Should I switch to carvin?

[Slanderous666]

Ah I see, I'll take a look at them and the fulltone OCD. Would a boost be worth it or is it the same problem as the OD?


Edit: I like the look of some of the hardwire series pedals from digitech. The hardwire distortion pedals might be a good choice.

A boost would do even less than an OD. Most of us use an OD as a boost anyway, setting the gain at 0 and the volume maxed.

As for the Livewire pedals i would try them before buying them. I actually really dug them but not infront of a tube amp. IMO though the Blackstar stuff as well as the MI Audio and OCD are a little bit better and a pedal like the OCD retains its value. Just my .02

The blackstar HT-distX, mi audio tube zone and seymour duncan mayhem pedal are at the top of my list so far. They are very expensive though.

 

[jdurso]

The blackstar HT-distX, mi audio tube zone and seymour duncan mayhem pedal are at the top of my list so far. They are very expensive though.

One thing I've learned over time... don't skimp when it comes to certain gear especially when its to achieve a certain tone you dont have availible to you. You could spend $50 on a Bad Monkey or somewhere close to $100 for the Boss of Hardwire pedalz but most times it doesnt cut it and you end up getting the more expensive stuff anyway. I would say in this case spend the money if you can afford it because in the long run you dont wnat to keep having to switch out pedals and possibly lose money here and there. Also if you can, go out and try before you buy or make sure you get the pedals from a place you can return them.

 

[primerib]

The V3 is a good made in USA amp. Capable of nice tones, but you can't really compare them to the Mesa's. Not worse or better, just different. Only you can decide if its for you or not

 

[Slanderous666]

Mxr makes the M-108. It has a gain slider and volume slider. Would this work as an eq/distortion type pedal ? I am also thinking the blackstar HT-distX.

 

[Newysurfer]

Ah I see, I'll take a look at them and the fulltone OCD. Would a boost be worth it or is it the same problem as the OD?


Edit: I like the look of some of the hardwire series pedals from digitech. The hardwire distortion pedals might be a good choice.

A boost would do even less than an OD. Most of us use an OD as a boost anyway, setting the gain at 0 and the volume maxed.

As for the Livewire pedals i would try them before buying them. I actually really dug them but not infront of a tube amp. IMO though the Blackstar stuff as well as the MI Audio and OCD are a little bit better and a pedal like the OCD retains its value. Just my .02

Always find myself agreeing with jdurso.

but Slanderous - you need to be quite specific about the tones you want. Is it Metallica style metal you want, or Nu-metal, or high gain 80's Van Halen/GnR's/ACDC tones or a boost pedal. A lot of these pedals are one trick ponies and will deliver some very specific tones so it's important to know exactly what you want.

What is not a one trick pony though are the MXr EQ pedals. A lot of us have them on the Boogie board and swear by them. They're super versatile as a tone shaper and as a clean booster :mrgreen:

 

[Slanderous666]

Ah I see, I'll take a look at them and the fulltone OCD. Would a boost be worth it or is it the same problem as the OD?


Edit: I like the look of some of the hardwire series pedals from digitech. The hardwire distortion pedals might be a good choice.

A boost would do even less than an OD. Most of us use an OD as a boost anyway, setting the gain at 0 and the volume maxed.

As for the Livewire pedals i would try them before buying them. I actually really dug them but not infront of a tube amp. IMO though the Blackstar stuff as well as the MI Audio and OCD are a little bit better and a pedal like the OCD retains its value. Just my .02

Always find myself agreeing with jdurso.

but Slanderous - you need to be quite specific about the tones you want. Is it Metallica style metal you want, or Nu-metal, or high gain 80's Van Halen/GnR's/ACDC tones or a boost pedal. A lot of these pedals are one trick ponies and will deliver some very specific tones so it's important to know exactly what you want.

What is not a one trick pony though are the MXr EQ pedals. A lot of us have them on the Boogie board and swear by them. They're super versatile as a tone shaper and as a clean booster :mrgreen:

If there was a specific tone I wanted I would say it would probably be closest to a melodic death metal type tone. Heavy as hell but with clairity. Kinda of like chuck schuldiner but with more tube tone if that makes any sense. Wil lthe 10band EQ or the blackstar get me closest?

 

[jdurso]

If there was a specific tone I wanted I would say it would probably be closest to a melodic death metal type tone. Heavy as hell but with clairity. Kinda of like chuck schuldiner but with more tube tone if that makes any sense. Wil lthe 10band EQ or the blackstar get me closest?

If i were to only pic one i'd say the Blackstar because of two reasons... 1) to get the heaviness and chunk your after you need a denser distortion which a boost will not get you in front of an express. This is why i kept mentioning the MI Audio Tube Zone... to my ears it has the density of your Rectos and has a multitude of eqs that will let you tame the gain into various different types of tone. 2) The Contour knob on the express is very similar to a post eq except you can adjust each band. Using the proper contour in union with something like the Black Star or Tube Zone in front of your clean channel should get you exactly where you want to go.

Of course you could always by the Black Star AND the EQ and be able to completely nail whats in your head :twisted:

You can find EQs used pretty cheap... as far as ones i recommend, the Maxon GE601 (which i have) and the MXR 10 Band which was a close second when i was looking for one a while back. both are great and very transparent.

 

[Newysurfer]

If there was a specific tone I wanted I would say it would probably be closest to a melodic death metal type tone. Heavy as hell but with clairity. Kinda of like chuck schuldiner but with more tube tone if that makes any sense. Wil lthe 10band EQ or the blackstar get me closest?

If i were to only pic one i'd say the Blackstar because of two reasons... 1) to get the heaviness and chunk your after you need a denser distortion which a boost will not get you in front of an express. This is why i kept mentioning the MI Audio Tube Zone... to my ears it has the density of your Rectos and has a multitude of eqs that will let you tame the gain into various different types of tone. 2) The Contour knob on the express is very similar to a post eq except you can adjust each band. Using the proper contour in union with something like the Black Star or Tube Zone in front of your clean channel should get you exactly where you want to go.

Of course you could always by the Black Star AND the EQ and be able to completely nail whats in your head :twisted:

You can find EQs used pretty cheap... as far as ones i recommend, the Maxon GE601 (which i have) and the MXR 10 Band which was a close second when i was looking for one a while back. both are great and very transparent.

+1
excellent advice from jdurso once again :mrgreen:

 

[Slanderous666]

If there was a specific tone I wanted I would say it would probably be closest to a melodic death metal type tone. Heavy as hell but with clairity. Kinda of like chuck schuldiner but with more tube tone if that makes any sense. Wil lthe 10band EQ or the blackstar get me closest?

If i were to only pic one i'd say the Blackstar because of two reasons... 1) to get the heaviness and chunk your after you need a denser distortion which a boost will not get you in front of an express. This is why i kept mentioning the MI Audio Tube Zone... to my ears it has the density of your Rectos and has a multitude of eqs that will let you tame the gain into various different types of tone. 2) The Contour knob on the express is very similar to a post eq except you can adjust each band. Using the proper contour in union with something like the Black Star or Tube Zone in front of your clean channel should get you exactly where you want to go.

Of course you could always by the Black Star AND the EQ and be able to completely nail whats in your head :twisted:

You can find EQs used pretty cheap... as far as ones i recommend, the Maxon GE601 (which i have) and the MXR 10 Band which was a close second when i was looking for one a while back. both are great and very transparent.

Exactly what I wanted to know! Awesome advice from Jdurso. I will go for the Blackstar first then an EQ a bit later on. I might go for the Mi audio Tube zone but I think thats really pushing it finiancially at the moment. Thanks Jdurso and all!

 

[jdurso]

Hey no problem... thats the beauty of this forum and the great people here. I would however suggest you try the blackstar first before you pull the trigger. I'd say the same for the tube zone but i have never seen one other than one store about an hour from my house. Playing before you buy is the only way to know if its the right decision for you. Also consider buying new from somewhere like musiciansfriend or GC because if you dont like it you can still take advantage of their 30 day return policy