best vintage style pedal for an already cranked amp?

hey, just looking to fatten and cream up the distortion on my fender twin when i crank the dial. sounds a little glassy. can anyone recommend something that won't color the tone of my amp too much? i've been told a tubescreamer is a good choice but i'd like to hear some other suggestions.

Tubescreamers and Tubescreamer-clones are the way to go for vintage tone, except keep in mind that this most definitely will colour your tone. The TS style pedals are known for their mid-range hump, which some find pleasing and others find annoying.

I use a Fulltone Fulldrive 2, which is closer to a BOSS OD-1 than a TS-9/TS808, but I like the fact that the FD2 offers a Vintage/Flat-Mids switch so you can take your preference.

I am a fan of Fuzz pedals actually. If you buy a good one (I like germanium, but silicon will do nicely as well) and turn the gain/grit/drive (whatever they call it on that particular pedal) and the volume on your guitar down, you get a nice creamy overdrive sound. My Keely Fuzzhead adds a nice creaminess to the tones without the midhump that TS type pedals do. The Fulltone '70 pedal, a silicon fuzz, did this nicely too. Although, it wasn't as creamy.

I like my OCD, but it doesn't really fatten up. It adds a nice grit and drive to the amp, but doesn't cremay up. It does give a heavy Marshall type tone, when the gain's cranked around. So, it adds creamy to the lead notes, but I'm not sure if that's what you mean.

Of the TS pedals, I 've tried, I liked the Bad Monkey because I could add a little bass and a bit of treble to overcome the midhump more....

There are numerous pedals out there that will do what you ask.... But really you may end up trying a bunch of them before you settle on the one you like the best. That's what happened to me.

If you wan't to keep the sound of the amp, but want to be able to fidle a bit with the drive/colour: Fulltone FatBoost!

Try the Barber LTD...awesome overdrive!

Xotic RC Booster. No doubt about it.

Xotic RC Booster. No doubt about it.

+1

Its still hard for me to wrap my head around the idea of a "cranked twin"

+1

Its still hard for me to wrap my head around the idea of a "cranked twin"

Been there, done that, have the ear damage to show for it. I have had 2 original 65 Twins. The first I got used in the late 60s and it came with JBLs. That sucker was loud. The second I got in the early/mid 80s with the stock Jensens. EVMs were getting very popular then so I just had to put a pair in the Twin. I had the free use of a practice studio in S.F. because a friend or mine owned it. I also had the use of 2 of his JCM 800, 100 watter full stacks. His brother would jam with us once in a while, through the Marshalls. I used to like to show him how the Twin could easily be heard with the Marshalls dimed.

What is that ringing I hear?:oops:

Xotic RC Booster. No doubt about it.

+2

hey, just looking to fatten and cream up the distortion on my fender twin when i crank the dial. sounds a little glassy. can anyone recommend something that won't color the tone of my amp too much? i've been told a tubescreamer is a good choice but i'd like to hear some other suggestions.

You don't want an OD pedal if you just want to add some fat and snarl, IMO.

You want a boost, but something that isn't going to add any more zing, and make those glassy tones shatter, along with your eardrums.

You want a linear boost, old school stuff, IMO. Plain jane bipolar transistor boost, with a lower input impedance that will keep the highs from killing anyone, add some grind in the process, and be a full range boost.

Electro Harmonix has reissued their LPB-1, and it's only 40 bucks, brand new. I'll take this boost over just about anything, especially into a really bright, loud amp.

The truth be told, the secret weapon of many guitarists was two of these things used together. Considering you could get two for less than a hundred bucks, that's almost ridiculous. As a plus, you could individually set them for different boost levels, and then have three levels of grind on tap. With 20 bucks left over for a bucket of chicken or some tacos or somethin tasty. Or maybe earplugs?

Danelectro Daddy-o, gets my Fender twin on the hot plate, and it still sounds like my Fender twin

Or maybe earplugs?

That's what I was thinking :wink:

Where are you playing that you can crank a Twin?????

The LPB-1 is a great boost. I built a clone several years ago, and it's never left my board.

I will toss out the Keeley Java Boost. It does magical and wonderful things to tone, adding a slight harmonic tinge to notes and chords. Pricey as ****, but if you want that sound, it can produce it. I was lucky to get one used so my wife didn't have to kill me.

There are lots of great suggestions and you probably can't go horribly wrong w/ any of them. Good luck.

That's what I was thinking :wink:

Where are you playing that you can crank a Twin?????

The LPB-1 is a great boost. I built a clone several years ago, and it's never left my board.
lol it's in the basement. i turn up the volume when nobody's home.

thanks for the suggestions so far. they've been great.

Check out MI Audio http://www.mieffects.com/

The boost and buff is really nice. I have the Blues Pro that I use before a Keeley TS9. Check out Youtube for samples.