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If I wanted some overdrive/distortion on my champ

casper leblanccasper leblanc Posts: 1,246
edited September 2004 in Musicians and Gearheads
what nice little pedal should I get me? One that is easily available and sounds warm, yet strong. I love Stones overdrive going from Vitalogy up to Binaural and from what the wonderfull http://www.giventowail.com has shown me, Stone uses a Ibanez TS-9 Tubescreamer. Is that a good choice for a small amp like a champ?
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  • Pacomc79Pacomc79 Posts: 9,404
    Originally posted by pearlwax
    what nice little pedal should I get me? One that is easily available and sounds warm, yet strong. I love Stones overdrive going from Vitalogy up to Binaural and from what the wonderfull http://www.giventowail.com has shown me, Stone uses a Ibanez TS-9 Tubescreamer. Is that a good choice for a small amp like a champ?


    sure it is. It's a great choice, but we'd be happy to talk alternatives if you like.
    My Girlfriend said to me..."How many guitars do you need?" and I replied...."How many pairs of shoes do you need?" She got really quiet.
  • casper leblanccasper leblanc Posts: 1,246
    alternatives and prices would be good. Just know, I'm not planning on buying from the net and paying shipping etc. But feel free to talk, your opinion is higly appreciated.


    edit: I just noticed a tubescreamer TS5 soundtank here for 20 euros (though it's prbbly already sold). Are those any good?
  • Pacomc79Pacomc79 Posts: 9,404
    soundtanks are fine but they are plastic, so they break easy.

    Look for used Boss Overdrives (the Blues Driver being a great one although it dosen't have the same mid hump as the Tubescreamers which can be a plus or minus)

    Look for a TS7 (TONELOK) Tubescreamer from Ibanez, you should be able to get one cheap and it's metal.
    My Girlfriend said to me..."How many guitars do you need?" and I replied...."How many pairs of shoes do you need?" She got really quiet.
  • casper leblanccasper leblanc Posts: 1,246
    Boss OD-2r Turbo Overdrive - 50 euros

    that's all I'm seeing for now. Thanks for the info Pac, as always :)
  • mccreadyisgodmccreadyisgod Posts: 6,395
    I use two modified Ibanez Tubescreamers in front of my Vibro Champ, and used to play a stock TS-9 with it as well. All three sounded great, especially for that Stones vibe. Any Tubescreamer or clone (too many to list) will work.

    Jacques Pedals are actually made in Europe, and have a great reputation. His TubeBlower has a good reputation as a Tubescreamer clone. You can check his stuff out at http://www.ts808.com/ (The TS-808 was the original Ibanez Tubescreamer, so he's definitely a fan.)

    I would recommend staying away from the Soundtank pedals. They're fun little toys, and can sound pretty good, they just aren't as tough. The TS-7 Tone-Lok pedal is acceptable. Both use the same or similar chip to the TS-9, so their tonality should be almost identical. It doesn't always work that way, however.
    ...and if you don't like it, you can suck on an egg.
  • casper leblanccasper leblanc Posts: 1,246
    So I went around my tech where I dropped my champ for check up and he's says it's a beauty! In excellent condition. He's really in favour of keeping it's original tone as much as possible. I couldn't bring it home so I didn't get the cance to hear it yet, but the guy says it sounds a lot better already. He changed one tube and did some other stuff and it's only gonna cost me 25 euros. He did recommend me to change the 6V6 tube, but he couldn't get to any.

    He also tolf me my attic found Boss bf-1 flanger still worked like a charm if I used a good adaptor. And that's the problem, those are pretty hard to find here since it's an ACA.

    As for the overdrive pedals. I told him about my needs and he was thrilled. He's a cool guy, a metalhead, but he sounds like he knows his stuff. He modifies and customizes pedals and tube amps to your every need for a decent price. So when I told him about the tubescreamer, he told me he makes clones himself, out of Boss SD-1 pedals. He makes about 6 modifications and makes it sound like a TS-808 and customize the tone to my needs. It would only cost me 99 euros. Cheaper than Ibanez.

    what's your idea on this Paco, MIG? Is he cool or is he full of crap? I like him cause he basically sounds a lot like you guys :D and he's not a snob craving for Fender, Marshall and typical brands. We even talked about Sovteks MIG's.

    And to think I would've never set foot in his metalhead shop, if it wasn't for the piece I was writing about the guitarshops in my city.
  • Pacomc79Pacomc79 Posts: 9,404
    I'm sure he can probably do a good job Stefan. Lots of people do mods and 99 bucks ain't bad, especially when he's right there in town and you can get to it. I think you'll love the sound.

    http://www.analogman.com has some information on the modded SD-1 and http://www.robertkeeley.com also used to have some excellent info on exactly what is changed see (5 star mod)

    It probably is about time to change that 6v6.

    check out http://www.thetubestore.com and http://www.watfordvalves.com


    I believe the aforementioned Jacques (France) also sells tubes and do check out Jacques site it's pretty cool. He does make some interesting stuff.
    My Girlfriend said to me..."How many guitars do you need?" and I replied...."How many pairs of shoes do you need?" She got really quiet.
  • who's_pearljam?who's_pearljam? Posts: 2,104
    Hi Pearlwax!
    I only have time for one post,,,,,so cheers, goes to you

    Yes

    I forget the question, though!:D

    I would let him mod the pedal. I believe in buying local if I can. If he messes it up, you can take it back and get it fixed, or you don't like the sound, you can have him change it to your exacting specs.
    If you develop a relationship with someone local, then if you need something fixed, it's easy, or if you're looking for the next amp,, he may have an inside track. (Selmer treble-n-bass):)

    Cheers, man
    I'm back to work
    Be kind, man
    Don't be mankind. ~Captain Beefheart
    __________________________________
  • mccreadyisgodmccreadyisgod Posts: 6,395
    I'd ask if you can demo the pedal for a few days before commiting to the purchase. But I'd suspect that it would be a good deal.

    Power tubes in little amps like that one need replacing pretty often, so I can believe it needs a newbie. My Vibro Champ usually needs a new power tube every 9 months or so.

    Did you check out the Jacques page? He does direct sales within Europe, so he should be able to hook you up pretty good.
    ...and if you don't like it, you can suck on an egg.
  • casper leblanccasper leblanc Posts: 1,246
    Originally posted by mccreadyisgod
    I'd ask if you can demo the pedal for a few days before commiting to the purchase.

    Did you check out the Jacques page? He does direct sales within Europe, so he should be able to hook you up pretty good.

    He has one of his own lying around that I can test whenever I want and I will. I think I trust this guy anyway. You guys should talk sometime. He was really cool about the champ, not trying to push anything on me.

    I checked out the Jacques page, but I'm following Bob here. I prefer buying local and talking to someone in person. Don't know if it's just me or if it's a European thing, but I'm not keen on buying from the net, especially if it's something I don't know much about, technically speaking.

    Thanks again guys, you rock. You've taught me a lot about gear, I appreciate it.
  • Pacomc79Pacomc79 Posts: 9,404
    Originally posted by pearlwax
    He has one of his own lying around that I can test whenever I want and I will. I think I trust this guy anyway. You guys should talk sometime. He was really cool about the champ, not trying to push anything on me.

    I checked out the Jacques page, but I'm following Bob here. I prefer buying local and talking to someone in person. Don't know if it's just me or if it's a European thing, but I'm not keen on buying from the net, especially if it's something I don't know much about, technically speaking.

    Thanks again guys, you rock. You've taught me a lot about gear, I appreciate it.


    hey you wound up with a champ, that pretty much kicks ass in itself.
    My Girlfriend said to me..."How many guitars do you need?" and I replied...."How many pairs of shoes do you need?" She got really quiet.
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