Overdrive/ Distortion for Country?

I'm searching for a pedal that can approximate the gritty edgy kind of overdrive that most modern country twang bangers use. I'm not looking something that I need to order and be put on a waiting list, rather something more commonly available at Guitar Center or a local store. I had a GT-500 by Fulltone. It wasn't bad, but maybe a little too sterile sounding. I switched to a Fulltone Overdrive 2, which sounds okay, but doesn't knock my socks off. I have only had the Fulltone for a few days, so I will be returning it. So I am asking any country puckers out there, what are you guys using for overdrive/ distortion. I am playing a couple of different Teles through a Fender DRRI or a Peavey Delta Blues with a 15". Before anyone mentions getting a compressor, I am already using one.

Have a try with the Voodoo Lab Sparkledrive.
It has a blend knob, to blend the overdrive signal into the clean signal, very nice.
if it´s good enough for Mr. Brent Mason, then it might fit you...;O)

Have a try with the Voodoo Lab Sparkledrive.
It has a blend knob, to blend the overdrive signal into the clean signal, very nice.
if it´s good enough for Mr. Brent Mason, then it might fit you...;O)

Or the newer Sparkle Drive Mod may give you more gain and tonal options.

I agree with the GT500...no character...generic and sterile...love the concept and the build...just didn't love the pedal.

DigiTech Hardwire Series SC-2 Valve Distortion...I really like the light overdrive I can get with it set to "crunch" with my PV Classic 50 for country. It can also do the not-so-light modern country sounds.

Visual Sounds Double Trouble, basically two Tubescreamer type pedals in one with more volume on tap and a bass boost switch. Check out also the other VS ODs. Very good products at low prices. http://www.visualsound.net/index.php/products/pedals

I got a Joyo AC tone from eBay a couple of months back. It'll do that honky gritty tone that Brad Paisley and others use. I've also gotten a fairly wide variety of other good sounds out of it.

Not sure if they're available in stores, but it arrived in a couple of days.


TDPRI lingo translation:
I pulled the trigger and scored a Joyo AC tone from fleabay. It nails Brad's tone hands down. It sounds amazing and will give you awesome tone.

You can't get these in stores, gotta order it.

I like the boss od-3

It reacts well to boosting the comp level into it and sounds good for crunchy rhythm as well as leads

I like it after a low gain ts as well

It even sounds good before the compressor

Voodoo Sparkle or Wampler Paisley Drive would fit the bill I think.

I don't play country music, but I've noticed that my MXR Custom Badass distortion really reminds me of a country sound when you set it up with the gain low and play with a Telecaster. It sounds really twangy to my ears. Check it out.

For country with a tele I recommend the MXR Custom 78 Badass Distortion

I like my OD3 for a louder boost, my durham sexdrive for cleaner/milder boost, and my blues driver for light chordal picking rhythm stuff. I'm fixin' to order the New Sparkle Drive Mod, and a Wampler Paisley Drive here soon.

I don't think only one overdrive would get it all at the gig for me, although I could play a gig with just a yellow SD-1 and be perfectly happy to be playing, it is nice to have options on the board.

I use a Paisley Drive and a Xotic AC

I am considering the Jeckll and Hyde pedal because the You Tube videos sound promising. Plus I would be getting a distortion pedal as well. What do you think? Any comments? Any country players using one of these?

Another vote for Boss OD-3

Wampler Paisley Drive or Barber UN LTD. The Barber is nice because it gives you 2 pedals in one and you can set a nice gritty rhythm and lead tone for solos.
Both highly recommended.

I am considering the Jeckll and Hyde pedal because the You Tube videos sound promising. Plus I would be getting a distortion pedal as well. What do you think? Any comments? Any country players using one of these?

Jekyll side is good for country.

LOL - there must be 50 of these threads on here now - I love every one of them.:mrgreen:

I can't agree at all regarding the Badass OD - I was thinking the same thing, then bought one, and didn't jive with it at all - ymmv.

I've gone through many pedals and pedal combos to arrive at what appeals to me the most - a combo of the Timmy and a Fairfield Circuitry Barbershop. I use the Timmy to boost it, or to change the texture - basic boost through to Dumble-style. The basis of my entire sound right now is the Barbershop - it beefs up the overall sound of the amp, and can be dialed in to add just a hint of hair. It's also incredibly touch sensitive - moreso than the Timmy or the SHOD (also a fine country OD pedal).:cool:

"I can't agree at all regarding the Badass OD - I was thinking the same thing, then bought one, and didn't jive with it at all - ymmv."

I recommended the Badass Distortion (the red one), not the OD (the yellow one)

I don't play country music, but I've noticed that my MXR Custom Badass distortion really reminds me of a country sound when you set it up with the gain low and play with a Telecaster. It sounds really twangy to my ears. Check it out.

Yeah this box set to low gain with the tone knob around 1:00 is instant hyper twang

I am considering the Jeckll and Hyde pedal because the You Tube videos sound promising. Plus I would be getting a distortion pedal as well. What do you think? Any comments? Any country players using one of these?

I was actually gonna recommend the J&H. I have an old one, one of the first of the red box versions. It kills. Sounds absolutely amazing with Tele and Strat for country and roots stuff.

Strangely, in my actual "country" bands, I only play acoustic in one, so no pedals. In the other, I play my LP Jr. almost exclusively. For that band, I use a Fulltone FDII and a Fulltone OCD. They sound much better with the Jr. and my LP Spc. than the J&H does, to my ears.

"I can't agree at all regarding the Badass OD - I was thinking the same thing, then bought one, and didn't jive with it at all - ymmv."

I recommended the Badass Distortion (the red one), not the OD (the yellow one)

I was responding to Leep, actually torch, but I must have read too fast because I made the same mistake either way - lol.:oops:

DigiTech Hardwire Series SC-2 Valve Distortion...I really like the light overdrive I can get with it set to "crunch" with my PV Classic 50 for country. It can also do the not-so-light modern country sounds.

+1!

The SC-2 is a wonderfully versatile OD/Distortion box because of its excellent EQ. Has worked great with my G&L ASAT and Strat into a Fuchs ODS, a Fender Deluxe Reverb and a SS Yamaha G30-112.

I really like my Keeley "Baked Mod" Tubescreamer for overdrive settings. My one criticism I have for it though is that I find it difficult to get dialed in when you want a high gain, crunchy sound.

BWNadeau it's all good, and yeah I wasn't sure which of us you were responding to but I'd seen he'd talked about the Distortion also. Just wanted to point out that I am pretty sure they're entirely different beasts

For "modern country" guitar sounds, looks to me like you'd want a PRS and a Mesa Boogie Triple Rectifier w/a 4x12 cabinet...

BWNadeau it's all good, and yeah I wasn't sure which of us you were responding to but I'd seen he'd talked about the Distortion also. Just wanted to point out that I am pretty sure they're entirely different beasts

No worries at all - I'll have to try that one out...and after checking out the demo I must just have to buy one.:twisted:

Dan - I just spit Corona on my laptop reading that - funny, and so true.:cool:

nobels ODR-1

This looks interesting, the Metal Pedals "Pro Country":

http://www.metalpedals.com/www.metalpedals.com/Pro_Country_files/P.C.-4.jpg

I play a Voodoo Labs Sparkle Drive into a Boss DS-1 but I'm gonna switch to the Fulltone OCD soon. May get a Boss OD-3 also, that pedal really sounds good!

nobels ODR-1

that's a good one, too

Sparkle Drive Mod (just for the extra tones), the Nobels ODR-1, Rockett Pedals Chicken Soup (the ODR-1 but BETTER!), or a plain ol' Tubescreamer.

I will say that the CMATMODS Butah is a fun pedal for adding hair to your clean tone. The Signa Drive might work for you too.

Get yourself one of the above mentioned pedals to hold you over until your Timmy is ready.

Depending on your amp, the Visual Sound Open Road is pretty awesome for this. It's great for open chord clarity and the gain goes from clean to almost Plexi sounds. My favorite spot for what you're talking about is the gain just below half way. VS makes some great products and they have a lot of demos online.

I'm also intrigued by the DMB Americana Overdrive with a clean blend knob for this stuff, but it's not gonna be at your local GC. Worth checking out though.

I'm digging my Wampler Paisley Drive! It's a beast!! Especially driving it with my voodoo labs Giggity!

Im using the Wampler Black 65 into my Fender Quad these days.

Best OD tone ever out of my fender.

Get the Danelectro Transparent Overdrive. Find the V1 first version, and not the V2. This pedal can be had on ebay for about $50 and is a very close Timmy clone. So close that they changed it in the V2 to be less of a Timmy (and not as good). This is a great clean boost, it has separate EQ controls for bass and treble and while it does a great clean boost or "clean with hair on it" tone, there is a lot of gain on tap and it will go into tube screamer territory, without the excessive mid hump/bottom suck of a TS. With the separate EQ controls, you can go thick and warm or treble boost type edge. I put mine in front of a Dano OCD clone and leave it on all the time, and use the OCD clone sparingly. We play a lot of honkytonk, surf, classic rock and blues and this pedal relagated my two original 1980 TS-808s to the "B list" pedal boards.

I like that Dano OCD clone more than the Dano Timmy clone, I have V1 of both

Rat.

BT--My Dano OCD clone is also a V1. I love it and its my favorite overdrive. My country sound is more classic than contemporary, usually into a 5E3 Deluxe with a JBL D-130, which already puts some hair in the tone. As a result, the OCD clone is too much drive for my country, but when I play my twin reverb, that pedal really does country well.

Dr. Z Brake Lite. You will love it on your DRRI.

I like that Dano OCD clone more than the Dano Timmy clone, I have V1 of both

I have owned both (V1's, and have owned and sold the Dano Drive twice, and still own/use the TransOD) and think they both have their strong points:

I personally prefer the more subtle "breakup" and graduated taper of the TOD's Gain control as well as the separate Tone Controls-I think this is the only OD I own that works great with any guitar and amp I own (not that I have that much, but I do have SC/P-90/Humbucker guitars, and a few amps...) and do think this pedal kicks-ass for adding some subtle OD for classic country/Texas swing/jump blues/R&B....

BUT, IMO the Dano TOD is NOT very dynamic (relative to guitar volume adjustment) I find that with the pedal ON, I get the same breakup (not really cleanup) when lowering guitar volume as if it were cranked. This is OK, as there is no loss of treble when turning down.

OTOH, I found the Dano Drive to be very dynamic, you can turn this pedal ON (leave it on), put all the controls at NOON and just work everything from the guitar from clean>good crunch. I just found the actual distorted sound while pretty good, to be a more 'modern'(?) or kind of processed sound than what I go for; I feel this way too about the OCD...Still think I'd buy this Dano Drive a 3rd time though, and give it another try! (but not for the country stuff I play)

BWNadeau it's all good, and yeah I wasn't sure which of us you were responding to but I'd seen he'd talked about the Distortion also. Just wanted to point out that I am pretty sure they're entirely different beasts

Bought one today - not so much for country, but started playing some Fogerty on it and couldn't leave it at the store - lol.