Time to replace some ODs/Distortions- recommendations?

Hi,

Been messin' with my pedal board and have decided that it's time to go all true bypass. This means replacing my much loved but underused Bad Monkey with something a bit more upmarket, with a few more tones on offer.

The other pedal is a DS1, which I have never truly liked, therefore it doesn't have to be replaced right away. My current set up would be that I use my 50 watt Marshall head for for rock tones, and an EHX English Muff'n for vintage tones, with the Marshall set to clean.

I feel like I need a middle ground between these two pedals, so I thought I'd get some recommendations before I start trawling the web.

Maximum budget is ~£120 which is about $240-$250 I think.

Thanks in advance

I really like the Barber pedals...I have a Direct Drive and an LTD pedal, and what I like about them is that they don't sound so "Pedal-like"...more amp0like but with lots of crunch for the direct drive....I'm putting a picture of my pedalboard in the "Show us your pedalboard" thread....

http://www.tdpri.com/forum/stomp-box/55703-show-us-your-pedal-board-9.html#post927425

If you are looking for a mid way gainer between OD and distortion, you may like the Maxon DS830 Distortion Master. I've been using it for the last couple of years, and it does classic rock crunch/high gain to 80's high gain well. I think it works great with Marshall amps. The High/Low freq EQ can come handy if you need to work with different amps/cabs (it can put out a lot of low end to help small combos). It retains the character of your guitar/playing very well, too. I have modded mine recently to help the clarity, but even in a stock form, you can play complex voicings with good definition.

It's not true bypass, though. I don't really find the Maxon buffer to be bad at all, however, rather I like having it.

With OD and compressor pedals, it's hard to pick a "best" except in the context of YOUR rig and YOUR playing (that's why there's such a competitive market). So rather than trying to pick up-front, how about narrowing down to a small list, buy the first one, and if it doesn't work, sell it and buy the next? For good stuff that's in demand, you'll only lose $20-30 on each transaction... consider it "rent".

And if you have pedals you really like except for the lack of true bypass, consider buying a loop pedal rather than a replacement.

With OD and compressor pedals, it's hard to pick a "best" except in the context of YOUR rig and YOUR playing (that's why there's such a competitive market). So rather than trying to pick up-front, how about narrowing down to a small list, buy the first one, and if it doesn't work, sell it and buy the next? For good stuff that's in demand, you'll only lose $20-30 on each transaction... consider it "rent".

+1. Pedals respond very differently with different rigs... try as many as you can at your application's volume.

I made the mistake of demoing pedals, spend AU$800 on two T-Rex ODs, with my Tone King amp on 5 - they sounded aweome! But my application called for the amp to be on 2.5... whole different ball game, needed to replace those.

That said, my first stop would be looking at pedals that were designed to see a Marshall's front end - one that comes to mind with Zvex's Box Of Rock (esp the more budget friendly Vexter version). The two function design is especially useful.

Good luck!

Radial's Tonebone line seems to be pretty popular. The Classic and Hot British are the simpler ones, and the Trimode and Plexitube each have two distinct rhythm and lead channels. I'm itchin' for a Trimode, myself. All of them are tube driven, as well.

+1 on the Barber pedals. I think the Direct Drive pedal is to die for, and like stated it's more amp like distortion than pedal.

http://www.stringsdirect.co.uk/Catalogue/ViewProduct.aspx?productId=57

and its only £100 so right in your buget!

Just a word of caution - going all true bypass is not a magical tone-making concept. Why are you wanting true bypass? Is if for less "tone suck?" A properly designed buffer will result in less tone suck than a even a modest pedalboard with only true bypass pedals - what with all the patch cables, and other odds and ends. With a buffered bypass pedal in there somewhere, you'll protect yourself from a lot of possible noise and tone loss over the combined length of your signal chain.

Maybe don't worry about every single pedal being true bypass. That ought to open up your possible options a little too.

All that being said, I always recommend the newer Marshall pedals. I've had excellent experience with the Guv'nor, and the Bluesbreaker is a fantastic lower-gain pedal too. They're not boutique, but they beat the pants off of a lot of pedals I've tried that are.

Thanks for all the replies. The Barber pedals seem to be interesting; I've never properly looked at one before.

The problem is that most of the guitar stores around here are lousy and unhelpful, with poor selection and even poorer staff, so it's hard to try before I buy.

Just a word of caution - going all true bypass is not a magical tone-making concept. Why are you wanting true bypass? Is if for less "tone suck?" A properly designed buffer will result in less tone suck than a even a modest pedalboard with only true bypass pedals

Tone suck comes into it, but I completely prefer the sound of my guitar with no buffered pedals in it. I occasionally add in the odd Boss pedal, but I find that hum actually increases, and my amp doesn't get every 'nuance' that I would ideally like.

I really like the Barber pedals...

+1
Barber now has the Direct Drive LG (low gain) I ordered one yesterday.
It's supposed to be voiced more like a Marshall JTM-45.

:cool:

+1
Barber now has the Direct Drive LG (low gain) I ordered one yesterday.
It's supposed to be voiced more like a Marshall JTM-45.

:cool:

Hmm...I'll have to investigate that...I didn't know that they offered something like that...

Hmm...I'll have to investigate that...



Barber Direct Drive LG (Low Gain) (http://www.pedalgeek.com/cgi-bin/new_shop.cgi?config=&uid=zjUd7QAA1189341712&uzc=81003&command=link--beddlg)

:grin:

Tone suck comes into it, but I completely prefer the sound of my guitar with no buffered pedals in it. I occasionally add in the odd Boss pedal, but I find that hum actually increases, and my amp doesn't get every 'nuance' that I would ideally like.

Well, that's what it's all about. If it sounds good, it is good. Go nuts!

MI Audio Tubezon will give you a great amount of flexibilility. FoxRox ZIM if you like the TS/Badmonkey sound he make HiFi TS cards and you can swap them. Barber are great. Tim/Timmy.

MIAudio's Blue Boy Deluxe isn't nothing to sneeze at, either.

Here's my 0.2c worth...
I have a T-Rex Dr.Swamp dual overdrive pedal.
I tried out all the T-Rex distortion range; they all sounded great, they all sounded different. The Dr.Swamp was the one for me. I love it!!!
Do yourself a favour and try a couple.

why dont you just get a looper, then you arent bound by the "it has to be true bypass" rule

http://www.loop-master.com/index.php?cPath=21&osCsid=e2be3a951331e0860bd1db5792877c7c