Which Pedal for Blues Overdrive Tone?

Hi folks. I have a Telecaster with 51 Nocasters and I play mostly Traditional Country (chicken pickin) and some Blues. I play strictly clean for Country but want a quality stomp box for a light overdriven blues tone. I am in the market for a new one.

I have owned Tube Screamer, Blues Driver, Bad Monkey and several others. I used to really like the Tube Screamer when I played a Strat but recently tried one with my Tele and didn't like it. So, I don't care for the aforementioned pedals. I want something with light gain for a slightly overdriven sound but where it still sounds pretty clean and where the tone of the guitar is not colored heavily or masked. if it was able to be used as a clean boost too that would be great but its not essential. I also HAVE to have True Bypass, because I mostly play clean. This pedal will just be there for the occasional Overdrive.

I am currently looking at VooDoo Lab Sparkle Drive and Danelectro Cool Cat Transparent Overdrive. If you have any comments about these from experience please be my guest. If you have any other suggestions please do and give details why, thanks!

Sparkle Drive is pretty much an 808 circuit, isn't it? Cool Cat is some different territory.

For what you want (and more), you can't go wrong with a Boss Blues Driver (at its low Gain settings) , Dano Trans. OD V.1, Barber LTD, LTD SR, and others....

All will keep your Guitar>amp tone (EQ) in the forefront, and give you a pretty natural breakup if you keep pedal level High and Gain Lower- if you take some time with them. These are all pedals you can just leave ON (if you like) and just turn your guitar up to go from rhythm to lead, instead of kicking on an OD pedal that may completely change your sound ( but there are times when you want that too!) Dynamic!

These are all great pedals for any lower Gain dirt needs for R&R, blues, R&B, country-jazz etc.

Put any of these next to a "Tube Screamer" type or stronger OD/Distortion and you have a lot of versatility, IMO

+1 on the Barber LTD

Barber LTD

You can't go wrong with a Cool Cat Transparent Overdrive (V1). The price is really unbelievable for this pedal that can give you just a touch of grit yet maintain your clean signal... increasing the gain knob will still remain focused and strings will still sound separately.

Another excellent overdrive but not that cheap is Fulltone Fulldrive II. You may set the main channel with drive low for your 'clean' then press the Boost for more drive and gain. Truly a terrific pedal!

Lastly, if you want to go cheaper.... The Joyo Ultimate Drive is just totally another fantastic pedal... Just read the previews comments and video reviews of this pedal and it just blows me away! All of these pedals, I've already used live, btw.

I can't recommend the Way Huge Green Rhino MkII highly enough. It's a fantastic 808 clone and the best 808 type IMO and it's very flexible in the EQ department and is very versatile.

If you still have your BD-2, send it to Machine Head Pedals for the Galaxie mod - turns the blues driver into an AWESOME pedal I promise!

I also love the Sparkle Drive.. I have both on my board. Love both the MHP BD-2 and the Sparkle.

A Pork Loin is also a very nice pedal for blues overdrives.

From the description you're after, I think you will be pleased with a Timmy. It does exactly what you want in spades - from a clean boost to a transparent overdrive! Give it a try!

I really love the OD side of my Visual Sound RT-66.

I can't recommend the Way Huge Green Rhino MkII highly enough. It's a fantastic 808 clone and the best 808 type IMO and it's very flexible in the EQ department and is very versatile.

This. It's a killer pedal, and the EQ is very versatile. I love mine. At $120 street, it's probably the best bang-for-buck ratio of any overdrive out there right now.

http://www.jimdunlop.com/images/products/GreenRhinoOverdrive-11.png

The Fulltone OCD also gets a lot of love but its US retail price is around $160. Personally, I don't think it's worth the extra $40 over the Green Rhino.

Wampler Paisley Drive will get you a surprisingly credible blues overdrive tone when set to about the 11:00 (gain) mark. It's TS based with some nice mid range voicing mods

Barber pedals are great. Many great low-gainers.

Folks OP states he doesn't want a TS variant!

Now my turn to disregard Twang-O-Matic's post :smile:

In that, i would give a big thumbs up for Durham Sex Drive - its buffered bypass but it in no way hinders your clean sound. When engaged it adds clarity and overall bigness, with hint of grit, or grit AND compression depending on how you use it. Or it can be a clean boost with the gain off. Don't rule it just because of the bypass.

If you must, must have TB - the Dano TOD V1 is indeed great with teles, as is a Tim/Timmy.

Tim, TOD and Durham all get regular use on my board and they are all excellent in their own way.

It took me a long time to find a TS variant I liked... I ended up with an MXR Classic Overdrive. The Sparkle Drive is a TS variant, though with the clean signal blend knob, it adds a nice twist.

BUT, before you go there, try the Dano pedal. I have a V1 and it is very transparent and very well with my Fender amps. It adds what sounds like amp gain, without killing the volume... but there is still boost to be had. The controls are a PITA with the knobs on top. But, it's a sturdy little pedal that can be had for a reasonable price.

I am getting ready to call to get my name on the list for a Tim or Timmy... I just can't decide which I want.

You never did mention what amp you're using.... This can have a great effect on what pedals work.

Barber pedals are great. Many great low-gainers.

I used to use my OCD exclusively for tele dirt, but have switched the tele to the Barber Direct Drive LG(low gain) I just bought. Its got more than light OD on tap, but I set the drive and tone low and it sounds killer.

Different settings for neck and bridge...
maybe have 2 units/stomps
That dano transparent overdrive is great on neck low drive setting 0-2
you will need diff setting for your bridge picking
imho only

Give the Boss OD-3 a try. I used Tube Screamers and SD-1s for years and liked them with Strats and Fender amps but when I switched to using P90s through an AC15 the mid hump became too much. The OD-3 is very good out of the box and even better when you change a couple of parts.

The Dano V-1 Cool Cat TO is a fantastic pedal; it will do exactly what you want and you can find a used one for around $50.00. Check the forum classifieds.

what about okko diablo, or okko diablo + gain

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N5G0CHVFpDo
http://www.stompbox.de/diablo_english.html

What kind of amp are you using?

(And, I mean, seriously -- No one else thought to ask this question?)

What kind of amp are you using?

(And, I mean, seriously -- No one else thought to ask this question?)

I use a Fender Hot Rod Deluxe. I am sorry I forgot to mention that.

I have also tried all of the Boss OD/Distortion pedals and did not like any of them. They all sound fake to me. Of course that was a while back and with a Strat, before i started playing Teles exclusively.

The Dano Transparent Overdrive sounds real good...I have never tried any Barber or Way Huge products. I will look into them. Since I rarely use overdrive I don't want to spend alot of money. The Brad Paisley pedal looks awesome, but again its too much money for someone whoe plays mostly clean. Paisley uses dirt almost exclusively nowadays. Not so much when he first came on the scene.

I wouldn't want to spend more than $80 used or new. I would prefer to be in the $50-60 range. But if it was simply outstanding I would go up to $80.

I was also looking at the Digitech Hardwire Tube Overdrive. Anyone have any experience with that one?

If the Dano sounds "real good," why not just stick with that? Most pedals - including the Hardwire, I think - are essentially Tube Screamer types, which you said you weren't looking for. And, in the $50 - $60 price range, you're talking Dano or one of the Chinese off-brands, unless you stick in the Tube Screamer arena (the DigiTech pedals you mentioned, etc.).

If the Dano works and you like it, why not just use it?

Also, whats the difference between the CTO-1 and CTO-2? Speaking of the Transparent Overdrive.

Whose blues?

If the Dano sounds "real good," why not just stick with that? Most pedals - including the Hardwire, I think - are essentially Tube Screamer types, which you said you weren't looking for. And, in the $50 - $60 price range, you're talking Dano or one of the Chinese off-brands, unless you stick in the Tube Screamer arena (the DigiTech pedals you mentioned, etc.).

If the Dano works and you like it, why not just use it?

I don't actually have the Dano nor have ever heard it. I just meant from poster's descriptions that it sounded good, but am considering all my options. Money is not an object, however being frugal and reasonable I don't want to spend a whole lot for something I don't primarily use. I just want something of quality on my board for a musical setting where I will be playing some blues.

I have heard and used the Hardwire a couple years ago with a Strat and it sounded 100 times better than a Tube Screamer in my opinion. I have also tried the MXR Classic Overdrive and it didn't sound very good to me. I think some Tube Screamers sound good and others don't. Maybe a variation of it would be ok if it met the criteria I set forth in my original post. Plus the hardwire is True Bypass.

Well, I guess I'll throw my 2 cents in here.....Now, I don't know if these are TS variants or not or if they are true bypass......all I care about is how they sound and work for me.

First off, if you can get your hands on an original black box marshall bluesbreaker pedal, you'll be a happy man. For low gain 'bluesy' drive, it's aces. I know several companies offer diy kits on this circut. haven't heard em, but have read good things about em.

Next up, the Tech 21 Double Drive flys under the radar, but it does low gain and clean boost real, real good. This pedal does have copius amounts of drive on tap, but at lower settings I can pretty much ape the bluesbreakers tone.

I just read the Joyo pedal thread and they seem to make some good sounding, cost effective pedals. Perhaps something to consider. Good luck on your search!

For the record, I am not the seller of this item, nor do I know who the seller is. I searched eBay and linked to the auction with the lowest price for a new (not used/refurb) item that I could find. That said...

Take a look at this:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/NEW-WASHBURN-BLUES-OVERDRIVE-GUITAR-PEDAL-/300650141149?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item46002515dd

A friend of mine, who is a gigging guitarist working three to four a nights a week, swears by this pedal. It's branded Washburn, but it's made by a Korean company called Artec. You can get the *exact same pedal* with the Artec name on it, but it'll cost you at least twice as much. The Washburn pedals were discontinued a while ago, and the prices of NOS pedals on the secondary market are very low right now.

This is not a Tube Screamer-sounding pedal at all. It is much fuller and doesn't have the midrange "hump" that the TS is known for. The gain goes from Bluesy edge to heavy blues-rock grind. The pedal is versatile, sturdy (it's survived two or three years of gigging four nights a week), and it is true bypass.

Oh, and... It's $25.00 delivered!

Hey, for that kind of money, it might be worth taking a chance, just to see if you like it. If you don't, you didn't lose much, like you might with a $125 pedal that turns out not to be your cup of tea.

I have an MJM Phantom Overdrive, 05 Tele thru an Fender Dual Showman or a Vox AC30 hand wired. It's an TS 8 type circuit but has a midrange cut that's helpful. It's a great pedal. Although I dont ever play with a "light overdriven" sound.

Britt

Maybe the list would be more concise if it was what pedals not to use. So far 19 recommendations + variants. From this list it seems like you can get Blues Overdrive Tone from any pedal.

Boss Blues Driver
Dano Trans. OD V.1, Barber LTD,
Fulltone Fulldrive II.
Joyo Ultimate Drive
BD-2, send it to Machine Head Pedals for the Galaxie mod
Tim or Timmy
Visual Sound RT-66
Wampler Paisley Drive
Fulltone OCD
Way Huge Green Rhino MkII
Durham Sex Drive
MXR Classic Overdrive
Barber Direct Drive LG(low gain)
Boss OD-3
okko diablo, or okko diablo + gain
original black box marshall bluesbreaker
Tech 21 Double Drive
MJM Phantom Overdrive
Sparkle Drive

From this list it seems like you can get Blues Overdrive Tone from any pedal.


LOL. You can.



As mentioned by someone earlier... Who's Blues?

Is it T-Bone Walker's blues? Who played clean with no pedal, but has some dirt on his sound.

Is it Gary Moore? Who's got the liquidy, creamy Les Paul tone.

It it SRV? The Texas Mid-hump thing.

If we look at just Tele Players... Do we consider Roy Buchanon a blues player? Jonny Lang? Tab Benoit?


Or is it my flavor of Blues? I play with and without pedals. For dirt, I use everything from the Classic Overdrive, only with my Viborlux, to my Dano TOD V.1, with my Vibroverb, to my Keeley Fuzz Head and Zvex Distortron into just about anything. :mrgreen: But I also don't play country. I'm solely a Blues guy, so my tone chase is different, for sure.


I think the original question, and specifics about the Transparent Overdrive and Sparkle Drive were talked about a little bit. But, everyone has their favorite pedals. Everyone seems to have a version of the blues too! LOL


I'm always interested in what everyone is using for their 'blues' tones. :grin:

Since you seem quite particular about the sound you want, and you have tried various pedals that you don't like, I think you would be crazy to do anything other than take your guitar and audition as many pedals as you can at stores. It'll be worth the extra effort and cost to finally find a pedal you like and be done with it.

Also, whats the difference between the CTO-1 and CTO-2? Speaking of the Transparent Overdrive.

V1 rocks, V2 sucks. Other than than they are identical. :mrgreen:

V1 rocks, V2 sucks. Other than than they are identical. :mrgreen:

Someone on one of these threads, said there was a way to
flip the toggles to get to a v1.

I could not do it, and sold v2 and picked up a dusty v1
at violin piano guitar no
name store for 40bucks.

what about okko diablo, or okko diablo + gain

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N5G0CHVFpDo
http://www.stompbox.de/diablo_english.html

some great youtubes on that bad boy...sounds fat dumbly...
and very pricey

V1 rocks, V2 sucks. Other than than they are identical. :mrgreen:

That's funny,to the point! But I just gotta agree:wink:

As someone that has owned both TOD V.1 and V.2's. I bought the "New/Improved" V.2, briefly when I did NOT have a V.1 (gave my first one to a friend), when they first came out and Dano thankfully, had not yet stopped production of the V.1, (or at least they were still in stock at MF)

All I know is that as soon as you plug into a TOD V.1 you don't have to spend any time producing a great lower/medium drive OD- plus great EQ tweaking... and that was just not the case with the V.2. The breakup just sounded terrible (tonally just "flubby" and weak) , regardless of how the switches were flipped and I ran out of patience, returned it asap...

The Dano controls are a PITA but you get used to them, its a keeper (never letting this one go!) plus this pedal gets along with single coils and humbuckers with those separate tone controls, and a nicely tapered Gain range....

I think most pedals will give you a good sound if you tweak them enough.

I use a Maxon OD9 and it works great for me. I can hear the mid-hump, but it doesn't bother me and, imo, works very well with a strat and a tele. I find I can get a lot of really cool sounds out of it.

Mi audio blues pro

Since you seem quite particular about the sound you want, and you have tried various pedals that you don't like, I think you would be crazy to do anything other than take your guitar and audition as many pedals as you can at stores. It'll be worth the extra effort and cost to finally find a pedal you like and be done with it.

Bingo.

Tubescreamers and blues go together like bread and butter. They are meant for each other.

That said, I recommend the above of going in and trying out everything you can. I personally don't like transparent OD's for blues, as I like some fatness to the tone. I'd then recommend a midrangey D-Style pedal if the person was completely against TS pedals. You really need a fat tone for blues IMO and so I'd then recommend something like a Zendrive or perhaps something like that.

Lastly, the Sparkle Drive is a TS variant and so if you don't like TS pedals - you aren't going to like the Sparkle Drive.

Take a look at this:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/NEW-WASHBURN-BLUES-OVERDRIVE-GUITAR-PEDAL-/300650141149?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item46002515dd

A friend of mine, who is a gigging guitarist working three to four a nights a week, swears by this pedal. It's branded Washburn, but it's made by a Korean company called Artec. You can get the *exact same pedal* with the Artec name on it, but it'll cost you at least twice as much. The Washburn pedals were discontinued a while ago, and the prices of NOS pedals on the secondary market are very low right now.

This is not a Tube Screamer-sounding pedal at all. It is much fuller and doesn't have the midrange "hump" that the TS is known for. The gain goes from Bluesy edge to heavy blues-rock grind. The pedal is versatile, sturdy (it's survived two or three years of gigging four nights a week), and it is true bypass.

Oh, and... It's $25.00 delivered!

Hey, for that kind of money, it might be worth taking a chance, just to see if you like it. If you don't, you didn't lose much, like you might with a $125 pedal that turns out not to be your cup of tea.

I'm a new fan of the Washburn Blues Overdrive, too. I picked one up (used) last week for $20.

I'm using it specifically for a 'blues overdrive' sound (ie. just a bit of break-up) & I think it's about the best I'll get out of a pedal.

It IS loud if you leave it on. But, I just turn it off if I'm not actually playing.

I'm suprised nobody has mentioned the Xotic BB Preamp. I don't have one but it gets great reviews. It seems to be good for any amount of overdrive all the way from clean boost to who knows where. I think it's true bypass.

It's not that i specifically don't like the TS9, but what I meant was that I had one I really liked and then another identical one that sounded awful. They seem inconsistent to me. I have never played an 808 which I hear that many, like the Sparkle Drive, are imitations of.

The TS9 is not True Bypass as far as I know and thats the main reason I shy away from it aside from the aforementioned inconsistency issues I have seen with them. If I found a pedal with a fat, low gain tone with true bypass and was transparent then it would probably suit me fine. As I said, I am pretty simple when it comes to pedals for I play mostly a clean country tone. I do, however want a good OD pedal for a Blues situation.

There was a time where I played more blues than country but thats not the case now. Back then I strictly used Strats. Several years ago I saw the Tele light and walked towards that light and became blinded by the glory of the Telecaster...now, the Tele is all I can see. :razz:

Many of the pedals, mostly Boss OD, Blues Driver and others sounded "fake" to me. I want something that sounds more natural and that suits the Fender tone, amp and Tele. I mean no offense to those who appreciate the Boss OD or Distortion pedals, that was simply my experience with them, to my ear. I did like the TS9 that I had but later sold it, and the few I have played since never sounded as good.

Maybe try a fulltone fulldrive 2 MOSFET. It is an 808 style overdrive with a three way toggle for vintage, flat mids, and comp cut. Try it at eighteen volts too. Gives it more headroom and clears it up a bit. Comp cut mode is pretty cool. Basically a clean boost to push your front end into overdrive. I play teles pretty much exclusively and I like it alot for anything from slight breakup to a good crunch.

I had a moded Blues Driver that was decent. The mod opened up the low end a tad more, took a little fizz out of the highs and helped make the pedal more transparent, but I already thought of it as transparent compared to a 'screamer. But it was subtle, so if you didn't like the stock pedal to start with....

I love my Timmy. That thing can do anything in the boost - low - medium gain range if you like it natural and transparent.

Drives will drive you crazy. Just buy a handful of your best options and return the ones that didn't do it for you. There's really no way to know what'll work until you try them.

......

The TS9 is not True Bypass as far as I know and thats the main reason I shy away from it aside from the aforementioned inconsistency issues I have seen with them. If I found a pedal with a fat, low gain tone with true bypass and was transparent then it would probably suit me fine. As I said, I am pretty simple when it comes to pedals for I play mostly a clean country tone. I do, however want a good OD pedal for a Blues situation.

......

then try the Maxon OD9, which is basically a TS9 and has true bypass. I wouldn't call it transparent, it still has the characteristic mid-hump, but it's very versatile if you tweak the controls a little.

I am a major Albert Collins fan and if that is the type of overdrive you are into, I suggest Award/Session JD-10 or JD-20, if you can find one... That and spring reverb :cool:

I have a keeley modded boss sd-1. I use it like a tube amp. Turn the drive up and use the volume knob on the the tele to go from rythm to solos. If you get a boss od have it modded. (Maybe you can get a deal like me. I got my sd-1 for $65 already modded. It's $140 pedal with the mod) Or you can go the 808 route. I have never owned one but I went to GC and tried one out. I liked it alot but I didn't have $170 in my pocket. I actualy posted my sd-1 on CL and almost traded it for an ocd but some guy called about the ad and said to not trade for any of the pedals I wanted to trade it for. He told me to save the cash and get an 808. He went through the same thing. ocd,maxon od-9,etc,and he said he wasn't happy until he had the 808. So I still have my sd-1 and I plan to get an 808 to go along with it. Just go try out some od's and see what you like. I went through the same thing.

As for true bypass. You DON'T want all true bypass pedals. Are you planning to use the od pedal by itself or is it going in a chain with some other pedals ? I just wanted to point that out. BTW the 808 reissue is NOT true bypass. I hope that doesn't make you turn away from it. (It's such a great pedal) If you want a true bypass od you should go for the sparkle drive.

If you are used to plugging a 15' cable straight into an amp you will find a TBP pedal with 15' either side will sound dull when switched off. Google Pete Cornish's thought on TBP. With long cable runs and passive sc pups you NEED a buffer. I purposely got a Visual Sound Jekyl and Hyde because of the buffer.

The Hyde side on low gain gives a nice edge to the sound, almost like a thick top boost.

Lately I've been driving my guitars in the studio through an old Digitech 2112 Rack (with two tubes in it) and it sounds awesome. I bought mine years ago from a friend, whom was clearing it out in favor of a later model but this thing still does it for me, big time.

I also have another rig (all analog) with an MXR Classic Distortion box (black) that sounds pretty good for blues overdrive... Also have a DOD 250 (yellow box) from the 70's that doesn't sound half bad either, and I think u can find them cheap.

I LOVE my BK Tube Driver for a blues lead tone, but they aren't very cheap. I guess you could find a Chandler for less $, ....and they still sound good imho.

Well, I can say, after playing my recently acquired Xotic BB preamp on the gig last night, it can be a VERY convincing blues overdrive, especially for a telecaster!

There's a little bit color that the pedal puts in, not as much as a Tubescreamer, but it's there... the tone thickens up quite a bit, but doesn't get raspy, much more liquid sounding, and a LOT of compression, to the point I thought I was playing a Lester... for the record, my settings were gain 11 o'clock, volume 10 o'clock, treble 11 o'clock, and bass 1 o'clock... it also likes to jump out a little harmonic feedback... nice little box...

Franc Robert

It took a full twelve posts in before someone
said Wampler.

Surprised it took so long.

jebbo and paul74: I don't use all True Bypass. I ONLY want the Overdrive to be. I also don't use many pedals, 4 at the very highest. 2 of which are left on continuously, without pause (The Tuner is off mostly, obviously). I just want the OD to be TB because it is not going to be on hardly at all and want to protect my clean tone, which I use 90% of the time. The other pedals are not TB excluding the Tuner, however they are on continuously and are part of my clean tone. Thanks for the advice though, and I read the Pete Cornish article.

Fulltone plimsoul

Check out the JOYO VOD thread:

http://www.tdpri.com/forum/stomp-box/309931-joyo-vintage-overdrive_-any-good.html

Funny thing that.....I have both a Boss Sd-1 and OD-3 and used to have a Hot Rod Deluxe (the tweed limited edition with the Jensen speaker), and I hated both of those with the HRD. But since chainging over to a Vox AC30 C2, I used them all the time to push the amp.

I use the SD-1 to push the Top Boost channel when we kick it up for choruses etc. and use the OD-3 for some drive when using the normal channel.

Really couldn't believe the difference when using them on the Vox. I've been looking at so many different overdrives but nothing seems to stand out as being better than the Boss pedals at this point.

On that topic...is there anyone in Perth, Australia that does modding of Boss pedals?

I just got a Zendrive today.........sounds wonderful with my tele and BFDR.

Timmy is a great moderate OD that really let's your guitar and amp shine.

I have used a Zendrive2 and a Fuchs Plush for years (not together). They both give me a good blues sound that is not noticeably overdriven, although a twist of the gain knob changes that. I have found that turning my guitar volume down by more than 1/2 and running into one of these pedals with the gain up a little, gives me a nice-woody hollowbody jazz sound, with not a hint of OD.

But, I am very interested in investigating some of the other pedals mentioned here. Good thread.

If playing blues i am useing marshall guvnor plus 2 combine with boss od-3 to compensate the high frequency which the guvnor lacks

cto version 1 has no switches on the battery compartment unlike cto version 2.
I am using cto version for boost
sory for the english not native speaker

god bless

If you're looking for a bluesy tone - the SD won't give you that. The BD-2 might be what you're looking for.

If playing blues i am useing marshall guvnor plus 2 combine with boss od-3 to compensate the high frequency which the guvnor lacks

cto version 1 has no switches on the battery compartment unlike cto version 2.
I am using cto version for boost
sory for the english not native speaker

god bless

What are your settings for your Marshall Guvnor GV-2?
I have mine on 12:00 for the gain and volume and it's got this "Splatty/torn speaker" overdrive sound that isn't what I was hoping for. I'm guessing that I need to turn the gain down and the volume up yes?

Check out the G2D Creamtone, fantastic pedal for what you describe and somewhat under the radar I think.

G2D Creamtone (http://www.g2d.co.nz/products.php?Task=Details&ProductID=1)


Snowy

Personally I Prefer The Ibanez Ts808 Handwired Model For An Overdrive. Such A Good Stompbox But It's Pricey

What are your settings for your Marshall Guvnor GV-2?
I have mine on 12:00 for the gain and volume and it's got this "Splatty/torn speaker" overdrive sound that isn't what I was hoping for. I'm guessing that I need to turn the gain down and the volume up yes?
__________________
Nail in my hand...From my creator
You gave me life
now...
Show me how to live!


hi
my gain is between 9 and 10 oclock
volume is 11 oclock.
i only use od-3 for the high frequency

GOD BLESS!

Man...I love my Bad Monkey. Try some different settings. I've settled on the BM years ago and I can dial in just what I need on any of my amps. My setting on the pedal usually stays the same but sometimes the amp has to be tweaked. I don't step on pedals during songs, I set it and leave it. If it's blues were playing (and to me there's only blues and classic country) I'll set up the sound and leave it, quite crunchy, I leave the guitar volume wide open and just play softly or dig in.

I use 2 that I really like. I have a BYOC Blues Driver (Marshall Blues Breaker clone)that I use for a just a bit of OD and the Tone Candy Sweet Drive for a heavier creamy OD. They're hard to find and are creamy smooth. I've also become smitten with the Youtube demos of the Okko Twin Drive but it's a bit spendy. There are lots of quality demos on Youtube with almost any pedal and guitar/amp combination that you can listen to with some good headphones to get an idea of what they sound like.

I tried a Muff overdrive nano, but didn't care for that. More of a Fuzz really. Recently aquired a Hardwire Tube overdrive and am going to demo that tonight.

I don't care for the Blues Driver or Bad Monkey. They are not True Bypass either. I may try a Green Rhino next if this one doesn't fit.