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anyone recommend a good entry-level Distortion pedal

dunkmandunkman Posts: 19,646
edited January 2006 in Musicians and Gearheads
i'm looking to get my first pedal and due to the plethora of items out there... i'm just at a loss.. i cant go to any shops to listen to any as 1. i'm pretty shitty still and dont want to freak anyone out. 2. the nearest quality music store is in Glasgow 75 miles up north from me and 3. i dont need a 3 as the first 2 were so great :cool:



I have an SG copy and a mini Orange and would just like to have the wee stompybox thing going on now and again :)



also can someone describe in beginners terms what a Tubescreamer does? i noticed on the Riot Act gear notes that both Stoney and Mike use them...

p.s. should have said - i could spend up to £80-90 or $150ish

cheers :cool:
oh scary... 40000 morbidly obese christians wearing fanny packs invading europe is probably the least scariest thing since I watched an edited version of The Care Bears movie in an extremely brightly lit cinema.
Post edited by Unknown User on

Comments

  • Pacomc79Pacomc79 Posts: 9,404
    Digitech Bad Monkey. if you want a tubescreamer - mid boost crunchiness adds fatness.

    The old Danelectro Fab Tones are cool too (maroon metal box)
    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.
  • dunkmandunkman Posts: 19,646
    cheers Paco

    once i get the name for ones that are good I reckon i could track down mp3s of samples of them, thus saving me from embarrassing myself in guitar shops.... although itd love to do Lukin one day..


    thanks once again :cool:
    oh scary... 40000 morbidly obese christians wearing fanny packs invading europe is probably the least scariest thing since I watched an edited version of The Care Bears movie in an extremely brightly lit cinema.
  • dunkmandunkman Posts: 19,646
    http://www.guitarampkeyboard.com/options.php?id=13051



    man thats fuckin cheap....£26.... whats that about $45-55. good price?
    oh scary... 40000 morbidly obese christians wearing fanny packs invading europe is probably the least scariest thing since I watched an edited version of The Care Bears movie in an extremely brightly lit cinema.
  • Pacomc79Pacomc79 Posts: 9,404
    http://www.musiciansfriend.com/srs7/g=guitar/navigation?N=100001+306280&page=1


    many of these have sound clips.

    oh, also check out http://www.custom-sounds.com it's a pretty good site and its in Europe
    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.
  • Spook FishSpook Fish Posts: 241
    Those Hot Cakes are supposed to be good. never tried one myself though.

    they have them on the site Pac recommended : http://www.custom-sounds.com

    kind of a boost / overdrive / distortion box in one.
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  • Pacomc79Pacomc79 Posts: 9,404
    http://www.barberelectronics.com/

    do make sure to check out mr. Barbers stuff as well. Tremendous Bargains.
    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.
  • imissyoualreadyimissyoualready Posts: 438
    Good Pedal. If your not that experienced playing, this pedal will not cover up too much but will still give you a good tube-like crunch. This way you can still hear yourself and improve. I have used this pedal for years and it's still my main dist pedal.
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  • Thumbing My WayThumbing My Way Posts: 1,073
    I have a Boss DS-1 (the orange distortion pedal), and that does me fine :)

    It has 3 knobs to change settings but it's very simple and you can get quite a few sounds from it.

    I'd get that
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  • Dirty_FrankDirty_Frank Posts: 957
    My first dirt box was the Boss Super Overdrive SD-1. Probably the main component of my board still today. Works alone and works even better with the amplifier.
  • moster78moster78 Posts: 1,591
    Dirty_Frank wrote:
    My first dirt box was the Boss Super Overdrive SD-1. Probably the main component of my board still today. Works alone and works even better with the amplifier.

    I have an SD-1 as well, got any settings you can recommend? Thanks.
  • Pearl Jam and toastPearl Jam and toast Posts: 4,475
    big muff?

    or maybe that's not what you're looking for... *shrugs*
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  • dunkmandunkman Posts: 19,646
    Pacomc79 wrote:
    Digitech Bad Monkey. if you want a tubescreamer - mid boost crunchiness adds fatness.

    The old Danelectro Fab Tones are cool too (maroon metal box)


    Digitech have a good site and lets you hear what each pedal sounds like and the settings used to get that sound...

    Cheers for the advice folks... the Digitech is only £26, and it does sound pretty good... i think i might go for this :)
    oh scary... 40000 morbidly obese christians wearing fanny packs invading europe is probably the least scariest thing since I watched an edited version of The Care Bears movie in an extremely brightly lit cinema.
  • dunkmandunkman Posts: 19,646
    Boss website is also very good... sound clips, settings, etc... :cool:
    oh scary... 40000 morbidly obese christians wearing fanny packs invading europe is probably the least scariest thing since I watched an edited version of The Care Bears movie in an extremely brightly lit cinema.
  • mccreadyisgodmccreadyisgod Posts: 6,395
    One quick note here: if your amp is one of the Orange Crush amps, it's solid-state. Many overdrive/distortion boxes are built for use with a tube (valve) amp. The TS-9 Tubescreamer, for instance, doesn't work well with most solid-state amps. I'd venture to guess that a Boss BD-2 Blues Driver would sound okay with your rig... and the most basic model out there is the Boss DS-1, sounds decent with just about anything. It's been so long since I even owned a solid-state amp that I can't really make strong recommendations, but I'm sure other folks here can point you towards a good pedal for a solid-state amp.
    ...and if you don't like it, you can suck on an egg.
  • Dirty_FrankDirty_Frank Posts: 957
    moster78 wrote:
    I have an SD-1 as well, got any settings you can recommend? Thanks.

    For just OD I set the Drive at 12 o'clock and the volume at 3:00. I try to keep the tone control low, at about 9:00 as I find it gets harsh otherwise.

    For boost I set the drive at a low setting, about 7:00 or 8:00 and crank the volume, also keeping the tone at 9:00.
  • moster78moster78 Posts: 1,591
    Dirty_Frank wrote:
    For just OD I set the Drive at 12 o'clock and the volume at 3:00. I try to keep the tone control low, at about 9:00 as I find it gets harsh otherwise.

    For boost I set the drive at a low setting, about 7:00 or 8:00 and crank the volume, also keeping the tone at 9:00.

    Nice, I'll have to give those a shot. Thanks man.
  • remshellremshell Posts: 6
    Behringer Overdrive/Distortion OD100 Pedal

    £13.50 + p&p

    Available from http://www.piedog.com/musical_instruments/guitar/fx_pedals/behringer-overdrive_distortion_od100.htm (in the UK)

    Review at Harmony Central from users on;

    http://www.harmony-central.com/Effects/Data/Behringer/OD100-1.html

    Gets good reviews for sound quality, though has a plastic case rather than the metal case of BOSS pedals (but just a 3rd of the price)
  • dunkmandunkman Posts: 19,646
    well... i went for the Behringer TO100 overdrive pedal at a ridiculous £15 delivered.. so tried it last night and I was impressed :)

    This was through my Orange Crush amp using my SG and it did sound pretty nice when i stomped on the pedal.. I'll need to try it out on my friends tube amp and see what it sounds like!


    thanks for all your good advice amigos :cool:
    oh scary... 40000 morbidly obese christians wearing fanny packs invading europe is probably the least scariest thing since I watched an edited version of The Care Bears movie in an extremely brightly lit cinema.
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