCM800, JCM900 & Plexi tones, is real bypass, quiet and cheap. If you like classic Marshall distortion this is your ticket. Have a look over on the thegearpage.com forum and see how many people rate it THE best distortion pedal available.

As for boost. If all you want is a boost pedal then don't consider either the OCD or the Maxon. I'm talking clean boost here & the MXR 6-band EQ pedal is a ripper for that. I have an FD2 also and it doesn't rate as a booster compared to the MXR EQ. THe EQ pedal will also open up an infinite range of tones on your amp while improving it significantly.

 

[wildrat666]

the maxon od 808 makes the recto sound much tighter and more mid. it is a great for that, it is trasparent so it does n t colour your sound. it gives a little bit more edge.PERFECT for mesa

 

[Newysurfer]

the maxon od 808 makes the recto sound much tighter and more mid. it is a great for that, it is trasparent so it does n t colour your sound. it gives a little bit more edge.PERFECT for mesa

If that's all it does then you'd be much better off with a good EQ pedal IMHO. It'll do that job easily, plus add up to 18db clean boost, plus add almost unlimited tonal versatility

 

[Midrangegood]

I'm throwing the BBE greenscreamer into the ring.Awesome overdrive/boost.Very transparent with the gain and tone @0 and the level all the way up.True-Bypass and comes with a power supply.$99