Is it an overdrive what I need?

[JazzboxBlues]

I'm not sure what I want,but I'm looking to basically get the sound of my amps when they start to break up but at a lower wife friendly volume. I currently have a 12" tweed champ and will have a Princeton reverb clone in the near future. I'm interested in blues, rockabilly, 50's rock and roll and country.

I had a tube screamer and didn't like the sound and currently a plimsoul which I really don't like the sound of. A pedal I've been eying is a Rockett Guthrie Trapp model.

Any ideas?

Thanks,
Dean

 

[waparker4]

How about an Electra Distortion type circuit.

http://www.tdpri.com/forum/stomp-box/545495-electra-distortion.html

 

[Frodebro]

I use a Barber Gain Changer for this very purpose. It doesn't add a midrange hump like most Tube Screamer-derived overdrives, so it sounds like the amp would if you actually pushed it harder.

 

[tele_pathic]

I gotta tell ya, I love, LOVE my ZVEX Box of Rock and Distortron. These pedals may be marketed as a JCM on 10, but I can get some nice clean boost tones and some nice edge of break-up tones too. In fact, the Distortron replaced my Way Huge Green Rhino, widely considered to be one of the best tubescreamer "clones." The youtube videos don't do the ZVEX Box of Rock and/or Distortron pedals enough credit, as most have the distortion cranked. Words can not express how much I love these two pedals right now. I have them stacked, basically. Distortron-->BOR. Distortron distortion set to max on lo-gain setting with the subs set depending on whether i'm running humbuckers or single coils, then the BOR, distortion set at 10, boost set at 1. This way, I can either boost the distortron or stack it with the mild distortion of the BOR.

 

[waparker4]

I gotta tell ya, I love, LOVE my ZVEX Box of Rock and Distortron. These pedals may be marketed as a JCM on 10, but I can get some nice clean boost tones and some nice edge of break-up tones too. In fact, the Distortron replaced my Way Huge Green Rhino, widely considered to be one of the best tubescreamer "clones." The youtube videos don't do the ZVEX Box of Rock and/or Distortron pedals enough credit, as most have the distortion cranked. Words can not express how much I love these two pedals right now. I have them stacked, basically. Distortron-->BOR. Distortron distortion set to max on lo-gain setting with the subs set depending on whether i'm running humbuckers or single coils, then the BOR, distortion set at 10, boost set at 1. This way, I can either boost the distortron or stack it with the mild distortion of the BOR.

Do you know of a demo that shows the low gain distortron tones?


The PGS demo isn't bad

 

[OlRedNeckHippy]

For an inexpensive entry into Overdrives, you can not beat Boss' Blues Driver, the BD-2. Nice over driven tones at low volumes, in a budget friendly, rock solid pedal.

 

[RetroTeleRod]

I'm not sure what I want,but I'm looking to basically get the sound of my amps when they start to break up but at a lower wife friendly volume. I currently have a 12" tweed champ and will have a Princeton reverb clone in the near future. I'm interested in blues, rockabilly, 50's rock and roll and country.

I had a tube screamer and didn't like the sound and currently a plimsoul which I really don't like the sound of. A pedal I've been eying is a Rockett Guthrie Trapp model.

Any ideas?

Thanks,
Dean

The Trapp is a modded Nobels Odr-1 circuit. A Visual Sound Open Road overdrive will get you close, in a a well constructed and affordable box. I love mine!

 

[chris m.]

In my opinion, "overdrive" is a bit of a lie. Whether it's a boost pedal, a fuzz box, an "overdrive" pedal, or a distortion box, these are all essentially gain stages that go in front of your amp. All of them shape the sound in several ways-- increase the amplitude of the signal ("gain" or volume"), alter the EQ, and add clipping (harmonic distortion). [Except clean boosts don't add any audible clipping.] Because of this, all of them have the potential to change the sound coming out of your amp in multiple ways-- because of how they are directly changing the signal coming from your guitar to the amp, and then how that altered signal is interacting with the first gain stage in your amp...and then how that further altered signal goes downstream and alters the behavior of the other gain stages in your amp, such as the power tube stage. The strength and clipping behavior of the signal that hits the speakers also changes the response of the speakers.

Hence depending on your particular guitar, how hot its pickups are, and your particular amp/speakers, and how loud you like to turn things up, it is extremely hard to figure out what pedal interacting with your turned-down amp will simulate, at a lower effective volume, the sound you previously attained at a higher volume plugged straight in to that same amp. And that is before factoring in how the human ear hears things differently at different volumes. (Hence the loudness button on stereos).

So what happens is you typically get some suggestions from people who have had good luck with a particular amp with a particular guitar. But maybe they are seeking a different tone, or play at a different volume level, or use a different guitar/different pickups. So you have to start somewhere but this is why so many of us end up with a dozen or more dirt boxes. It is very hard to get there, especially if you are picky. Going with an "overdrive" is probably a good place to start, but good luck, young Padawan, and may the Force be with you.

One reason why so many people say RAT on this blog site is that it has a wide range of adjustments, with other fixed parameters being serendipitously pretty good for a wide range of applications, and so you have a better chance of dialing in the tone you seek. There are other pedals out there that seem to have a high degree of versatility, so that might be a way to increase the odds. Another clue I might offer is that at bedroom volumes you are likely getting all of the clipping from the pedal, not your amp. At that point the right "distortion" pedal has just as much chance of getting you what you want as the right "overdrive" pedal, and a "clean boost" pedal is likely to fail. A pedal like a RAT ranges from slightly dirty boost to overdrive to distortion to quasi-fuzz, and hence its potential to deliver the goods at a wide range of volumes-- it can goose the amp to get it to clip more, or it can do all the clipping itself.

 

[tele_pathic]

Do you know of a demo that shows the low gain distortron tones?


The PGS demo isn't bad

Yeah, I forgot Andy has a lo-gain part of the demo. At 1:35-ish, that's exactly how I have my Distortron side of my BOR set. And that's nearly the exact sound I get, only different due to different guitar (Epi LP2 with GFS "clearance" pups wound to 10K neck and 14K bridge) and amp (Fender G-DEC 3 Thirty). And remember, or maybe you don't know, the Distortron is the "baby sister to the BOR," meaning the Distortron is the EXACT overdrive circuit as the distortion side of the BOR. And I've A/B'ed them: they sound exactly the same with the subs on 3 and the gain switch on lo, not hi. Indistinguishable.

I've had the BOR since xmas. And I absolutely love, LOVE it. Was looking for a more subtle Wallflowers "One Headlight" "Sleepwalker" edge of breakup tone, was totally displeased with the WH GR. I've also owned the WH Pork Loin for a year, and while I liked it, I eventually grew tired of it. I've had a RAT, and I enjoyed it at first, then I grew tired of it.

I bought a EHX Soul Food, returned it 3 days later (hated it!!!). Now, I play '90s rock and early 2000s rock, so that makes a difference as to the tone I'm looking for. I was looking at the Rockett Blue Note, but that's $200!!!

And I didn't want to have to turn the gain knob on my BOR mid-song. One day, it dawned on me: heck, given how much I like to sound of the BOR, I should just add the Distortron and set the gain of the BOR to 10 o'clock, not max, and set the Distortron to max, 10! And damned if that ain't it!!! YMMV of course.

Again, Chris M. makes some good points, so YMMV of course.

 

[ICTRock]

tweed champ? red llama
princeton reverb? some sort of blackface in a box that isn't the boss pedal
generic(not amp specific) overdrive/distortion sound? rat

 

[hongaku]

Xotic BB Preamp

 

[steam-powered]

Maybe it's not an overdrive you want but an attenuator. The Rivera Rockcrusher is really nice for cranked amp tones at low volumes. At 500 bucks, it's not exactly cheap, but as the saying goes "buy quality and you only cry once..."

http://www.sweetwater.com/store/det...e=&network=g&gclid=CN_89fuVxMQCFdCmaQodxFcADg

 

[Guitarteach]

I got a EHX Soul Food recently.

It's cheap and does a very nice low gain, just breaking up thing and it's at a higher frequency area than a middy tubescreamer so it sounds more lively.

 

[Guitarteach]

I'm not sure what I want,but I'm looking to basically get the sound of my amps when they start to break up but at a lower wife friendly volume. I currently have a 12" tweed champ and will have a Princeton reverb clone in the near future. I'm interested in blues, rockabilly, 50's rock and roll and country.

I had a tube screamer and didn't like the sound and currently a plimsoul which I really don't like the sound of. A pedal I've been eying is a Rockett Guthrie Trapp model.

Any ideas?

Thanks,
Dean

You may also want to look at getting a VVR circuit if you are getting a new amp, that let's you dial down the power of the output valves to a fraction of a watt. Like an attenuator.

I have one in a 5watt amp I made. Combined with a master volume I have all types of power valve drive at any volume.

 

[Obsessed]

There is a good YouTube vid that may help you find what you are looking for. Rick Hamlin takes you through a couple of tubescreamer pedals that you are familiar with and then compares them to a line of pedals that keep adding more or different gain. Many of the pedals already mentioned here are in this vid, so that you can compare for yourself what you are looking for.

The link:

 

[TheletterJ]

For my money nothing beats good amp modelling software and headphones for this application.

I use a Line 6 POD XT, get a good amp model and cab combo that sounds like my amp, and just plug in - board and all.

You can do the same with Amplitube on iOS or on your PC (as long as you have an interface). Nothing if more wife-friendly than headphones.

 

[chris m.]

Even so so modeling like original POD is pretty amazing for headphone jamming. The presets are quite good.

 

[Anode100]

...or crank the amp, and use your guitar's volume control - you'd be surprised how good this can sound.

 

[JazzboxBlues]

There is a good YouTube vid that may help you find what you are looking for. Rick Hamlin takes you through a couple of tubescreamer pedals that you are familiar with and then compares them to a line of pedals that keep adding more or different gain. Many of the pedals already mentioned here are in this vid, so that you can compare for yourself what you are looking for.

The link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W5fXapM7uJE

Thanks, some good info and comparison. I liked the Blues Driver best and the Rat with the gain down sounds good.

...or crank the amp, and use your guitar's volume control - you'd be surprised how good this can sound.

This is how I set the amp. I'd like to be able to get close to the sound I have with the volume up on the guitar with a little less volume coming out of the amp.

 

[davidchagrin]

For an inexpensive entry into Overdrives, you can not beat Boss' Blues Driver, the BD-2. Nice over driven tones at low volumes, in a budget friendly, rock solid pedal.

I agree. The BD-2 it's the way to go. Every store sells them. Go test one. You'll probably like it.