OCD vs Sparkle Drive

I"m looking for an overdrive pedal. The only one I've ever owned was an MXR GT-OD, which I found a little harsh, and not particularly versatile.

I'm looking at the Voodoo Lab Sparkle Drive or the Fulltone OCD. I"ve only listened to a bunch of sound clips and watched a couple of demos on YouTube.

Anyone have both, or have owned both at different times?

I just ordered an OCD... Will let you know what I think of it when it gets here...

Anything sparkle has got to be the choice, right Buck ??:mrgreen:

What amp will you be playing?

the way my ears hear it...

If it's a blackface then the sparkle drive is KILLER. If it's a tweed the OCD will be better, although a Crowther Hot Cake {can be ordered direct from Builder} is what I prefer with a tweed. If it's a marshall then the OCD is KILLER.

What amp will you be playing?

the way my ears hear it...

If it's a blackface then the sparkle drive is KILLER. If it's a tweed the OCD will be better, although a Crowther Hot Cake {can be ordered direct from Builder} is what I prefer with a tweed. If it's a marshall then the OCD is KILLER.

I play through a Blues Jr NOS Laquered Tweed, i.e. Blues Jr w/Jensen speaker. I have a stock 2000 American Tele and a partscaster w/Chandler Super 60 in the bridge & a SD Seth Lover neck PU.

I just ordered an OCD... Will let you know what I think of it when it gets here...

Cool. I look forward to reading your opinions.

I've owned both and 2 different pedals, IMHO. The SD is more of a TS type and the OCD I found to have more gain and get into Marshall territory. Perhaps a better comparison would be the SD and the Fulltone FD2.

I've sold the OCD as Marshall territory is not really my interest although a nice pedal, well built and can be run at 9v or 18v.

I still have my SD, which I have had modded by Robert Keeley. His mod adds more gain and I was about to sell it until I got this mod. Well worth the extra $$$. A nice feature of the SD is the clean blend.

The bad thing, no make that terrible thing, about the SD is that the foot switch craps out on it. I'm about to send mine back to VL for the 3rd time to have a new switch put in. They do this for free, but when it is returned, I am selling it.

I guess the bottom line is that I would keep the SD if it were more reliable.

I don't know if I really have a helped, but this has been my experience with these two pedals. FWIW, I have also had a Fulltone FD2 as well, which I also have sold.

So just curious as to why and how have you narrowed your choice down to these two pedals?

Edit: I want to add that I know these things are very subjective. Plus so many factors enter into liking a pedal or not, such as type of guitar, amp, style of playing, etc. I'm still searching for my fave OD and think I have narrowed it down to a dozen or so...:shock:

The cool thing about the sparkle drive is the fact that you can mix in the clean signal, but I'm afraid that's all I can say that I like about it. I'm not a fan of Tubescreamers and their clones.

I like the OCD a lot. I think that it's the one pedal I've owned the longest and haven't tired of, excepting my TU-2 tuner.

Telebrew--- the SD stays on my board all the time, but i use it as a boost ( can go from clean to dirty), but as stated above the "blend" knob is what makes this pedal great. The drive on this pedal is a clone of the TS808.

The OCD is a diff pedal altogether. Seems to have more drive and more umph than the SD but can also be muddy with the wrong settings or gear. The OCD seems to go well with tele's and Fender amps. Hope this helps.

cletus

Forgot to add one thing about the OCD. At bedroom volumes it can be very fizzy and thin. It really works best with a cranked amp and some tubes cooking. Then it will take you to Marshall territory and do a good job too...

Heck, I might just have to get 'em both!

I guess I narrowed it down to those two because I want something that each one provides. Extra gain from the OCD and the clean knob on the SD. I'm gonna have to A/B them in person.

I've been hesitant to get an OD b/c I like the way my Blues Jr breaks up, but it'd be nice to have the pedal option too, especially at home.

Add a COT50 to your little search! I think it's would be perfect with your rig. It's an amazing & simple little pedal that cleans up like a germ fuzz pedal and adds girth & sparkle when you roll the volume back and big crunch when you dime your volume. All done at your guitar's volume control; it cleans up really well. Hall of Famer pedal.

Or, as you say, just get both the SD & OCD. They are both different enough and will give you both tube screamer tones and rat-esque gain tones. Both great little pedals. Although, that coinage gets you into a handwired Eternity.

Oh, the options!

And one more thing....

Menatone Red Snapper. Another killer pedal for your rig.

And...I agree about the dubious foot switches. The company could not be a nicer group and they offer outstanding support but it's pretty frustrating when those switches crap out. And if you stomp often {and who doesn't?} plan on the switch needing replacement within a year. That said - The clean blend is just an awesome sound. And played at the proper volume, the TS drive tones are as good as anything.

Add a COT50 to your little search! I think it's would be perfect with your rig. It's an amazing & simple little pedal that cleans up like a germ fuzz pedal and adds girth & sparkle when you roll the volume back and big crunch when you dime your volume. All done at your guitar's volume control; it cleans up really well. Hall of Famer pedal.

Or, as you say, just get both the SD & OCD. They are both different enough and will give you both tube screamer tones and rat-esque gain tones. Both great little pedals. Although, that coinage gets you into a handwired Eternity.

Oh, the options!

What's the COT50? I'm not familiar with the acronym.

I've been hesitant to get an OD b/c I like the way my Blues Jr breaks up, but it'd be nice to have the pedal option too, especially at home.

Then I'd go with the SD. It will stand alone nicely through a clean amp and when you decide to overdrive your amp. it will also push the already breaking up tubes of your Blues Jr. without coloring or altering your tone.

What's the COT50? I'm not familiar with the acronym.

This is a pedal made by Sean and Lovepedal and I believe the acronym is for "Church of Tone" (someone please correct me if I am wrong).

Lovepedal (http://www.lovepedal.com/)

I don't have the COT but do have an Eternity (TS type) and 2 of his fuzzies, the BBB and 200lbs of Tone. His builds are solid with terrific tone and great customer service. Build time can take a while and some of his pedals are expensive. Additionally, he builds some amazing Teles, under his "Old World" label. Andy Summers has been using his Eternity on the recent Police tour.

And...I agree about the dubious foot switches. The company could not be a nicer group and they offer outstanding support but it's pretty frustrating when those switches crap out. And if you stomp often {and who doesn't?} plan on the switch needing replacement within a year. That said - The clean blend is just an awesome sound. And played at the proper volume, the TS drive tones are as good as anything.

That isn't always the case. I've had my SD for 5 years and the switch is still working properly.
But then again, I have a VL MicroVibe where the switch gave up after a couple of weeks... :neutral:

I have both...I have had the sparkle drive for almost two years and no switch issues..I just recently bought the o.c.d. which I prefer...
The sparkle drive offered a great sound I have no real complaints I just prefer the o.c.d. it works better with my current rig...If you're interested I will gladly sell you the sparkle drive...

Here's a great resource to check out. The archives have a very good demo of the OCD & the Sparkle Drive - and many others!

http://youtube.com/user/ProGuitarShopDemos

Here's a great resource to check out. The archives have a very good demo of the OCD & the Sparkle Drive - and many others!

http://youtube.com/user/ProGuitarShopDemos

Yup. These have become an essential resource for me. I've already checked out the demos for both pedals. Good stuff indeed.

The OCD is a very natural sounding, transparent overdrive. It's great for light overdrive... it's the closest thing I've found to sounding like a Fender amp turned up loud.

So, my OCD arrived today and I've had a little time to put it through it's paces... Wow, I'm really impressed. It's such a great pedal. It's super responsive to pick attack, beautiful natural sounding OD, back off the volume on the guitar or just go easy with the picking and it cleans up perfectly... Controls all do exactly what they are supposed to - very smoothly and very well... I'm really happy. I definitely made the right choice. Not sure what else to say that hasn't already been said... It's a winner I reckon...

Cool.

I keep trying to like my OCD, but I just can't get enough of it!

I've got every o/d on the market and love the OCD.

Another thing about the OCD is that it also has a clean boost ... so not only is it a good sounding overdrive, but it will help push your tube amp into breaking up on it's own if you want it too.

I don't prefer either.

I don't own either pedal, but "around these parts", people prefer Fulltone pedals over Voodoo Lab pedals.

I DO have a friend who's "nuts" about his OCD pedal...and he does have a great sound, from what I've heard.