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distortion pedals

given to jamgiven to jam Posts: 57
edited December 2003 in Musicians and Gearheads
does anyone have any recommendations? i want a good, vintage tone with good sustain and can be pretty bluesy. it'd also be nice if it weren't too pricy.
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Comments

  • exhaustedexhausted Posts: 6,638
    everyone here will chime in with their chosen favourite.

    mine's a boss BD-2 blues driver though mine's been modified by robert keeley.

    $70US for the stock pedal. you can find cheaper on ebay. $135 from keeley for a new one or $55 or so to mod one you send to him.
  • goto_lgoto_l Posts: 1,189
    I have about 12 different dist/overdrives. Lately been using a Morley Diamond Distotion. Not a lot of output, but amazingly quiet & clean on a small amp. A bit muddy when you mix it with high gain & a larger amp. Super for blues stuff with single coils. Perfect for Teles & strats. Doesn't sound great with a humbucker though.
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  • mccreadyisgodmccreadyisgod Bumfuq, MT Posts: 6,395
    A Blues Driver (exhausted's BD-2) or any Tubescreamer variant. The TS-9 Ibanez is the simple model, but Ibanez makes the TS-7 and TS-9DX versions. Maxon has a couple Tubescreamers that are great. Several companies, especially boutique manufacturers, make pedals that are "A Tubescreamer with more or better XXX." But if you want classic rock/blues tone, you want something lighter (overdrive) rather than something heavy and modern (distortion). If you play single-coil pickups (Strat, Tele especially) a compressor will help greatly with sustain, and can do good things for tone as well.
    ...and if you don't like it, you can suck on an egg.
  • BinFrogBinFrog MA Posts: 7,309
    Akai Shred-O-Matic.
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  • Pacomc79Pacomc79 Posts: 9,404
    In addendum to the rest of the posts here which are great OD/DIST

    Tonebone Classic Tube and Hot British are pretty nice overdrives.

    Soldano Supercharger if you want to chop off your leg to pay for it.

    Electro Harmonix Hot Tubes.

    EH- Big Muff

    Boss- SD1 DS-1

    Proco-RAT RAT2

    Zvex Fuzz Factory, SHO

    Fulltone Distortion Pro.

    Barber - Direct Drive, SS, Tone Pump, Burn Unit etc.

    My personal favorite is the Barber Direct Drive.

    A host of other modded or botique overdrives.

    Klon Centaur and Landgraff Overdrive seem to be the most famous the Klon really being just a clean boost. These pedals are in the $300.00 to $500.00 range and to be quite honest are more of collectors, gear whores, and studio guys stuff. The centaur is far more common but you can get transparent clean boost much cheaper.
    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.
  • puremagicpuremagic Posts: 1,907
    Originally posted by given to jam
    does anyone have any recommendations? i want a good, vintage tone with good sustain and can be pretty bluesy. it'd also be nice if it weren't too pricy.

    I use a bd-2 pedal.
    SIN EATERS--We take the moral excrement we find in this equation and we bury it down deep inside of us so that the rest of our case can stay pure. That is the job. We are morally indefensible and absolutely necessary.
  • Pacomc79Pacomc79 Posts: 9,404
    Originally posted by puremagic
    I use a bd-2 pedal.


    still have that Tone Leper?
    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.
  • puremagicpuremagic Posts: 1,907
    Originally posted by Pacomc79
    still have that Tone Leper?

    If its on the list, I have it. Randy put two guitar pedal boards together for me and added on to my bass board when I want to go metal.
    SIN EATERS--We take the moral excrement we find in this equation and we bury it down deep inside of us so that the rest of our case can stay pure. That is the job. We are morally indefensible and absolutely necessary.
  • Pacomc79Pacomc79 Posts: 9,404
    Originally posted by puremagic
    If its on the list, I have it. Randy put two guitar pedal boards together for me and added on to my bass board when I want to go metal.

    I know how you like metal. The tone leper will help you achieve that Michael Schenker "UFO" genera of tones also the classic Tony Iommi Black Sabbath type 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.
  • puremagicpuremagic Posts: 1,907
    Originally posted by Pacomc79
    I know how you like metal. The tone leper will help you achieve that Michael Schenker "UFO" genera of tones also the classic Tony Iommi Black Sabbath type stuff.

    Have you heard Sanctuary?
    SIN EATERS--We take the moral excrement we find in this equation and we bury it down deep inside of us so that the rest of our case can stay pure. That is the job. We are morally indefensible and absolutely necessary.
  • Pacomc79Pacomc79 Posts: 9,404
    Originally posted by puremagic
    Have you heard Sanctuary?


    no unfortunately.
    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.
  • El_KabongEl_Kabong Posts: 4,141
    Keeley modded Boss Blues Driver (i think it's bd-2?)
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  • FinsburyParkCarrotsFinsburyParkCarrots Seattle, WA Posts: 12,223
    Marshall Guv'nors have good sustain and boost, and they're good for blues soloing. They'll hold a note forever without signal disintegration or feedback, if you know how to set them.

    As for fuzztone effects, the Dallas Arbiter is still the most authentic-sounding '60s stompbox. I know that some years back, the Roger Mayer "Axis: Bold as Love" Fuzzface was back on the market.

    There are many other, cheaper pedals on the market. For a bluesy sound, an overdrive pedal might do the job the best.
    These guys on the board here will be much better at recommending good, available US overdrivers than I.
  • Pacomc79Pacomc79 Posts: 9,404
    Originally posted by FinsburyParkCarrots
    Marshall Guv'nors have good sustain and boost, and they're good for blues soloing. They'll hold a note forever without signal disintegration or feedback, if you know how to set them.

    As for fuzztone effects, the Dallas Arbiter is still the most authentic-sounding '60s stompbox. I know that some years back, the Roger Mayer "Axis: Bold as Love" Fuzzface was back on the market.

    There are many other, cheaper pedals on the market. For a bluesy sound, an overdrive pedal might do the job the best.
    These guys on the board here will be much better at recommending good, available US overdrivers than I.


    The problem with Fuzz Faces and Roger Mayer stuff in general is that they need to be cranked through a cranked Marshall Plexi to sound good. They ain't gonna sound right in your bedroom unless you are killing the neighbors or you have some outstanding attenuation.
    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.
  • Pacomc79Pacomc79 Posts: 9,404
    http://www.musictoyz.com/tsd.htm


    these are cool too. Specifically the Interstellar Overdriver.
    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.
  • FinsburyParkCarrotsFinsburyParkCarrots Seattle, WA Posts: 12,223
    Originally posted by Pacomc79
    The problem with Fuzz Faces and Roger Mayer stuff in general is that they need to be cranked through a cranked Marshall Plexi to sound good. They ain't gonna sound right in your bedroom unless you are killing the neighbors or you have some outstanding attenuation.

    Ha! That's why Mrs Baxter at Number 79 always scowls!
  • Pacomc79Pacomc79 Posts: 9,404
    Originally posted by FinsburyParkCarrots
    Ha! That's why Mrs Baxter at Number 79 always scowls!


    I believe that the AARP secretly plot to destroy the worlds supply of electric guitars.
    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.
  • pariahpariah Posts: 596
    Anyone ever tried the Marshall Jackhammer (I know, the name sucks)... Bought it three years ago, my musical taste changed heavily but I still like the pedal... it's very versatile, even without using the Distortion mode which Sucks Major Ass. Still planning on buying a TS-9 to go with it though.
    "Until you realize the importance of the banana king, you will know absolutely nothing about the human-interest things of the world."
  • Pacomc79Pacomc79 Posts: 9,404
    Originally posted by pariah
    Anyone ever tried the Marshall Jackhammer (I know, the name sucks)... Bought it three years ago, my musical taste changed heavily but I still like the pedal... it's very versatile, even without using the Distortion mode which Sucks Major Ass. Still planning on buying a TS-9 to go with it though.

    I like that whole series. My favorite is the Guv'nor.

    They are decent pedals. I'd love to see better quality versions with better components like what keeley adds and I'd like to know the op amps they use. The flexibility was wonderful. They take some time to tweak though. The Blues Breaker from that series was a take on the TS-9
    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.
  • pariahpariah Posts: 596
    Originally posted by Pacomc79
    I like that whole series. My favorite is the Guv'nor.

    They are decent pedals. I'd love to see better quality versions with better components like what keeley adds and I'd like to know the op amps they use. The flexibility was wonderful. They take some time to tweak though. The Blues Breaker from that series was a take on the TS-9

    I was pretty lucky. It was a recommendation from some guy at the store when I said I wanted to buy a DS-1. I didn't know shit back then. I wanted to sound like Kurt Cobain, period.
    "Until you realize the importance of the banana king, you will know absolutely nothing about the human-interest things of the world."
  • FinsburyParkCarrotsFinsburyParkCarrots Seattle, WA Posts: 12,223
    Originally posted by Pacomc79
    I like that whole series. My favorite is the Guv'nor.

    They are decent pedals. I'd love to see better quality versions with better components like what keeley adds and I'd like to know the op amps they use. The flexibility was wonderful. They take some time to tweak though. The Blues Breaker from that series was a take on the TS-9

    The OLD Guv'nor was good. Not a metal distortion pedal by any stretch of the imagination. If a metal screech is what you're after, then yes, the Guv'nor would be deficient. But I'm just thinking about the original question in this thread: pedals for blues.

    I tried out the newer version (Guv'nor Plus? I can't remember) but, as has been said by Pacomc79, it would need tweaking about a bit.
  • exhaustedexhausted Posts: 6,638
    Originally posted by pariah
    I was pretty lucky. It was a recommendation from some guy at the store when I said I wanted to buy a DS-1. I didn't know shit back then. I wanted to sound like Kurt Cobain, period.

    you think you didn't know shit? i bought a fabtone during my cobain quest. shows what i knew.

    but i do play left-handed so......
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