NPD...Boss OD-3, I thought it sounded good until...

[telefunken]

I noticed that it sounded like my Keeley BD-2. So I pulled the BD-2 out to compare. Yes they sound similar but the BD-2 sounds soo much sweeter. The OD-3 had this shrillness that couldn't be dialed out, and the bass was muddy and flabby. Everything I said bad about the OD-3 is the complete opposite for the Keeley BD-2, I guess I never really appreciated the BD-2 until I got the OD-3. I guess I'll sell the OD-3

Anyone else have a OD-3? If so how do you use it (what guitar and amp...and settings?)

[Ringo]

I had the opposite experience, I tried 2 different Blues Driver pedals after reading so many rave reviews about them here on the TDPRI. The first one was stock, the next one was modded by Brian Wampler.
I didn't like either one of them, too raspy and buzzy sounding to my ears, I play Teles and Strats with single coils into at the time a 68 Deluxe Reverb.

I recently got a Boss OD3 and I like it with my DR and with my Roland Cube 80XL, again with a Tele or Strat.

I mostly use the OD3 at lower gain 9-12 oclock settings , tone about midway, level as needed.

[telefunken]

Originally Posted by Ringo

I had the opposite experience, I tried 2 different Blues Driver pedals after reading so many rave reviews about them here on the TDPRI. The first one was stock, the next one was modded by Brian Wampler.
I didn't like either one of them, too raspy and buzzy sounding to my ears, I play Teles and Strats with single coils into at the time a 68 Deluxe Reverb.

I recently got a Boss OD3 and I like it with my DR and with my Roland Cube 80XL, again with a Tele or Strat.

I mostly use the OD3 at lower gain 9-12 oclock settings , tone about midway, level as needed.

I've heard that about the BD-2, but I don't remember how the stock BD-2 sounds. Maybe the Keeley Mod took care of the raspy/buzzy sound

[mal paso]

BD-2 sounds good to me.






Where's 11 Gauge when you need him?

[telefunken]

Originally Posted by mal paso

Where's 11 Gauge when you need him?

I know what you mean. After reading his posts I feel like a caveman trying to figure out fire. My I.Q. should go up after reading his post, but somehow I feel dumber

[filmix2]

Originally Posted by Ringo

I had the opposite experience, I tried 2 different Blues Driver pedals after reading so many rave reviews about them here on the TDPRI. The first one was stock, the next one was modded by Brian Wampler.
I didn't like either one of them, too raspy and buzzy sounding to my ears, I play Teles and Strats with single coils into at the time a 68 Deluxe Reverb.

I recently got a Boss OD3 and I like it with my DR and with my Roland Cube 80XL, again with a Tele or Strat.

I mostly use the OD3 at lower gain 9-12 oclock settings , tone about midway, level as needed.

This was almost my experience exactly, though the modded BD-2 I played was Keeley.. To me the OD-3 just has more character and is smoother than any of the BD-2 units I played. FWIW, I also demoed an OCD, Plimsoul, SD-1 and FD-2.
I thought the Fulltone pedals had more to offer in general. BUT, at the end of the day, I bought the OD-3. It's just so chewy without being shrill and no odd decay.

[telefunken]

Originally Posted by filmix2

This was almost my experience exactly, though the modded BD-2 I played was Keeley.. To me the OD-3 just has more character and is smoother than any of the BD-2 units I played. FWIW, I also demoed an OCD, Plimsoul, SD-1 and FD-2.
I thought the Fulltone pedals had more to offer in general. BUT, at the end of the day, I bought the OD-3. It's just so chewy without being shrill and no odd decay.

I must be missing something, seems I have the complete opposite experience than most. My OD-3 sounds shrill and has an odd unnatural decay...........go figure

[filmix2]

Originally Posted by telefunken

I must be missing something, seems I have the complete opposite experience than most. My OD-3 sounds shrill and has an odd unnatural decay...........go figure

Hey I'm Just curious, but what is your whole signal chain before the amp?
Are you just using guitar to OD to amp?

[telefunken]

Originally Posted by filmix2

Hey I'm Just curious, but what is your whole signal chain before the amp?
Are you just using guitar to OD to amp?

Yes....just Guitar> OD-3>BD-2>Blues jr.

[Ringo]

My OD doesn't sound what I'd call shrill, but that could be a personal thing, you never said what kind of guitar, pickups, amp that you use? And where do you have the tone control set on the OD3?
I've seen where some folks complain that the OD3 is too bassy but I don't notice that with the amps I'm using it with.

Define what "shrill" is to you. To me it would be a thin trebly tone that is unpleasant to listen to.

And as mentioned, one of the BD pedals I had was modded, supposedly it was the Brent Mason mods , I really couldn't tell much difference between it and the stock BD that I owned.

[mal paso]

Haha!

Yeah, it could be worse, you could be fire trying to figure out a caveman!




(err, that's the weirdest thing I've said all day)


T-Funk, don't over analyze, I know it's your style, but you like the BD-2, even against conventional wisdom.

Nothing wrong with that, something's gotta go against the grain

[telefunken]

Originally Posted by Ringo

My OD doesn't sound what I'd call shrill, but that could be a personal thing, you never said what kind of guitar, pickups, amp that you use? And where do you have the tone control set on the OD3?
I've seen where some folks complain that the OD3 is too bassy but I don't notice that with the amps I'm using it with.

Define what "shrill" is to you. To me it would be a thin trebly tone that is unpleasant to listen to.

As for guitars, I tried it with a Tele w/standard pickups,Strat w/ Keeley Modern pickups,PRS w/HB,LP w/P90's into a Blues Jr. III w/Eminence Wizard speaker. We have the same definition of shrill. I tried adjusting the amp's tone and the guitar's tone. I even turned the tone control on the OD-3 all the way off. The BD-2's highs were a lot less shrill, almost "Round and Full" highs, if that makes sense.

[filmix2]

Originally Posted by mal paso

Haha!

Yeah, it could be worse, you could be fire trying to figure out a caveman!




(err, that's the weirdest thing I've said all day)


T-Funk, don't over analyze, I know it's your style, but you like the BD-2, even against conventional wisdom.

Nothing wrong with that, something's gotta go against the grain

I was just typing something similar (minus the caveman part). If it sounds good, go with it. I don't think the OD-3 is the perfect OD, but what is.

Ive got a Bjr ( I did most of the BillM mods to this one ) and a 68 Pro Reverb. They both make great platforms for OD pedals.

If the OD-3 don't float yer boat, dump it and get something from a different family of overdrives that maybe you can stack with your BD-2.

[11 Gauge]

Originally Posted by mal paso

BD-2 sounds good to me.

Where's 11 Gauge when you need him?

Sorry - lots going on today/tonight.

The OD-3 has a pre-gain filter that essentially knocks out a bunch of mids. And the bass presence is clearly strong.

It is one of those pedals that despite having a healthy gain range, I just keep the drive knob no higher than about 9:30...

If the amp can push more bass w/o flubbing out, the OD-3 really shines with a Tele, IMO. But with a single 12 and anything much less than a healthy 30 watts, you may not care for it.

Something else that can help is a comp in front of the OD-3, just set really light. This is kind of amp specific - lower powered stuff with a single 12 or 10, especially something like a DR tone stack.

It takes some time fooling with it in some cases, but once you hit it, you might just bond with it. Maybe not though...and that's cool. Not everything is a good fit.

[telefunken]

Originally Posted by 11 Gauge

Something else that can help is a comp in front of the OD-3, just set really light. This is kind of amp specific - lower powered stuff with a single 12 or 10, especially something with a DR tone stack.

I'll try it with my Keeley Comp tomorrow
Thanx

[telefunken]

Originally Posted by telefunken

I'll try it with my Keeley Comp tomorrow
Thanx

Hey .11Gauge
This is why I love this forum. I tried my new OD-3 with my Keeley Comp today, It's a completely different pedal. The highs aren't shrill and the bass isn't muddy. Sounds awesome!!! Thanx for the suggestion......Peace

[11 Gauge]

Originally Posted by telefunken

Hey .11Gauge
This is why I love this forum. I tried my new OD-3 with my Keeley Comp today, It's a completely different pedal. The highs aren't shrill and the bass isn't muddy. Sounds awesome!!! Thanx for the suggestion......Peace

No problem. Some amps just need a little more TLC when used with pedals, and a comp can help and take the edges off.

The OD-3 is an excellent design that TTBOMK has not been cloned/duplicated/derived by any other manufacturer. The thing is, it really goes unnoticed because of some hot new bling-y pedals, and IMO it is potentially a much better solution.

I see a lot more folks using the OD-3 at gigs than other trendy types. These are Tele players and such, as you might imagine. They need something that works. For the folks with the smaller amps with a 1X12 or similar, the comp==>OD-3 thing just plain works.

For the working musician, something like a Biyang Compress X (one of the quietest and most affordable DC clones out there) into a used OD-3 will help to keep their gear budget in check, and there's no tonal compromise IMO, or theirs!

[waparker4]

There's usually not much to say after an 11 gauge post but I'll soldier on anyway.. I set it with the gain from min up to 9, level 10-12, and tone points to the E in tone. If that's painful treble take the tone back to N or O. The compressor trick works imo. Tele -> DC (using an orange squeezer type comp now :D ) -> ts9 -> od3 -> drri. I like the blackface but more sound the od3 imparts and I get the mental comfort of having a mid hump od and or a mid scoop od. Stacked, its a good sound for xtra crunchy rhythms, the ts9 seems to tame the bass but w the od3 its still there even if the focus of the tone is on the mids.

It sounds good into an alnico speaker whereas the od3 alone can sound harsh with a tele and a ceramic speaker. Hence the comp. Its a great od for strats.. like a bigger fatter strat.

[AngelStrummer]

My basic pedalboard is CS-3=>OD-3=>DD-3 and it sure does work to my ears.

[telefunken]

My Tele never sounded so much like a Tele............if that makes sense