Preamp/Boost/OD Pedals That Play Well With LSS?

[axman53]

Hi, all. New to the board me. I did a quick search and didn't see a thread exactly like this so I thought I'd start one. Before I got the LSS, I had a Peavey Classic 30 and my board looked like this between my guitar and the amp input: Teese RMC2 Wah > Korg Pitch Black Tuner > Keeley compressor > BBE Soul Vibe > Barber Direct Drive > Fulltone OCD > amp. When I put this same board in front of the LSS, the Barber played outstanding well with the LSS, pushing/complementing channel 2 set for a soft clip. Kicking in the Barber from there turned the clip into a roaring crunch and sounded great.

The OCD on the other hand sounds awful with the LSS; harsh, shrill, regardless of which channel I try it in. So I'm looking more at boost type pedals now that will push the LSS channels. Some of the ones on my list of stuff to try: Toadworks Meat Jr., Xotic RC, Xotic AC, Xotic BB, Keeley Java Boost. I also want to get a true germanium fuzz, perhaps the Keeley Fuzz Head. So, what Preamp/Boost/OD pedals are you finding work really well with the LSS? And what about recommendations for a germanium fuzz that plays well with this amp?

My guitar is a Carvin DC135 SSH configuration. Thanks for any pedal pointers specific to the LSS.

 

[fishyfishfish]

Out of all the ones that I went through I narrowed it down to the BB Preamp and the AC Booster from Xotic, and out of that I found the BB to be more flexible. For a "Germ" fuzz I found an old 808 that my friend tweaked to my liking, but ended up sounding like the Green Line pedal from SPF Effects.

 

[JLBoogie]

The Xotic BB is my favorite. Also use a Voodoo Lab Sparkle Drive for a slightly different sound and a Keeley Blues Driver with the gain turned off for a booster.

 

[axman53]

Have either of you tried the Xotic RC Boost? I was thinking ther RC Boost and the BB would cover most of the territory I'd need. Nice to know the BB is a favorite and thanks for sharing.

 

[djw]

At least one guy around here (Maury) swears by the Barber LTD with his LSC. I'm curious about this one myself. I use a Tone Press right now, when I go for boost; I crank the level and drop the ratio all the way, which makes it a good pure boost sans EQ. I like it enough for this, I guess (it is indeed the best compressor pedal I've ever used, when I use it for that). I also use an OCD, but it's a lot better for actual distortion than for boost. The BB seems to be the boost of choice for these, though (Andy Timmons's fault).

 

[axman53]

To DJW: I see you have the reeder mod in your LSC. I saw a reference to this on youtube, but it cited "reeder mods", plural. Is there more than just the one mod where you swap the gain/master pots? Or is that the only reeder mod you know of? Thanks!

 

[djw]

To DJW: I see you have the reeder mod in your LSC. I saw a reference to this on youtube, but it cited "reeder mods", plural. Is there more than just the one mod where you swap the gain/master pots? Or is that the only reeder mod you know of? Thanks!

Yeah, I should update my sig... here's the other one:
http://forum.grailtone.com/viewtopic.php?t=27487
I've done both mods, plus swapped the C90 speaker for a Weber Blue Dog Ceramic and various new tubes. What was totally great before is now... way more totally great! :lol:

 

[SabuJSE]

The Xotic BB works wonders with my LSS - but so does my OCD so I am wondering why you are getting harshness there... I have V3 of the OCD.

As far as a boost for it - that's what the Solo button on the footswitch is for

 

[axman53]

The Xotic BB works wonders with my LSS - but so does my OCD so I am wondering why you are getting harshness there... I have V3 of the OCD.

As far as a boost for it - that's what the Solo button on the footswitch is for

My OCD is v4, which is supposed to be more extreme than the v3, or so some chart I saw somewhere indicated. As for the solo button, that brings up an interesting question. If the solo boost happens after the preamp, which it does I believe because it's in the loop circuit, than boosting there would not have the same effect as boosting before the preamp. And the pedals in question would boost before the preamp, so different end result, no?

 

[djw]

The Xotic BB works wonders with my LSS - but so does my OCD so I am wondering why you are getting harshness there... I have V3 of the OCD.

As far as a boost for it - that's what the Solo button on the footswitch is for

My OCD is v4, which is supposed to be more extreme than the v3, or so some chart I saw somewhere indicated. As for the solo button, that brings up an interesting question. If the solo boost happens after the preamp, which it does I believe because it's in the loop circuit, than boosting there would not have the same effect as boosting before the preamp. And the pedals in question would boost before the preamp, so different end result, no?

Yes. The idea is to boost the input, amplifying the guitar signal and driving the preamp harder. You don't get much of a volume boost this way, because most of the increased signal strength is absorbed in the preamp and becomes more of a gain boost. (I'm sure there's a more technically correct way to put this) The solo boost is more of an overall volume boost, as you say, because it's right before the power stage; all the preamp signal processing has already occurred at this point, so it's mostly just output.

 

[SabuJSE]

And that works well for me since that is all I want the solo funciton to do: boost volume.

 

[axman53]

And that works well for me since that is all I want the solo funciton to do: boost volume.

I notice in your sig you have a 1-12 cab you use with your LSS. Which one did you get and do you like it? Thanks.

 

[SabuJSE]

Had mine ordered through GC from Mesa. I love it - gives me a nice sound seperation, more oomph... highly recommended.