Distortion pedal for current Stone/Mike tonez?

davidos

I have a mini Tube Screamer and a Mythical Overdrive (Klon clone)... both are not cutting it.... The TS is not dirty enough and the MO is too dark sounding/muddy...  To me Stone has a pretty defined dirt tone if that makes sense... single notes ring but chords also sound dirty... (Once, Go, lightning Bolt, etc.)

Playing through a Carr Skylark which can do the Fender sounds very well.

Thx for any advice!
D

dudeman

I'm just getting back into playing electric guitar after focusing on the bass for the last 12 years or so. In doing so, I'm rediscovering gear that I bought but didn't really dive into fully. 

One of those pieces of gear is the Fulltone OCD. I think it's a great little pedal that covers the whole range from clean boost to saturated distortion. It sounds and reacts more like the input stage on a Fender amp than any other pedal I've owned. (Aside from getting hi-gain sounds at bedroom levels, that is.)

Anyway, I'd be surprised to hear that it couldn't get a modern PJ tone when coupled with a decent amplifier. I haven't personally tried to dial what you're looking for but it's the farthest from a one trick pony dirt box than I am aware of. 

earthquakes making waves

Boost pedals seem to work great for me. Combining those with either a tube screamer or a Rhino gets me very close. They use multiple kinds and switch them out often, at least on tours, from what I've seen. But my personal favorites are Spaceman pedals. They also sound excellent on bass too. I'd check them out if you could.

davidos

Thx for the replies! What does the Diamond Compressor on their pedalboards do for the distortion sound (if anything)? Is that a necessary component?

earthquakes making waves

That would be the last part I would get. In shorter terms, compressors mainly help keep your sound within certain limits of signal (or sound/volume) with instruments. They are mainly necessary when playing into larger PA systems and venues and you don't want to worry about hitting some crazy frequencies that will drive the sound guy crazy. They can be used within your setup to "shape" your tone a little bit, but I don't think it will get you the tone you're looking for. That's just my opinion. The sparkle drive is a very good pedal as well, but as my playing gotten better I tend to just rely on boost pedals to step up the gain and tone of the rig I've put together. It seems to be the way Mike does it especially, but he plays lead most of the time obviously. I'm not quite as familiar with Stone's setup. I can tell you when I got a couple great vintage Gibsons and a great amp (65 Amps, exactly what Mike plays) and really its been pretty easy to get close from there.

CM189191

davidos said:

Thx for the replies! What does the Diamond Compressor on their pedalboards do for the distortion sound (if anything)? Is that a necessary component?

The compressor might help with your tone issues.  It will help you get better sustain out of your instrument.  

xtremehardy388

The BOSS SD-1 (moded) does a great job. I'm also partial to the reissue'd Marshall Guv'nor. I get the TNE sound good. I'm sure you can dial in the current one. 

davidos

I ended up getting a Green Rhino and also ordered an MXR Boost/OD pedal... The Green Rhino nails the tone I am after... still waiting on the Boost to arrive.... Also grabbed a RAT Dist pedal which is perfect for the earlier stuff!

CM189191

my distortion pedal order
Joyo Dyna Compressor - always on
TC Electronic MojoMojo Overdrive - gives me that brown sound, pushes amp tubes to break up

Ibanez DS10 Distortion Charger - gnarly hair metal distortion
Cheap but effective - I can get a variety of sounds out of these.  Found all 3 pedals used for probably under $150 total