Overdrive Pedals - Need Your Honest Opinion Please

[reo73]

I might be out on an island on this subject, but I prefer plugging straight into my amp with no overdrive or distortion boxes.

I used to be always looking for something to improve my sound. EQ pedals (which can work like a boost), OD pedals, etc. What I found was less is more. Right now my live rig is guitar-Boss TU-2 tuner pedal, ZW Dunlop wah-Mesa Roadster. That's it. I play in a cover band so versatility is huge, but I also like a straight up, face melting tube amp with nothing in between. After I ditched all of that stuff I was like "Wow!, I've been covering up that sound for how long?!?"

I did own a ZW Dunlop OD pedal a couple of years ago. I played with every setting on that thing and all I noticed was that it created more noise and feedback. I tried it on my dual rec and my old Tube Works combo. Same result with both.

I think that with the right pickups (no better way to boost your signal) and the right settings on an amp (especially a Mesa with tones of gain and distortion) that your sound can breathe a bit more without an OD pedal.

Am I the only guy that runs straight through to my amp? Feel free to start throw'n the rotten tomatoes!

No tomato throwin here. There is a purity about running nothing but cable to amp but on the other hand I have found I can get more preferable medium gain tones that are easier to dial in using pedals over my amps lead channel.

As for the OCD v MI Crunch Box...I own both and there is no doubt I like the OCD better. The Crunch Box is nice and gets a little more saturated but the OCD seems to have a vibe I like and sits in the mix so well.

Right now my favorite combination is my Kaden Pavo Boost into the OCD (v1). Both are so transparent and the Kaden allows you to add a little dirt to the clean boost.

 

[jamme61]

A lot of people find the Ace to be very bright so that tone knob is actually really nice to have on the OCD because you dial out some of that brightness without changing the tone too much.

on/off.

Platypus, I've read that about the ace being to bright too. I don't have that problem with mine, how about you?

 

[Dusty Rhodes]

I might be out on an island on this subject, but I prefer plugging straight into my amp with no overdrive or distortion boxes.

I used to be always looking for something to improve my sound. EQ pedals (which can work like a boost), OD pedals, etc. What I found was less is more. Right now my live rig is guitar-Boss TU-2 tuner pedal, ZW Dunlop wah-Mesa Roadster. That's it. I play in a cover band so versatility is huge, but I also like a straight up, face melting tube amp with nothing in between. After I ditched all of that stuff I was like "Wow!, I've been covering up that sound for how long?!?"

I did own a ZW Dunlop OD pedal a couple of years ago. I played with every setting on that thing and all I noticed was that it created more noise and feedback. I tried it on my dual rec and my old Tube Works combo. Same result with both.

I think that with the right pickups (no better way to boost your signal) and the right settings on an amp (especially a Mesa with tones of gain and distortion) that your sound can breathe a bit more without an OD pedal.

Am I the only guy that runs straight through to my amp? Feel free to start throw'n the rotten tomatoes!

Your not on an island or a limb for that matter. I am also a bit dubious about adding anything that might cover or supress the amps natural tone. I have heard so much about OD's that I just had to ask and see for myself. I'll let you know how it all works out. Thanks for your input.

 

[G.I.G.]

Your not on an island or a limb for that matter. I am also a bit dubious about adding anything that might cover or supress the amps natural tone. I have heard so much about OD's that I just had to ask and see for myself. I'll let you know how it all works out. Thanks for your input.

Absolutely! Everything is worth trying once. Most places have a 30-day return policy so if you don't like it you can always take it back.

Definitely keep us posted!

 

[Platypus]

A lot of people find the Ace to be very bright so that tone knob is actually really nice to have on the OCD because you dial out some of that brightness without changing the tone too much.

on/off.

Platypus, I've read that about the ace being to bright too. I don't have that problem with mine, how about you?

I like bright amps so I guess I don't notice it.. I love mine the way it is

And to the comment about plugging straight in, I love that too don't get me wrong but there's so many sonic palettes to play with when you have an OD too

 

[TheSon]

I too use the SD-1 and a Maxon od808 ... similar pedals, maxon is just much milder ...

I agree with that last comment, its a good extra pallete option to have for not much more space ... before I was fortunate enough to try and buy Mesa, I used a 70's AC30 and needed the od's ... thats that u2/edge sound that can be almost impossible to get on my recto RKII ... but i keep the od's hooked up and use the brit mode in clean, i get that style back without needing the vox a switchable line.

A guy on here once said it's not that you need more distortion, just more response... thats the best I heard it yet for the use of od's to push the front...
and its not messing with the tone of your amp, your amp sounds exactly as it sounds, its what your putting into it ... so a good od set for no gain but high level is just putting more guitar in ...

for super minimum guitar sound colouration you could try the Klon Centaur for about $400 i believe and a few years wait ... anyone got one of those?

 

[G.I.G.]

A guy on here once said it's not that you need more distortion, just more response... thats the best I heard it yet for the use of od's to push the front...
and its not messing with the tone of your amp, your amp sounds exactly as it sounds, its what your putting into it ... so a good od set for no gain but high level is just putting more guitar in ...

Well said.

I also look at different guitars and pickups to accomplish that as well. I have 12 guitars so I have the luxury of swapping a guitar with lower output pickups for one with hotter pickups when i need a little more punch in the front end.

 

[Dusty Rhodes]

With regards to the OCD, it says that it will take 9 - 18 volts. My Voodoo Lab Pedal Power 2 Plus has switching for 12 volts. Has anyone with an OCD tried using 12 or 18 volts to power it? If so, can you notice much of a difference?

 

[plinky]

I used just about every overdrive out there and wasn't happy, so I started making my own. ;D I run two of these through my Stage 1 Stiletto:

Its a great clean boost (not that you need it with most Boogies ) and bluesy distortion on the clean channel, and it tightens up the low end nicely on the dirty channel.

 

[jaredrutledge]

i picked up a daphon overdrive for forty bucks AUD and am pretty pleased with it. i haven't tried it through my mesa yet but it's really smooth and should boost it nicely. it has the original TS chip in it.

 

[stompboxfreak72]

Don't do what I did and blow $1000 on overdrive pedals trying to find the " right" one. Each one that I ever had was great at something but not everything. Two thoughts :

1. BB xotic preamp : Great pedal on a clean channel for that Hendrix vibe a la Andy Timmons ( we have all seen the youtube demo). I do not like the pedal for an already overdriven channel. Why ? see #2.

2. Maxon Ts-9 modded by Analogman : I get so tired of the tubescreamer + tube amp sound but I always come back to it. The midrange hump makes my DR cut thru the mix. I have always wanted something different but there is good reason why Tubescreamers don't go away. I get bored with the sound from time to time but always come back to it.

The Digitech Bad Monkey is a great pedal for the price. Don't overlook it because it's cheap.

 

[Dusty Rhodes]

Don't do what I did and blow $1000 on overdrive pedals trying to find the " right" one. Each one that I ever had was great at something but not everything. Two thoughts :

1. BB xotic preamp : Great pedal on a clean channel for that Hendrix vibe a la Andy Timmons ( we have all seen the youtube demo). I do not like the pedal for an already overdriven channel. Why ? see #2.

2. Maxon Ts-9 modded by Analogman : I get so tired of the tubescreamer + tube amp sound but I always come back to it. The midrange hump makes my DR cut thru the mix. I have always wanted something different but there is good reason why Tubescreamers don't go away. I get bored with the sound from time to time but always come back to it.

The Digitech Bad Monkey is a great pedal for the price. Don't overlook it because it's cheap.

Thanks. This is all great information.

 

[Platypus]

Ok Dusty,

I apologize for the sloppiness of some of this, I had very little time this afternoon to record as work is keeping me busy at the moment so here's what I have for you. Let me know if you want something else or more of something. First clip is some AC/DC, the rest are me just messing around.

All recordings are SM57 up to Ace 2x12 with a 58 Les Paul

1) http://platypus.memoryfire.com/guitar/ocd/1.mp3
Tite clean on channel 1.. first with the OCD off, then with it on. You will hear the audible click. This was neck pickup only with volume about 7 and tone about 8

2) http://platypus.memoryfire.com/guitar/ocd/2.mp3
Crunch channel 2... same as before.. this was with the middle selection, both volumes at 10. Cool grind on double/triple stops.

3) http://platypus.memoryfire.com/guitar/ocd/3.mp3
Fat clean channel 1... this was neck pickup only with tone rolled out mostly and volume around 5. Trying to advertise the sustain that you can achieve with the clean boost. This one is pure OCD for the duration of the clip.

4) http://platypus.memoryfire.com/guitar/ocd/4.mp3
Tite gain on channel 2.. this is bridge pickup with full tilt vol/tone.. pure OCD on this one as well. Trying to show the harmonic content and the awesome grind the pedal adds.

Again I apologize for the hastiness of these recordings and if you want something emphasized again let me know.. hope this helps. I wish I could have given you something more polished but I think these give you a general idea.

 

[plinky]

i picked up a daphon overdrive for forty bucks AUD and am pretty pleased with it. i haven't tried it through my mesa yet but it's really smooth and should boost it nicely. it has the original TS chip in it.

While I'm sure your OD pedal is quite nice for a repainted Ibanez TS5 Soundtank Tube Screamer (I have 4 of them, all modded by myself, paid less than $25 USD for each), the hype surrounded by the mojo of the JRC4558D op-amp is tremendous. I have built about 20 or more of my overdrive pedals, all with different op-amps of the same configuration (RC4558P, JRC4558D, JRC4565, the high dollar TI Burr Brown, etc.) and every one of them sound identical to the other. They may make a nicer looking pattern on an oscilloscope (don't own one to be sure), but it's what sounds good to the ear that makes the difference, and IMHO it doesn't matter what op-amp is in it. Capacitors, diodes, resistors, and in some cases transistors are what make a difference in the tone.

Still, for what the TS5 is, it's not a bad overdrive pedal for the money and it's easy to make it sound better. I've been thinking about re-boxing my TS5s and making them true-bypass, but I already have 2 OD pedals I like, so I may just sell them.

 

[Dusty Rhodes]

Ok Dusty,

I apologize for the sloppiness of some of this, I had very little time this afternoon to record as work is keeping me busy at the moment so here's what I have for you. Let me know if you want something else or more of something. First clip is some AC/DC, the rest are me just messing around.

All recordings are SM57 up to Ace 2x12 with a 58 Les Paul

1) http://platypus.memoryfire.com/guitar/ocd/1.mp3
Tite clean on channel 1.. first with the OCD off, then with it on. You will hear the audible click. This was neck pickup only with volume about 7 and tone about 8

2) http://platypus.memoryfire.com/guitar/ocd/2.mp3
Crunch channel 2... same as before.. this was with the middle selection, both volumes at 10. Cool grind on double/triple stops.

3) http://platypus.memoryfire.com/guitar/ocd/3.mp3
Fat clean channel 1... this was neck pickup only with tone rolled out mostly and volume around 5. Trying to advertise the sustain that you can achieve with the clean boost. This one is pure OCD for the duration of the clip.

4) http://platypus.memoryfire.com/guitar/ocd/4.mp3
Tite gain on channel 2.. this is bridge pickup with full tilt vol/tone.. pure OCD on this one as well. Trying to show the harmonic content and the awesome grind the pedal adds.

Again I apologize for the hastiness of these recordings and if you want something emphasized again let me know.. hope this helps. I wish I could have given you something more polished but I think these give you a general idea.

Thank you very much for putting all of this together for me. This helps. I can definetly denote the differences between each setting. I went to one of my local music stores over the weekend and tried out the OCD and FD2. Each had their strong points and almost went for the FD2. I said almost. I found the OCD pumped up the bottom end more which really appealed to me. So, I went ahead and bought it. I use a Voodoo Lab Pedal Power 2 Plus for my power supply which has switching capabilities for 9 and 12 volts. I read in the OCD instruction sheet that it can take anywhere from 9 to 18 volts. What do you use for a power supply? What voltage are you running?
Again, thanks very much as I really appreciate you taking the time out of your busy day to make this sampling for me.

 

[danvortex]

Best overdrive for the best price
MXR Zakk Wyld overdrive about 100$ and to me sounds better than an original 1982 tube screamer

I have tried maxon, original Tube screamer, boss superoverdrive, Vox tube overdrive, etc. And ended up choosing the MXR, a friend of mine owns 6 different and expensive ODs and decided to use the MXR after trying mine...

i recommend you try this pedal before spending more money on any other

Go listen to my bands new song at www.myspace.com/vortexmetal if you want to have an idea of how my DR sounds with the MXR OD, the guitar tone on the album is very close to what i get with this pedal.

 

[jaredrutledge]

While I'm sure your OD pedal is quite nice for a repainted Ibanez TS5 Soundtank Tube Screamer (I have 4 of them, all modded by myself, paid less than $25 USD for each), the hype surrounded by the mojo of the JRC4558D op-amp is tremendous.

i got one of the metal chassis ones, it's actually quite sturdy. not sure if the guts are different from a ts5 (i know it does have the jrc4558d chip in it) but it's very well built.

 

[plinky]

i got one of the metal chassis ones, it's actually quite sturdy. not sure if the guts are different from a ts5 (i know it does have the jrc4558d chip in it) but it's very well built.

I didn't know there was a metal chassis version. Every one I've seen has been cheap plastic. I found a link for the Daphon, and it actually looks like it's molded in the color of yellow:

http://www.dealsdirect.com.au/p/daphon-overdrive-pedal-electric-guitar/

I'd be curious to see the innards of it. ;D
BTW, if it uses those tiny little tactile switches for the bypass, I know where you can get those when it wears out.

 

[Platypus]

Ok Dusty,

I apologize for the sloppiness of some of this, I had very little time this afternoon to record as work is keeping me busy at the moment so here's what I have for you. Let me know if you want something else or more of something. First clip is some AC/DC, the rest are me just messing around.

All recordings are SM57 up to Ace 2x12 with a 58 Les Paul

1) http://platypus.memoryfire.com/guitar/ocd/1.mp3
Tite clean on channel 1.. first with the OCD off, then with it on. You will hear the audible click. This was neck pickup only with volume about 7 and tone about 8

2) http://platypus.memoryfire.com/guitar/ocd/2.mp3
Crunch channel 2... same as before.. this was with the middle selection, both volumes at 10. Cool grind on double/triple stops.

3) http://platypus.memoryfire.com/guitar/ocd/3.mp3
Fat clean channel 1... this was neck pickup only with tone rolled out mostly and volume around 5. Trying to advertise the sustain that you can achieve with the clean boost. This one is pure OCD for the duration of the clip.

4) http://platypus.memoryfire.com/guitar/ocd/4.mp3
Tite gain on channel 2.. this is bridge pickup with full tilt vol/tone.. pure OCD on this one as well. Trying to show the harmonic content and the awesome grind the pedal adds.

Again I apologize for the hastiness of these recordings and if you want something emphasized again let me know.. hope this helps. I wish I could have given you something more polished but I think these give you a general idea.

Thank you very much for putting all of this together for me. This helps. I can definetly denote the differences between each setting. I went to one of my local music stores over the weekend and tried out the OCD and FD2. Each had their strong points and almost went for the FD2. I said almost. I found the OCD pumped up the bottom end more which really appealed to me. So, I went ahead and bought it. I use a Voodoo Lab Pedal Power 2 Plus for my power supply which has switching capabilities for 9 and 12 volts. I read in the OCD instruction sheet that it can take anywhere from 9 to 18 volts. What do you use for a power supply? What voltage are you running?
Again, thanks very much as I really appreciate you taking the time out of your busy day to make this sampling for me.

You're welcome, I'm glad it helped you if even a little bit. I use a 9V battery with mine right now but I've heard the 18V tightens things up and sounds more punchy.. I've not tried it simply because I love it how it is. I wouldn't under-run it at 12V though before checking with Mike Fuller to see if that is alright.

 

[DaxNelson]

What does everyone think of the Seymour Duncan Pickup Booster for this purpose? I have one lying around somewhere... I should check it out. I got it with a bunch of other pedals a while back. Since I've been checking these forums, I'm curious to see about making my sound a little tighter. Does tightening up the sound effect things when you're just strumming fat chords?