OD in front - Wow!

[shredhead72]

I've had my Mark V since 2010. I have the combo and always felt any other amp I played sounded better. Last week, I added a BOSS Blues Driver to my chain in front of the amp and I was really surprised how full it made the crunch channel sound. I wasn't necessarily after more gain, just beefy-ness.

Last Night I added an Xotic Effects AC Booster - again, minimal gain but it really brought channel one to life. Bluesy cleans were full and rolling off on the volume cleaned up pretty nicely.

If you haven't tried an OD pedal in front of your Mark V, give it a chance. If you have, sorry for clogging the boards (I know this is a hot topic).

Anyone else use their OD differently?

 

[soundguruman]

I've had my Mark V since 2010. I have the combo and always felt any other amp I played sounded better. Last week, I added a BOSS Blues Driver to my chain in front of the amp and I was really surprised how full it made the crunch channel sound. I wasn't necessarily after more gain, just beefy-ness.

Last Night I added an Xotic Effects AC Booster - again, minimal gain but it really brought channel one to life. Bluesy cleans were full and rolling off on the volume cleaned up pretty nicely.

If you haven't tried an OD pedal in front of your Mark V, give it a chance. If you have, sorry for clogging the boards (I know this is a hot topic).

Anyone else use their OD differently?

Sooner or later, you will realize that real tube overdrive sounds much better than any effects pedal.

 

[4406cuda]

I agree that tube overdrive sounds better than a pedal, but, I love the characteristics of how the Xotic Effects EP Booster sounds in front of the Mark V on all channels. I leave mine on all the time. It does not add any more gain, just makes everything sound fuller/better. It is like magic, best $100 I ever spent!!!

 

[HunterNZ]

I sometimes use a Maxon OD808 in front. Sounds great.

 

[SonVolt]

I've had my Mark V since 2010. I have the combo and always felt any other amp I played sounded better. Last week, I added a BOSS Blues Driver to my chain in front of the amp and I was really surprised how full it made the crunch channel sound. I wasn't necessarily after more gain, just beefy-ness.

Last Night I added an Xotic Effects AC Booster - again, minimal gain but it really brought channel one to life. Bluesy cleans were full and rolling off on the volume cleaned up pretty nicely.

If you haven't tried an OD pedal in front of your Mark V, give it a chance. If you have, sorry for clogging the boards (I know this is a hot topic).

Anyone else use their OD differently?

Sooner or later, you will realize that real tube overdrive sounds much better than any effects pedal.

You'd think someone like SRV would have known better than to use an OD pedal.......

 

[crane]

I use a TS-808 in front of the MkV. Just as a boost to add a beefy character on some parts, sometimes with a little more OD to let that "on the edge clean channel" leave its full crunch potential (very light OD, about 8-9 o'clock).

 

[TRENCHLORD]

No different basically than using an active pickup or an EQ pedal out front. (tones are all slightly different of course)
If it sounds good do it. I use various pre-boosters depending on which guitar/pickups and to some degree which head/cab.

 

[SonVolt]

OD's add a certain pick-attack and feel that you don't with straight tube overdrive.

 

[crane]

This thread just turned my iron "on" and right now I'm building a small booster to test at practicing tonight !

 

[discordance_axis]

I also use an Xotic AC Booster infront of my Mark V most of the time. Not to change the tone and not for extra gain (it has almost non) but to change the feel and increase the output signal of the guitar going into the amp. That's the great thing about the AC booster, it is completely transparent and doesn't colour the tone of the MV in any way.

 

[SteveO]

I've had my Mark V since 2010. I have the combo and always felt any other amp I played sounded better. Last week, I added a BOSS Blues Driver to my chain in front of the amp and I was really surprised how full it made the crunch channel sound. I wasn't necessarily after more gain, just beefy-ness.

Last Night I added an Xotic Effects AC Booster - again, minimal gain but it really brought channel one to life. Bluesy cleans were full and rolling off on the volume cleaned up pretty nicely.

If you haven't tried an OD pedal in front of your Mark V, give it a chance. If you have, sorry for clogging the boards (I know this is a hot topic).

Anyone else use their OD differently?

Sooner or later, you will realize that real tube overdrive sounds much better than any effects pedal.

Boosting the signal hitting the front end of a tube amp with an OD set fairly clean will give you a different type of sound out of the amp than it can do on its own. :wink:

 

[Bluestoned1]

I've used an EP Booster in front of my MV for over a year...love it. But I just put the new Soul Food (EH) in front of it and...W O W!!!!! Less overall color and more pick and touch sensitivity. SO sexy .

 

[masque]

i use a combination of either a TS-808. Xotic BB Preamp, Keeley Comp, or a Voodoo Labs Giggity. they all do things I enjoy and prefer at times with my Mark V.

 

[alboz28]

Very cool info. I have gone through this process for a while with many OD's and boosts and landed up recently with a Suhr Koko Boost - I had the EP Booster prior but the Koko Boost is different , Channel 2 Crunch really likes it and with the Mid Freq switch it gets closer to being "Marshally".

Anyway I have owned my Mark V for a little over 2 years and it never disappoints

Enjoy !

 

[conrad79]

I've only had my MKV for about a month but last night I was playing around with an Maxon OD-9 w/ the Analogman silver mod & Bad Bob boost. I had the drive full CCW and the volume full CW; the Bad Bob was at noon. Sounded great!

 

[DWAKO]

I have the Grid Slammer on my board to use whenever I need to cut through a little more in a mix for a lead, or something like that. I used it as a clean boost for tight rhythm sounds on the crunch setting for a while, but I found I liked the natural sound of the Extreme mode when turned up, without a boost, best. It's an excellent pedal, and reacts with Mesas in a way I wish other TS style pedals did, but it's just another tool in the tools belt. I have it there when I need it, but most of the time I find the Mark V sounds best on it's own. That's why I came back to it for a second time, I liked it's natural sound versus feeling like I have to manipulate it with pedals like with other heads.

 

[ATR1]

I 2nd the KOKO Boost, most of the time boost only all the time, mid once in awhile. I use it in #2 crunch mode last in line.

 

[scott7d]

Believe it or not, I use a cheap little Digitech Bad Monkey out front. Even with channel 3. I put all of the knobs at 12:00 and leave it on. Like you said, not much gain, but something about it just sounds beefier and it's not over the top like a typical distortion pedal.

Don't let the name and price fool you. The Bad Monkey's are great!

Sooner or later, you will realize that real tube overdrive sounds much better than any effects pedal.

If you were to A/B the two separately, no contest. I haven't heard any pedal that is supposed to simulate tube overdrive actually sound as good as the real thing. But combining the two on occasion can give you a sound that some people may desire a little more. Like I said above, I do prefer the tone of channel 3 a little more with the Bad Monkey on. It's a pretty transparent effect, but the little bit that it does, does sounds better to my ears.

 

[jbow]

Believe it or not, I use a cheap little Digitech Bad Monkey out front. Even with channel 3. I put all of the knobs at 12:00 and leave it on. Like you said, not much gain, but something about it just sounds beefier and it's not over the top like a typical distortion pedal.

Don't let the name and price fool you. The Bad Monkey's are great!

I remember the Bad Monkey craze a few years ago... I have one too! I wound up getting the Hot Head and the Blues pedal (don't remember what they call it). I LOVE OD and Distortion pedals. I have lots of them but I think my favorite two are a Jordan J-700 and well... a Tech 21 Comp-Tortion, but like some amps... you have to set it right. I am looking at a Mark V bubinga combo NAD next week and cannot wait. I wonder how the Seymour Duncan Pickup Booster will sound and act with the Mark. I bet it will shine.

I always seem to go back to the trusty old Boss DS-1 too... but I don't expect I will need distortion pedals with the Mark V. One pedal I get a lot of use out of is the Boss Bass EQ. It will tame the flub in any Fender and might be helpful with the Mark. Not the regular guitar EQ but the Bass EQ, used with a guitar and a guitar amp... the cure for flub every time.

Julien