Overdrive Pedals.. Not to beat a dead horse

[11 Gauge]

Originally Posted by virge0110

My amp has a super clean channel (Blackstar Ht-20), which I like.

Not being familiar with that amp, IDK if the clean channel has any real mid emphasis, or is supposed to be more like a BF/SF Fender with the mids dropped, to help emphasize a clean tone even more, but just want to say that depending on which animal it is should help tailor your decision, IMO. If you get a drive box with what is really a flat response of some sort, it may not work out to your liking.

Despite ideas we have in our heads, some coloration is typically always favorable, always needed. We just aren't aware of it when it is "done right" (for our needs and desires).

Originally Posted by virge0110

I've heard the Bluesbreaker is great for just giving almost a "clean boost" sound without necessarily raising the volume a whole bunch like a regular clean boost would.

I would agree that a V1 BB is really good for that in many situations. There's just not enough in the circuit design to really push it towards being overly compressed or doing anything goofy to the EQ flavoring of the pedal to fatten, raise the mids, etc. It was a best kept secret for the longest time, probably because many guitarists got used to the extreme mid emphasis of all things TS.

Originally Posted by virge0110

I would like that tone....that point where it just parely starts to clip. Really just adds a tiny bit of spank and harmonics.

I would like to get that. Just the lightest of gain.

You might also want to try a Boss OD-3 with the gain backed way down. It will certainly do what you are asking. It's also a pedal that isn't on a lot of folks' radar, so you can usually find a used one for peanuts.

There are others, but those are probably the two I would personally start with, and work upwards and outwards from there. Point being that if those two don't have an EQ characteristic that works for you (insufficient midrange from your source of clipping/harmonics), you can change tact to pedals that have more coloration in a given direction.

I would suggest to be careful with OD designs that seem to really bring in the compression even at modest drive settings. It's all subjective, but I at least would not start there.


I also always throw the following out, even though it probably isn't a possibility for lots of folks -

There is a DIY project called the Peppermill by a group of folks at a site called runoffgroove.com - a really simple design. The Peppermill really just adds a bit of drive and harmonics unless you crank it up, and even then it is subtle. There's not even a tone control on it for this reason.

...since it doesn't have a whopping gain range, it just doesn't have much mainstream appeal.

Anyway, you may want to consider getting someone to build one for you.

For what they are or are not worth, here are some sound clips of the Peppermill:

http://runoffgroove.com/pmill1.mp3

http://runoffgroove.com/pmill2.mp3

They are both D.I. recordings though, so you can't hear any sonic benefits of pumping the pedal thru a nice clean amp.

The pedal also cleans up remarkably well when you back off your guitar volume. Not surprising since it has such little dirt.

[studio1087]

From your list I would choose the Barber LTD.

There was an LTD in the classified ads here for a while - I think it was $100. (Not mine but I noticed it).

I have a Half Gainer which is two LTD's side by side. The LTD would do everything that you're asking.

[JoeNeri]

Originally Posted by Chiogtr4x

Sorry to be a 'Forum douche' yesterday- was in a grumpy mood...

You may have just been following my lead, and I wasn't grumpy yesterday:





Sorry to be the curmudgeon of the week but the OP is either a newbie or has been lurking without posting much. He wants to know about 10 listed pedals and "Pretty much any other low-mid gain OD you guys can mention." But then claims that he's used the forum search engine. For what? - to narrow his search to 10 pedals?

And after a whole bunch of reply posts, with even more pedal suggestions, his list is is bigger and longer than it was at the beginning of his thread.

Why don't we just have one big long thread about "What's the best overdrive pedal?" Oh yeah, we've done that - multiple times!

Okay, now I'm grumpy.

[mal paso]

The Stomp Box forum is easily my favorite forum here. Always civil discussion(unlike other forums here), and it's fun to learn and share about pedals new or old.

So I guess I don't get what the big deal is about another OD thread?

Did the OP want to know about 10 different pedals? Yeah, and maybe that's asking a lot, but that's his question. You don't have to respond if you don't want to.

And these OD threads aren't going anywhere. People are always on the hunt for new tone, and new members are always joining. One of the cool things to me about a new thread is that it gives the chance for newer members to participate.

Are you guys always using the search engine before you post? It's kind of annoying if you ask me, especially if the pedal in question isn't listed in the title of the thread.

Oh, and while I'm here, sorry Virge, can't help ya with any of these pedals, other than the Dano Cool Cat, which is awesome, and cheap

[virge0110]

Originally Posted by JoeNeri

You may have just been following my lead, and I wasn't grumpy yesterday:


Attachment 130814


Sorry to be the curmudgeon of the week but the OP is either a newbie or has been lurking without posting much. He wants to know about 10 listed pedals and "Pretty much any other low-mid gain OD you guys can mention." But then claims that he's used the forum search engine. For what? - to narrow his search to 10 pedals?

And after a whole bunch of reply posts, with even more pedal suggestions, his list is is bigger and longer than it was at the beginning of his thread.

Why don't we just have one big long thread about "What's the best overdrive pedal?" Oh yeah, we've done that - multiple times!

Okay, now I'm grumpy.

Well pal, I really care more about the dirt in my belly button than how you feel. Don't post if you're gonna troll, bro.

[virge0110]

Thanks everyone! You all have been a huge help. Its quite a nice list of ODs to check out. I guess the best thing to do is start cheaper and try to try out all that I can.

As far as my amp goes.. there is not a 3-band eq for the clean channel. It simply has a tone knob, which is useful, but I'm not able to tweak quite as much. Maybe its time to pickup an EQ pedal as well.

One thing a few people mentioned was how some of these sound super transparent with single coils. What about humbuckers?


If you guys feel like posting more, go right on ahead.

[virge0110]

Also, I don't mean to annoy anyone with reposts. I am a noob to this place, but for the most part you guys are a lot friendlier than other forums I've been on.

I'll let you know what I go with!

[rokdog49]

+1 for the Dano TOD v1
Leave it on all the time and just adjust the settings

[artdecade]

Rat. Its the only pedal you will ever need. Set the gain low and use it as a boost. Set the gain higher and rawk out. Crank the gain and its fuzz time.

There is no need for anyone to make dirt pedals besides ProCo, but I suppose we can't stop them now, can we?

[JoeNeri]

Originally Posted by virge0110

Well pal, I really care more about the dirt in my belly button than how you feel. Don't post if you're gonna troll, bro.

My comments were directed at the overly general nature of your post, not you personally. And there's no need to make it personal now.

A month or two ago, this forum was used by pedal maker shills to try to create a buzz for certain pedals. All of these shills had very low post counts, just like you, and to my knowledge, have not posted again since then.

You don't appear to be a shill but that was not apparent in your original post. Many did not know what you were asking or where you were going with it.

As to my comments about the forum search engine, you would do well to saturate yourself in the incredible knowledge and experience available here.

You could have run a search for "transparent," "mild," "medium,' or a whole lot of other descriptive words. You could have run a search for each of the named pedals in your original post. Contrary to what has been said above, you can search the content as well as the title of previous threads. Your key word or words will be highlighted in bold red letters to make it even easier for you to find content specific to your questions.

I'm not saying don't put up questions at all in this forum - that's what the forum is for. But don't ask ridiculously general questions - do your own homework and then ask more specific questions. You'll find most here are happy to share and I've never seen an instance in which the OP wasn't satisfied with the responses.

Good luck with your quest.

[virge0110]

Originally Posted by JoeNeri

My comments were directed at the overly general nature of your post, not you personally. And there's no need to make it personal now.

A month or two ago, this forum was used by pedal maker shills to try to create a buzz for certain pedals. All of these shills had very low post counts, just like you, and to my knowledge, have not posted again since then.

You don't appear to be a shill but that was not apparent in your original post. Many did not know what you were asking or where you were going with it.

As to my comments about the forum search engine, you would do well to saturate yourself in the incredible knowledge and experience available here.

You could have run a search for "transparent," "mild," "medium,' or a whole lot of other descriptive words. You could have run a search for each of the named pedals in your original post. Contrary to what has been said above, you can search the content as well as the title of previous threads. Your key word or words will be highlighted in bold red letters to make it even easier for you to find content specific to your questions.

I'm not saying don't put up questions at all in this forum - that's what the forum is for. But don't ask ridiculously general questions - do your own homework and then ask more specific questions. You'll find most here are happy to share and I've never seen an instance in which the OP wasn't satisfied with the responses.

Good luck with your quest.

Well man, I can see your frustration to the tiny perspective.

Here's my thing.. Are you TDPRI forum god? No.

What you are doing is trolling. I'm asking you nicely to stop.

[Scantron08]

Sound like good reasons to PM each other and keep it off the boards.

[Frontier9]

Originally Posted by virge0110

I'm asking you nicely to stop.

Well, not really "nicely"...

I really like the Washburn Soloist Distortion - really cheap @ $25 or so on eBay. With the gain & "contour" knobs rolled back it acts more like an OD pedal. I discovered recently that it is the only OD/distortion pedal I own that sounds good on the clean channel of my amp.

[artdecade]

Originally Posted by virge0110

Well man, I can see your frustration to the tiny perspective.

Here's my thing.. Are you TDPRI forum god? No.

What you are doing is trolling. I'm asking you nicely to stop.

Welcome to the forum... kindly go back to Harmony-Central when you have the answer you are looking for.

[telepath]

Originally Posted by artdecade

Rat. Its the only pedal you will ever need. Set the gain low and use it as a boost. Set the gain higher and rawk out. Crank the gain and its fuzz time.

There is no need for anyone to make dirt pedals besides ProCo, but I suppose we can't stop them now, can we?

Absolutely true.
RAT really can cover it all and cover it really well.

[mal paso]

oops, don't mind me

[MCgardyloo]

Originally Posted by JoeNeri

As to my comments about the forum search engine, you would do well to saturate yourself in the incredible knowledge and experience available here.

You could have run a search for "transparent," "mild," "medium,' or a whole lot of other descriptive words. You could have run a search for each of the named pedals in your original post. Contrary to what has been said above, you can search the content as well as the title of previous threads. Your key word or words will be highlighted in bold red letters to make it even easier for you to find content specific to your questions.

I'm not saying don't put up questions at all in this forum - that's what the forum is for. But don't ask ridiculously general questions - do your own homework and then ask more specific questions. You'll find most here are happy to share and I've never seen an instance in which the OP wasn't satisfied with the responses.

Good luck with your quest.

+1 lots of good reading in the archives, I've found the answer to a lot of my questions there. I don't think it's so bad to ask the same question or anything but it helps keep the info on the top page fresh and interesting. IMO

[11 Gauge]

Originally Posted by Scantron08

Sound like good reasons to PM each other and keep it off the boards.

You don't even need to suggest that to Joe - he's been here a long time, and "behaves" better than many of us. A little irritated? Maybe. But not making it personal.

Even someone lurking here would know that he's not trolling or playing god - quite the opposite.

I always like to give new members lots of slack, but in this case, he's kind of squandering it...quickly, with outward fervor. And if he truly feels like he's dealing with trolls, what is the cardinal rule? Don't feed the trolls.

There's no problem here that doesn't have a very simple solution - no PM's or anything like that required. It's a friggin discussion board about pedals for crying out loud.

Can we get back to, and stick to, pedals now?

[garytelecastor]

Originally Posted by JoeNeri

FYI, OP - this forum has a really good search engine. Lots of hashed and rehashed pedal info. Easy to use. You should try it sometime.


Attachment 130693

I can certainly understand the frustration of talking about the same thing over and over, but the other thing that has been puzzling me is the issue of civility.
It seems that most of the posts I go on there is a lot of this lately.
Just wondering why?
This is only a question and not an attack on ANYONE. (please read this line twice). Thanks

[11 Gauge]

Originally Posted by garytelecastor

It seems that most of the posts I go on there is a lot of this lately.
Just wondering why?

Because membership continues to grow. So like with any given group of people, you can end up with the same questions again and again. As the group grows, new arrivals will almost certainly ask the same question.

Part of that is obviously to be expected. But it seems that at least this forum is growing in new membership fast enough that if no one were to do any searches, we could spend the bulk of the time discussing the exact same things. Some folks don't mind talking about the same things, but I can see why it would get old to others, even to the point of being irritated. I'm not taking anyone's side, but I can see why people react as they do.

The thing is, we are pretty relaxed here. So we have a history of not challenging new members when they do something like not searching a bit before posting. So we will oblige most of this repetition. But I guess everyone has a limit, so the change in trend towards new member slack might be disappearing.

It just gets harder as groups get bigger. That's the way it is with anything. The big trick is when someone gets out of line to try and get back in line. And it shouldn't be that hard with something like this. We're talking leisurely discussion here.