Done with OD pedals: who's with me?

Done! I much prefer combining my two boost pedals and an almost-breaking-up amp. I use an E-H LPB-1 and an MXR Micro Amp to push it (plus they do nice things independently, both on gritty and clean settings).

Who else has gotten fed up with OD pedals?

Well, I guess I'm in. My overdrive is in my amp. A Tubescreamer (Ibanez TSA15H)

:)

Being serious though, I really like the micro amp into the boost channel which offers a really nice amount of hair with great dynamics.

I am not fond of OD pedals and much prefer EQ and Boost..and I really like the MXR Micro Amp for giving that bit of hair in there. I turn the amp and everything way up and cntrol the whole mess through my guitar's volume and tone. A nice edgy "clean" sound that's been dragged through the streets a few blocks.

I have a serious problem with having pedals sometimes completely. I switch between my fuzz and OS-2 right now, I found out my fuzz has a problem on the battery connector. Occasionally makes a nice static sound when I switch it on and off.

After I replace that, the OS-2 might see less use for a while.

I fancy the dirt flavor added, If I do just want a boost, my acoustic/electric has an eq on it and I get a mid boost there. I would drop the pedals if I ever do get a tube amp with a floor switch. However I love the sound from the fuzz through a clean amp.

So yeah I'm done with OD pedals. I guess.

It's all a means to an end.

A boost (or two) into an amp that will give it up without your ears bleeding is a lot of fun, but not always practical (or flexible) for the gig. In the studio, you can end up blowing a lot of time trying to mic up those raging amp tones, too.

For outdoor shows with something like a Twin, a boost is really going to be limited, if it works at all.

Another option is a clean amp and a crunchy one with an A/B box, but that means you have to commit to 2X the rig. Will there always be space on the stage? Will you have time to set that all up?

I love my Marshall to pieces, but it never goes to gigs with me. The crunch tone is to die for, but the cleans just aren't there. And even through a single 12, it will kill your ears (and it will kill a single 12 after about 30 hours, too).

Pedals are just an option. If they don't work, put them away and come back to them. Take as long as you need. Sometimes not using some gear will give you an idea how to change your setup.

Whatever works.

My weapon of choice is an old DOD FX10 Bi-Fet Preamp stomp box.
My old drummer gave it to me. He had just started working at a new job. They found out he played in a band and gave him this. Somebody had left it there years ago so he gave it to me.

Straight-up volume boost with a tone knob for treble or bass. I usually leave it in the tone in the middle, maybe a touch of highs depending on the room.
The first night I used it I knew it was a keeper.

Sometimes I push it through my Tube Screamer, but most of the time I get what I need from my amp.

I don't care for the Bumble-Bees-in-tin-foil sound.

I would imagine it all depends on which pedals you have and what you use them for. With my Wampler Black '65, for instance, I can make my Vox AC15C1 sound just like a classic BF Fender amp, which is crazy fun. My Voodoo Lab Sparkle Drive can go from clean boost only to drive the Vox into its own natural breakup to a rich combination of boost/808 effects that sounds a lot like the effect many guitarists get running their signal through a clean amp and a saturated one at the same time. And my Fulltone PlimSoul gives me a two-for-the-price-of-one ability to get soft-clipped OR hard-clipped OD from one pedal, plus the ability to blend the two together; experimenting with the PlimSoul is like working toward my Ph.D in overdrive effects! :wink:

Not giving up any of these in the foreseeable future...

I'm not done with ODs, however, I never used ODs for my dirt- I use them to push the amp into more dirt. I've never been a "my dirty channel is an OD pedal" guy.

i only use treble boosters now with my AC30

Wish I could say I'm done with them, but I have a fatal weakness for pedals. I'm trying to kick the habit, though. Just read an interview with Luther Dickinson where he said D Trucks was telling him to try not using distortion, etc., and just control from the guitar. He's liking it.

So it can be done.

I could be done with all pedal if someone would make a 50 watt 2x12 two channel amp that 100% nailed BF Twin clean on one channel and Marshall plexi crunch on the other. A half power switch, reverb and tremolo too.

Quite to the contrary - I'm done with amp OD, and rely on pedals only to get various shades of OD...

I have amps from 5 to 60W (VHT Special 6, Princeton Reverb clone, Carvin Vintage 16, JTM45-clone, Boogie Mk. 1 clone), I tried boosting them, tried cranking them - and always come back to my pedals; even with various-sized amps it is hard to get your OD at the precise volume level that will work perfectly with the rest of the band; and I'm simply not too fond of amp OD tones (unless it's just a little bit of breakup - you know, those sounds that aren't really clean, but not really dirty, either... - I can get those from my amps) - either too muddy, or too fizzy in the trebles, or too compressed, I find it much easier to dial in the precise OD tones I'm looking for with my pedals.

What kind of ODs have you tried? There really ARE big differences (eg. I haven't found anything that comes close to my Barber LTD in tone quality...), and each pedal has its strengths and weaknesses (and sometimes you have to stack two pedals for best results). I hope you aren't basing your decision on run-off-the-mill Tubescreamer copies or something like that?

Depends on what I'm playing, but for the most part I don't use dirtboxes. A cranked touch sensitive small amp, a Bad Bob that's always on, and my volume knob get me all the sounds I need. Sometimes it's just guitar/amp, like this below. It really helps you get in touch with the dyamics of your playing. Clean and mean with a flip of the volume knob.
bW_W_E_ncpE

It's hard to find an OD that really works for me, (too smooth, too harsh, too many mids, too compressed, etc.) but I really enjoy having multiple levels of drive. I can run my signal thru a booster, OD, plus a boost option on the OD pedal. Fuzz too when needed.

None the less I'm still looking for a more pleasing mid-gain OD pedal. I have a super clean amp that doesn't break up easily, so I really have a use for it in my setup.

I could be done with all pedal if someone would make a 50 watt 2x12 two channel amp that 100% nailed BF Twin clean on one channel and Marshall plexi crunch on the other. A half power switch, reverb and tremolo too.

+freaking 1!!!

Not me. If I'm playing my SR I have to have at least one overdrive pedal, usually my TubeScreamer, or I can't get any tone at all. The amp is simply too loud to overdrive without stomping on the rest of the band. I use a second overdrive for more aggressive sounds and playing slide, and lately I've been using pedals even with my Marshall just to get a wider palate of overdriven tones.

Overdrive forever! <G>

Justin

With a JC-120, If I'm done with overdrive pedals then I'm done with blues, Rock,overdrive and distortion!:lol:

I'm not done with ODs, however, I never used ODs for my dirt- I use them to push the amp into more dirt. I've never been a "my dirty channel is an OD pedal" guy.

I have always gone with the Dave Hunter opinion (paraphrasing here) that "overdrives are either designed to push your amp into breakup, or create a distortion that emulates amp breakup, most do a little of both...".

I am fine with using OD as my "second channel" as I want access to a clean Fender amp tone at low/moderate volume (as that sound is a rhythm and lead tone I use), and deliberately seek out OD pedals that really do create a nice adjustable breakup at any volume needed. But that is just how I am most comfortable

I'm not with you. I like both - occasional use of an OD for tonal shaping or sometimes straight into the amp with no effects and just obtaining the natural tube driven OD. Both have their uses.

If I am playing an amp where I could get by without OD then I am probably playing an amp with no clean headroom. An OD pedal is about versatility.

I just turn it up.
Amp OD is the best ! :grin:


JJ

I haven't played through an OD pedal in years.

My amps are an AC-15 and an MMB, which when played in stereo, have no trouble keeping up with a drummer at just that sweet spot where I can back off or punch the amps with a boost -- plus the master volume on the AC-15 lets me get some crunch at home volumes. If I really wanna let 'er rip at home volumes, I've got a single 6V6 Champy kinda thing.

Of course, that's personal preference -- and I mess around a lot with fuzz and the occasional distortion. As in pretty much every thread in The Stomp Box, 11 Gauge is right. OD pedals are just another tool. I don't care for 'em; if I need saturation in the studio, I'll break out a Champ. But yeah, if I was playing a Twin, I'd need a good OD. I don't have a hundred-watt amp, so I don't.

Actually, I probably *should* get an OD, just to have around. I'm not currently in a band, but what if down the road I find myself playing with an overpowered backline and need to get my sound? There are certainly uses.

There should probably be a thread on that topic: which OD pedals should anti-OD pedal folks have? I imagine it'd be something that's voiced for the amp you like playing, a Marshall or Vox in-a-box, maybe the Tech 21 stuff... oh, never mind me, I'm just rambling now.

I play a SR too......but I just use a stock BOSS BD-2...not too much drive....but I can't give it up......

Quite to the contrary - I'm done with amp OD, and rely on pedals only to get various shades of OD...

I have amps from 5 to 60W (VHT Special 6, Princeton Reverb clone, Carvin Vintage 16, JTM45-clone, Boogie Mk. 1 clone), I tried boosting them, tried cranking them - and always come back to my pedals; even with various-sized amps it is hard to get your OD at the precise volume level that will work perfectly with the rest of the band; and I'm simply not too fond of amp OD tones (unless it's just a little bit of breakup - you know, those sounds that aren't really clean, but not really dirty, either... - I can get those from my amps) - either too muddy, or too fizzy in the trebles, or too compressed, I find it much easier to dial in the precise OD tones I'm looking for with my pedals.

What kind of ODs have you tried? There really ARE big differences (eg. I haven't found anything that comes close to my Barber LTD in tone quality...), and each pedal has its strengths and weaknesses (and sometimes you have to stack two pedals for best results). I hope you aren't basing your decision on run-off-the-mill Tubescreamer copies or something like that?

Definitely not basing my opinion on just the Tubescreamer types, which have never been my cup of tea anyway. The last OD pedal I owned was a Barber Direct Drive. I've gone through various MXR, Catalinbread, BOSS, and Danelectro pedals over the years, among others.

And I'm not saying I'm done with dirt boxes. I'm just enjoying using my boost pedals so much, along with my amp's natural dirt, that I can't see getting another OD. I also use my RAT on lower gain setting a lot, too.

I play a SR too......but I just use a stock BOSS BD-2...not too much drive....but I can't give it up......

Me Neither! It's a great OD (IMO) at low Gain to use with Fender amps

Been there, done that, doesn't work for me. Tried a couple of times to play straight into my amp - just cannot get any breakup without the bar owner threatening to fire me! And I just don't get boost pedals - to my ears, I can do the same thing with the volume knob on my guitar, and again have the bar owner threaten to fire me!

What I like about the selective use of dirt pedals is the ability to get a variety of tone textures at normal gig volumes.

If you're not gigging, anything goes. But playing out requires a balance between righteous tone and volume. OD pedals provide that balance for me.

Been there, done that, doesn't work for me. Tried a couple of times to play straight into my amp - just cannot get any breakup without the bar owner threatening to fire me! And I just don't get boost pedals - to my ears, I can do the same thing with the volume knob on my guitar, and again have the bar owner threaten to fire me!

What I like about the selective use of dirt pedals is the ability to get a variety of tone textures at normal gig volumes.

If you're not gigging, anything goes. But playing out requires a balance between righteous tone and volume. OD pedals provide that balance for me.

You must only have one amp.
That's why I have several amps.
So I can "turn it up" "without the bar owner threatening to fire me!"

JJ

You must only have one amp.
That's why I have several amps.
So I can "turn it up" "without the bar owner threatening to fire me!"

Have more than one, but my main amp is a '70 Bassman that is capable of breaking every bottle in the bar - and still be clean - if I turn it up over 5 :lol:. Once at an outdoor gig (!) my own bass player told me to turn it down :lol:.

It's hard to find an OD that really works for me

I have this same problem. After messing with OD pedals, I eventually just play through my amp and find it much better....but after a certain amount of time I get bored with that and go back to pedals. I have come to the realization I have to have the option to play through OD pedals to change things up from time to time. I could see owning a two channel amp and ditching overdrive pedals at some point, but doubt an amp that could do that would fit my budget any time soon.
Jim

I'll be done as soon as I get a Maxon OD-820 :mrgreen:

I'll be done with them when I live outside the earshot of my neighbors. Until then, I am sticking with my ODs. Ha.

I play a SR too......but I just use a stock BOSS BD-2...not too much drive....but I can't give it up......

Pound for pound, there aren't many amps with the output of a SR. For a 40 watt amp those things are just plain loud. If I was only playing country or blues I might be able to sneak by without overdrive, but there's no way I can get a good rock crunch with the amp short of deafening everyone. :lol:

Justin

Have more than one, but my main amp is a '70 Bassman that is capable of breaking every bottle in the bar - and still be clean - if I turn it up over 5 :lol:. Once at an outdoor gig (!) my own bass player told me to turn it down :lol:.

Sounds like you need a 1 x 12" or a 2 x 10" or better yet a medium powered Tweed ! :wink:

JJ

I've always thought if you have to have an OD pedal to get tone, then you're playing with the wrong amp or guitar. Just get a good combo you like and go with it. I can usualy tell if a guitar player in another band is gonna suck by how many pedals he has on the floor. The guy with a just cable is usualy a pretty confident player.

For most of my straight blues playing in a live setting, I'm done with 'em-I just use an eq to juice the input to my amp. I still use a TS-9 on occasion with my PR, but I usually play straight into my AC-15.

Sounds like you need a 1 x 12" or a 2 x 10" or better yet a medium powered Tweed ! :wink:

'70 head built into a 2x10 cabinet with Celestions = 45 clean watts of whoop ass!

I can usualy tell if a guitar player in another band is gonna suck by how many pedals he has on the floor. The guy with a just cable is usualy a pretty confident player.

Tell that to...........wait, I dont have the days it would take to post all the players with 6 or more pedals on their board.:lol:

I was there about 10 years ago. Now I'm back to overdrive pedals. They're just so flexible volume wise. I can get pretty much the same sounds loud or quiet.

I can usualy tell if a guitar player in another band is gonna suck by how many pedals he has on the floor.

What is your guess with the guitarist's "suck factor" with this pedalboard:

http://i158.photobucket.com/albums/t99/ANGERMANAGER/brentmasonspedalboard.jpg

Or how about this one:

http://lh6.ggpht.com/_cz9To5JXsNo/SrFC0075ueI/AAAAAAAAAss/d81tU9dm80k/oz-noy-pedal-board-a.jpg

I wouldn't consider either of them to have sucky tone, or too many pedals. IMO, they both have tones to die for. The latter gets ALL of his dirt from the pedals. He usually doesn't know what amp he will be using in the backline, so the "just take a killer amp that overdrives on its own" method would never work for him.

A rig doesn't really have to exclude anything, but still stay flexible. Even if you don't step on a pedal during the whole gig, at least it's an option that is there IF you need it. IOW, it doesn't have to be black or white. Neither do guesses about another guitarist's tone just by sizing up his or her gear.

I've always thought if you have to have an OD pedal to get tone, then you're playing with the wrong amp or guitar. Just get a good combo you like and go with it. I can usualy tell if a guitar player in another band is gonna suck by how many pedals he has on the floor. The guy with a just cable is usualy a pretty confident player.

I don't think a pedalboard on the floor (or lack of one) should be determining factor of a guitar player's ability or tone. Besides, its not a competition, It's whatever works for the player.

I have two wonderful Fender combo amps and I personally don't think I get my best CLEAN tone with my amp all the way up and my guitar backed off, there is just not enough clarity for me as when my guitar volume is up all the way. I also don't like the sound of my amps cranked all the way up, even if I were in a position (which my gigs never are) to play like that...
I have a small pedalboard that enables me to have access to a few different effects, as well as the ability to create and control a few distorted tones at any volume. That's a "confident player" me!:wink:

Quite to the contrary - I'm done with amp OD, and rely on pedals only to get various shades of OD...

I have amps from 5 to 60W

Right on Roman.

I'm at 2 watts to 22 watts......9 amps.

I have 14 OD pedals. Many TS9 style pedals.

I love OD pedals. Crunchy crunchy singing fun.

I have to have an OD pedal to get overdrive. I play in a number of different situations and never know what my stage volume is going to have to be, but it's almost always lower than what would allow getting overdrive from an amp. I also need the ability to instantly switch from clean to crunch to lead, and I don't have an amp that'll do that since I'm not about to give up the '65 Princeton Reverb I use for most gigs!

I have been perfectly satisfied but using either a Jetter GS3 (I use that one for most gigs), BB Preamp or Analog Man-modified Ibanez TS-9 reissue.

Done! I much prefer combining my two boost pedals and an almost-breaking-up amp.

Nothing wrong with that as I have a BBE Boosta Grande and it will break up a pre amp. I've been playing for 25 years and I just started buying pedals 2 years ago. My favorite Pedal is OD! Today in church I used my Boss BD-2 and OD-3. I just went back and forth from light OD to medium OD. On my practice amp at home I use the SD-1 and OS-2. Maybe I'll get tired of these Boss Pedals but they seem to do everything I want to do.