Hey 5E3 owners, i have a question :

[SirJackdeFuzz]

I love all things 5E3 realated.

Best sounding amp in the world, to my ears

Never owned one, and want to get one asap, but i just realized, i have no idea how an OD pedal will interact/affect the charecter of the amp !

So can you 5E3 owners tell me what happens if you add a good OD pedal to the mix ?

Some guys use OD's to tighten up the natural tonal character of their amps (think Hard Rock & Metal players)

Does anyone have clips of their 5E3 and OD pedal ?
Is there certain OD's that 5E3 amps prefer of other ?

Any insight to this question, is very welcome.


Thanks to all

 

[rockinhorse]

Sir Fuzz.....the boutique Tweed Deluxe i play thru loves my Blackstone Appliance OD....

I would suggest you just type in "Tweed Deluxe Telecaster" in Youtube....you'll find lots and lots of clips...

Just remember you can tailor your sound with speakers, tubes, pickups

I can give you additional specs on how i voiced/blueprinted my amp if you want that info just IM me....

 

[JohnnyCrash]

If the Normal channel or humbuckers are too dark, I like putting a Rangemaster Treble Booster clone in front of it.

Great amps for all sorts of stuff, but 5E3's also have their limitations... not to give you more GAS, but a BF Fender and a Marshall can fill the gaps

I'll try my Muff reissue, a modded DS-1, and a clean boost with my 5E3 tomorrow afternoon... I usually don't run pedals into it other than the Rangemaster.

 

[skay]

I mainly run my Xotic RC booster into my Deluxe amp for both earlier breakup and the ability to sculpt my sound a little. I did quite like my maxon OD-808 (tube screamer type pedal) but it pushed the mids (unsurprisingly) in an already mid-heavy sound, so the RC Booster allows me to clean boost the amps own natural overdrive for more grit at slightly lower (home) volumes.

I can also use the RC's eq to cut a little bass for a tighter grind, or add treble to dark humbuckers etc. As you can tell, I REALLY like the RC Booster, a great pedal for this (and many other) amps

So overall, my experience has been that booster type pedals work very well (i've used the Maxon in a boost-only mode aswell to good effect) and lets the amp do its thing without stamping over its own sonic footprint.

 

[xjazzy]

The only OD pedal I like with my 5E3 is a TS-clone: Visual Sound Jekyll & Hyde.
It tights the sound a bit and gives it a more defined overdrive.
I usually use my tele with it.
If I use humbuckers I just don't need a OD pedal cause it has almost zero headroom!

 

[Dr. Bill]

Mid-boosting pedals (Tubescreamer types) don't work so well with a 5E3 circuit because (as has been pointed out above) it is already pretty heavy on the mids. I use three pedals with mine, depending on the situation--a Bad Bob boost, a Boss BD-2 Bluesdriver, and an older USA RAT2 (with the gain set low).

Hope this helps.

 

[woodman]

i use mainly the Hyde side of the Jekyll & Hyde with the mids attenuated and the treble boosted ... works great, especially in combination with light compression.

 

[SirJackdeFuzz]

Thank so much to everyone so far . . .


. . . keep 'em comming

 

[spankdplank]

For years I used two original, 1980-ish TS-808 Tubescreamers with my 5e3 clone. The first one set with the drive very low and the treble up (used as a clean boost), and the second one set with the drive way up and the treble backed down just a little more for the Neil Young and ZZ Top tones. Worked really well and I was happy. Then I got a Dano Transparent Overdrive and Dano Over Drive and use them in a similar fashion. The Danos are a fraction of the cost of my vintage pedals and I don't worry about them getting stolen at gigs. To my ear, they actually sound better with a 5e3, because TS-808s are mid heavy and will suck bass, and a 5e3 has a lot of midrange anyway.

If I could only use one OD with a 5e3, it would be the Dano Transparent Overdrive. It is an excellent clean boost, it doesn't add mids, it has separate bass and treble controls and it has plenty of available gain, especially with a 5e3 that will overdrive just by cranking it up and hitting it hard. Finally, it is dirt cheap, rugged, quiet, and easily replaced.

 

[meyekel]

An OCD worked very well with my old 5E3 clone and Celestion Blue for just boosting the front end a little or getting me into Neil Young territory (at a reasonable volume). Agreed on the TS style pedals not cooperating too nicely with a 5E3, too much of a mid bump.

 

[JohnnyCrash]

OK, I just spent a few minutes with the following pedals on my 5E3:
TS808 original circuit Tubescreamer clone.
DS-1.
Big Muff.
Marshall Guv'nor version 1 circuit clone.

--
Tech notes:

I ran my 5E3 in stock mode (complete with a NOS 5Y3 rectifier) in the Normal channel. My Bright channel is normal except it has a smaller 0.022uF coupler, so it has less mids - that's why I used the darker, stock Normal channel (mainly to get a feel for how the pedals handle the fatter 5E3 mids).

Also, I modded the DS-1 for more bass/mids.

--

1st place: The most flexible and useful was the Guv'nor clone. Guv'nors have a full Treble, Mid, and Bass tonestack so I could dial out mids if I wanted, or add some Treble.

2nd place: A tie between the TS808 and the DS-1. I had to turn the Tone control up on both to compensate for the darkness of the Normal channel. The TS808+5E3 was not as mid-heavy as I thought it'd be. Sounded good and more "vintagey." The DS-1 had more distortion on tap (duh, its a Dist, where the TS808 is an OD) and had nice tight bass and much more tamed mids.

3rd place: It's not really 3rd place, a Big Muff will always do what it does HAHA. It is a fuzz, therefore its more "effected" sounding. Fat, thick, whooly, fuzzy.

My Rangemaster isn't here right now, so I'll go off of memory... it is a nice sound with more top end and tighter midrange. It works really well if you have problems with your 5E3 sounding to dark.

--

Conclusion:
The Guv'nor is always my most flexible pedal and whatever your preferences - this pedal can do it. Light vintage distortion, crunchy metal distortion, cut back mids, or whatever else you want.

The TS808 had a brash, open, vintage quality to it. The DS-1 had very nice, tight bass. I could get more drive and crunch out of the DS-1 up to metal sounds if I even wanted... or just a touch of vintage drive if I wanted that. To me they were different, but both very good sounding.

 

[Jack Knife]

Here's a clip from a song a friend of mine wrote that he asked me to put a lead section on. This is just the solo section.

I know this is a Tele forum, but this is an Epi DOT with Duncan Seth Lover humbuckers playing through a first-version Visual Sound Route 66 using just the OD section (tubescreamer clone) pushing a Clark Beaufort with a Celestion Blue speaker.

(link removed)

 

[SirJackdeFuzz]

So by the sounds of things, an OD kinda smooths out the natural gritty character of the amp - is that correct ?

That is the last thing i want to do.
I do not want to 'make' it smoother or even slightly more compressed.

Maybe i shoud be looking into a good quality Treb Booster, or the 10bandEQ from MXR, w seperate gain & volume sliders . . . oh and 10bands of EQ.

 

[SirJackdeFuzz]

OK, I just spent a few minutes with the following pedals on my 5E3:
TS808 original circuit Tubescreamer clone.
DS-1.
Big Muff.
Marshall Guv'nor version 1 circuit clone.

--
Tech notes:

I ran my 5E3 in stock mode (complete with a NOS 5Y3 rectifier) in the Normal channel. My Bright channel is normal except it has a smaller 0.022uF coupler, so it has less mids - that's why I used the darker, stock Normal channel (mainly to get a feel for how the pedals handle the fatter 5E3 mids).

Also, I modded the DS-1 for more bass/mids.

--

1st place: The most flexible and useful was the Guv'nor clone. Guv'nors have a full Treble, Mid, and Bass tonestack so I could dial out mids if I wanted, or add some Treble.

2nd place: A tie between the TS808 and the DS-1. I had to turn the Tone control up on both to compensate for the darkness of the Normal channel. The TS808+5E3 was not as mid-heavy as I thought it'd be. Sounded good and more "vintagey." The DS-1 had more distortion on tap (duh, its a Dist, where the TS808 is an OD) and had nice tight bass and much more tamed mids.

3rd place: It's not really 3rd place, a Big Muff will always do what it does HAHA. It is a fuzz, therefore its more "effected" sounding. Fat, thick, whooly, fuzzy.

My Rangemaster isn't here right now, so I'll go off of memory... it is a nice sound with more top end and tighter midrange. It works really well if you have problems with your 5E3 sounding to dark.

--

Conclusion:
The Guv'nor is always my most flexible pedal and whatever your preferences - this pedal can do it. Light vintage distortion, crunchy metal distortion, cut back mids, or whatever else you want.

The TS808 had a brash, open, vintage quality to it. The DS-1 had very nice, tight bass. I could get more drive and crunch out of the DS-1 up to metal sounds if I even wanted... or just a touch of vintage drive if I wanted that. To me they were different, but both very good sounding.

Thank you for the test

So did the Big Muff completely over-power (even at min gain) the natural gritty tone of the 5E3 circuit ?

Wonder how an LM-308 equiped 1980's RAT would sound w a canked 5E3 ? Simmilar to your Guv'nor ? I like the EQ'ing that your pedal have.



Here is a random thought . . . how would Seymour Duncan BlackOut actives sound through one of these ?

 

[Jammin'John]

No Pedals

I love the natural breakup of the amp.
Plenty of overdrive once I hit "4" or more on the volume.

JJ

 

[JohnnyCrash]

Thank you for the test

So did the Big Muff completely over-power (even at min gain) the natural gritty tone of the 5E3 circuit ?

Wonder how an LM-308 equiped 1980's RAT would sound w a canked 5E3 ? Simmilar to your Guv'nor ? I like the EQ'ing that your pedal have.

Here is a random thought . . . how would Seymour Duncan BlackOut actives sound through one of these ?

Rangemaster
OK, I've got my Rangemaster rebuilt (I used the "Rangeblaster" schematic that uses an NPN version of the transistor and added some diodes to keep things safe from heat and reverse bias)...

I'll try this out today and post a comment.


Big Muff Pi
Right now it's the only "real" fuzz pedal I own, but its character is always there. At lower fuzz settings its not so distinct, and almost sounds like an overdrive pedal, but still adds its BMP flavor. Like when Gilmore uses a light touch of Muff on the Pinki Floyd stuff...

With the natural rumble and chaos of a dimed 5E3, the BMP can get a little hairy (no pun intended).

Rat
I'm starting my Rat build today, so I might have an answer on the 5E3+Rat soon...

Active pickups:
I have a guitar with EMG 89's - I'll try them into the 5E3 for you as well. The EMG 89's are active AlNiCo's so they're a little smoother on the top end (perhaps darker would be another description).



As far as the comment on a 5E3's natural overdrive - that sounds great too. Pedals can transform a 5E3's overall character (make it more Marshally, less middy, add tighter bass, etc) and make it a little easier on the volume/loudness for bedroom jamming... but on its own with a bridge P-90, it's loads of fun!

I added a variable voltage regulator circuit to my 5E3 so I can simply run everything at MUCH lower voltages - which descreases volume to bedroom levels. It acts much like a master volume control.

 

[cousinpaul]

I've had some luck using a modded BD2 and an analog delay into mine. Make no mistake, the amp roars, but the pedal helps out when I can't turn it up as loud as I would like to. I'd look for a pedal that doesn't strangle those sweet, glassy highs. The mids will take care of themselves with a good 5E3.

 

[JohnnyCrash]

OK

I just put the 5E3 and Rangemaster through the paces. Here's what I think:

1. This combination sounds best when the amp is already cookin a bit. The Rangemaster is more of a light overdrive with a frequency type affect.
2. I rarely use my Normal channel, but I really like the RM into the Normal channel. Mean, still beefy, but a bit of the 5E3 midrange is thinned and a nasal upper mids sound is added. A bit honky and similar to a V30 speaker in some respects... but I like that.

Sorta like Brian May's sound on the "We Will Rock You" solo if it were through a 5E3 instead of a Vox.

--

Active pickups:

It felt a little weird plugging something like this:

into my 5E3...

Anyway, at clean setting the actives might sound too hi-fi (good thing 5E3's don't have too many clean settings HAHA!). They have that snap and top end twang, but rob a little of the tubey warmth to balance things out. I actually kinda liked it, but it required finding that middle ground where the amp warmed up the pickups just enough without overdriving. The EMG 89 in single coil mode was the most "hi fi" sounding.

When the amp was kicked up a notch, the actives sorta tamed some of the 5E3 sounds that ocassionally bug me (and other times they're the amp's charm to me). The mid heavy, rumbling, dark mess was a little less when full bore. Still vintage blues, but had a bit more control to it (I'm used to P-90s and Les Pauls into my 5E3). Tighter bottom and a clearer midrange.

I dug most of the overdriven sounds with the actives.