Best OD pedals for WRHB

[sirnoel]

Hey all. I have a new (to me) '74 thinline and it's a dream, however, I am not crazy about the OD sounds I am getting with my current set-up. I've got a BYOC OD 2, which is a tube screamer clone with some mods, that I run into the Fairfield Barbershop. It's a great sound for single coils but its hard to find an eq that sounds good on both the neck and bridge pups of the wide ranges. Also the large mid hump kind of takes away the range and clarity of the pickups. I want smooth, creamy drive with an even breakup that keeps the wonderful sound of these pickups.

So... for the WRHB players on the forum, what are some of your favorite OD's to match with them?

I run into a well behaved silver-face pro reverb and mostly play country, blues rock stuff so I don't need crazy amounts of OD.

Thanks
Erik

 

[xafinity]

try a telecaster, they sound great

 

[Controller]

Love my CMATMODS Signa Drive with my '72 Thinline RI!

 

[blowtorch]

I've got a BYOC OD 2

Have you tried running that with the drive/gain all the way down, and the level cranked?

try a telecaster, they sound great

Did that make you feel good to say that?

 

[MrGibbly]

Hey all. I have a new (to me) '74 thinline and it's a dream, however, I am not crazy about the OD sounds I am getting with my current set-up. I've got a BYOC OD 2, which is a tube screamer clone with some mods, that I run into the Fairfield Barbershop. It's a great sound for single coils but its hard to find an eq that sounds good on both the neck and bridge pups of the wide ranges. Also the large mid hump kind of takes away the range and clarity of the pickups. I want smooth, creamy drive with an even breakup that keeps the wonderful sound of these pickups.

So... for the WRHB players on the forum, what are some of your favorite OD's to match with them?View attachment 451061

I run into a well behaved silver-face pro reverb and mostly play country, blues rock stuff so I don't need crazy amounts of OD.

Thanks
Erik

I have a vintage Starcaster with the cunife wide ranges in it and I find they stay clear like single coils even when I run them into a TS808. However, I get what I think you're describing when I run my Les Paul Studio through that same pedal, and I'm not a big fan of the sound. For the regular humbuckers like that I use a Klon KTR as just a boost (gain down, output up, tone "neutral"). There are lots of affordable clean boosts that would probably do this just as well or better.

For reference this is all through my SFVR.

Haven't figured out what to do with the P90s in my new Epi yet...the neck is already so raunchy!

 

[pictacado]

I've got a 72 custom RI from the early 2000's so perhaps not a direct comparison. For what its worth moving from 250k pots to 500k was a decent improvement for cleaning up this WRHB.

The OD pedal I most use is a boss dual overdrive SD-2 set to the crunch channel (low gain), it is my always on boost. Drive no higher than 9-10 o'clock, volume a bit above unity. The eq for this pedal is pretty flat, full range with no mid hump which I also prefer with my WRHB. What I like about the SD-2 is the clarity and separation it brings to the overall sound when used as a boost. The individual notes just stand out a little better. If I want higher gain I prefer to use the Boss OD-3 which is also a full range EQ overdrive. The lead channel (high gain) on the SD-2 is nice to have but I rarely use it because even when turned down it is very high gain, leaning towards distortion, but if you read any reviews on the pedal most people seem to prefer it.

I've also got a rat, which typically I think has to much of a mid hump, and a TS (Maxon OD-808), which again has a mid hump, I prefer the TS to the Rat but like the full range Boss pedals more.

 

[NICQ]

Timmy, Barber LTD or BJFE HoneyBee - all no mid hump low gain overdrives

 

[Zepfan]

I've never had to get different pedals/amps for different guitars. I have Hollow bodies, semi-hollow bodies and solids using the same amp and pedals.

 

[sirnoel]

Have you tried running that with the drive/gain all the way down, and the level cranked?

The pro's headroom is a bit high to get much breakup at a survivable volume that way, and the Barbershop gets really fuzzy when you hit the front of it hard. But on your suggestion I played around with some lower gain settings and was able to get the two pedals making some sounds I am much happier with.

I have heard great things about the Timmy, particularly as it pairs with the Fairfield.

Happy to hear anyone else ideas. This is great.

 

[hongaku]

RAT
BB Preamp
EP Booster
Overdriver (I like the Vick Audio one running at 18v)
BD-2
TS (I like Keeley's Red Dirt, but previously used a TS9DX)

All of these have given me great results with vintage WRHBs. With a TS, you really don't want the gain much past 9 o'clock and honestly I usually only use a TS to goose drives placed after it in the chain.

 

[czech-one-2]

View attachment 451061

What a cool guitar!
I think you mightlike something on the ''transparent'' side with no big mid or bass boost.
Way Huge Red Llama or DOD 250 come to mind.

 

[steve v]

Timmy, Barber LTD or BJFE HoneyBee - all no mid hump low gain overdrives

I have a Starcaster reissue with Telenator Mod1 pickups. The Timmy works pretty well with this guitar but I greatly prefer the BearFoot (BJFE) SilverBee, I bet the HoneyBee would be great as well

 

[sirnoel]

I have a Starcaster reissue with Telenator Mod1 pickups. The Timmy works pretty well with this guitar but I greatly prefer the BearFoot (BJFE) SilverBee, I bet the HoneyBee would be great as well

Great, I'll start there.
Thanks everyone.

More suggestions always welcome

 

[DaveKS]

VFE Dragon, you pick range your od sets in, not some preset that pedal builder happens to think sounds good. This thing is amazing with any amp/speaker I've tried it with, my little Rickenbacker m-8 with a tone tubby 8" Alnico, roll out bass so speaker doesn't fart, roll out highs so it doesn't ice pick you to death.

Friends old 68' Twin that has a old 15" JBL in it some steel player threw in there , f' yea let some more bottom end in, you'll cream your jeans.

https://reverb.com/item/6429294-vfe-pedals-dragon-dynamic-overdrive-gloss-blue

 

[Telenator]

Just like a Strat or Tele, the WRHBs, vintage or modified with rod magnets, are going to sound best with just moderate to low gain settings. The only exception I have found is WRHBs made with FeCrCo magnets. They handle gain much better. Different sound, but better with hi gain.
The bar magnet WRHBs handle gain very well too.

Vintage WRHBs or modified ones with rod magnets tend to saturate the amp very quickly and require less gain and more modest tone settings. Tube amps with active EQ circuits seem to work best when the tone controls are set lower. Example: If you play your Super Reverb with the tone knobs on 7 treble 6 midrange and 6 bass, try setting them to 6, 5, 5 to lower the tone saturation. You'll get some clarity back and still retain the same basic EQ sound. Just less saturated.

 

[Telenator]

Almost forgot. Try using this guide I created for adjusting your pickup heights. That has A LOT to do with getting a great OD sound.
WRHBs seem to thrive a little lower than other pickups.

How to adjust a CuNiFe Wide Range Humbucker for the optimum traditional tone.

NOTE: Before you touch anything……. Always start with the height setting first, and then turn the CuNiFe magnets as a fine tuning adjustment once you have the pickup set at the optimum position as described below.

Following this procedure will get you much better results and prevent unnecessary adjustment stresses on a new or vintage CuNiFe Wide Range Humbucker. It becomes very easy to start chasing your tail with these pickups if you’re not organized and methodical in your approach.

When you set the pickup height, start with the NECK pickup first.

1) Set all the CuNiFe screw heights even, with the round of the heads just sticking out from the cover. Then lower the exposed G, B and E string magnets flush with the cover.

2) Hold the strings down at the last fret, and adjust the neck pickup height so it sits 8/64's below the strings on the bass and treble sides. Make it level.

3) IMPORTANT: Play for a few minutes and listen to the sound. Listen for the balance, tone and attack. Do not rush this process. Let your ears grow accustomed to the sound.

DO NOT ADJUST THE CuNiFe MAGNETS YET!

4) Start to lower the pickup, just a half turn at a time, to get the bass and treble balanced.

Do not raise the pickup to adjust for weak balance.

Lower the side that is louder. It makes a difference.

As you go lower, you will start to hear some really great tones come from the pickup.

You'll find a sweet spot where the reduced magnetic string pull allows for greater sustain, yet the sound remains very articulate.

5) Stop lowering the pickup when the articulation starts to fade and bring it back up a half turn or so.

You will also notice some really nice “note bloom” from the wound strings where the sound actually swells a bit after you pluck the note. This is the ideal position for those wanting the traditional WRHB sound.

6) If you now notice that one of the strings is still a tiny bit weak, or loud, this is the time to adjust the CuNiFe magnets to get the final balanced sound.

If two or more strings do not sound balanced, re-adjust the pickup height first before attempting to balance it with the CuNiFe magnet screws.

7) Adjust the bridge pickup until the output is balanced with you neck pickup.

The bridge pickup is not nearly as fussy and will not have quite the same characteristics as the neck pickup so it's important to get the neck pickup sounding great first, and then adjust the bridge pickup to the desired balance and output level.

This procedure will yield the best results for those seeking the best traditional tone. Rock it!

 

[sirnoel]

Almost forgot. Try using this guide I created for adjusting your pickup heights. That has A LOT to do with getting a great OD sound.
WRHBs seem to thrive a little lower than other pickups.

Thanks so much for the info. I had found your explanation on another thred and have used it.

I can also confirm that my pro went from a Treble 6, Bass 4 setting to a Treble 5+ Bass 3- when this guitar is plugged in.

My neck pickup is louder than my bridge pickup for sure, hight adjustments have not fixed that. But I think it is because I am setting eq for the neck because thats what I use most and that leaves the bridge pickup needing some tone roll off which seems to effect at least its perceived loudness. Sounds a little thin to me, but the neck pickup is the richest pickup I have ever heard on a guitar.

Good to hear from the Telenator guy.

 

[Fiesta Red]

Danelectro DO1 Daddy-O overdrive...the big creme-colored shield-shaped one that weighs a couple of pounds. Great, great OD with a 3-knob EQ array...can be had for cheap too.

MXR M66 Classic Overdrive...GC-exclusive Tube Screamer-esque that has enough sonic differences from a TS that investigation is warranted.

 

[cousinpaul]

It sounds like you have the neck pickup sound figured out. If you don't switch pickups much during a song, I'd consider adding a pedal that gives you a great bridge pickup sound. I've had good luck with klon types and pedals that could be grouped in the "Dumble" family like the Zen Drive or Small Fry. The stronger low mids can do wonders for a thin sounding bridge pickup but you're absolutely right about the trade-offs involved. The neck position will probably be dark. Even so, I think adding a dedicated pedal that opens up the bridge position might be worth doing.

 

[hfasteve]

I have a starcaster with mojotone WRHB . I have found the one pedal I have that works for the starcaster and my strat and tele is the ehx crayon. It’s one of the cheapest pedals I own, but very versatile.