Whats your favorite of the 2 Tube screamer Boss sd1

[Durtdog]

TS-9 for me. Nice round, warm sound for a boost.

 

[Chiogtr4x]

Probably because of my post. I was just stating that I used an SD-1 to boost a BD-2 for a number of years in my rig. The BD-2 at low gain settings gets you into edge of breakup Fender territory. An SD-1 or a TS stacks nicely into it, and it gets you a solid boosted mid drive tone into a clean amp.

This is how I use my Joyo TS clone now ( when I use it at all) as an occasional
lead boost to my Blues Driver which is always ON.

A BD-2 replaced a TS for me many years ago, and most of the time, that's all I need.
( if I'm doing a harder-rock gig than my usual, I add in the Joyo TS or a Rat clone, if I want real distortion )

 

[chris m.]

This is where the misunderstanding of a Tube Screamer is....

It wasn't designed to be used as dirt into a clean amp - IMO, it sounds terrible as a "primary" dirt pedal. It was designed to put in front of a dirty amp... to hit that amp harder for leads. When doing so it emphasized the mids (by rolling off highs and lows) and leads would jump out and sound thick.

Don't use a Tube Screamer as part of you core dirt tone, use a Tube Screamer to Boost/Goose that core dirt tone. IE: Put it in front of a dirty amp or another (already on) dirt pedal. That's when the magic happens.

That's exactly as I was saying in my earlier post: these pedals work great in their intended application, which is NOT to be a substitute for a crunch channel...a.k.a. an "always on" pedal.

 

[Phrygian77]

This is how I use my Joyo TS clone now ( when I use it at all) as an occasional
lead boost to my Blues Driver which is always ON.

A BD-2 replaced a TS for me many years ago, and most of the time, that's all I need.
( if I'm doing a harder-rock gig than my usual, I add in the Joyo TS or a Rat clone, if I want real distortion )

I've got a Mooer Black Secret, and it's a great cheap Rat clone. Couple that with a good Tele and yeah, you can cover a lot of ground!

 

[11 Gauge]

This is where the misunderstanding of a Tube Screamer is....

It wasn't designed to be used as dirt into a clean amp - IMO, it sounds terrible as a "primary" dirt pedal. It was designed to put in front of a dirty amp... to hit that amp harder for leads. When doing so it emphasized the mids (by rolling off highs and lows) and leads would jump out and sound thick.

Don't use a Tube Screamer as part of you core dirt tone, use a Tube Screamer to Boost/Goose that core dirt tone. IE: Put it in front of a dirty amp or another (already on) dirt pedal. That's when the magic happens.

I think I'd use different wording, and say this is where the limitation of a stock Tube Screamer is.

It rolls off so much treble and bass that you basically need the amp to do the heavy lifting for you.

IMO, a stock TS can sound very good through a clean amp, but it's got to be moving some air. The amp basically has to 'fill in the blanks'.

To get a TS or SD-1 to work as the primary source of dirt requires some relatively simple alterations, and IMO this is why mods for them are a potential goldmine, if you play at lower volumes, or also if your amp doesn't start giving up the goods until it's too bloody loud. I'd say that's probably a large segment of players these days.

The truth be told, I'll take a gently modded SD-1 to specifically use with my '71 VR at modest volumes over a lot of other OD pedals.

And - as an extension of that, the same pedal also works really well with something like my Katana 50 set to a BF'ish sort of totally clean sound.

 

[ABetterTelePlayer]

I was a big Tube Screamer fan for most of my tears if playing but picked up a Biss SD1 super overdrive about 5 years ago on a whim because it was on sale. I've been a fan every since. To my ears it just sounds more harmonically alive, possibly due to it having asymmetrical clipping and the TS9 is symmetrical. It also sounds good ran into a clean amp where the screamer really only likes dirty amps.

What's your favorite of the 2 and why?

Wampler Moxie and the Mini-TS. Had an SD-1 years ago, never got into it. All around the tube screamer had a better sound than the SD-1. The OD-3 and BD-2 sounded decent but never earned a spot on my boards. The OD-3 sounded a bit too "farty" with it's strange bass frequency, the higher you set the gain, the more apparent it is.

If the tube screamer sounds bad/icky or seems unusable, the user probably isn't using it right. Maybe they don't know how to EQ their amp or are using the pedal in some way the pedal isn't supposed to be used.

 

[codamedia]

I think I'd use different wording, and say this is where the limitation of a stock Tube Screamer is.

It rolls off so much treble and bass that you basically need the amp to do the heavy lifting for you.

If one see's it as a limitation, then a stock tube screamer is not for them. Nothing wrong with that.

IMO... once you take away what it does best you no longer have a Tube Screamer, you have a variant of it. Some will prefer the variant, some (like myself) prefer the original. No right, no wrong - different needs and different ways to achieve it

 

[schenkadere]

This is where the misunderstanding of a Tube Screamer is....

It wasn't designed to be used as dirt into a clean amp - IMO, it sounds terrible as a "primary" dirt pedal. It was designed to put in front of a dirty amp... to hit that amp harder for leads. When doing so it emphasized the mids (by rolling off highs and lows) and leads would jump out and sound thick.

Don't use a Tube Screamer as part of you core dirt tone, use a Tube Screamer to Boost/Goose that core dirt tone. IE: Put it in front of a dirty amp or another (already on) dirt pedal. That's when the magic happens.

Oh I know that and I use my SD-1 in the same fashion. I just mean that as a standalone OD for a bit of grit, the SD-1 is my choice over the TS.

 

[schenkadere]

Wampler Moxie and the Mini-TS. Had an SD-1 years ago, never got into it. All around the tube screamer had a better sound than the SD-1. The OD-3 and BD-2 sounded decent but never earned a spot on my boards. The OD-3 sounded a bit too "farty" with it's strange bass frequency, the higher you set the gain, the more apparent it is.

If the tube screamer sounds bad/icky or seems unusable, the user probably isn't using it right. Maybe they don't know how to EQ their amp or are using the pedal in some way the pedal isn't supposed to be used.

OD-3 with less bass would be awesome...I wonder if there's a pedal out there that is basically that?

 

[abcsoundguy]

This is where the misunderstanding of a Tube Screamer is....

It wasn't designed to be used as dirt into a clean amp - IMO, it sounds terrible as a "primary" dirt pedal. It was designed to put in front of a dirty amp... to hit that amp harder for leads. When doing so it emphasized the mids (by rolling off highs and lows) and leads would jump out and sound thick.

Don't use a Tube Screamer as part of you core dirt tone, use a Tube Screamer to Boost/Goose that core dirt tone. IE: Put it in front of a dirty amp or another (already on) dirt pedal. That's when the magic happens.

This.

A TS was designed to do the pushing, and is surprisingly versatile at that job. I'm a "placement is everything" experimenter, and have found TS's kind of collapse 'being' (substantially) pushed, but 1st in chain, enhance, boost, add nice hair, all that good stuff, to your fav drive(s) downstream. My fav combos are : TS>OD1X , TS>Nobels.
* I do have my TS10 gained up a bit, tone rolled back, it HAS to sound usable by itself, too.

 

[Fiesta Red]

As a vintage-style Fender Tube Amp user, I love my Tube Screamers;
I currently have a TS9RI and a TS808RI. Used to have a TS10; liked it but gave several of them away because I’m stupid (ahem) nice and trying to help new folks out. Also had a TS-5 Soundtank and TS-7 back in the day.

I also like the Boss BD-2, DS-1 and their various OD- models, but had too many other overdrives (Danelectro DO-1, MXR M-66, Soul Food, etc) to invest in those as well.

I just like overdrives in general.

Didn’t like the Soul Food.

 

[cousinpaul]

I've always viewed the TS boosting a BF/SF Fender amp as more of a strat thing. It's a classic combination but, for me, doesn't always translate to a tele. Maybe the tele already has ample midrange.