# What ODs Are You Guys Using in Front of Your Marshalls



## tallcoolone

Thought about this when reading the Tubescreamer thread...I love dirt boxes in front of all—but especially Marshall amps. Bought and sold dozens and dozens of them and I think still have at least a dozen lying around. Love to hear experiences of others...here is what I have at the moment

*Maxon OD820*—honeymoon period but I love this guy. Like the TS9 but more treble, more headroom...just BIGGER. Also physically larger so keep in mind
*Timmy*—love this, got replaced by the new Maxon OD820 but will be back. The original ‘transparent’ od
*TS9*–benchmark mid hump od best run low in front of an already overdriven amp
*Secret Preamp*—my ‘always on’ pedal at the end of the board. Not really an od, more of a compressor? I dunno—try one out, you’ll thank me.
*SoloDallas Storm*—like the SP, more of a compressor/boost than an OD but where the SP is subtle the Storm is like a cock punch. Tons of boost on tap and something else that changes your tone more drastically than the SP.
*Archer Ikon*—best ‘Klone’/Klon Cline I’ve tried. Pretty unique—not a ton of boost but I really liked it run like a TS—low gain, tone up. Great in front of my SC20 when it’s breathing a bit
*Naga Viper treble booster*—Rangemaster circuit apparently? Sounds ‘Sabbath-y’ to me in front of my Marshalls. I like a lot of high end to my tone and this is lacking a bit in that Dept
*Tone Job EQ/booster*—replaced the Detox as my ‘clean channel’ pedal. Set low it works just like your guitar volume the way it cleans up your tone. But better and actually tweakable
*OCD*—if I were going to a gig not knowing what I was going to have as a backline I’d bring the OCD. At home in front of anything really—played a hard rock gig once with a 100w Hiwatt in a small room and only an OCD and a wah


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## Micky

I have a modded SD-1 I use everywhere.
I will never part with it...


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## Geeze

Archer
RAT2
OCD
Empress Heavy
MXR Dyna Comp

For most lower volume playing the Heavy is my go to, it brings all of the roaring amp saturation, feel and good note separation.





Russ


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## BanditPanda

Catalinbread SFT / Mythos Chupacabra / Ramble FX Marvel 3 / Greer Lightspeed / Mooer Blues Crab
BP


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## South Park

Big muff deluxe gets lots of lovin


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## marshalltsl

I don't use OD pedals in front, just a wah pedal sometimes.


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## BftGibson




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## BftGibson

This stuff for fun.use mostly amp for gain on Marshall's


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## anitoli

None. High gain Marshall's do not need them.


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## mcblink

I was using a TS, but now I'm using a BE OD


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## Cthulhu

Beast Mode button.


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## Trelwheen

Much of the time I don't need to use overdrives. But they're good for more then just adding drive. They can help create different colors and textures too.

One of my favorites is the old Marshall DriveMaster

I've got several different iterations of Echoplex EP-3 (including an actual Echoplex)
Xotic EP Booster
Chase Tone Secret preamp
Catalinbread Naga Viper

Mesa V1 Bottle Rocket

Radial Plexitube

Maxon OD808
Maxon TBO-9

Blackstar HT Drive

Orange Bax Bangeetar

Bogner Burnley

Depending on the amp and the material to be recorded I'll use just about all of them from time to time.

My favorites tend to be the DriveMaster, the Mesa V1 and the HT Drive. When I need a lot of eq shaping I plug in the Bax.


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## axe4me




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## Lance Chambers

anitoli said:


> None. High gain Marshall's do not need them.



Ditto!


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## fat_lenny

In front of my JCM900, none. Ive never really needed one and haven’t found one that it likes. 

With my 1987x clone, I like either a Soul Food or Red Llama.


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## Matthews Guitars

I generally plug straight in. I want the overdrive to be intrinsic to the amplifier. If there's anything I'm using in front of the amp, it's a clean boost, my choice being a Seymour Duncan Pickup Booster. I generally don't like the sound of distortion pedals in and of themselves. But I do realize that when properly used they can be a building block in a very rich and awesome tone.


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## Salty Rose

JTM45 RI- tubescreamer.

ORI50H- no pedal. 
Dime that mother-f#%r


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## BanditPanda

tallcoolone said:


> Thought about this when reading the Tubescreamer thread...I love dirt boxes in front of all—but especially Marshall amps. Bought and sold dozens and dozens of them and I think still have at least a dozen lying around. Love to hear experiences of others...here is what I have at the moment
> 
> *Maxon OD820*—honeymoon period but I love this guy. Like the TS9 but more treble, more headroom...just BIGGER. Also physically larger so keep in mind
> *Timmy*—love this, got replaced by the new Maxon OD820 but will be back. The original ‘transparent’ od
> *TS9*–benchmark mid hump od best run low in front of an already overdriven amp
> *Secret Preamp*—my ‘always on’ pedal at the end of the board. Not really an od, more of a compressor? I dunno—try one out, you’ll thank me.
> *SoloDallas Storm*—like the SP, more of a compressor/boost than an OD but where the SP is subtle the Storm is like a cock punch. Tons of boost on tap and something else that changes your tone more drastically than the SP.
> *Archer Ikon*—best ‘Klone’/Klon Cline I’ve tried. Pretty unique—not a ton of boost but I really liked it run like a TS—low gain, tone up. Great in front of my SC20 when it’s breathing a bit
> *Naga Viper treble booster*—Rangemaster circuit apparently? Sounds ‘Sabbath-y’ to me in front of my Marshalls. I like a lot of high end to my tone and this is lacking a bit in that Dept
> *Tone Job EQ/booster*—replaced the Detox as my ‘clean channel’ pedal. Set low it works just like your guitar volume the way it cleans up your tone. But better and actually tweakable
> *OCD*—if I were going to a gig not knowing what I was going to have as a backline I’d bring the OCD. At home in front of anything really—played a hard rock gig once with a 100w Hiwatt in a small room and only an OCD and a wah




Hey stretch...lol...about the Storm. Always been hankering after that pedal but it's quite expensive and I already do have some fine ones on my board but it still grabs my attention.
Do you find it to be an AC/DC one trick pony or can you dial up some really good stuff. Like to hear your take on it and what you use it for...if it's not too far 
BP


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## mickeydg5

My modified vintage MXR Distortion*+* in the loop of a Jubillee when not using a rack.


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## tallcoolone

BanditPanda said:


> Hey stretch...lol...about the Storm. Always been hankering after that pedal but it's quite expensive and I already do have some fine ones on my board but it still grabs my attention.
> Do you find it to be an AC/DC one trick pony or can you dial up some really good stuff. Like to hear your take on it and what you use it for...if it's not too far
> BP


The thing is really a cock punch of a boost, no lie. It colors your tone a bit and it isn’t the quietest pedal I’ve ever had but it adds some ‘magic’ I’ve never heard before from anything else


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## tallcoolone

[QUOTE="axe4me, post: 1875753[
[/QUOTE]
Not sure how constructive just posting random YouTube links is? More asking for opinions from guys with actual experience with the gear and it’s use


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## tallcoolone

anitoli said:


> None. High gain Marshall's do not need them.


What does ‘need’ mean again??


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## WellBurnTheSky

My go-to always was the Maxon OD9. Got my first one 15 years ago, no pedal ever managed to knock it off the board. Used it in front of my DSL, still use it for mild boost in front of the SV20H, it never disappoints.
With the SV, for more boost (going for hard rock/early 80s metal territory), I've been using and loving my Guvnor clone. For yesterday's gig I subbed my OCD clone for it, and it sounded very good. I needed to dim the amp quite a bit (because of strict volume constraints at the event), and the OCD in LP mode provided the girth and compression that was missing. I liked it quite a bit. We'll see if it can manage to dethrone the Guvnor in the long run, but so far, so good.
Other boosts I really liked with the SV are the Barber Drive, the Red Snapper and the Jersey Girl FullTender (which is basically a mod of the OD-1). For balls-out gain, I also liked the BJFe Dyna Red Distortion and the Ultra mod DS-1.
But my first choices are any variation of the TubeScreamer, same with the Guvnor, and the OCD. Can't go wrong with these.


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## JohnH

Ive got all the Hardwires on my board, and a Guv'nor. but the one I keep using is a Boss OD3, their best OD ever IMO.


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## axe4me

I just discovered this...................


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## WellBurnTheSky

I built a clone of this one too (Bjorn at BJFe/Bearfoot shares most of his circuits on DIY boards btw), and didn't really like it, tbh. To my ear, it was kinda wooly, which isn't something I like in a boost. It was pretty nice as a standalone overdrive on a clean amp though. YMMV obviously.


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## tallcoolone

WellBurnTheSky said:


> My go-to always was the Maxon OD9. Got my first one 15 years ago, no pedal ever managed to knock it off the board. Used it in front of my DSL, still use it for mild boost in front of the SV20H, it never disappoints.
> With the SV, for more boost (going for hard rock/early 80s metal territory), I've been using and loving my Guvnor clone. For yesterday's gig I subbed my OCD clone for it, and it sounded very good. I needed to dim the amp quite a bit (because of strict volume constraints at the event), and the OCD in LP mode provided the girth and compression that was missing. I liked it quite a bit. We'll see if it can manage to dethrone the Guvnor in the long run, but so far, so good.
> Other boosts I really liked with the SV are the Barber Drive, the Red Snapper and the Jersey Girl FullTender (which is basically a mod of the OD-1). For balls-out gain, I also liked the BJFe Dyna Red Distortion and the Ultra mod DS-1.
> But my first choices are any variation of the TubeScreamer, same with the Guvnor, and the OCD. Can't go wrong with these.


I agree about the OD9–that pedal is fantastic in front of a Marshall like the SV. I have to say, if you get a chance to check out the OD820 give it a shot


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## Midnight Blues

Either a Fulltone OCD or PlimSoul.


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## tallcoolone

Midnight Blues said:


> Either a Fulltone OCD or PlimSoul.


Can you give a brief review of the Plimsoul? I see them everywhere but never tried one out


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## WellBurnTheSky

tallcoolone said:


> I agree about the OD9–that pedal is fantastic in front of a Marshall like the SV. I have to say, if you get a chance to check out the OD820 give it a shot


Will do, a souped-up TS (using a 18V charge pump) sounds pretty fun !


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## Jethro Rocker

I use an OD with higher level but zero gain on some channels, some amps. Adds some extra to the Jubilee, is essential with the 800 4010, and I sometimes goose ch 2 mode B on the 6101 and red mode ch 2 on the JVM410. The TSL on Ch 2 likes it too.
I find ODs with simply a tone control to be lacking some low end IMO. I have an old Bad Monkey I really like for the 2 band EQ and recently picked up an MXR super Badass Distortion used the same way. It has 3 band EQ. It works for me.


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## Mitchell Pearrow

I only have 2 overdrive pedals 
SD1, Joyo Ultimate drive, but since I started using the mxr 10 band eq I have removed the od pedals, my 2 rigs are Dsl40c’s, and Origin 50H’s, each rig has a lead 100 mosfet along for the ride
And I am truly liking the tones I can get from each rig!
Cheers Mitch


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## tallcoolone

Mitchell Pearrow said:


> I only have 2 overdrive pedals
> SD1, Joyo Ultimate drive, but since I started using the mxr 10 band eq I have removed the od pedals, my 2 rigs are Dsl40c’s, and Origin 50H’s, each rig has a lead 100 mosfet along for the ride
> And I am truly liking the tones I can get from each rig!
> Cheers Mitch


Does the MXR EQ add a lot of hiss? I had a Boss EQ that was noisy as hell so I’ve been wary of the mass produced ones. I love using an EQ in front of a NMV amp as a ‘clean channel’


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## Mitchell Pearrow

tallcoolone said:


> Does the MXR EQ add a lot of hiss? I had a Boss EQ that was noisy as hell so I’ve been wary of the mass produced ones. I love using an EQ in front of a NMV amp as a ‘clean channel’


I don’t get much hiss , but if you knock it around, it makes noise!
Hope this helps!
Cheers Mitch


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## SkyMonkey

For those out there who can't decide which OD to get, I can recommend the Source Audio L.A. Lady.
It is expensive (£160), but is front switchable between upto 6 of a possible 40 classic OD simulations (and distortions and fuzzes), each with individually remembered knob settings. Stereo too (in & out), so parallel OD engines (or stacked). Editable by USB connected app.
I had one for a while and loved it (even though I still didn't really understand how to use OD properly), but had to get a refund due to finances (to get a DSL40CR). I will get one again without hesitation when I can afford it.


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## purpleplexi

Custom tones ethos twe-1 into plexi. Don't know if it's love or lust but it's all- consuming.


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## Michael Roe

The Wampler Tumnus Deluxe, if I need a little more gain, followed by the always on Exotic EP Booster set at 0.


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## lespaul339




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## ampmadscientist

tallcoolone said:


> Thought about this when reading the Tubescreamer thread...I love dirt boxes in front of all—but especially Marshall amps. Bought and sold dozens and dozens of them and I think still have at least a dozen lying around. Love to hear experiences of others...here is what I have at the moment
> 
> *Maxon OD820*—honeymoon period but I love this guy. Like the TS9 but more treble, more headroom...just BIGGER. Also physically larger so keep in mind
> *Timmy*—love this, got replaced by the new Maxon OD820 but will be back. The original ‘transparent’ od
> *TS9*–benchmark mid hump od best run low in front of an already overdriven amp
> *Secret Preamp*—my ‘always on’ pedal at the end of the board. Not really an od, more of a compressor? I dunno—try one out, you’ll thank me.
> *SoloDallas Storm*—like the SP, more of a compressor/boost than an OD but where the SP is subtle the Storm is like a cock punch. Tons of boost on tap and something else that changes your tone more drastically than the SP.
> *Archer Ikon*—best ‘Klone’/Klon Cline I’ve tried. Pretty unique—not a ton of boost but I really liked it run like a TS—low gain, tone up. Great in front of my SC20 when it’s breathing a bit
> *Naga Viper treble booster*—Rangemaster circuit apparently? Sounds ‘Sabbath-y’ to me in front of my Marshalls. I like a lot of high end to my tone and this is lacking a bit in that Dept
> *Tone Job EQ/booster*—replaced the Detox as my ‘clean channel’ pedal. Set low it works just like your guitar volume the way it cleans up your tone. But better and actually tweakable
> *OCD*—if I were going to a gig not knowing what I was going to have as a backline I’d bring the OCD. At home in front of anything really—played a hard rock gig once with a 100w Hiwatt in a small room and only an OCD and a wah



Don't really use any pedals.
I just concentrate on getting the overdrive from the amp itself.
And if I can't get a decent tone from the amp, I figure I need a different amp that works better.
Don't really like the sound of transistors in boost pedals at all.


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## Midnight Blues

tallcoolone said:


> Can you give a brief review of the Plimsoul? I see them everywhere but never tried one out



Sure. It's a very versatile pedal. It has both "Soft" and "Hard" clipping settings that'll allow you to take it anywhere you want, from a nice warm bluesy Fendery tone all the way up to a (insert metal amp name here) metal tone.

For me, I'm kind of in the middle, i.e., getting the classic "British" tone and mainly use it on my Marshall 1974X, especially if my wife is home and/or I have the windows open. Yeah, it's only 18 Watts, but it's a LOUD  18 Watts!


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## MonstersOfTheMidway

Don't use distortion/overdrive/dirt pedals with my current amp, but when I did these were some of my favorites:

*Empress Heavy: bad-ass pedal with great tone shaping controls!
*T-Rex MudHoney2: Simple yet effective; produced distinct overdrive that served me well.
*Ibanez TS-9: the classic.
*Boss SD-1: wonderfully throaty tone characteristic right out of the box.


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## tallcoolone

ampmadscientist said:


> Don't really use any pedals.
> I just concentrate on getting the overdrive from the amp itself.
> And if I can't get a decent tone from the amp, I figure I need a different amp that works better.
> Don't really like the sound of transistors in boost pedals at all.


Hey to each their own. I find preconceptions like that to be limiting. I love trying new things and sharing the results on forums like this. For the most part I get unanimous praise for my tone and how I sit in the mix both here and IRL so something is working right!


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## paul-e-mann

tallcoolone said:


> Thought about this when reading the Tubescreamer thread...I love dirt boxes in front of all—but especially Marshall amps. Bought and sold dozens and dozens of them and I think still have at least a dozen lying around. Love to hear experiences of others...here is what I have at the moment
> 
> *Maxon OD820*—honeymoon period but I love this guy. Like the TS9 but more treble, more headroom...just BIGGER. Also physically larger so keep in mind
> *Timmy*—love this, got replaced by the new Maxon OD820 but will be back. The original ‘transparent’ od
> *TS9*–benchmark mid hump od best run low in front of an already overdriven amp
> *Secret Preamp*—my ‘always on’ pedal at the end of the board. Not really an od, more of a compressor? I dunno—try one out, you’ll thank me.
> *SoloDallas Storm*—like the SP, more of a compressor/boost than an OD but where the SP is subtle the Storm is like a cock punch. Tons of boost on tap and something else that changes your tone more drastically than the SP.
> *Archer Ikon*—best ‘Klone’/Klon Cline I’ve tried. Pretty unique—not a ton of boost but I really liked it run like a TS—low gain, tone up. Great in front of my SC20 when it’s breathing a bit
> *Naga Viper treble booster*—Rangemaster circuit apparently? Sounds ‘Sabbath-y’ to me in front of my Marshalls. I like a lot of high end to my tone and this is lacking a bit in that Dept
> *Tone Job EQ/booster*—replaced the Detox as my ‘clean channel’ pedal. Set low it works just like your guitar volume the way it cleans up your tone. But better and actually tweakable
> *OCD*—if I were going to a gig not knowing what I was going to have as a backline I’d bring the OCD. At home in front of anything really—played a hard rock gig once with a 100w Hiwatt in a small room and only an OCD and a wah



I have my amp set to edge of breakup as my core tone and use various pedals to get low, medium and high gain. I use a Boss GE7 EQ to push it into low gain. For medium gain I use a RAT distortion set on the low side. If I want to go heavy I have an MXR ZW OD I kick in on top of the GE7 to get a thick high gain.


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## mirrorman

I use a Bad Monkey, OCD or SD-1 in front of my DSL40C to give it a little extra push sometimes.
Also I sometimes use an MXR Super Comp to thicken things up a bit and give a little extra grit.
MXR 10 band equalizer in the loop for lead boosts.
I also have a DS-1 and a Jackhammer but don't use them with the Marshall.


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## LRT#1

Been playing with the sd1 but have found I like how the boss 7 band works in the loop of my 4100


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## jmp45

mirrorman said:


> I use a Bad Monkey, OCD or SD-1 in front of my DSL40C to give it a little extra push sometimes.
> Also I sometimes use an MXR Super Comp to thicken things up a bit and give a little extra grit.
> MXR 10 band equalizer in the loop for lead boosts.
> I also have a DS-1 and a Jackhammer but don't use them with the Marshall.



Everyone should have a Bad Monkey, the eq works well with any amp. Now, I use an OCD, Archer IKON or TubeDriver w/bias. Distorties I use either a V-Twin or BE-OD.


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## paul-e-mann

jmp45 said:


> Everyone should have a Bad Monkey, the eq works well with any amp. Now, I use an OCD, Archer IKON or TubeDriver w/bias. Distorties I use either a V-Twin or BE-OD.


I have a Bad Monkey I dont use all that much any more it was good at the time when I needed it, everybody always said it was a TS9 clone, I finally got a TS9 to compare side by side and I was like no way the TS9 is way better!


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## GuitarIV

Boss SD-1 in front of my 1982 JCM 800 2203. I have to yet hear and play an OD pedal that feels and sounds better for the type of music I play. Super cheap too. They got it right from the start with this one!


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## Kutt




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## johan.b

I'm using my trusted old 1987 boss SD1...
... and funny story..I had completely forgotten that it had a mod.... mid nineties I did a lot of thing's to it, but I thought I'd returned it to stock...I friend pointed out how good it sounded. I told him it was stock and he said no way... it is much clearer and puncher with a lively sparkle.. he said. so after arguing about it we opended it up... and there it was..a simple mod that makes a world of difference.... and NOW I remember.... it's really simple...I wanted the noise floor to drop, so I had replaced the diodes with green LEDs to triple signal to noise ratio, then changed a resistor to get it back to stock output level... thereby dropping the noise floor... if you have one of these and want to tinker, it's a 2$ 15 minute job if you do it yourself ... and after comparing to one that IS stock, Well worth it..
J
EDIT; I just learned that the new ones use a tiny surface mount component pcb that is a pain to work on. So if you plan on modding, track down an older one


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## SRD

Ibanez BB9
Fatter/Thicker tube screamer basically


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## grainman

try this germanium based big muff pie ...with 2 gain stage ..made by joe doc music "JDM" ..a must have if you want overdrive with lots of attitude and if you like the tube screamer youll be in your territory but this kicks ass way more if wanted..but in front of a marshall super lead its perfect at ¨green¨ setting which is less gain and germanium transistor based..sound a bit like a ff...if you want clapton cream solo tones at ¨mean¨youll be there ..its more big muff style gain with more mids .. think nirvana , or ¨fell on black days ¨guitar tone


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## Kookaburra

During the early 80s, I was using a early/mid 70s 50 watt NMV metal face Marshall. I used an Ibanez Tube Screamer. A couple years later, I switched to an early JCM 800, no box, just plugged straight in. Same with a 900 some years later.

I have clones now, no dirt boxes with those either, although a treble boost can be fun.


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## Sustainium

Just order my first pedal ever, MT-2 Metal Zone.


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## WellBurnTheSky

Okya, did 3 gigs in a week with the OCD into the SV20H and EVH cab...and it sounds F.....G GREAT !!!! Deal done, I'm sold, never was happier with how my rig sounds in the PA.
It pushes the amp in the right way, getting it from mild crunch to full-on distortion, with largely enough gain to do legato/tapping/sweeping/pinch harmonics shenanigans (you still need some volume of course, but gotta compete with the drummer anyway). Sounds big, chewy, raunchy, just perfect.
Interestingly, it didn't sound quite as good in front of the DSL set in a similar way, but into the SV...damn does it sound good !
Between this and the OD9, I have the perfect range of gain levels from pretty clean (using single coils) to mid-80s hard rock/metal and everything in-between.
Even my drummer commented on how good the rig sounded, which kinda says a lot 
Now I get why lots of people recommended it, again, super happy with it !


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## Metroman

2 stacked 2004 Analogman White Dot NKT275 Sunface/Sundial
Roger Mayer 4644 Drive
5 knob Butler Tube Driver
89 Marshall The Guv'nor
Mayer Concorde+ Treble Booster
1458 Timmy
Castledine Colorsound
Mayer Voodoo Blues

I don't run them all though. 4 at most



Main amp is LTD ED Metro GMP45 head x 4 Pulsonic G12M


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## Mitchell Pearrow

Sustainium said:


> Just order my first pedal ever, MT-2 Metal Zone.



 To the forum.
Let us know how it works out for you!
Cheers Mitch


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## Sacalait

I'll have to try the OCD. I have one but have been using the Wampler Tumnus Deluxe as my main overdrive pedal with my SV20H. I like it a lot. My 'secondary' od pedal is the the Xotic EP Booster. I may try the OCD instead of it as I get lots of crunch from the SV20 naturally. 



WellBurnTheSky said:


> Okya, did 3 gigs in a week with the OCD into the SV20H and EVH cab...and it sounds F.....G GREAT !!!! Deal done, I'm sold, never was happier with how my rig sounds in the PA.
> It pushes the amp in the right way, getting it from mild crunch to full-on distortion, with largely enough gain to do legato/tapping/sweeping/pinch harmonics shenanigans (you still need some volume of course, but gotta compete with the drummer anyway). Sounds big, chewy, raunchy, just perfect.
> Interestingly, it didn't sound quite as good in front of the DSL set in a similar way, but into the SV...damn does it sound good !
> Between this and the OD9, I have the perfect range of gain levels from pretty clean (using single coils) to mid-80s hard rock/metal and everything in-between.
> Even my drummer commented on how good the rig sounded, which kinda says a lot
> Now I get why lots of people recommended it, again, super happy with it !


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## Rozman62

I've been using a Naga Viper treble booster on half the time into an Orange or Marshall. Great Priest or Iommi tones. Next to it is usually a Maxon 808. I will also swap out for an OCD, Fulltone 2, SD-1 or a Soulfood. The OCD provides the biggest boost and most transparent tone. No pedals on and rolling down the volume gets me a pretty decent clean tone so I've come to utilize single channel amps. The Naga stays on my board. I have a Mesa Mark V-35 and find myself not using pedals with that rig too much. OD pedals, despite how they are used, tighten up amps in a good way IMO.


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## SkyMonkey

Sustainium said:


> Just order my first pedal ever, MT-2 Metal Zone.



Hi @Sustainium, welcome to The Forum. 

I don't know if you have followed the latest YT vids about the Metal Zone. Basically do not use it in front of the amp. Try it directly into the FX return jack of your amp (bypassing all the pre-amp and EQ sections of the amp). As the MT-2 is designed to be a standalone pre-amp in itself it seems to work best this way. I have tried mine both ways. and in the FX return is definitely the best. Also if you have a looper (or a mate to play a riff for you) you can repeat the riff whilst you are hands-free to dial in the MT-2 EQ (it's tricky - wildly sensitive!).

Enjoy.


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## WellBurnTheSky

It could work though, as long as you keep gain very low. The parametric EQ could definitely help really shape how the pedal is hitting the amp.
I remember Reb Beach using it that way with Whitesnake a few years ago for instance (more like 15 years actually ).
But yeah, that wouldn't be the most obvious choice. Definitely worth giving it a try though. And yeah, using a looper to dial in things is a great suggestion !


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## Sustainium

SkyMonkey said:


> Hi @Sustainium, welcome to The Forum.
> 
> I don't know if you have followed the latest YT vids about the Metal Zone. Basically do not use it in front of the amp. Try it directly into the FX return jack of your amp (bypassing all the pre-amp and EQ sections of the amp). As the MT-2 is designed to be a standalone pre-amp in itself it seems to work best this way. I have tried mine both ways. and in the FX return is definitely the best. Also if you have a looper (or a mate to play a riff for you) you can repeat the riff whilst you are hands-free to dial in the MT-2 EQ (it's tricky - wildly sensitive!).
> 
> Enjoy.


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## Sustainium

SkyMonkey said:


> Hi @Sustainium, welcome to The Forum.
> 
> I don't know if you have followed the latest YT vids about the Metal Zone. Basically do not use it in front of the amp. Try it directly into the FX return jack of your amp (bypassing all the pre-amp and EQ sections of the amp). As the MT-2 is designed to be a standalone pre-amp in itself it seems to work best this way. I have tried mine both ways. and in the FX return is definitely the best. Also if you have a looper (or a mate to play a riff for you) you can repeat the riff whilst you are hands-free to dial in the MT-2 EQ (it's tricky - wildly sensitive!).
> 
> Enjoy.


----------



## Sustainium

Thanks for the heads up on the YT info, I’ll be sure to check it out.
I will have to try it in the loop as I have only run it through the front of amp so far. I just ordered a DSL1HR / MX112R from Sweetwater today so I’ll try the loop out when they arrive. I just returned a DSL20CR, was just too loud for my liking. I tried to make an informed decision when I bought it but got it wrong. Great forum, glad I joined.


----------



## Sustainium

Mitchell Pearrow said:


> To the forum.
> Let us know how it works out for you!
> Cheers Mitch



Thanks for the warm welcome! 
Lot of heavy grinding sounds produced by this box, exactly what I was looking for.


----------



## Mitchell Pearrow

Sustainium said:


> Thanks for the warm welcome!
> Lot of heavy grinding sounds produced by this box, exactly what I was looking for.


That’s great brother, if you can post a clip of your tone findings.
I love to hear all my friends here on the forums clips. mitch


----------



## SkyMonkey

I know this is getting way off topic because the MT-2 is definitely not an overdrive pedal. But here's the Ola Englund vid that sold it for me!


----------



## WellBurnTheSky

It IS a great pedal. The parametric mids is quite powerful, which makes it too complicated for beginners and pretty easy to set badly, in which case it can sound godawful. But when dialed in, it sounds killer. And it's super flexible, thanks to the parametric mids.


----------



## Sustainium

SkyMonkey said:


> I know this is getting way off topic because the MT-2 is definitely not an overdrive pedal. But here's the Ola Englund vid that sold it for me!



Thanks for posting this, that was great. I’ll try some of his settings.


----------



## progrockabuse

I'm really hankering after some new sounds. Been thinking of taking the plunge on an Earthquaker Devices plumes, which seems like a Modded TS style OD but with different clipping options. Though I've been a cheap and cheerful pedal-guy in recent years and debate whether £110 is worth dropping on it when i could probably snag a TS style clone on eBay for £20-30.


----------



## Sustainium

Yolo!


----------



## Trapland

I never use dirt pedals because, well.........Marshall.


----------



## harleytech

I love my Metal Zone !!!
And I know how to use it's Parametric EQ...
I have tried them all , No other pedal matches it..


----------



## LuvMy2466

I go classic, I have an SV20 head and an attenuator is a must to be able to crank it to get the goods, and doesn't disappoint. Depending on what I'm going for or guitar I'm using (LP's or Strats) I use a BC183 Sunface, Timmy, couple of different flavors of Rangmaster (OC71, Smooth, OC44, angrier) and/or a stock TS9 and /or SD-1 to boost and tighten for solo's Nothing else needed, they just add to what the Marshall gives.


----------



## Gutch220

Maxon OD-9
Boss BD-2 Blues Driver
Maxon SM-9Pro+ Super Medal
Supro Drive
Homemade Dallas Rangemaster Clone germanium treble booster

they all sound different so I'll just use whatever I see fit. But the BD-2 is mostly for Strats/single-coils. It REALLY sounds good. 
The SM-9Pro+ is my favorite distortion pedal I've come across. This is pure thrash metal in a box
The Supro Drive is the newest one. It's darker, but very smooth and reactive to your playing/guitar. I'd recommend everyone to at least try it. It's not like any other overdrive pedal.


----------



## progrockabuse

Gutch220 said:


> Maxon OD-9
> Boss BD-2 Blues Driver
> Maxon SM-9Pro+ Super Medal
> Supro Drive
> Homemade Dallas Rangemaster Clone germanium treble booster
> 
> they all sound different so I'll just use whatever I see fit. But the BD-2 is mostly for Strats/single-coils. It REALLY sounds good.
> The SM-9Pro+ is my favorite distortion pedal I've come across. This is pure thrash metal in a box
> The Supro Drive is the newest one. It's darker, but very smooth and reactive to your playing/guitar. I'd recommend everyone to at least try it. It's not like any other overdrive pedal.



Is your BD-2 stock or modded? Keep thinking of revisiting one.


----------



## progrockabuse

LuvMy2466 said:


> I go classic, I have an SV20 head and an attenuator is a must to be able to crank it to get the goods, and doesn't disappoint. Depending on what I'm going for or guitar I'm using (LP's or Strats) I use a BC183 Sunface, Timmy, couple of different flavors of Rangmaster (OC71, Smooth, OC44, angrier) and/or a stock TS9 and /or SD-1 to boost and tighten for solo's Nothing else needed, they just add to what the Marshall gives.



In an ideal situation, i'd love to get my attenuator fixed so i could go sans pedals like i did with my orange terror. Just can't get any drive out of the origin 20 without killing the neighbours.


----------



## Adieu

progrockabuse said:


> In an ideal situation, i'd love to get my attenuator fixed so i could go sans pedals like i did with my orange terror. Just can't get any drive out of the origin 20 without killing the neighbours.



NOLO!

(Neighbours only live once)

Kill em dead, no neighbours no problems


----------



## Filipe Soares

In front of the major I like the Mooer Pure Boost or a GE7.

Yesterday I was testing some boosts in the JCM800kk the SD1 and the Pureboost sounded great. DOD250 ok, Lacerate Boost sounded like crap.


----------



## Gutch220

progrockabuse said:


> Is your BD-2 stock or modded? Keep thinking of revisiting one.


Stock


----------



## dptone5

Xotic RC Booster, BB Preamp and AC Booster. Absolutely love all three.


----------



## Cosmic Ray

Klon KTR

Very satisfied


----------



## bordonbert

Won't be popular but with my 2210 I always have a Blackstar Dual HT in front which can really tighten up the sound nicely without descending into dog rough metal tones. Plus, I waver between a good old Marshall BB2, (to me a diode clipper is a diode clipper pretty much), and my own SRPP design similar to the Muamp Okko Diablo, (with the Diablo's internet circuitry error corrected)! All different and all nice if used subtly for the classic 70s/80s rock I play.


----------



## groovenev

bordonbert said:


> Won't be popular but with my 2210 I always have a Blackstar Dual HT in front which can really tighten up the sound nicely without descending into dog rough metal tones. Plus, I waver between a good old Marshall BB2, (to me a diode clipper is a diode clipper pretty much), and my own SRPP design similar to the Muamp Okko Diablo, (with the Diablo's internet circuitry error corrected)! All different and all nice if used subtly for the classic 70s/80s rock I play.


----------



## bordonbert

Sorry Groovenev, I'm not seeing anything in your post except what I wrote. Am I missing something?


----------



## guitarzan2525

Friedman BE-OD works good with anything. Fender, Vox, Marshall. From slightly overdrive to MASSIVE warm gain (without the massive volume).


----------



## tallcoolone

OP here—I tried a bunch more ODs over the past month and settled on the Archer Rockaway as my go to. The 6 band eq is absolutely awesome. I also like the Angry Driver for wide range of great options and the Nux Rattler is a lot of fun for over the top Rat slash fuzz madness. Chase Secret Preamp is a bit noisy but still is usually always on if I’m playing a Marshall—it’s really like it was made for them.


----------



## tallcoolone

BftGibson said:


> View attachment 62257


What’s this?


----------



## HOT TUBES 70

tallcoolone said:


> What’s this?







Its a clone of a Catlinbread Royal Albert Hall with a Zvex SHO boost upfront .


----------



## HOT TUBES 70

This is a triple circuit beast with a Friedman Buxum boost , Modified Klon OD , and Cleanish booster for good measure . It's still not wired yet ... on my list of things to get done soon . I built it for myself supposedly lol ... 
I'm still not sure what knob looks good on this pedal also ...




20190818_232836 





20190909_031117


----------



## dragonvalve




----------



## jwoods986

progrockabuse said:


> I'm really hankering after some new sounds. Been thinking of taking the plunge on an Earthquaker Devices plumes, which seems like a Modded TS style OD but with different clipping options. Though I've been a cheap and cheerful pedal-guy in recent years and debate whether £110 is worth dropping on it when i could probably snag a TS style clone on eBay for £20-30.


 
I just got a Behringer TO800 ($24 US) recently and it's a great TS clone for cheap!


----------



## JeepO'Caster

Timmy, Archer Klone, POB Zentastik(Dumble), TDrive, Superlead Plexidrive, with a couple delays, EHX Worm, and a Shaky JimiVibe/chorus in the loop


----------



## Tim Bushong

But only in front of either the '78 2150 or the '81 4104.


----------



## bblooz

Friedman BE-OD


----------



## bullhead

Another Friedman BE-OD user here. I love the tone through my 800. It's my go to od but I'm also still in the honeymoon phase with my Boss DS-1.


----------



## eastwood6

OCD for the 1974x, SD-1 for the 2204S.


----------



## SkyMonkey

Well, despite my earlier post about the Source Audio L.A. Lady, I went for a 2nd hand BOSS BD-2 Blues Driver (one half of the Angry Driver).
I have been thinking of setting up a simple pedalboard and am collecting a wish-list of 2nd hand pedals as they come into my LGS. May have them all by this time next year!


----------



## Mitchell Pearrow

Tim Bushong said:


> View attachment 63450
> 
> But only in front of either the '78 2150 or the '81 4104.


Welcome to the forum my new MF
Brother


----------



## Jeff Hudson

tallcoolone said:


> Thought about this when reading the Tubescreamer thread...I love dirt boxes in front of all—but especially Marshall amps. Bought and sold dozens and dozens of them and I think still have at least a dozen lying around. Love to hear experiences of others...here is what I have at the moment
> 
> *Maxon OD820*—honeymoon period but I love this guy. Like the TS9 but more treble, more headroom...just BIGGER. Also physically larger so keep in mind
> *Timmy*—love this, got replaced by the new Maxon OD820 but will be back. The original ‘transparent’ od
> *TS9*–benchmark mid hump od best run low in front of an already overdriven amp
> *Secret Preamp*—my ‘always on’ pedal at the end of the board. Not really an od, more of a compressor? I dunno—try one out, you’ll thank me.
> *SoloDallas Storm*—like the SP, more of a compressor/boost than an OD but where the SP is subtle the Storm is like a cock punch. Tons of boost on tap and something else that changes your tone more drastically than the SP.
> *Archer Ikon*—best ‘Klone’/Klon Cline I’ve tried. Pretty unique—not a ton of boost but I really liked it run like a TS—low gain, tone up. Great in front of my SC20 when it’s breathing a bit
> *Naga Viper treble booster*—Rangemaster circuit apparently? Sounds ‘Sabbath-y’ to me in front of my Marshalls. I like a lot of high end to my tone and this is lacking a bit in that Dept
> *Tone Job EQ/booster*—replaced the Detox as my ‘clean channel’ pedal. Set low it works just like your guitar volume the way it cleans up your tone. But better and actually tweakable
> *OCD*—if I were going to a gig not knowing what I was going to have as a backline I’d bring the OCD. At home in front of anything really—played a hard rock gig once with a 100w Hiwatt in a small room and only an OCD and a wah


Keeley modified Blues Driver, MXR Prime Distortion, MXR Gibbons fuzz. Also in front, Cry Baby with Feasel inductor and MXR Dyna Comp.


----------



## LCW

Savage Drive


----------



## drolaw

Tim Bushong said:


> View attachment 63450
> 
> But only in front of either the '78 2150 or the '81 4104.



I have this OD but can't use it because I pick up some radio stations. No idea why that happens with only this pedal. No matter the setup. Weird.


----------



## rafalynch

Drolaw,
Eliminating the problem of radio station is very simple, you have to put a 0.01 uf capacitor of the ground connector of the input jack to the chassis. It is best to make a hole in the chassis and put a screw with a connector to solder the capacitor. Your Marshall will not ring the radio again. Excuse my English.


----------



## rafalynch

You must be welded to the grounding pin (black wire) of the high input jack closest to the chassis in the Marshall's before 1983. If it is after that year you have to locate the jack's ground pin on the board input


----------



## drolaw

rafalynch said:


> View attachment 63753
> Drolaw,
> Eliminating the problem of radio station is very simple, you have to put a 0.01 uf capacitor of the ground connector of the input jack to the chassis. It is best to make a hole in the chassis and put a screw with a connector to solder the capacitor. Your Marshall will not ring the radio again. Excuse my English.



Thanks for the tip - definitely will try that.


----------



## jcm800gridlock

Two OD pedals, a Greer Lightspeed for transparent low-mid overdrive and a J-Rockett Dude for higher gain.


----------



## Thevenin

rafalynch said:


> View attachment 63753
> Drolaw,
> Eliminating the problem of radio station is very simple, you have to put a 0.01 uf capacitor of the ground connector of the input jack to the chassis. It is best to make a hole in the chassis and put a screw with a connector to solder the capacitor. Your Marshall will not ring the radio again. Excuse my English.


Does the cap trick work for SS too? Every time I fire up the 75 Reverb, I'm on a Mexican (whoa-oh) radio...


----------



## rafalynch

In the Marshall after 1983 with the jack and potentiometers welded to the plate it is more difficult to access the pin of the ground, you have to disassemble the entire front of potentiometers to remove the plate since the welds are at the bottom. But you can try a provisional wire without disassembling the plate, with a crocodile clamp and the capacitor, connecting the jack input pin to the chassis. And then decide whether to disassemble everything or weld to the outer pin. excuse my English


----------



## slide222

I find with 2525c, and 2555x, there is no need for distortion pedals , and I use them as a 2 channel amp , sometimes I'll use a sonus wah


----------



## Metroman

I use a few different drives with my Metro/JTM45 repro.

89 Marshall.. The Guv'nor. Sounds a lot like my amp, but allows me to dial in a lot more gain, at a lower volume, and not lose the basic tonal character of my amp. If you ever get one, make sure you use a power supply as the battery access is the worst ever made.

Roger Mayer 4644 Drive.

Very clean, and clear Low/Medium Gain Drive. Has the best volume sweep of any pedal Ive used. Very very gradual sweep.

Works extremely well as a master volume controller. Keeps every harmonic even at reduced volumes. Very Ultra Wide Band frequency response..10hz-100kHz and keeps the low end tight, and harmonics preserved. No Mud. Tone control is more like an EQ vs Bass/Treble Cut/Add.
The Tone control shifts the harmonics vs Cutting, or adding Bass, or Treble. Its not as dramatic as a normal Tone control. Very subtle like a Chase Tone Secret Preamp. Only a bit more. Is the least intrusive pedal Ive probably used.

Makes my 1458 chip Timmy sound like it has a blanket on it, ( and I like the Timmy-Had it since 2011-I mainly use it to drive a Big Muff, and 2004 Analogman Sunface/Sundial white dot NKT275 Sunface/Sundial... ) 4644 also will work with any amplifier, or pickup combination. Timmy is way more finicky..... IMHO theres no pedal around that is any better than this one for preserving the exact sound of your signal chain at unity gain, and then allows you to use whatever Gain-Volume, and Tone setting you want.
Has 2 Buffered Outs, and 1 Hardwired Bypass.

2004 Analogman Sunface/Sundial white dot-low/medium gain. Turn the Fuzz down, and volume up.

Timmy 1458 chip

Barber Gain Changer.. Really nice pedal. Has its own thing going on, and is a first rate drive pedal, especially for the money.

Butler 5 knob Tube Driver.. All kinds of stuff going on with this pedal. IMHO does not do best at bedroom volumes. Huge EQ capabilities, and will do everything from slight drive, to big muff territory.

Pete Cornish 3Q1/Boost.. I use it as an extension of the Metro Preamp to add in more tonal variation. Often stack it with the 4644, and Guv'nor

MOOG Minifooger Drive.

Love this drive. Is very finicky, hard to dial in, but after you learn how to use it, is a killer drive pedal. It is a Low Pass Filter, with 3db-57db Drive.

I can get some killer Clean Fender Tweed type tones from this pedal, and the Cocked Wah is also really good. Can also get into Big Muff territory. 57db Drive. If you got your amp cranked, and have the low end of this pedal dialed in with heavy drive, you better have some good speaker(s) or it will fart them out.

Mayer Visage Fuzz. Does great clean boost-heavy fuzz. 45 EQ possibilities.

Can also get some really good Wah sounds with an EXP pedal... Big under the radar pedal, but hard to find.


----------



## IOSEPHVS

Cock Fight Plus
Deluxe Big Muff Pi
Graphic Fuzz
LPB-1 
Soul POG

I usually just use the OD channel. I'm not too keen on adding transistor-based distortion to my sound. Having said that, the Graphic Fuzz is by far my favorite transistor-based distortion. The Soul Food side of the Soul POG is useable. I've been trying to dial in the Deluxe Big Muff Pi for a couple of months. I can't get anything close to acceptable. The only thing I like about the pedal is the ability to set and sweep the mids with an EXP pedal. I plan on trying to sell it soon. The Cock Fight Plus is a crying/talking wah with fuzz that is a lot of fun. I use the LPB-1 strictly as a clean boost.


----------



## BatmansMarshall

I use either an Earthquaker device Dunes which switches between different ODs or a single knob Arrows also from EQD which is a pre-amp boost with its own color if the Dune isn't working out. I sold my Boss SD-1 (best Marshall OD ever) and my TS9 in on the shelf, because I have been using them for years and just want to change up with some boutique ODs.


----------



## Amadeus91

Keeley modded Maxon SD-9 had it a long time
but I think it has the Steve Vai "Seeing Eye Mod" if I remeber
correctly. Very nice, indeed.


----------



## jwoods986

BatmansMarshall said:


> I use either an Earthquaker device Dunes which switches between different ODs or a single knob Arrows also from EQD which is a pre-amp boost with its own color if the Dune isn't working out. I sold my Boss SD-1 (best Marshall OD ever) and my TS9 in on the shelf, because I have been using them for years and just want to change up with some boutique ODs.



I picked up a used SD-1 a week ago ($30) and love it in front of my DSL40CR! I already had a TS9DX and Behringer TO800 (ts808 knock-off), but comparing all 3, I prefer the SD-1 to the TS-type pedals. I sold the DX and may keep the TO800 and the SD for different tones or maybe just have the SD-1 always on and use the TO as a solo boost.


----------



## dslman

Nothing has dethroned the MXR-M77 CBAMOD.
I have a Digitech Hardwire CM-2 that's okay if you want a little more gain.


----------



## dslman

Mitchell Pearrow said:


> I only have 2 overdrive pedals
> SD1, Joyo Ultimate drive, but since I started using the mxr 10 band eq I have removed the od pedals, my 2 rigs are Dsl40c’s, and Origin 50H’s, each rig has a lead 100 mosfet along for the ride
> And I am truly liking the tones I can get from each rig!
> Cheers Mitch


You might like the Joyo Vintage OD too. They are close to the SD-1.


----------



## Mitchell Pearrow

dslman said:


> You might like the Joyo Vintage OD too. They are close to the SD-1.


Thanks for the tip brother, will give it a shot .
Thanks


----------



## jwoods986

dslman said:


> Nothing has dethroned the MXR-M77 CBAMOD.
> I have a Digitech Hardwire CM-2 that's okay if you want a little more gain.



Funny you mention MXR, also in the last week I got an MXR-M66S Classic Overdrive. It was a GC daily deal (and I think this particular version is a GC exclusive) for $40, and I had $30 in rewards, so I paid 10 bucks for it! I just played around with it one day so far but definitely like it. I understand that when you pop the back cover off, there's a switch to give it more gain (more like the Zakk Wylde version), but I haven't tried that yet.


----------



## dslman

jwoods986 said:


> Funny you mention MXR, also in the last week I got an MXR-M66S Classic Overdrive. It was a GC daily deal (and I think this particular version is a GC exclusive) for $40, and I had $30 in rewards, so I paid 10 bucks for it! I just played around with it one day so far but definitely like it. I understand that when you pop the back cover off, there's a switch to give it more gain (more like the Zakk Wylde version), but I haven't tried that yet.




Yes , those are close to the GT-OD, which I had also.
They are in the family of a Boss SD-1 from my exp, also had the switch inside like yours.
The M77 is also asymmetrical clipping plus the 100hz, and bump button for more botom end.
All very nice pedals. The Joyo Vintage OD hangs pretty well with those too, but there is something about the voice of the M77 that keeps me coming back to it, even compared to expensive handmade boxes.


----------



## Maggot Brain

The lovepedal JTM overdrive, I absolutley love this pedal... haha no pun intended! Anyways, it is great thru any amp but really shines on my 2266. It takes the VM's JTM character and amplifies/exaggerates it, like an exstension of the amp's voice... just a perfect pairing. I also love that infront of any of my other amp's it does a great Marshall/JTM impression, allowing me to get close to my desired tone no matter what amp I happen to be on. If I am unable to crank out my 2266, throwing the JTM pedal infront of my little 2 watt tube amp sure fills the void. Overall, I will never part with this pedal, extremely useful tool to me.

Not overdrive per se but runner up is my Roger Mayer Classic Fuzz Face... It oozes " Are You Experienced" and early Jimi tone that I am highly fond of. It is also the best behaving fuzz Ive encountered, rolling off the guitar volume allows for extra chimey clean tones that absolutley sold me. I previously had an Arcane Analog FF66 germanium fuzz, while it was beautiful and very "authentic" sounding fuzz face clone, it really could not compete with the RM, especially cleaning up.


----------



## Barry A

EHX Big Muff with Boss Ds1 up front, distortion at 9:00 and volume at 3:00 for solos. Play on Origin 50H and Origin 212 cab. I’m not a fan of the tone of the ds1 though. 

Sadly, my ooooooold SD1 puttered our before I got my Origin half stack, so I havent had a chance to use an SD1 up front, but I just ordered a new one to try out!


----------



## El Gringo

anitoli said:


> None. High gain Marshall's do not need them.


 This is my exact sentiment and the perfect reason why I love my 2555X's so much .


----------



## IOSEPHVS

After several months of experimenting with solid state distortion devices in front of my Marshall, I am returning to my life without them. The only exception is my EHX Graphic Fuzz (Graphic Distortion would be a better name) which I use solely for its EQ section. Although, I have to say it has the best sounding distortion of everything I have tried.


----------



## Len

Light OD - Timmy
Medium OD - Custom Modified Badass OD
Heavy OD - Fullbore Metal


----------



## jwoods986

dslman said:


> Yes , those are close to the GT-OD, which I had also.
> They are in the family of a Boss SD-1 from my exp, also had the switch inside like yours.
> The M77 is also asymmetrical clipping plus the 100hz, and bump button for more botom end.
> All very nice pedals. The Joyo Vintage OD hangs pretty well with those too, but there is something about the voice of the M77 that keeps me coming back to it, even compared to expensive handmade boxes.



Hmmm, turns out mine doesn't have a switch for some reason? Opened it up yesterday and I don't see anything resembling a switch -












IMG_1475



__ jwoods986
__ Jun 29, 2020


----------



## Matthews Guitars

I only use a clean boost in front of my Marshalls. I use a Seymour Duncan Pickup Booster.

I don't put overdrive/distortion pedals in my signal chain. My attitude is that the amp's overdrive should be so good that a pedal is pointless.

I won't have an amp whose overdrive is so bad that you'd use a pedal for distortion instead. Just not my thing.


----------



## Acvox

Hi guys, this is my first post on the forum..be gentle.. ..
A great thread, and so many classic pedals mentioned. I'm surprised that my
current favourite wasn't mentioned, so I'd like to throw the Crowther Hot Cake into the mix. 

A superb pedal with all the level to push the front end of our Marshalls and a gain character that changes subtly as you increase the drive.
The, 'presance' control is curiously misnamed, as it functions much like the treble control on my old AC30. Increasing warmth and midrange as you turn it clockwise. 

This allows me to 'voice' the pedal to the amp I'm playing matching the two almost seamlessly. I've had this thing for yrs and only now am I realising what a valuable and versatile tool this pedal is. 
BTW The current models have a switch so you get both versions in the one pedal..


----------



## Sg-ocaster

Boss sd1 gain off vol almost cranked....for Marshall's ........Boss ds1 dist off....vol 7 for fenders.


----------



## crossroadsnyc

Lately, my favorite boost is the one built into my YJM100, which I think is based on the YJM308 (which, I believe is a derivative of the DOD 250?) ... either way, it has me kind of gassing for an old school grey box DOD 250. 

Why do I like the boost built into the YJM? It sound very natural and a part of the amp. I don't know if this has something to do w/the placement of the boost w/in the amp or not, but it just kicks the amp into a new territory that feels more like an extension of the amp than a pedal.


----------



## crossroadsnyc

Oh, and short of my new fetish, I've always just liked an SD-1 into a Marshall. Just a good pairing to me. I'm sure there are better boxes out there though.


----------



## Mitchell Pearrow

Acvox said:


> Hi guys, this is my first post on the forum..be gentle.. ..
> A great thread, and so many classic pedals mentioned. I'm surprised that my
> current favourite wasn't mentioned, so I'd like to throw the Crowther Hot Cake into the mix.
> 
> A superb pedal with all the level to push the front end of our Marshalls and a gain character that changes subtly as you increase the drive.
> The, 'presance' control is curiously misnamed, as it functions much like the treble control on my old AC30. Increasing warmth and midrange as you turn it clockwise.
> 
> This allows me to 'voice' the pedal to the amp I'm playing matching the two almost seamlessly. I've had this thing for yrs and only now am I realising what a valuable and versatile tool this pedal is.
> BTW The current models have a switch so you get both versions in the one pedal..


 To the forum 
Cheers 
Mitch


----------



## Mitchell Pearrow

crossroadsnyc said:


> Oh, and short of my new fetish, I've always just liked an SD-1 into a Marshall. Just a good pairing to me. I'm sure there are better boxes out there though.





crossroadsnyc said:


> Oh, and short of my new fetish, I've always just liked an SD-1 into a Marshall. Just a good pairing to me. I'm sure there are better boxes out there though.


 I too am a fan of the SD1.
Thanks


----------



## Sustainium

Mitchell Pearrow said:


> I too am a fan of the SD1.
> Thanks


I hear so many recommending the SD1 that I just ordered the iconic yellow box to see what I’m missing.


----------



## Mitchell Pearrow

Sustainium said:


> I hear so many recommending the SD1 that I just ordered the iconic yellow box to see what I’m missing.


It does a great job on Marshall amps !!
Cheers


----------



## Acvox

Mitchell Pearrow said:


> To the forum
> Cheers
> Mitch



Many thanks for the warm welcome, much appreciated. 
I'm a little late to the party but it's great to finally join you all.. Cheers !


----------



## Barry A

I just got an EHX Soul Food pedal and it sounds so good on the Origin 50H. It sweetens up the tone and gives a lot more headroom, even if my volume is at 9:00. With the volume and gain on the head at 3:00, not much of a difference, except a lot more lower end.

So I haven’t been thrilled with the tones coming out of the DI Output on the Origin 50H. The tones are always flat, and a little muddy, and the volume output is low. Even putting a Big Muff and DS1 in front does nothing. But this morning, I used the Soul Food pedal and holy crap! Night and day! I’m not sure how this pedal effects the DI output but it sounds amazing. 

Running it through my DI into my iPad and using Fiddlicator and a Marshall 4x12 IR


----------



## Acvox

You can't go far wrong with the classic pedals when it comes to really pushing the front end of your Marshall. They have survived the test of time after all. What I particularly like is that none of them will break the bank, and despite the superb boutique pedals I've a major weakness for, on almost any classic album you could name, a few pedals are referenced again and again.
The BOSS OD1, SD1and DS1. The Pro Co Rat. The MXR Dist ll / DOD 250.
Ibanez TS9 / 808. Amongst others. (I've only omitted boosters and fuzz pedals for brevity )..


----------



## Acvox

EHX rarely get anything wrong in all they do, and I'm only familiar with the Big Muff. 
This EHX Soul food, seems to have won an awful lot of guitarists over like the previous poster. 
What's the deal with this particular pedal ?


----------



## Vesperado

Looks like you uncovered the utility of an EQ pedal, too!


----------



## Tiboy

Sustainium said:


> I hear so many recommending the SD1 that I just ordered the iconic yellow box to see what I’m missing.



Despite having a number of boost pedals on my board, I’m tempted to follow your lead for the same reason. I’ll put you on the spot and postpone my decision until you report back.


----------



## Barry A

Acvox said:


> EHX rarely get anything wrong in all they do, and I'm only familiar with the Big Muff.
> This EHX Soul food, seems to have won an awful lot of guitarists over like the previous poster.
> What's the deal with this particular pedal ?


It’s a clone of the Klon Centaur which is one of the most desired pedals ever. It’s a low gain OD that adds a rich, warm tone and has a thick bottom end, even if your MV and gain are low. It really sweetens up the clean tones and adds a lot of depth to my big muff, I’m loving it.


----------



## Sustainium

Tiboy said:


> Despite having a number of boost pedals on my board, I’m tempted to follow your lead for the same reason. I’ll put you on the spot and postpone my decision until you report back.


It arrived already from Sweetwater, only takes a day to deliver here from them. I chose the SD-1W Waza Craft model. I honestly wasn’t expecting a whole lot but was surprised how much I like this pedal. It’s so easy to find great tones compared to others I have with more bells and whistles. I’m definitely a fan of the Waza Craft series and ordered my fourth one today, the CE-2W Chorus pedal.


----------



## IOSEPHVS

None, now. I sold them except for the EHX Graphic Fuzz which I just use for its EQ section, and the LPB-1 for clean boost.


----------



## Tiboy

Sustainium said:


> It arrived already from Sweetwater, only takes a day to deliver here from them. I chose the SD-1W Waza Craft model. I honestly wasn’t expecting a whole lot but was surprised how much I like this pedal. It’s so easy to find great tones compared to others I have with more bells and whistles. I’m definitely a fan of the Waza Craft series and ordered my fourth one today, the CE-2W Chorus pedal.



‘Thanks.


----------



## WellBurnTheSky

Sustainium said:


> It arrived already from Sweetwater, only takes a day to deliver here from them. I chose the SD-1W Waza Craft model. I honestly wasn’t expecting a whole lot but was surprised how much I like this pedal. It’s so easy to find great tones compared to others I have with more bells and whistles. I’m definitely a fan of the Waza Craft series and ordered my fourth one today, the CE-2W Chorus pedal.


You'll love the CE-2W. I have an original CE-2 (long dash logo, MIJ, black label), and it's the best analog chorus I have ever heard or played. A few friends have tried to purchase it from me, won't happen. Wonderful pedal, and the Waza version is impressively close.


----------



## Sustainium

WellBurnTheSky said:


> You'll love the CE-2W. I have an original CE-2 (long dash logo, MIJ, black label), and it's the best analog chorus I have ever heard or played. A few friends have tried to purchase it from me, won't happen. Wonderful pedal, and the Waza version is impressively close.


Thanks for your positive feedback on this chorus pedal. I already have the Boss CE-5 and looking forward to comparing the two. 
I will have to wait a bit longer as I just received a call from Sweetwater that the CE-2W is out of stock and they expect more in a week, lol.


----------



## Jakeboy

Lovepedal OD11or Lovepedal AMP 808 here....or any Rangemaster clone...


----------



## jwoods986

jwoods986 said:


> Hmmm, turns out mine doesn't have a switch for some reason? Opened it up yesterday and I don't see anything resembling a switch -
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> IMG_1475
> 
> 
> 
> __ jwoods986
> __ Jun 29, 2020



Well I just found this video showing the switch, it's on top of the circuit board, so you have to remove it - that's silly! And MXR doesn't mention it on the box or booklet, how did people know about this? Is removing the board something you guys normally do when you get a pedal? lol


----------



## Vesperado

Sitting down today with my TSL I came to the conclusion, you can't go wrong with an EQ into the front, in fact, it sounds better than most distortion/overdrives I have, except for those onesies and twosies I have in my collection. I can get 6 different sounds/responses having a Yamaha GE-100 and a Biyang EQ-7 at my disposal before the drive channels. Saves up space on the board big time. You can use the Lead for Rythm and Rythm for Lead, the possibilities are endless. Highly recommended!


----------



## Acvox

Vesperado said:


> Sitting down today with my TSL I came to the conclusion, you can't go wrong with an EQ into the front, in fact, it sounds better than most distortion/overdrives I have, except for those onesies and twosies I have in my collection. I can get 6 different sounds/responses having a Yamaha GE-100 and a Biyang EQ-7 at my disposal before the drive channels. Saves up space on the board big time. You can use the Lead for Rythm and Rythm for Lead, the possibilities are endless. Highly recommended!



Just a brief tribute in support of the humble 7 band eq pedal (EQ-7)mentioned above by a vey dicerning forum member. 

One of the finest bass players I had the privilege of working with used a Bass freq EQ-7 pedal in his effects loop to help shape his sound, and he lent me his pedal to try in front of my Marshall half stack. It was a revelation...
As a result I've had one or more on my board to this day.. Lifting slightly the levels at 200 and 400 hz, and the 1.6 and 3.2 kHz provides the perfect clean lift in level /boost, adding a little 800hz and dirt sounds cut through the mix..

The advantage of this simple, inexpensive EQ pedal is the range of options it provides us. In the effects loop, in the front end, in front of that pedal you wished had just a little more/less in the mids, top, bass, etc..etc.. our imagination is the limiting factor here.. 
Perhaps the single most useful, cost effective pedal a guitar player could own, and one I personally couldn't do without..


----------



## Vesperado

Acvox said:


> Just a brief tribute in support of the humble 7 band eq pedal (EQ-7)mentioned above by a vey dicerning forum member.
> 
> One of the finest bass players I had the privilege of working with used a Bass freq EQ-7 pedal in his effects loop to help shape his sound, and he lent me his pedal to try in front of my Marshall half stack. It was a revelation...
> As a result I've had one or more on my board to this day.. Lifting slightly the levels at 200 and 400 hz, and the 1.6 and 3.2 kHz provides the perfect clean lift in level /boost, adding a little 800hz and dirt sounds cut through the mix..
> 
> The advantage of this simple, inexpensive EQ pedal is the range of options it provides us. In the effects loop, in the front end, in front of that pedal you wished had just a little more/less in the mids, top, bass, etc..etc.. our imagination is the limiting factor here..
> Perhaps the single most useful, cost effective pedal a guitar player could own, and one I personally couldn't do without..


I have all the pedals I could ever need. Thanks.


----------



## dro

Carl Martin Hot Drive-N-Boost and AC-TONE Into Jtm45. Also into Mini Jubilee.


----------



## Acvox

Vesperado said:


> I have all the pedals I could ever need. Thanks.



That's the kind of statement I may be able to make someday.. But for now I'm happy with most of the pedal choices I've made so far.. 

'I've made a lot of mistakes that have paid off, and a few smart moves I'll regret forever'..


----------



## HOT TUBES 70

Same pedal , but repainted it black , and changed out one of the circuits .


* Friedman Buxum Boost
* Revv G2 OD 
* SHO Boost w/ Master volume 






20200409_182813


----------



## TXOldRedRocker

I have these on my board to choose from at anytime.




Boosts Right to left...
JHS Muffuletta (six classic Fuzz tones in one pedal)
EQD (reissue of classic Park fuzz)
SD-1
EQD Dunes (super-customizable OD)


----------



## kebek

None


----------



## johnny q

I have used everything it seems, through the years. However, I have landed on the Barber Direct Drive as that one OD pedal that does not sound like an effect, but sounds like an extension of the amp itself - as if an additional gain stage was built into the amp.

However ,there is a new Sheriff in town and it is called the Rimrock Mythical Overdrive. Damn - this thing is awesome! It's my new go to pedal for my Marshalls.


----------



## Sustainium




----------



## Headache

Using the EHX East River drive. And I love it!


----------



## Eddie78

Keeley SD-1, I use it everywhere!


----------



## Giovanni

I use the DOD preamp 250 reissue. its good for an assortment of tones and has some sweet spots.


----------



## bluesymetal

I’m running a way huge green rhino and a Xotic EP booster in front of my dsl’s crunch channel. The EP booster warms it up and the rhino adds bite/ crunch. Sometimes I stack them and it sounds huge.


----------



## Marshall4Metal

Friedman BE-OD 
Maxon OD-9
Boss SD-1


----------



## Matopotato

This thread might have gotten old, but here is what I have in front of DSL40CR:
MXR Boost/Line Driver (MC-401?) > Wampler Sovereign Distortion > Fulltone OCD (latest V2) > DSL
I am still learning how to use them. I really like the OCD, it is not too imposing and still does a nice push. The Sovereign is very recent but seems good. (I had a Super BadAss before but it was just too much). The boost is as clean I could find since I want it to push other pedals and channels without adding anything of its own.


----------



## Edgar Frog

Ibanez TS7 Tube Screamer. It's a TS9 w/hot switch and JRC4558D chip

GFS Brownie Classic Vintage Rat/Turbo Rat clone w/LM308AN and resistor fix.


----------



## Metroman

Metropoulos Supa Boost
89 Marshall The Guv'nor
Roger Mayer 4644 Drive
1458 Timmy
Cornish 3Q1/Boost
Castledine Colorsound
Mayer Concorde+ Treble Booster


----------



## giblesp

Got all the distortion tones I need from my JVM. That's why I bought it .


----------



## Mr. Natural

I've got several OD pedals. I like the Blackstone Appliances Mosfet OD.


----------



## tallcoolone

Forgot I started this thread! My new "go-to" box is the JRockett Rockaway Archer. On board 6band EQ is straight up badass. Also have enjoyed the JHS/Boss Angry Driver. If I could only have one OD that would be it--you can do a metal gig with a Fender Twin with it but also sounds great as a low/no gain boost.


----------



## Biff Maloy

If i had to pick one overdrive with my SV20H it is an SD-1W. For one thing it's quiet when i kick it on. I like it with my 59 Stratocaster. It balances out the grind and gives it the extra push my Flying V and Les Paul get by themselves. For what i like i don't use anything with them.


----------



## Matthews Guitars

I use a Seymour Duncan pickup booster for a clean boost in front of my 1959s. Nothing else. I am of the school of thought that the distortion should come from the amp, not a box in front of it. And that amp distortion should be THEE sound.


----------



## BatmansMarshall

I use the Origins boost.

Boss SD-1 if no onboard boost.

Wampler Tumnus (Klon Klone) if I want to try something else.

Earthquakes Devices Dunes for a versatile OD pedal.

Maxon 808 for my EvH.

TS9 sits on the shelf as I have found my current amp collection doesn't take it well.


----------



## fitz

SD-1 and/or FZ-5 in the front of the Origin20H.
Endless possibilities with the ME-80 on the DSL20HR.
TC Tube Pilot going to the lil' G15MS.
Haze 15 straight in on red, gain around 2 o'clock, always makes me say - Yeah, baby!.


----------



## BRMarshall

I’m using an Origin 20h amp with: Archer Ikon, OCD-ge, and ts5 into the front with EQ, chorus, and reverb in the loop. Very happy with the variety and quality of tones this set up produces. I don’t play more modern metal type music, but the 3 ODs in front provide a nice variety of tones I like.


----------



## Ufoscorpion

I’ve discovered that the ‘overdrive’ on my line6 M5 into a tubescreamer into crunchy amp ( evh , 2204 or Friedman) sounds pretty awesome .


----------



## FleshOnGear

This is what I keep on my board:

*MXR Sugar Drive* - It's a Klone, and not a high dollar one, but it does what a Klon is supposed to do.

*Black Country Customs TI Boost* - Rangemaster inspired treble booster with extra tone controls. I don't think it actually uses a germanium transistor, but I like the slightly fuzzy sound and feel it adds to my tone while goosing the drive.

*Nobels ODR Mini *- I really liked the core drive sound of this pedal, but the stock version was too bassy and the top end was too rolled-off. So, I modded it. Now it’s one of my favorite ways to make an amp give me _*more*_ drive and sustain. It’s like a tiny extension of my 4-holers. 

*Wyvern *- This is my own design and build. It’s a JFET based distortion, but it’s a little different from the amp-in-a-box JFET pedals on the market. This is my main distortion tone. It makes my 4-holers sound like the perfect hybrid between vintage NMV tone and modern MV tone. To me, at least.


----------



## AdrianDSL

Maxon OD-9 Analogman most often. Sometimes Boss SD-1, in fact I've found some pretty amazing lead tones with both on, drive on 0, tone on noon on the Maxon, with tone around 10 o'clock and volume rolled back to around 2 o'clock on the SD-1. Into the OD2 channel of a DSL40CR with gain on 7 and channel volume dimmed.


----------



## JP2036

Modified TS-9 to 808 spec's w/a 1978 Texas Instruments Malaysian Op Amp / Modified Pro Co Rat with Reutz & LED mods & a NOS Motorola Metal Can 1985 LM 308 IC & OFA-TBO with NOS Op Amps.


----------



## dragonvalve

JP2036 said:


> Pro Co Rat with Reutz & LEDs & a NOS Motorola Metal Can 1985 LM 308 IC & OFA-TBO with NOS Op Amps.



What's a Reutz and are the succeeding mentioned mods part of the Rat?


----------



## FleshOnGear

dragonvalve said:


> What's a Reutz and are the succeeding mentioned mods part of the Rat?


Ruetz is a particular type of mod you can do to a RAT, it’s very popular. If you do the mod with a potentiometer, it allows you to control the high mid gain in the circuit, which makes the pedal sound fuller. I’m curious what OFA-TBO is. The rest mentioned are RAT mods


----------



## dragonvalve

Ok I see it's a simple snip of a resistor to create the Reutz mod.


----------



## FleshOnGear

Yes, that’s the easiest way to do it. Most people prefer to wire in a pot there so they can control the amount of gain reduction.


----------



## dragonvalve

FleshOnGear said:


> Yes, that’s the easiest way to do it. Most people prefer to wire in a pot there so they can control the amount of gain reduction.



I would put a switch if possible to be able to switch it back to stock.

So a pot is wired at that resistor location itself?


----------



## Marshall50w

When playing in a band (if memory serves !) in front of my JTM45 - KOT, Klon Centaur, TS808 & Rattler, not necessarily all together !


----------



## Deftone

Metal Muff Nano. I prefer the Nano to the full size model because I use an MXR 6 band eq in front of the MM.

I also have an Ibanez Mini Tube Screamer. Never really liked it but it takes to Marshall's really well.

I had a RAT I bought brand new in '87. Compared it back to back against the MM and I preferred the MM so I sold the RAT for double what I paid for it.

PM for more investment tips. HINT: Buy more Marshalls


----------



## dragonvalve

The small box Rat MIA from the 80's are going for upwards of $700 in some areas of the planet.


----------



## JP2036

FleshOnGear said:


> Ruetz is a particular type of mod you can do to a RAT, it’s very popular. If you do the mod with a potentiometer, it allows you to control the high mid gain in the circuit, which makes the pedal sound fuller. I’m curious what OFA-TBO is. The rest mentioned are RAT mods


On Floor Audio Tube Boost Overdrive.


----------



## tallcoolone

dragonvalve said:


> The small box Rat MIA from the 80's are going for upwards of $700 in some areas of the planet.


That's nuts!


----------



## dragonvalve

On Reverb from Sweden. That figure is USD$670 not including shipping.




This thread spiked my interest in the Rat. I have one older than the one in the Reverb ad at least judging from the S/N although I hear you can't date the Rat from the number. Mine is missing the battery door.


----------



## tallcoolone

dragonvalve said:


> This thread spiked my interest in the Rat. I have one older than the one in the Reverb ad at least judging from the S/N although I hear you can't date the Rat from the number. Mine is missing the battery door.


I won't lie--the Jam Rattler made it back to my board due to this thread. It's a cool take on the circuit but adds a cock punch of bass to it. Pretty cool pedal. I bought one of those Rats new in the 80s--didn't help my Super Twin Reverb sound any more like a Marshall stack lol.


----------



## dragonvalve

tallcoolone said:


> bought one of those Rats new in the 80s--didn't help my Super Twin Reverb sound any more like a Marshall stack lol.



I've had this since the 80's and haven't used it much. But since I'm rocking the Slash head of late thought I'd give the Rat a revisit. I pretty much like going straight into the amp without anything in-between but never know till one tries.

I've so many pedals I haven't had the time to go through them all.

If anything using a Harmonist (HR2) in the loop with an NS-2 on the front just fiddling around.


----------



## tallcoolone

dragonvalve said:


> I've had this since the 80's and haven't used it much. But since I'm rocking the Slash head of late thought I'd give the Rat a revisit. I pretty much like going straight into the amp without anything in-between but never know till one tries.
> 
> I've so many pedals I haven't had the time to go through them all.
> 
> If anything using a Harmonist (HR2) in the loop with an NS-2 on the front just fiddling around.


Ooooh, I want a Slash head. Which one?


----------



## dragonvalve

tallcoolone said:


> Ooooh, I want a Slash head. Which one?



It's the 2555SL came out in 1996. I have the entire full stack with the covers. It sat in the studio for the longest time used occasionally but then decided to get it some hard use.

Finally getting the hang of the controls and the circuits.


----------



## groovenev

for my non-master volume JMP I use a Boss Yellow - Super OverDrive from the 80s very smooth.


----------



## Crikey

I have a TS and a Tube King but actually don't use thhem much. I like the crunch i get straight form the amp. i do throw an eq in the loop


----------



## Mike.Welch

My favorite pedal to drive my Marshall amp it the Rat. I have 12 different clipping configurations that are selectable by a 12 position switch. I usually use the Russian germanium diodes D9E for clipping.


----------



## jason_s

My main od for my TSL122 is a Tumnus Deluxe set as more of a clean boost to tighten things up. It’s pretty flexible with three channels anyway. Also have an OCD and a TC Spark mini boost although they’re used more with my Orange OR-15.


----------



## tallcoolone

Crikey said:


> I have a TS and a Tube King but actually don't use thhem much. I like the crunch i get straight form the amp. i do throw an eq in the loop


I'm with you on this, but most good OD's don't need to add any crunch at all. Most every OD box I use in front of a Marshall is set Output - 80-100%, Tone - 80-100%, Gain/drive - 0 -10%. Try your TS set that way in front of that 2210--amazeballs.


----------



## tallcoolone

Archer Ikon would rock in front of that amp too!


----------



## Crikey

tallcoolone said:


> I'm with you on this, but most good OD's don't need to add any crunch at all. Most every OD box I use in front of a Marshall is set Output - 80-100%, Tone - 80-100%, Gain/drive - 0 -10%. Try your TS set that way in front of that 2210--amazeballs.


I will give it a whirl and see what she does


----------



## ampeq

BftGibson said:


> View attachment 62251


I can’t believe more people don’t use this pedal or one like it. I’m with you, I only really use pedals for fun and messing around. I don’t care for most distortion pedals at all and like to get my drive from the amp. However I just bought a new pedal called the Horse Breaker, a Klon on one side and a Blues Breaker on the other. I’m amazed how good it works, doesn’t seem to mess up the amps tone and works great. The Klon side is great for adding a boost, lead tone or just a little more drive. The BB is great for blues tones and some leads. Much better than those distortion boxes, this one I’ll keep.


----------



## tallcoolone

ampeq said:


> I can’t believe more people don’t use this pedal or one like it. I’m with you, I only really use pedals for fun and messing around. I don’t care for most distortion pedals at all and like to get my drive from the amp. However I just bought a new pedal called the Horse Breaker, a Klon on one side and a Blues Breaker on the other. I’m amazed how good it works, doesn’t seem to mess up the amps tone and works great. The Klon side is great for adding a boost, lead tone or just a little more drive. The BB is great for blues tones and some leads. Much better than those distortion boxes, this one I’ll keep.


My two fave ODs for the past year are the Rockaway and Ikon from JRockett. Klone + Marshall = goodness. Gain way down, level way up!


----------



## ampeq

tallcoolone said:


> My two fave ODs for the past year are the Rockaway and Ikon from JRockett. Klone + Marshall = goodness. Gain way down, level way up!


This is the one I just bought and really like for some stuff. It makes a good extra lead boost to just go up in volume a little or to add a little drive and volume. It's best trick is the tone stays the same with or without it and it is very versatile. Each side sounds different and you can combine the two, Klon into BB or the other way around. Neither are crazy distortion boxes but depending on the amp's drive and using either one or both sides you can get all the distortion you want. It's more the crunch & boost I like, so much better than the TS type stuff I'v had in the past. (I was never happy with those things.) It makes a good way of adding another ch for lead in a single ch amp. To me, this pedal sounded "better" than the original Klon. I picked it 3 out of 3 times in a blind test, so I said what the hell and bought one. It sure makes a good companion to my 2202 combo and I can just through it in the back.

On a side note,
I have a combo pedal by Keeley called the Mod Workstation, you can't buy them anymore. It's a fantastic pedal to throw in a bag or combo amp just to play around with. It has a bunch of modulation effects that are fun, but the other two pedals in it work great. It has a distortion pedal with 2 setting's, and another pedal with both drive or just clean boost.
Both work very, very well, it's the only pedal I have kept forever because it works so good. Super handy if you ever see one, I think it was about $290 new but well worth it, check it out if you see one.


----------



## Vesperado

For boosting my CRUNCH a 7-band EQ is the best, a Maxon-made Ibanez TS-9 or Maxon ST9Pro+ are also good BUT nothing touches my LEAD channel: its gold.


----------



## Acvox

My Pro Co Rat looks like other 1980s Rats I've seen. It's made in the USA, and glows in the dark..
What should the serial number be if its indeed from the 1980s ?


----------



## Ramo

MXR GT-OD and Boss SD1 depending on song and mood.


----------



## Jethro Rocker

It's little known that Randy Bachman used pedals very sparingly. He only used two. Here are Bachman's Tuner n Overdrive.


----------



## Acvox

I'm a fan of putting my Rat in a loop with a 7 band eq pedal, David Gilmour style.

The Rats character can be shaped and manipulated with subtle adjustments, hardly a shock I know, but not all pedals react as well to eq changes. Gilmour used several Rats each with its own eq curve using Boss eq-7 pedals, each in its own loop, to fine tune his tone. 

I just picked up on the idea, why replace components for more/less midrange when you can dial it in with an eq pedal.


----------



## tallcoolone

Acvox said:


> I'm a fan of putting my Rat in a loop with a 7 band eq pedal, David Gilmour style.
> 
> The Rats character can be shaped and manipulated with subtle adjustments, hardly a shock I know, but not all pedals react as well to eq changes. Gilmour used several Rats each with its own eq curve using Boss eq-7 pedals, each in its own loop, to fine tune his tone.
> 
> I just picked up on the idea, why replace components for more/less midrange when you can dial it in with an eq pedal.


One reason is that eq pedals add noise. GE7 especially


----------



## Madfinger

In a op shop the other day & there was a used Boss OD1 for sale $240us looked on the net & one on reverb was like $800 stating ( black lable) ?. Anyone here used or like them through a Marshall?


----------



## WellBurnTheSky

Madfinger said:


> In a op shop the other day & there was a used Boss OD1 for sale $240us looked on the net & one on reverb was like $800 stating ( black lable) ?. Anyone here used or like them through a Marshall?


Yes (well, I've built several clones) and it's great in front of both my DSL100 and my Studio Vintage. Halfway between a TS and a SD-1 (punchier than the TS but smoother than the SD-1).
The only thing you might not like is, it has no Tone control, just Drive/Level.
But, killer pedal.


----------



## Madfinger

WellBurnTheSky said:


> Yes (well, I've built several clones) and it's great in front of both my DSL100 and my Studio Vintage. Halfway between a TS and a SD-1 (punchier than the TS but smoother than the SD-1).
> The only thing you might not like is, it has no Tone control, just Drive/Level.
> But, killer pedal.


Cool. I have the SV20 but not interested in pushing it into metal territory. Think I'll go back tomorrow & offer $150 see what they say.


----------



## WellBurnTheSky

Madfinger said:


> Cool. I have the SV20 but not interested in pushing it into metal territory. Think I'll go back tomorrow & offer $150 see what they say.


For reference, the OD-1 into a Superlead is what Jake E Lee said he used on the first Badlands album (that has some monster guitar sounds - and playing).

Getting it for $150 would be an awesome catch. If you don't like it, you can always resell it and make a nice profit. Perfect win-win proposition.


----------



## JamminJeff

WellBurnTheSky said:


> For reference, the OD-1 into a Superlead is what Jake E Lee said he used on the first Badlands album (that has some monster guitar sounds - and playing).
> 
> Getting it for $150 would be an awesome catch. If you don't like it, you can always resell it and make a nice profit. Perfect win-win proposition.



Picked up a SV20H last night and mostly played straight in, but of course ended up jumping the normal and treble in the typical Plexi fashion. I was plugged into the high treble input. Oh what fun this is going to be......

I run a long forgotten but very good Option 5 Destination Overdrive II pedal second to last in the pedal chain with an old Guyatone Tube Echo last. (I have a love/hate with the Tube Echo because it can easily slip into EVH territory). We all like different tonal flavors and I'm to the point now where I really don't use distortion pedals much anymore. A good overdrive that "sings" and doesn't take over the amp's tone is what I always look for. I have no idea what this pedal's circuit is based on, but I did look inside and it's NOT a simple circuit.

BTW - I saw Jake E. Lee play with Ozzy many, many moons ago. This was right after Randy was taken away. Jake E. Lee was doing a good job at covering all of Randy's parts and could get close to his tones, just not all of the inflections and character, which is to be expected. I believe this was the first tour of Bark at the Moon. They played the whole catalog plus some Sabbath.

What a GREAT sold-out show. The audience truly loved Ozzy. I saw a ton of shows back then, but have never seen an audience show so much love for the front man. It had such an impact on me which is why I still tell this story all these years later.

Much respect to Jake E. Lee for stepping into some really big shoes. Ozzy's solo tours were the biggest show in the land at the time !


----------



## Iron1

Madfinger said:


> In a op shop the other day & there was a used Boss OD1 for sale $240us looked on the net & one on reverb was like $800 stating ( black lable) ?. Anyone here used or like them through a Marshall?



Saw a few on the 'Bay just now for under that - and Reverb is showing quite a few that have sold recently in the $75 range...


----------



## TXOldRedRocker

I am using these. Each good on their own, and also stackable for some really cool tones. (This is just the OD area of my board.)


----------



## houseofrock

For dirt, at the moment, I'm using a EQD Life Pedal. Kind of like a Rat with more features.
For straight up clean boost I have a Randall Face Punch.


----------



## WellBurnTheSky

@JamminJeff oh man, I would have LOVED to see Ozzy back then, I love both RR and JEL, amazing players both of them. The main solo to Bark At The Moon might be one of the best constructed leads ever, super melodic yet technically challenging, builds up progressively...just perfect.

@TXOldRedRocker nice selection ! Of all those, my favorite (aside the Tube Screamer) might be the Haunting Mids, super cool boost, sounds killer in front of a Marshall. Though I'd mention the Morning Glory is my favorite of the Bluesbreaker derivatives, as it solves the main issue I have with the original one, ie the lack of output volume (you really need to crank it to get it to unity gain). I really need to build myself a Solo Dallas/Schaffer-vega clone...


----------



## Vesperado

JamminJeff said:


> Picked up a SV20H last night and mostly played straight in, but of course ended up jumping the normal and treble in the typical Plexi fashion. I was plugged into the high treble input. Oh what fun this is going to be......
> 
> I run a long forgotten but very good Option 5 Destination Overdrive II pedal second to last in the pedal chain with an old Guyatone Tube Echo last. (I have a love/hate with the Tube Echo because it can easily slip into EVH territory). We all like different tonal flavors and I'm to the point now where I really don't use distortion pedals much anymore. A good overdrive that "sings" and doesn't take over the amp's tone is what I always look for. I have no idea what this pedal's circuit is based on, but I did look inside and it's NOT a simple circuit.
> 
> BTW - I saw Jake E. Lee play with Ozzy many, many moons ago. This was right after Randy was taken away. Jake E. Lee was doing a good job at covering all of Randy's parts and could get close to his tones, just not all of the inflections and character, which is to be expected. I believe this was the first tour of Bark at the Moon. They played the whole catalog plus some Sabbath.
> 
> What a GREAT sold-out show. The audience truly loved Ozzy. I saw a ton of shows back then, but have never seen an audience show so much love for the front man. It had such an impact on me which is why I still tell this story all these years later.
> 
> Much respect to Jake E. Lee for stepping into some really big shoes. Ozzy's solo tours were the biggest show in the land at the time !


If you want clean repeats on the "Analog-Simulation" locate the diode-pair left of the opamp (4580) below the input jack on the mainboard and remove them; they are responsible for the clipping repeats. There are some other things you can do to lower the noise even more, also.


----------



## JamminJeff

Vesperado said:


> If you want clean repeats on the "Analog-Simulation" locate the diode-pair left of the opamp (4580) below the input jack on the mainboard and remove them; they are responsible for the clipping repeats. There are some other things you can do to lower the noise even more, also.



I've had the Tube Echo for too long and have grown tired of it. I have changed the tube a few times trying for cleaner, dirtier, etc. and it does have some affect/effect, but a starved plate tube doesn't really do much. I really don't mind the dirt on repeats, but this pedal has some of the classic EVH flavors in it and that's just not what I'm looking for. Maybe it's time to remove it from the board and replace it with something better.

I use amp/spring reverb way more than delay and now have my sights set on the Catlinbread Talisman that does a great job of plate reverb and will likely insert it in the SV20H FX loop.

In some ways, I'm enjoying the new head without reverb, but prefer running a little wet most of the time. If I do replace the Tube Echo, the Dunlop Echoplex or the Belle Epoch is where my ears are taking me.

I'm headed back to the mid to late 70's for awhile. Thanks again for the mod info. I may do that after I replace it.


----------



## Vesperado

JamminJeff said:


> I've had the Tube Echo for too long and have grown tired of it. I have changed the tube a few times trying for cleaner, dirtier, etc. and it does have some affect/effect, but a starved plate tube doesn't really do much. I really don't mind the dirt on repeats, but this pedal has some of the classic EVH flavors in it and that's just not what I'm looking for. Maybe it's time to remove it from the board and replace it with something better.
> 
> I use amp/spring reverb way more than delay and now have my sights set on the Catlinbread Talisman that does a great job of plate reverb and will likely insert it in the SV20H FX loop.
> 
> In some ways, I'm enjoying the new head without reverb, but prefer running a little wet most of the time. If I do replace the Tube Echo, the Dunlop Echoplex or the Belle Epoch is where my ears are taking me.
> 
> I'm headed back to the mid to late 70's for awhile. Thanks again for the mod info. I may do that after I replace it.


Once I did that, and replaced a few caps with low-esr types, it became the only Delay, effect really, that sits in the FX Loop on my TSL. I use a Gold Pin JJ ECC802 and sounds phenomenal. Mind you I also have Maxon AD-999, bias-adjustable DOD FX96, Guyatone PS-006, Arion SAD-1, and Pigtronix Ecolution Filter Pro II. The TDX tops them all, and the tape-delay sounds are second to none. Unlock its potential by removing that diode-pair and using a low-gain valve and see what it is I'm taking about.


----------



## twangsta

With my 1959 SL100 clone I'm using a DOD 308 and a Sollodallas Storm V2.
These two cover Malmsteen to ACDC and anything in between, surprisingly killer SRV too!


----------



## Madfinger

Iron1 said:


> Saw a few on the 'Bay just now for under that - and Reverb is showing quite a few that have sold recently in the $75 range...


Theres three from what I gather. One black screw (cheap) the other 80's silver screw with 14 pin chip ( not cheap ) and another rare as rocking hoarse shit.


----------



## tallcoolone

twangsta said:


> With my 1959 SL100 clone I'm using a DOD 308 and a Sollodallas Storm V2.
> These two cover Malmsteen to ACDC and anything in between, surprisingly killer SRV too!


How is the noise on the Storm? I got rid of a V1 cause it added too much for my tastes


----------



## twangsta

tallcoolone said:


> How is the noise on the Storm? I got rid of a V1 cause it added too much for my tastes


I don't know if its worse or better than the V2, but I do think it should not be an issue for anybody. But yes I do use an NS2 cause I'm no stranger to high gain. Think even Angus has a noise suppressor set conservatively. The thing is both the 308 and the Storm are important ingredients, the value-added is greater than any annoyance from noise etc. I've tried a zillion pedals and not had much luck in getting those very specific characteristics these pedals offer for my needs. 


That's the Storm V2. I really love it, it's versatile too. 


This is the DOD 308, with either noise should not be an issue.

Same amp and same amp settings too, for both, a YJM strat on the DOD and a lentz HH LP type on the Storm.


----------



## tallcoolone

twangsta said:


> I don't know if its worse or better than the V2, but I do think it should not be an issue for anybody. But yes I do use an NS2 cause I'm no stranger to high gain. Think even Angus has a noise suppressor set conservatively. The thing is both the 308 and the Storm are important ingredients, the value-added is greater than any annoyance from noise etc. I've tried a zillion pedals and not had much luck in getting those very specific characteristics these pedals offer for my needs.
> 
> 
> That's the Storm V2. I really love it, it's versatile too.
> 
> 
> This is the DOD 308, with either noise should not be an issue.
> 
> Same amp and same amp settings too, for both, a YJM strat on the DOD and a lentz HH LP type on the Storm.



Cool stuff, thx for the clips! I checked and actually I was sent a V2 after my V1 stopped working and yeah the noise was still too much for me. I’d be shocked if Angus runs a noise gate, but he uses the larger tower version which I imagine is better at handling the noise. Plus he doesn’t use much gain really. Now I want the tower lol.


----------



## twangsta

tallcoolone said:


> Cool stuff, thx for the clips! I checked and actually I was sent a V2 after my V1 stopped working and yeah the noise was still too much for me. I’d be shocked if Angus runs a noise gate, but he uses the larger tower version which I imagine is better at handling the noise. Plus he doesn’t use much gain really. Now I want the tower lol.


You're welcome. Angus does use a noise gate, I've looked into this with great detail, yes the tower makes just as much noise 
Angus uses a ton of gain, it's Malcolm that was much cleaner.


----------



## Karl Brake

Fulltone fulldrive V2. Two chips, two drive levels, two mini toggles with three positions each. It's a more versatile TS. I use it to bump the clean and crunch channels on my JVM satriani. It's natural sounding, not a hisser. I love having two different gain and volume settings available, sometimes just to push a high gain tone into feedback. Or just tighten and add a glassy sustain to a tone.


----------



## Matthews Guitars

This morning was the first time I actually got a chance to run wild and free with my new (to me) modded TS9 Tube Screamer into my Superleads at as loud a volume as I wished. I used my new Etymotic high fidelity earplugs which do what they are advertised to do: Make everything sound like you're not wearing ear protection, but much quieter. 

So I ended up cranking both Superleads up to a volume of around 8, (one at a time) with the TS9 set to no drive but max output, and the tone was all I could ever ask for. Rich, meaty, and screaming. At a comfortable volume level when wearing the plugs, but brutal without them. 

The TS9 has a nice overdrive of its own, but the natural sound of the Superleads pushed hard is simply BEST TONE. If I'm in a situation where I can crank up, a clean boost is all I want and need to make these Marshalls sound right. 

I found that my restored '73 Superlead has a slightly warmer overall tone than the restored '69. The '69 has more of that percussive "cone rasp" sound thru the Greenbacks, which has to be from the amp and no the speakers, since the '73 SL had much less of that rasp at the same volume level. I suspect that the raspy sound of the '69 is due to two things: For one, it's basically a brand new amp with a lot of NOS components in it that haven't broken in yet, including, of course, all its electrolytic capacitors, and two, it's not in a properly shielded headshell yet. I do believe it's picking up some stray field interactions as a result. Which are appearing as intermodulation distortion products in the output. 

I'm SO glad that my house is so well soundproofed that I have basically no fear of any neighor complaining about noise. At least not duriing the daytime.


----------



## twangsta

Matthews Guitars said:


> This morning was the first time I actually got a chance to run wild and free with my new (to me) modded TS9 Tube Screamer into my Superleads at as loud a volume as I wished. I used my new Etymotic high fidelity earplugs which do what they are advertised to do: Make everything sound like you're not wearing ear protection, but much quieter.
> 
> So I ended up cranking both Superleads up to a volume of around 8, (one at a time) with the TS9 set to no drive but max output, and the tone was all I could ever ask for. Rich, meaty, and screaming. At a comfortable volume level when wearing the plugs, but brutal without them.
> 
> The TS9 has a nice overdrive of its own, but the natural sound of the Superleads pushed hard is simply BEST TONE. If I'm in a situation where I can crank up, a clean boost is all I want and need to make these Marshalls sound right.
> 
> I found that my restored '73 Superlead has a slightly warmer overall tone than the restored '69. The '69 has more of that percussive "cone rasp" sound thru the Greenbacks, which has to be from the amp and no the speakers, since the '73 SL had much less of that rasp at the same volume level. I suspect that the raspy sound of the '69 is due to two things: For one, it's basically a brand new amp with a lot of NOS components in it that haven't broken in yet, including, of course, all its electrolytic capacitors, and two, it's not in a properly shielded headshell yet. I do believe it's picking up some stray field interactions as a result. Which are appearing as intermodulation distortion products in the output.
> 
> I'm SO glad that my house is so well soundproofed that I have basically no fear of any neighor complaining about noise. At least not duriing the daytime.


Excellent report, can you tell us about the guitars, string gauge and action, playing style and your preferred amp setting's as well, thanks!


----------



## Matthews Guitars

Snarkasm detected. (Half being snarky, half being sarcastic.) Don't go there.


----------



## Matopotato

tallcoolone said:


> I won't lie--the Jam Rattler made it back to my board due to this thread. It's a cool take on the circuit but adds a cock punch of bass to it. Pretty cool pedal. I bought one of those Rats new in the 80s--didn't help my Super Twin Reverb sound any more like a Marshall stack lol.


Hope to get a Rattler soon  Have been eying the Mouse (BYOC) as well...


----------



## tallcoolone

twangsta said:


> You're welcome. Angus does use a noise gate, I've looked into this with great detail, yes the tower makes just as much noise
> Angus uses a ton of gain, it's Malcolm that was much cleaner.


Well, a 'ton of gain' is relative. I'd bet a vast majority of the members on this board would consider Angus' 'classic' tone to be much lower gain then what they play thru on a daily basis.


----------



## EL 34

BBE Clean Boost Boosta Grande. 1 knob. Gain. Perfect.


----------



## tallcoolone

EL 34 said:


> BBE Clean Boost Boosta Grande. 1 knob. Gain. Perfect.


On the list to try out! At this point I may as well have them all lol. Just sold the Storm, now I want it again...


----------



## tallcoolone

Chase Tone Secret Preamp is pretty awesome. Little on the noisy side, but fantastic. Like the Storm. Long thread, I’ve prob said that b4 lol


----------



## bullhead

I alternate between a few OD’s (Sabbra Cadabra, Laney Tony Iommi Boost) but the JHS Bonsai gets the most use in my rig. 9 pedals in one box is just fun to experiment with.


----------



## tallcoolone

bullhead said:


> I alternate between a few OD’s (Sabbra Cadabra, Laney Tony Iommi Boost) but the JHS Bonsai gets the most use in my rig. 9 pedals in one box is just fun to experiment with.


You would prob like the Naga Viper as well, cool SAbbath vibe


----------



## mickeydg5

Boss SE-70
Boss GT-Pro


----------



## bullhead

tallcoolone said:


> You would prob like the Naga Viper as well, cool SAbbath vibe


I’ll definitely check that out. I’m always looking for new toys to play with. I appreciate it.


----------



## twangsta

Matthews Guitars said:


> Snarkasm detected. (Half being snarky, half being sarcastic.) Don't go there.


Hi. Didn't mean that at all, details matter to me.

Edit: please see my posts in this thread, I'm willing to post and listen to clips for examples etc. Was not kidding about the details, they matter and make all the difference in any particular rig and situation.


----------



## Matthews Guitars

My setup I usually play (at home, I don't gig) is a Les Paul into a Tube Screamer or Seymour Duncan Pickup Booster straight into the Marshall. I use D'Addario XL110 strings. That's the whole setup to the amp. My preferred cabinets are either a 1960A with Greenbacks (reissues) or a 1960A with 2x G12M25 Greenbacks and 2x G12M65 Creambacks.

I have MANY possible setups but that's my most favored Marshall setup. The amp is one of three Superleads I own, but sometimes I play my 2203, and sometimes my JTM45. But at the moment my favorite Marshall is my restored one made in 1973.

I'm still getting a feel for the 1969 Plexi I just got done restoring. It MIGHT be my new favorite.


----------



## SlapHand

I like to stack OD´s with my Marshalls. Zero to low gain and high output.

Fulldrive 2 Mosfet
Boss SD-1
Timmy
Keeley D&M Drive (Dual OD)
Source Audio LA-Lady (Dual OD)
Jam Pedals Rattler

The LA-Lady has a ton of different OD´s, Fuzzez and Distortions. All switchable
by MIDI and stackable within the same pedal. I use it mostly for higher gain stuff and fuzz.

At the moment on my big board: Fulldrive, Rattler and LA-Lady.

I use the Clean Channel on my DSL´s for CLEEAAN so the gain staging is
at OD1, low gain and volume after who is in the house and where they are... lol

The pedals go in to one loop each (the LA-Lady two loops) of my GigRig G2. The G2
has the ability to switch pedal orders at the push of a few buttons so the possibility
is almost endless. Crunch - Bite - Distortion - Fuzz - Earthquake - insanity - Armageddon

I don't gig so gear and tone tweaking is my main hobby.

At jam nights with my buddies I grab a smaller board with a few pedals or just one amp
and use the channels and modes on the amp for different levels of gain. Also do the job!

SlapHand


----------



## tallcoolone

SlapHand said:


> I like to stack OD´s with my Marshalls. Zero to low gain and high output.
> 
> Fulldrive 2 Mosfet
> Boss SD-1
> Timmy
> Keeley D&M Drive (Dual OD)
> Source Audio LA-Lady (Dual OD)
> Jam Pedals Rattler
> 
> The LA-Lady has a ton of different OD´s, Fuzzez and Distortions. All switchable
> by MIDI and stackable within the same pedal. I use it mostly for higher gain stuff and fuzz.
> 
> At the moment on my big board: Fulldrive, Rattler and LA-Lady.
> 
> I use the Clean Channel on my DSL´s for CLEEAAN so the gain staging is
> at OD1, low gain and volume after who is in the house and where they are... lol
> 
> The pedals go in to one loop each (the LA-Lady two loops) of my GigRig G2. The G2
> has the ability to switch pedal orders at the push of a few buttons so the possibility
> is almost endless. Crunch - Bite - Distortion - Fuzz - Earthquake - insanity - Armageddon
> 
> I don't gig so gear and tone tweaking is my main hobby.
> 
> At jam nights with my buddies I grab a smaller board with a few pedals or just one amp
> and use the channels and modes on the amp for different levels of gain. Also do the job!
> 
> SlapHand


How do you use the Rattler?


----------



## SlapHand

I run the Rattler into the Fulldrive for ‘bite’ with gain at 10 o’clock and volume at 1 o’clock. The Fulldrive zero gain and volume all the way up...


----------



## tallcoolone

SlapHand said:


> I run the Rattler into the Fulldrive for ‘bite’ with gain at 10 o’clock and volume at 1 o’clock. The Fulldrive zero gain and volume all the way up...


In to what amp/channel?


----------



## SlapHand

I run them into a stereo setup with 2 DSL´s, one 40c and one 40cr... I sometimes run
the JMP 2204 as the dry amp in a W/D/W setup. Due to the difference in headroom of the JMP vs the DSL´s, I use a stereo volume pedal to balance the amps.



SlapHand said:


> I use the Clean Channel on my DSL´s for CLEEAAN so the gain staging is
> at OD1, low gain and volume after who is in the house and where they are... lol
> 
> SlapHand


----------



## tallcoolone

SlapHand said:


> I run them into a stereo setup with 2 DSL´s, one 40c and one 40cr... I sometimes run
> the JMP 2204 as the dry amp in a W/D/W setup. Due to the difference in headroom of the JMP vs the DSL´s, I use a stereo volume pedal to balance the amps.


Wondering more about the level of gain you are running into. I have a Rattler here, it isn't a quiet pedal, esp running into a TS box like the Fulldrive. You must get all your gain from pedals?


----------



## SlapHand

OD1, gain just over 1, maybe 1,5... Before I kick in any pedals it cleans up up quite nice when rolling down the volume on the guitar. Not clean clean as on channel one, but at the edge of breakup. So, yes... most of the gain is from the pedals.

The Rattler is a distortion pedal, but with low gain I find it very much like an OD and not noisy. Even when I run it into the Fulldrive. I don't have any Noise Gate on that board. The LA-Lady has built in Gate that I engage for the higher Gains... fuzz and distortion.

SlapHand


----------



## twangsta

tallcoolone said:


> Well, a 'ton of gain' is relative. I'd bet a vast majority of the members on this board would consider Angus' 'classic' tone to be much lower gain then what they play thru on a daily basis.


Haha.. true, "ton of gain" is a vague as it gets 
But come to think of it, the diff between say Angus and Yngwie might have more to do with EQ than gain, the 308 has a very prominent high pass filter, makes it very very "tite", the storm on the other hand can get to similar gain levels but the feel and bottom is very different. 



tallcoolone said:


> On the list to try out! At this point I may as well have them all lol. Just sold the Storm, now I want it again...


It can be quite versatile!




Matthews Guitars said:


> My setup I usually play (at home, I don't gig) is a Les Paul into a Tube Screamer or Seymour Duncan Pickup Booster straight into the Marshall. I use D'Addario XL110 strings. That's the whole setup to the amp. My preferred cabinets are either a 1960A with Greenbacks (reissues) or a 1960A with 2x G12M25 Greenbacks and 2x G12M65 Creambacks.
> 
> I have MANY possible setups but that's my most favored Marshall setup. The amp is one of three Superleads I own, but sometimes I play my 2203, and sometimes my JTM45. But at the moment my favorite Marshall is my restored one made in 1973.
> 
> I'm still getting a feel for the 1969 Plexi I just got done restoring. It MIGHT be my new favorite.


Some nice amp choices there! Quite curious about the SD Pickup Booster, it's clever name confuses me, it's it very different from a good clean boost?


----------



## giblesp

OD in front of a JVM?! Definitely not required.


----------



## tallcoolone

giblesp said:


> OD in front of a JVM?! Definitely not required.


I would agree with that--I did not use external dirt/boosts with the JVM


----------



## tallcoolone

twangsta said:


> Haha.. true, "ton of gain" is a vague as it gets
> But come to think of it, the diff between say Angus and Yngwie might have more to do with EQ than gain, the 308 has a very prominent high pass filter, makes it very very "tite", the storm on the other hand can get to similar gain levels but the feel and bottom is very different.



While I've seen Yngwie I am not what you would call a fan and I have never played through a 308. Compared to classic rockers like EVH/Slash/Rush/Metallica/Aerosmith I think Angus' tone is pretty low gain I guess.



twangsta said:


> It can be quite versatile!



Like I said, I've had a couple. I liked the flavor, didn't like the tradeoff in noise. I'll prob grab another one--it is very unique which in and of itself is pretty unique nowadays lol


----------



## 5stringsdown

Acvox said:


> I'm a fan of putting my Rat in a loop with a 7 band eq pedal, David Gilmour style.
> 
> The Rats character can be shaped and manipulated with subtle adjustments, hardly a shock I know, but not all pedals react as well to eq changes. Gilmour used several Rats each with its own eq curve using Boss eq-7 pedals, each in its own loop, to fine tune his tone.
> 
> I just picked up on the idea, why replace components for more/less midrange when you can dial it in with an eq pedal.


Wow, never realized that is how he used a rat......interesting to say the least.....I would never think of using a rat in the loop.......


----------



## tallcoolone

5stringsdown said:


> Wow, never realized that is how he used a rat......interesting to say the least.....I would never think of using a rat in the loop.......


Same here, I'd love to see a source for this info--trying to think of what amp he used that had a loop??


----------



## Vinsanitizer

At the moment?

This:




Except I don't like it because the cable's too thick and the rubber sheathes are too long coming out of my Les Paul's and Strats and it looks ghey.
.


----------



## tallcoolone

Vin’s long rubber sheaths lol


----------



## WellBurnTheSky

tallcoolone said:


> Same here, I'd love to see a source for this info--trying to think of what amp he used that had a loop??


That's probably gilmourish.com
But the thing is, he never used a distortion in the FX loop per se, he actually has modded Hiwatts with a power amp input, and others that only have the power amp section (no preamp section, and used them with an Alembic preamp (which basically is a bass preamp, and pretty clean), and distortion pedals in front of it (he even used a Boss HM-2 for a while).

And saying YJM uses "a ton of gain" is a total misconception. He uses mid/low output Strat pickups into what's basically a low gain overdrive (nowhere near the amount you get from a RAT or even a TS) into cranked 50w Plexis. Nowhere near EMG 81 into Diezel or Recto or Engl. On his first albums he barely has any distortion, and that's how he has so much clarity. That and perfect technique, of course.


----------



## Vinsanitizer

tallcoolone said:


> Vin’s long rubber sheaths lol




Ok, I guess I asked for that.
.


----------



## Kolanti

Nowadays I play hard rock and heavy metao on my jcm 800 with no pedals at all. I just hit harder . Or I use a strat that I have with a dimarzio super distortion . In general high output pickup with 800 is so damn good you don't need any overdrive


----------



## tallcoolone

WellBurnTheSky said:


> That's probably gilmourish.com
> But the thing is, he never used a distortion in the FX loop per se, he actually has modded Hiwatts with a power amp input, and others that only have the power amp section (no preamp section, and used them with an Alembic preamp (which basically is a bass preamp, and pretty clean), and distortion pedals in front of it (he even used a Boss HM-2 for a while).
> 
> And saying YJM uses "a ton of gain" is a total misconception. He uses mid/low output Strat pickups into what's basically a low gain overdrive (nowhere near the amount you get from a RAT or even a TS) into cranked 50w Plexis. Nowhere near EMG 81 into Diezel or Recto or Engl. On his first albums he barely has any distortion, and that's how he has so much clarity. That and perfect technique, of course.



Love Gilmourish.com, great resource! Makes sense that a player who experimented with delay and atmospheric effects as much as DG would tinker like that but I am kind of shocked that a Rat before the preamp would sound very pleasing? 

I agree with you on the ton of gain thing tho. I see both Angus and Yngwie as pretty low gain players. I’m kinda curious about the DOD 250 now tho—I thought the reissued that?


----------



## tallcoolone

Kolanti said:


> Nowadays I play hard rock and heavy metao on my jcm 800 with no pedals at all. I just hit harder . Or I use a strat that I have with a dimarzio super distortion . In general high output pickup with 800 is so damn good you don't need any overdrive


Hey, more than one way to skin a cat...never got along with strong pickups myself, don’t like the high end loss. I prefer low output pickups, lower amp gain and a low/no gain boost in front with those amps. 

In the end there is no ‘right’ or ‘wrong‘...right lol?


----------



## Kolanti

tallcoolone said:


> Hey, more than one way to skin a cat...never got along with strong pickups myself, don’t like the high end loss. I prefer low output pickups, lower amp gain and a low/no gain boost in front with those amps.
> 
> In the end there is no ‘right’ or ‘wrong‘...right lol?



yeah man totally. Good tone is on the eye of the beholder for sure. For me high output pickup with the 800 its just makes me play with less effort ( i mean in strumming etc) also I like the more "loose" and muddy sound of my 800 without an overdrive to tighten it up


----------



## tallcoolone

Kolanti said:


> yeah man totally. Good tone is on the eye of the beholder for sure. For me high output pickup with the 800 its just makes me play with less effort ( i mean in strumming etc) also I like the more "loose" and muddy sound of my 800 without an overdrive to tighten it up


That makes complete sense!


----------



## WellBurnTheSky

tallcoolone said:


> Love Gilmourish.com, great resource! Makes sense that a player who experimented with delay and atmospheric effects as much as DG would tinker like that but I am kind of shocked that a Rat before the preamp would sound very pleasing?
> 
> I agree with you on the ton of gain thing tho. I see both Angus and Yngwie as pretty low gain players. I’m kinda curious about the DOD 250 now tho—I thought the reissued that?


Well, the RAT isn't my favorite pedal either, but it has its uses. And Nuno has been using one in front of a DSL100 for the last 2 decades or so, so it definitely can be made to sound good as a boost (if you have Nuno's insane playing skills, that is).
As a standalone distortion...it's a tone. Again, not particularly my thing, as always it's a matter of context. And also, Gilmour likes super textured tones from time to time. See the intro to _Sorrow_ for an example of that, you can get those tones from either a low gain Big Muff (which the Cornish G-2 is) or a RAT all day long. So...yeah, kinda makes sense.



As for the DOD250, seems like it's been reissued a couple of times, though as far as I can find it's not currently in production. Though the Fender YJM pedal is supposed to be very close to the original run that YJM himself uses, though I have no experience with the Fender one. Or, if you're handy with a soldering iron, it's a dead easy circuit to build, pretty low parts counts (and if needed, lots of vendors offer PCBs for that circuit and the MXR D+ -basically the same circuit with just a couple changes).
In case you want to give it a go (or just want to learn more about this particular circuit), this will be of much interest:
http://effectslayouts.blogspot.com/2015/10/the-drivestortion-project.html

As soon as my partscaster is complete (at most a couple of months from now) I'll definitely give the OD250 another go...but again, basically any overdrive, fuzz or distortion pedal (apart from the gainier ones) can be made into a good boost into a Plexi circuit, in my experience. Some are better at it than others, and all of them bring different things to the table, but from the dozens of ones I've tried (again, a perk of building your own pedals), pretty much none has struck me as being 100% rubbish, totally unusable, flat-out bad sounding no mater how I set it.


----------



## Chrome

In front of my jmp 2204, none. Don’t need it because it gives me all I want. I do however use a volume pedal that has a adjustable 15 db boost on the top end.


----------



## ampeq

Something a lot of people don’t even think about is some of the new all in one pedals have some pretty awesome stuff in them. My HX Effects has some great stuff for clean boost, OD, distortion and fuzz. Once you learn which ones you like they can be kept as favorites to pull up anytime you want. Plus if you get sick of them you have a ton to choose from. They are every bit as good as any single pedal and can be tweaked to taste. You can even have 6 set up at a time.


----------



## Acvox

I previously mentioned David Gilmour using the Boss GE7 to fine tune the tone of his Rat pedals, but imo theres a lot to be said for using the GE7 or any 7 band eq pedal as a boost into the front end of your Marshall.

I used one as my only pedal in front my 100 watt halfstack for the first 18 months or so of my playing career.
I found a setting that worked for both cleanish and more driven tones and just worked with it.

Its not perfect, theyre not that quiet and theres an obvious limit to the level of boost available, but the ability to shape your tone any which way you choose is a feature unique to eq pedals in a way thats found nowhere else.

Combining one with your diirt pedal of choice opens up many creative possibilities, and 20 yrs on Im rarely without one on my board or in my bag of tricks should the need arise.. Cheap, reliable and versatile, its my Swiss army pedal..


----------



## Edgar Frog

Still using the Ibanez TS7 Tube Screamer and now a Proco RAT 2 instead of my GFS Brownie Classic Rat/Turbo Rat clone.


----------



## Acvox

Putting aside eq pedals for a moment, Id like to add to the tubescreamer list of pedals already mentioned, and add the Maxon OD 820 Overdrive Pro to the list. (If it hasn't already been mentioned). 

I let my Fulltone Mosfet Fulldrive go in preference for the Maxon OD 820, which I only mention in order to illustrate how much I value the Maxon. 
Maxon developed the pedal to be the last word, the Rolls Royce, if you like of tubescreamers, and imho they succeeded. 
It excels in front of my Bass and Lead Marshall heads, not to mention my '66 AC30. In addition, due to its reduced compression artifacts it responds really well to all kinds of boosters including 7 band eq pedals without loosing those essential dynamics. All the best, 

Acvox


----------



## Calebz

15k P90s, Tube Screamer, HotMod and the gain on my SC20h at about 7. 

It's very close to the perfect signal chain for me. Nearly every aspect of it is made to boost something


----------



## Mitchell Pearrow

In the last year I have put my SD1 back in front of my amps , and there it will stay..
I am still loving the tones I get from it..
Cheers 
Mitch


----------



## yladrd61

https://www.guitarplayer.com/gear/t...s_G69ritZrNl4cmTZ_ocnFbttMNqFgeiH3wDHAQbGQf2Y

https://godlyke.com/collections/frontpage/products/tamura-mod-ibanez-ts808

https://godlyke.com/collections/maxon-custom-shop


----------



## fitz

SD-1
BD-2
FZ-5
TC Tube Pilot
TC Cinders
MXR M77
DemonFx TS2

not all at the same time...


----------



## TXOldRedRocker

Morning Glory
OCD
Timmy
Pinnacle
Sparkling Blue
SD-1
Plumes
Bonzai
DS-1
Riot
Mud Honey II
Super Badass
Paul Gilbert PG14
Buxom Boost

Also, not all at the same time.


----------



## anitoli

This in front of the 800 Super Bass 100. Kicks it in the balls.


----------



## junk notes

IYO, how would this would sound paired up with a 1992 or 1986?


anitoli said:


> This in front of the *800 Super Bass* 100. Kicks it in the balls.


----------



## anitoli

junk notes said:


> IYO, how would this would sound paired up with a 1992 or 1986?


Not having either of those heads around i still think it would work very well. There are many tonal options on this pedal and honestly i am still exploring them. If it means anything i lets me get a Lemmy sound.


----------



## junk notes

anitoli said:


> Not having either of those heads around i still think it would work very well. There are many tonal options on this pedal and honestly i am still exploring them. If it means anything i lets me get a Lemmy sound.


 cool I have 2203s/2204s, and the BASS 100 is on the 2022 list! ;-). GAS could be a good thing whenever involving Marhalls!


----------



## Davide Margiotta

The best I found so far are the Rockett animal and the mxr distortion plus csp104, followed by boss od3.


----------



## Scholly

giblesp said:


> OD in front of a JVM?! Definitely not required.



Oh c'mon, man. This is such a blanket-statement. Of course it's needed _when _it's needed. Most amps gain something (pun not intended) when you put something in front. They behave differently. More sustain, response, tightness, etc..
The JVM as well. You'd turn down the gain on the amp anyway.
And for certain genres you DO need one. For the real heavy stuff, say Meshugga just to name one easy example; you won't get that aggressive attacky "plink" when palm-muting without one.
If you feel you don't need one (wonder if you even gave it a try in the first place ), good. More power to you. But sounding as if you're speaking for everyone with a JVM (or any amp for that matter)? Not cool 

And no, not trying to start a fight. Just amused how some ppl keep claiming the same baseless thing over and over again.


----------



## Scallywag77

MXR Sugar Drive and MXR Timmy. I also have a Boss SD1 and OnFloor Audio Tube Boost OD. Another vote for EQ pedals. I prefer the Boss PQ4 but the GE7 is a very close second. Tried the MXR 6 band and it just didn’t have the same sound to my ear. The Boss seemed more natural sounding to me. That’s just my opinion though


----------



## tallcoolone

Update lol--got an EQD Plumes. Benn playing it for a week, it's incredible. TONS of play in the EQ, plenty of head room...honestly I have just been using it in boost mode and it adds all the sparkle and kick without a lot of noise or fizz. Great, great OD


----------



## tallcoolone

Scallywag77 said:


> MXR Sugar Drive and MXR Timmy. I also have a Boss SD1 and OnFloor Audio Tube Boost OD. Another vote for EQ pedals. I prefer the Boss PQ4 but the GE7 is a very close second. Tried the MXR 6 band and it just didn’t have the same sound to my ear. The Boss seemed more natural sounding to me. That’s just my opinion though
> View attachment 99875


Have an orig Timmy and it's never going anywhere. An absolute classic on the level of a BB or Klon IMO


----------



## saxon68

Scholly said:


> Oh c'mon, man. This is such a blanket-statement. Of course it's needed _when _it's needed. Most amps gain something (pun not intended) when you put something in front. They behave differently. More sustain, response, tightness, etc..
> The JVM as well. You'd turn down the gain on the amp anyway.
> And for certain genres you DO need one. For the real heavy stuff, say Meshugga just to name one easy example; you won't get that aggressive attacky "plink" when palm-muting without one.
> If you feel you don't need one (wonder if you even gave it a try in the first place ), good. More power to you. But sounding as if you're speaking for everyone with a JVM (or any amp for that matter)? Not cool
> 
> And no, not trying to start a fight. Just amused how some ppl keep claiming the same baseless thing over and over again.


I’ve got an SD-1 for my JVM. Not using it for drive, just to tighten it up a bit for stuff that needs it.


----------



## tallcoolone

saxon68 said:


> I’ve got an SD-1 for my JVM. Not using it for drive, just to tighten it up a bit for stuff that needs it.


+1. I love OD pedals but I never have a gain knob above 9:00. Ever.


----------



## matttornado

tallcoolone said:


> Chase Tone Secret Preamp is pretty awesome. Little on the noisy side, but fantastic. Like the Storm. Long thread, I’ve prob said that b4 lol


I just tried on with my Superlead and I didn't like it. I kept turning it off. For some reason, it sounded like it was choking my amp while taking away the punch and definition.

I tried all settings and gave it a fair try before sending it back,


----------



## tallcoolone

matttornado said:


> I just tried on with my Superlead and I didn't like it. I kept turning it off. For some reason, it sounded like it was choking my amp while taking away the punch and definition.
> 
> I tried all settings and gave it a fair try before sending it back,


Hey it's all subjective right? I have it set on "Bright" with the output around 1-2:00. More of an "enhancer" than an OD


----------



## matttornado

tallcoolone said:


> Hey it's all subjective right? I have it set on "Bright" with the output around 1-2:00. More of an "enhancer" than an OD


yep! it did not enhance my tone at all. I was so bummed.

I actually built 2 Echoplex preamps myself years ago, from scratch, following the Echoplex ep3 schematic(s) along with some help from the metro forum. They actually sounded better to me but still not enough to make them perminent in my rig.


----------



## SlyStrat

Weehbo JCM Drive.


----------



## Moony

I really like the old trusty MXR GT-OD a lot. 
And I love the new Way Huge Green Rhino MKV smalls version - it makes your sound fat and chewy!


----------



## TXOldRedRocker

Moony said:


> I really like the old trusty MXR GT-OD a lot.



Got one of those 2 weeks ago. Now one of my favorite pedals. Great tone.

It kicked a pedal off my board. Doubt the GT-OD will ever leave.


----------



## Ken Ops

Am now using an SD-1 in front of the JVM. Not for drive here either, more as a sort of boost/eq with a particular flavour really.


----------



## playloud

I've been using one of these lately:


----------



## groovenev

saxon68 said:


> I’ve got an SD-1 for my JVM. Not using it for drive, just to tighten it up a bit for stuff that needs it.


Smoothest OD I have ever owned in front of my JMP ! OD-1 yeah!!


----------



## tallcoolone

playloud said:


> I've been using one of these lately:


That must take up a lot of room on the pedalboard!


----------



## playloud

tallcoolone said:


> That must take up a lot of room on the pedalboard!



Just prop it on top of two heads, like Jimmy:


----------



## Vesperado

tallcoolone said:


> Thought about this when reading the Tubescreamer thread...I love dirt boxes in front of all—but especially Marshall amps. Bought and sold dozens and dozens of them and I think still have at least a dozen lying around. Love to hear experiences of others...here is what I have at the moment
> 
> *Maxon OD820*—honeymoon period but I love this guy. Like the TS9 but more treble, more headroom...just BIGGER. Also physically larger so keep in mind
> *Timmy*—love this, got replaced by the new Maxon OD820 but will be back. The original ‘transparent’ od
> *TS9*–benchmark mid hump od best run low in front of an already overdriven amp
> *Secret Preamp*—my ‘always on’ pedal at the end of the board. Not really an od, more of a compressor? I dunno—try one out, you’ll thank me.
> *SoloDallas Storm*—like the SP, more of a compressor/boost than an OD but where the SP is subtle the Storm is like a cock punch. Tons of boost on tap and something else that changes your tone more drastically than the SP.
> *Archer Ikon*—best ‘Klone’/Klon Cline I’ve tried. Pretty unique—not a ton of boost but I really liked it run like a TS—low gain, tone up. Great in front of my SC20 when it’s breathing a bit
> *Naga Viper treble booster*—Rangemaster circuit apparently? Sounds ‘Sabbath-y’ to me in front of my Marshalls. I like a lot of high end to my tone and this is lacking a bit in that Dept
> *Tone Job EQ/booster*—replaced the Detox as my ‘clean channel’ pedal. Set low it works just like your guitar volume the way it cleans up your tone. But better and actually tweakable
> *OCD*—if I were going to a gig not knowing what I was going to have as a backline I’d bring the OCD. At home in front of anything really—played a hard rock gig once with a 100w Hiwatt in a small room and only an OCD and a wah








How my amp sounds: my 2001 Super Triple Super Lead, with some of my favorite stomps...


**This USB mic is good for voice over work, not so much for mic'ing a cab as it colors the tone (and stutters here and there). If I get more time I will redo everything with my guitar cab mics and an ADC.** At any rate, this is my Super Triple Super Lead amp, modified to the hilt, and set up...




marshallforum.com


----------



## jcm800gridlock

These three with my Marshall’s. If had to go with just one OD, it would be the “Dude”.

1) J-Rockett Dude (medium to high gain)
2) Greer Lightspeed (transparent low to medium gain)
3) MJMGUITARFX Blues Devil (medium to higher gain)


----------



## taylodl

Well, I'd been using an EHX Soul Food for years before getting my DSL40CR. Thought I wasn't going to need it any longer. Then I read how you can use your OD pedal to remove some of the flubbiness from the high gain channels. Works like a champ!


----------



## Tincup

I have a lovepedal vintage modern. I use it with my sv20h. Amazing how well the guitar volume works with the pedal on either pickup. I’ve had it a while, but always used it with my fenders for my higher gain sounds. It’s simply amazing how well it works with the Marshall.


----------



## PaulHikeS2

SD-1 into my DSL1HR. Level at noon, drive at 8:00, and tone at 12:30.


----------



## Jet Bycraft

for the past week I have been using my Klon Centaur as a boost in front of my 2205. It's there to stay for now.


----------



## tallcoolone

Jet Bycraft said:


> for the past week I have been using my Klon Centaur as a boost in front of my 2205. It's there to stay for now.


Never had a real Klon but I love the JRockett klones--love to hear yours!

Past month I've tried the Dover Drive (selling--didn't bond at all), a Lovepedal OD Eleven (very dynamic and open--love) and a Beetronics Overhive (thick and fuzzy without being overbearing or taking over your guitar/amp tone--great and def a keeper)


----------



## J.LaGrassa

I'm using a Friedman Golden Pearl and a Friedman Smallbox OD to drive the Origin 20H, sounds real good to my ears!


----------



## Cosmic Ray

Jet Bycraft said:


> for the past week I have been using my Klon Centaur as a boost in front of my 2205. It's there to stay for now.


Normally, I use my KTR as a boost
Lately, I've been loving it as an overdrive


----------



## '2204'

Tincup said:


> I have a lovepedal vintage modern. I use it with my sv20h. Amazing how well the guitar volume works with the pedal on either pickup. I’ve had it a while, but always used it with my fenders for my higher gain sounds. It’s simply amazing how well it works with the Marshall.


I checked that pedal out on YouTube--very nice!


----------



## slade

I’ve mainly been using my khdk paranormal 2.


----------



## Moony

tallcoolone said:


> Never had a real Klon but I love the JRockett klones--love to hear yours!



I also don't have an original Klon Centaur. 

But of all the Klones I've tried these 3 are my favorites:


----------



## Tatzmann

Use more force at the picking hand.
So i guess a heavy ass bracelet and 
heavy ring at every finger would be my
overdrive of choice. But i dont like
jewelery so back to no overdrive for me 
i guess.


----------



## Rozman62

I've got some vintage Marshall's listed in my signature. I always liked Fulltone Fulldrive 2, Maxon 808 or SD1 stuffed in front of my Marshalls. Just picked up a Nobles ODR-1 which worked well with my Friedman. I'll have to try with the Marshall's. They've been out of rotation for a few months. I've been in Friedman & Mesa Mark V mode for a bit. Time to fire up the big iron again.


----------



## tallcoolone

Tatzmann said:


> Use more force at the picking hand.
> So i guess a heavy ass bracelet and
> heavy ring at every finger would be my
> overdrive of choice. But i dont like
> jewelery so back to no overdrive for me
> i guess.


Let’s see and hear it!


----------



## tallcoolone

Rozman62 said:


> I've got some vintage Marshall's listed in my signature. I always liked Fulltone Fulldrive 2, Maxon 808 or SD1 stuffed in front of my Marshalls. Just picked up a Nobles ODR-1 which worked well with my Friedman. I'll have to try with the Marshall's. They've been out of rotation for a few months. I've been in Friedman & Mesa Mark V mode for a bit. Time to fire up the big iron again.


I bet that ‘79 eats OD pedals


----------



## DaDoc

Great thread, I love stompbox distortion!

I have three on my board:

-Maxon OD 820
-B.K. Butler Tube Driver
-Sola Sound Tone Bender MK IV "Fruit Salad" fuzz

The B.K. Butler is the one I use the most, LOVE it!
The Tone Bender is another awesome pedal, I paid a lot of $$ for it and never thought I would spend that much on a stompbox, but it was worth every penny! Think "Psychotic Reaction" type fuzz.

I also have a TS-9 Tubescreamer, but I've just never took to the tone of those, and believe me, I've tried! The Maxon OD-820 has what the original Tubescreamers are lacking in, at least to my old ears..I use it mainly for a volume boost.

The distortion pedals I use mainly with my JMP, and I just use the preamp settings on my Soldano for distortion..That is, most of the time!


----------



## Edgar Frog

Still using my top 2 faves. No plans of ever taking them off.


----------



## fitz

I haven't posted to this thread in over a year (I think), but things change...

By amp:

O20H ~ Boss FZ-5, BD-2, SD-1
DSL20H ~ MXR Custom Badass Modified OD, Super Badass Variac Fuzz
6101 ~ JHS 3 Series Fuzz
5002 (soon to be 4203) ~ TC Rusty Fuzz, Tube Pilot, Cinders
3210 & G215 ~ Demonfx - TS II
Haze15 ~ still nothin', perfect as is
Crate GX10 ~ who cares?


----------



## jmp45

DaDoc said:


> The B.K. Butler is the one I use the most, LOVE it!



I concur, B.K.'s Tube Driver is my #1 go to and has been for years. I have other flavors on the board but none have the tone and feel of that pedal.


----------



## EJstrat&JVM

The power attenuator (Fryette etc) is more important than any pedal. Regarding gain pedals I heard a new pedal with actually character, different from the same old gain pedal, it's the Thorpy Scarlet Tunic. It's difficult to hear great OD pedals, in my list of favourite ones I will include:

-Friedman Smallbox OD
-EHX Soul food (or any Klon clone)
-Strymon Riverside
-Boss Blues driver
-Boss SD1
-Walrus Eras
-Rangemaster treble booster
-DOD 250 (but it's a lottery, they all sound different)
-Thorpy Scarlet Tunic (if your amp is too dark or not raw enough, this pedal will do the job)


----------



## jchrisf

Mine are the BYOC Green Pony I built. Just a great sounding pedal.
Also my Carl Martin PlexiRanger. This is my favorite and gives me those George Lynch hot rod plexi tones with my 2204. It is a Plexi Amp in a box with a treble booster.. both independent of each other.

The BYOC Green Pony is based on the Maxon OD-820, but they've added all the obligatory Tubescreamer mods as stock options. On the outside, you'll notice they've added a NORM/THIN/FAT switch which allows you to modify the bass response and gain and a LED/NONE/Si switch that allows you to modify the clipping. On the inside, they made the Si (silicon) clipping asymmetrical and changed the value of one of the capacitors in a low pass filter so that it doesn't cut as much treble, thus reducing the dreaded mid-range hump.


----------



## mrrstrat

I'll jump on the pile: I use an Archer Ikon or a TS-9DX. The Ikon dries up the loose low-end in the amp and the TX-9DX gives various degrees of bite and leaves the loose low-end. I use it on a 2007 DSL 2K with 5.6K grid stoppers on the power board. I don't use them both at the same time. -depends on what I am playing. If I picked on, the Ikon hands down is the best all-in-1 general boost pedal I have found. Good for the chirpy Van Halen sound on many amps.


----------



## Kid_Awesome1

tallcoolone said:


> Thought about this when reading the Tubescreamer thread...I love dirt boxes in front of all—but especially Marshall amps. Bought and sold dozens and dozens of them and I think still have at least a dozen lying around. Love to hear experiences of others...here is what I have at the moment
> 
> *Maxon OD820*—honeymoon period but I love this guy. Like the TS9 but more treble, more headroom...just BIGGER. Also physically larger so keep in mind
> *Timmy*—love this, got replaced by the new Maxon OD820 but will be back. The original ‘transparent’ od
> *TS9*–benchmark mid hump od best run low in front of an already overdriven amp
> *Secret Preamp*—my ‘always on’ pedal at the end of the board. Not really an od, more of a compressor? I dunno—try one out, you’ll thank me.
> *SoloDallas Storm*—like the SP, more of a compressor/boost than an OD but where the SP is subtle the Storm is like a cock punch. Tons of boost on tap and something else that changes your tone more drastically than the SP.
> *Archer Ikon*—best ‘Klone’/Klon Cline I’ve tried. Pretty unique—not a ton of boost but I really liked it run like a TS—low gain, tone up. Great in front of my SC20 when it’s breathing a bit
> *Naga Viper treble booster*—Rangemaster circuit apparently? Sounds ‘Sabbath-y’ to me in front of my Marshalls. I like a lot of high end to my tone and this is lacking a bit in that Dept
> *Tone Job EQ/booster*—replaced the Detox as my ‘clean channel’ pedal. Set low it works just like your guitar volume the way it cleans up your tone. But better and actually tweakable
> *OCD*—if I were going to a gig not knowing what I was going to have as a backline I’d bring the OCD. At home in front of anything really—played a hard rock gig once with a 100w Hiwatt in a small room and only an OCD and a wah


For what it's worth, my marshal is the SV20H, that i play through a 1x12 closed back cab with a greenback. I have at least 1 version of the main types of overdrive (tubescreamer, bluesbreaker, klon, timmy, nobels, rat, fuzz, and a few others), and my favorite is the timmy clone because the way I have it set, it's just like I can turn up my guitar an extra 50% and let the amp do the tone work. Basically I love the classic marshall tone, and usually just plug straight in, and use my weber attenuator as my "pedal". My vote is to let the natural amp sing as much as possible!


----------



## dro

Have been using 120 volt Carl Martin Hot Drive-N-Boost for years.

If I was to put together a new board. I would be leaning heavily to Carl Martin Plexi Ranger.

Big fan of Carl Martin. Not so much so, the bargain stuff you find in the GC cabinets.


----------



## mallcorn

tallcoolone said:


> Thought about this when reading the Tubescreamer thread...I love dirt boxes in front of all—but especially Marshall amps. Bought and sold dozens and dozens of them and I think still have at least a dozen lying around. Love to hear experiences of others...here is what I have at the moment
> 
> *Maxon OD820*—honeymoon period but I love this guy. Like the TS9 but more treble, more headroom...just BIGGER. Also physically larger so keep in mind
> *Timmy*—love this, got replaced by the new Maxon OD820 but will be back. The original ‘transparent’ od
> *TS9*–benchmark mid hump od best run low in front of an already overdriven amp
> *Secret Preamp*—my ‘always on’ pedal at the end of the board. Not really an od, more of a compressor? I dunno—try one out, you’ll thank me.
> *SoloDallas Storm*—like the SP, more of a compressor/boost than an OD but where the SP is subtle the Storm is like a cock punch. Tons of boost on tap and something else that changes your tone more drastically than the SP.
> *Archer Ikon*—best ‘Klone’/Klon Cline I’ve tried. Pretty unique—not a ton of boost but I really liked it run like a TS—low gain, tone up. Great in front of my SC20 when it’s breathing a bit
> *Naga Viper treble booster*—Rangemaster circuit apparently? Sounds ‘Sabbath-y’ to me in front of my Marshalls. I like a lot of high end to my tone and this is lacking a bit in that Dept
> *Tone Job EQ/booster*—replaced the Detox as my ‘clean channel’ pedal. Set low it works just like your guitar volume the way it cleans up your tone. But better and actually tweakable
> *OCD*—if I were going to a gig not knowing what I was going to have as a backline I’d bring the OCD. At home in front of anything really—played a hard rock gig once with a 100w Hiwatt in a small room and only an OCD and a wah


Out of the many OD pedals I currently own, the top two or three I use to push my plexi are either or a combination of Boss SD-1, Fulltone OCD v1, and/or Suhr Koko Boost.


----------



## Dirty-D

I have found ,in my experience at least, that a dist./OD pedal just makes your amp sound like that pedal and not like your amp anymore.You loose most of the "body" that makes up your tone.My Marshalls soud vicious all by themselves. That being said, l do use a "Pedals By Tone"overdrive with the gain on like 3 for a lead boost.


----------



## Dean Swindell

Lounsberry Toy Robot and/or Farm A/B Double Drive.


----------



## december

Horizon Devices Precision Drive


----------



## nkd

No overdrive pedals, use a wha for tone.


----------



## guitarzan2525

Keep life simple: Friedman BE-OD. More gain than you will ever need - and it sounds warm (like a Marshall).


----------



## Ken Ops

Tried an SD1 for a while. Good pedal, but going back to just a boost instead. Amp drive is the best drive, as they say.


----------



## bullhead

Currently using the JHS Angry Charlie. It's pretty sweet but I always eventually go back to a SD-1.


----------



## Mike Corey

tallcoolone said:


> Thought about this when reading the Tubescreamer thread...I love dirt boxes in front of all—but especially Marshall amps. Bought and sold dozens and dozens of them and I think still have at least a dozen lying around. Love to hear experiences of others...here is what I have at the moment
> 
> *Maxon OD820*—honeymoon period but I love this guy. Like the TS9 but more treble, more headroom...just BIGGER. Also physically larger so keep in mind
> *Timmy*—love this, got replaced by the new Maxon OD820 but will be back. The original ‘transparent’ od
> *TS9*–benchmark mid hump od best run low in front of an already overdriven amp
> *Secret Preamp*—my ‘always on’ pedal at the end of the board. Not really an od, more of a compressor? I dunno—try one out, you’ll thank me.
> *SoloDallas Storm*—like the SP, more of a compressor/boost than an OD but where the SP is subtle the Storm is like a cock punch. Tons of boost on tap and something else that changes your tone more drastically than the SP.
> *Archer Ikon*—best ‘Klone’/Klon Cline I’ve tried. Pretty unique—not a ton of boost but I really liked it run like a TS—low gain, tone up. Great in front of my SC20 when it’s breathing a bit
> *Naga Viper treble booster*—Rangemaster circuit apparently? Sounds ‘Sabbath-y’ to me in front of my Marshalls. I like a lot of high end to my tone and this is lacking a bit in that Dept
> *Tone Job EQ/booster*—replaced the Detox as my ‘clean channel’ pedal. Set low it works just like your guitar volume the way it cleans up your tone. But better and actually tweakable
> *OCD*—if I were going to a gig not knowing what I was going to have as a backline I’d bring the OCD. At home in front of anything really—played a hard rock gig once with a 100w Hiwatt in a small room and only an OCD and a wah


Warbler gearbox and a Nux Silver String. Great combination


----------



## Mike Corey

Mike Corey said:


> Warbler gearbox and a Nux Silver String. Great combination


That was supposed to be Wampler


----------



## Mike Corey

Jethro Rocker said:


> I use an OD with higher level but zero gain on some channels, some amps. Adds some extra to the Jubilee, is essential with the 800 4010, and I sometimes goose ch 2 mode B on the 6101 and red mode ch 2 on the JVM410. The TSL on Ch 2 likes it too.
> I find ODs with simply a tone control to be lacking some low end IMO. I have an old Bad Monkey I really like for the 2 band EQ and recently picked up an MXR super Badass Distortion used the same way. It has 3 band EQ. It works for me.


The morning is fantastic going into a Blues Deluxe. Kinda fizzy on dsl 40cr.


----------



## mark123

I could have sworn that I replied in this thread. 

When I got back into playing it was to join the church band so I got into pedals. A lot! Because church players gots ta have those pedals, ya know? I’d run my amp just before it started to break up and then use a boost (like a SHO) in front. Then I’d add a Klone for rhythms and a Rat for leads. I must have built 8 or 9 different boost/drive pedals. 

I got my DSL40C during that time so at first I just ran the green clean channel with my pedals. 

The church thing turned out to be pretty crappy. So I quit playing there but I was still into pedals. 

However, recently, I’ve been just enjoying plugging straight in with maybe a little bit of reverb. The Marshall 2466 helped in that area because it’s got a really great drive. And now I’ve got a Vox AC30 that is just awesome without pedals but a treble booster in the front really does give that Brian May tone. 

I can’t say I don’t want pedals anymore because it’s versatile and sounds good but I’ve just been on hiatus. Sometimes I use one but nowadays I go without. But to answer the thread, when I use them it’s the Klone for boost and a Rat for grit.


----------



## tallcoolone

Just picked up a JRockett Archer Clean and ran it in front of the Twin Sister yesterday for a bit—very cool. I’ve been running my amps hotter lately so really no room for much gain on top at all, just a boost.


----------



## nickfox

mark123 said:


> I could have sworn that I replied in this thread.



stoner...


----------



## mark123

nickfox said:


> stoner...


 I do not partake. And that’s a bit scarier. 

Maybe there was another similar thread. Dunno.


----------



## nickfox

We each have our way of getting to our happy place.


----------



## Derek S

I don't currently own a Marshall (well I have little 15w DSL head for grab n go, practice, etc) but I've always loved pedals in front of gainy amps, gives you more options, even extra channels/levels if you want to view it that way.

I do regret not having a stock JCM800 anymore. I remember trying every pedal I could get my hands on back in the day with that amp and the majority of them just made it howl and hiss, not in a good way. I'm sure a big part of that was my reliance on gain and trying to get more of it lol. I decided to just get some amps that packed more fire and not force a medium gain head into ultra saturated territory that it wasn't designed for (yes, even when CRANKED). Backing off on-hand distortion for lighter stuff seems easier than trying to manufacture more that isn't there. BUT...having said that, I regret selling it because damn these modern pedals are AMAZING (!!) and can transform a stock 800 into a fire breather without all the unwanted side effects now.

I currently have two drives I like in front of my amps, a Suhr Koko Boost for clean boosting that I've had forever and a Jetter Altair (a big fat, low level OD for all things medium to light gain as my heads are definitely geared more towards the high side).


----------



## playloud

Well, I blame this thread for changing my stance on pedals.

Picked up a Koko Boost Reloaded a couple of weeks ago for around US$100 used. The transparent boost is great for hearing your amp under different conditions. The mid-boost is great for doing the Clapton TBX thing with a Strat. Money well-spent!

And now I've just found a local(ish) deal on a Bad Monkey. Should have it in a couple of days...


----------



## kelstervonshredster

After spending years trying various boosts and overdrives in front of my Marshalls, I have have landed on Wampler Tumnus in front and a Metropoulos SupaBoost in the FX loop for power amp boost. The Tumnus gives you that sizzle and tightness and the Metro gives you the thump.


----------



## tallcoolone

Lovepedal OD Eleven is badass


----------



## Ramhead

I'm using all of this in front of my Marshall:


----------



## Deftone

Looking for new suggestions in here...still love my Metal Muff. Tried a few others and I am usually disappointed even if I liked them in a demo vid.


----------



## tallcoolone

Deftone said:


> Looking for new suggestions in here...still love my Metal Muff. Tried a few others and I am usually disappointed even if I liked them in a demo vid.


What amp are you running it through? What tones are you looking for?


----------



## Giblespaul2001

Plug her straight in! Let your volume and tone knob be your best friend.


----------



## Deftone

tallcoolone said:


> What amp are you running it through? What tones are you looking for?


See my sig....

+ a Mesa Solo Rec, and a few handwired Phaez custom jobs. I like heavy distortion but I still want it to be organic (if that makes any sense) Really like Adam Jones' tone....

Taking a hard look at the DS-1, Friedman BE OD. I have a Rev G3 and an AMT R1 but I couldn't get them to work for me. Also tried the MXR Full Bore Metal.


----------



## tallcoolone

Deftone said:


> See my sig....
> 
> + a Mesa Solo Rec, and a few handwired Phaez custom jobs. I like heavy distortion but I still want it to be organic (if that makes any sense) Really like Adam Jones' tone....
> 
> Taking a hard look at the DS-1, Friedman BE OD. I have a Rev G3 and an AMT R1 but I couldn't get them to work for me. Also tried the MXR Full Bore Metal.


If you are going to drop the coin for a BE, why not get a Diezel VH4 like he has? I'd love to check out one of those amps. Stuff like Sober you could do a great job with the first Marshall in your sig + a Klone or KOT. The Diezel grind stuff is tough b/c it still seems to have a nice top end which most Mesa/EVH type amps seem to lose IMO. I am assuming that is why the VH4 is so highly regarded


----------



## tallcoolone

Deftone said:


> Taking a hard look at the DS-1, Friedman BE OD.


Sorry duh not paying attention. Never used the BE OD


----------



## Deftone

tallcoolone said:


> Sorry duh not paying attention. Never used the BE OD


Have you tried any Friedman pedals?


----------



## tallcoolone

Deftone said:


> Have you tried any Friedman pedals?


No never. I always assumed they were too grainy for me since I run dirt in front of an already crunchy tone.


----------



## TheLoudness!!

Lots of people here getting great results from a standard Boss SD1. It really makes me think that a lot of the boutique pedal stuff is bs. A lot but not "all"...

For playing out, it's nice to be able to get a pedal that's easy to replace on the road. If an essential pedal goes out that you can't get, I'd consider that a headache.

Of course there may be the crowd that has to certain requirements to play their pedals. 
*Must be made in a cave far below earth's surface. 
*Use obsolete parts that might not be obtainable after initial run. 
*Be the second cousin to the guy who made the Klon pedals. 
*8 month wait 

Lol ...sounds like those guys on the gear page hahaha.


----------



## tallcoolone

TheLoudness!! said:


> Lots of people here getting great results from a standard Boss SD1. It really makes me think that a lot of the boutique pedal stuff is bs. A lot but not "all"...
> 
> For playing out, it's nice to be able to get a pedal that's easy to replace on the road. If an essential pedal goes out that you can't get, I'd consider that a headache.
> 
> Of course there may be the crowd that has to certain requirements to play their pedals.
> *Must be made in a cave far below earth's surface.
> *Use obsolete parts that might not be obtainable after initial run.
> *Be the second cousin to the guy who made the Klon pedals.
> *8 month wait
> 
> Lol ...sounds like those guys on the gear page hahaha.


EQD Plumes is good and cheap as well. No need to spend big $$ on an OD.


----------



## Deftone

tallcoolone said:


> If you are going to drop the coin for a BE, why not get a Diezel VH4 like he has? I'd love to check out one of those amps. Stuff like Sober you could do a great job with the first Marshall in your sig + a Klone or KOT. The Diezel grind stuff is tough b/c it still seems to have a nice top end which most Mesa/EVH type amps seem to lose IMO. I am assuming that is why the VH4 is so highly regarded


I've considered it but I never really seem to like the demos I've heard. The Aenima tone is what I like best and I think Adam was using Marshall JMP/ Mesa Combo then. + an LP with a JB in the bridge. I'm basically using the same set up.


----------



## -BOOGIEMAN-

I recently picked up a Caline Englishman distortion pedal. I’ve been using it exclusively since it arrived. I’ve never been much of a fan of distortion pedals, but this one in particular is simply fantastic. I am using it on both the green and red channels though it needs the settings adjusted when switching between the two channels. I’m really digging the tones I’m getting out of the green channel with the pedal. No it’s not a Plexi, but it definitely gets you in that realm. Best $30 dollar pedal out there in my opinion…


----------



## TheLoudness!!

A


tallcoolone said:


> EQD Plumes is good and cheap as well. No need to spend big $$ on an OD.


Anything I've tried from Earthquaker devices has been great. I had a Dunes pedal and I should have kept it!


----------



## tallcoolone

Deftone said:


> I've considered it but I never really seem to like the demos I've heard. The Aenima tone is what I like best and I think Adam was using Marshall JMP/ Mesa Combo then. + an LP with a JB in the bridge. I'm basically using the same set up.


Listen man, we both can't be just sitting around NOT owning a VH4


----------



## Tone Slinger

I had that 'last' Dod 250 pedal (the 'fx' series)......ran it in front of my amp.....I thought it was cool (I was like 16) , but then a salesman at the guitar shop said "A tube Screamer is what you need to push your amp harder for more gain and tighter palm mutes", something like that. I got one (was the Ts10 back then).... Total GAME CHANGER for sure !! I used that pedal in front of all the Marshall amps that I got from that point on ( basically every model up to and including the 900 series). I do remember trying a few other boxes up front ( around 1990) just to see if I liked anything better. The top I was using at that point was a jcm2555 (black tolex, gold panel Jubilee).... I remember the Boss Sd1 came close, but, I prefered my Ts10. 
I loaned/lost that (ts10)pedal back in '93 or '94, but have had several reissue (ts9, ts808) models since. I went 'retro' after Grunge took out my Hair Metal.....got a Voodoo Lab Overdrive around '96 used it about 10 yrs..... 
fast forward to 2008 to 2010 or so, I have actually been using a old ts5 soundtank or a Digitech Bad Monkey from that point ......i find that all of these 'tweaked circuit clones' of the BIG 3 ( (1) Distortion+/DOD 250 (2) Tubescreamer (3) Rat ) always go TOO far (or not far enough) concerning replicating a nice sounding original (I am not a Klon fan). I did score an old ('83) SD-1 recently, I am really liking it alot. I need to get one of the current versions to compare/ contrast.


----------



## Man of the World

tallcoolone said:


> Thought about this when reading the Tubescreamer thread...I love dirt boxes in front of all—but especially Marshall amps. Bought and sold dozens and dozens of them and I think still have at least a dozen lying around. Love to hear experiences of others...here is what I have at the moment
> 
> *Maxon OD820*—honeymoon period but I love this guy. Like the TS9 but more treble, more headroom...just BIGGER. Also physically larger so keep in mind
> *Timmy*—love this, got replaced by the new Maxon OD820 but will be back. The original ‘transparent’ od
> *TS9*–benchmark mid hump od best run low in front of an already overdriven amp
> *Secret Preamp*—my ‘always on’ pedal at the end of the board. Not really an od, more of a compressor? I dunno—try one out, you’ll thank me.
> *SoloDallas Storm*—like the SP, more of a compressor/boost than an OD but where the SP is subtle the Storm is like a cock punch. Tons of boost on tap and something else that changes your tone more drastically than the SP.
> *Archer Ikon*—best ‘Klone’/Klon Cline I’ve tried. Pretty unique—not a ton of boost but I really liked it run like a TS—low gain, tone up. Great in front of my SC20 when it’s breathing a bit
> *Naga Viper treble booster*—Rangemaster circuit apparently? Sounds ‘Sabbath-y’ to me in front of my Marshalls. I like a lot of high end to my tone and this is lacking a bit in that Dept
> *Tone Job EQ/booster*—replaced the Detox as my ‘clean channel’ pedal. Set low it works just like your guitar volume the way it cleans up your tone. But better and actually tweakable
> *OCD*—if I were going to a gig not knowing what I was going to have as a backline I’d bring the OCD. At home in front of anything really—played a hard rock gig once with a 100w Hiwatt in a small room and only an OCD and a wah


None needed. A clean boost works much more like an overdrive in front of a Marshall than it does in front of a Fender amp. I use the AURALUX Clear Gain. Of course YMMV.


----------



## Mitch1290

All home brew but

Maxon 808 (favourite) 
Rangemaster
Colorsound overdriver 
Boss od1
Greer ghetto stomp

All driving fuzz/distortion pedals rat/ic muff/fuzz face/dam meathead into jtm50 black flag spec head with ppimv set to taste and volumes at 7

Its a doom/stoner rig for sure but surprising versatility also


----------



## MoonKnighter

I confess and I state that I have not read the whole Topic, but I must say that in front of my Marshall JVM410h .... I do not use OD strictly intended.
My key pedal is the T.C. Electronic Spark Booster.
When I use the Clean Orange Channel I accompany it over a Fuzz / Muff boosted by the T.C. Electronic Spark Booster with Gain h. 07.00 AM (which means at 0 gain) and with everything else at unity level and however with the medium boost switch activated.
When I use the Crunch Channel I use alternately depending on the sound needs of the piece:
or a T.C. Electronic Spark Booster with Gain h. 11.00 AM (OD light), everything else at unity level and the switch on Clean Boost or Boost on medium-low frequencies;
or just a Fuzz Face.
With Channels OD 1 and OD2 I do not accompany TS or SD-1 and at least I use the aforementioned T.C. Electronic Spark Booster with Gain h. 07.00 AM (which means at 0 gain) and all the rest at unity level and with activated the switch on the Clean Boost or on the Boost on the medium-low frequencies according to the needs of the piece.


----------



## okgb

There's a lot of great flavors just don't spend too much money on hype.
I have a couple pedals from this place which are original designs [ unlike many pedal companies where they don't know how to actually design but merely copy and tweak a few values ]





						AXiom Effects by Dominion Audio Electronics
					

AXiom Effects by Dominion Audio Electronics - Studio quality and road-worthy effects for guitar and bass.



					axiomeffects.com


----------



## december

Horizon Devices Precision Drive. Adds clarity, brightness and gain, with an 'Attack' knob that tightens the low end.
Friedman Buxom Boost. Has a 'Tight' knob and switchable EQ: boost-only mids and bass and boost/cut treble. Bass boost brings back lows lost from turning up Tight but it still stays tight.


----------



## Plexitim

Really cool thread. I guess I am going the opposite direction. I've used an ART SGX-2000 since forever. Switched up to a Pedaltrain with a ton of stomp boxes. My favorite dirt and boost were a toss up between an Ibanez TS-9 and Bogner Red Ecstasy - the Variac switch on the Bogner still sounds good to my ears, the TS-9 sounds a bit synthetic and buzzy. But. Lately, nothing. No attenuator. A 1978 50 watt Marshall with master volume paired with a 4 hole Super Lead 50 watt. Drive them both a little hard and it seems like one covers for what the other lacks.


----------



## tallcoolone

Plexitim said:


> I've used an ART SGX-2000 since forever.


That's badass


----------



## MP+

I've tried a few, including the Boss Overdrive / Distortion, which is the rare one with a knob that steers to overdrive anticlockwise and distortion clockwise, giving a blend of whatever you like in between. I would rate that as the most useful tone enhancing medium to high gain pedal around however, as with all these high end pedals such as the Tube Screamer, Rat, Klon etc. they all have a distortion of their own which to my ears clashes with any distortion which you might have dialed up on your Marshall head to start with. The more different the distortion, the more it clashes, mostly noticeable when you let notes decay out. For this reason, I've found the original first issue Guv'nr to be the one which sits the best in front of a Marshall head. The circuit and tone is not far off the front end of the Silver Jubilee amps, which were all hitting the scene around the same time. With some tweaking, you can blend any pedal distortion in with distortion which you have running from the head. Being similar in tone to start with, the two tend not to clash as much. I'm not completely certain, but I suspect Gary Moore (RIP) might be using one in his solo for "Still Got The Blues". There's a photo of a Marsh. Combo and Guv. pedal on the album cover. The later Korean made Guv. also sounds pretty good but slightly different in the midrange. I get some great authentic Marshall overdrive tones at low volume running into my limited release JCM800 with 4 input 1987 Plexi preamp.


----------



## tallcoolone

MP+ said:


> Tube Screamer, Rat, Klon etc. they all have a distortion of their own which to my ears clashes with any distortion which you might have dialed up on your Marshall head to start with


ASide from the Rat, which I've never figured out a way to use live--the gain on those others can be dialed down below 9:00 and work incredibly well with the other knobs dialed up in front of a breathing Marshall. That's the Tone of the Gods my man!


----------



## Gutch220

Strictly overdrive speaking (no true distortion or fuzz), I like using a Maxon OD-9, and a Boss Blues Driver, but I think a lot of people are talking about using a transparent overdrive that doesn't color the tone. There are lots of those out there. I've heard good things about the MXR Sugar Drive. I don't mind coloring the tone though. I like to use all of the crayons in the box.


----------



## MP+

All good points. Really comes down to what you're after. In saying that, there would be an army of players out there who like the grunge tone of a Rat in front. I've used the Guv. as a rhythm pedal (gain at about 6, level up around 7 or 8), then kick it with a line booster in front for solos. Works great and gets around any issues of line losses if you are running any more than a total of 20 feet of cable in front of your amp.


----------



## tonycaster

I like Xotic stuff a lot in front of either my '78 JMP 2203 or the SC20h; RC booster V2 for rhythm and BB Preamp MB for solos. I've tried the classics TS9 and Sd1, as well as the Maxon SD9 and OD808, but never liked those combinations...


----------



## Casey_Butt

MP+ said:


> ... as with all these high end pedals such as the Tube Screamer, Rat, Klon etc. they all have a distortion of their own which to my ears clashes with any distortion which you might have dialed up on your Marshall head to start with. The more different the distortion, the more it clashes, mostly noticeable when you let notes decay out.



I think this is a good point. Pedals usually don't clip the signal like a tube amp would. If you feed a cranked amp with a relatively low-output hard-clipper like a Rat, then as the note decays the amp is likely going to come out of clipping before the pedal. Then you have a transition from one sort of clipping to another. The Tube Screamer and Klon both blend a portion of the clean signal in with the clipped signal, so as the amp comes out of clipping that clean signal can start showing up in the sound again. It isn't 'natural'.

Not to say that 'natural' is always better. Some people like those pedals precisely because of their characters, but it certainly could be considered as a "clash" between two different types of clipping.

Technically, the Guv'nor was a hard-clipper, but it used red LEDs for the clipping diodes, which gave it a higher clean headroom than the typical silicon diodes used in most other classic dirt pedals... at typical settings the amp preamp will probably begin clipping before the pedal does (depending on the settings, of course). So as the note decays the pedal will probably come out of clipping first and that transition could be masked by the amp's tubes, which are still clipping. Along with being purposely voiced like a Marshall it probably sits more naturally in front of one.


----------



## jagrenet

Lance Chambers said:


> Ditto!


I concur. None of my Marshalls need them. I get all the drive/gain anyone could ever want or need. IF I find one of my amps needs more, I simply tweak the circuit and perform easy and simple mods to get it into "shape". No need for pedals. Let the amp do all the work.


----------



## TXOldRedRocker

I think Marshall tone is why we all love Marshall's, and we (I) don't always need anything in front. But sometimes a pedal can color tone, or add a little grit, without twisting knobs on the amp. Switching tones with stomps from song to song. I most like a few pedals that are turned down low.

I like Preamp pedals, mostly DOD 250 style, that push the Marshall tone when you can't turn it up to 10. I like the Loophole Grey Matter, and the JHS Preamp/Overdrive.

For that 60's and 70's Marshall tone, I like a Tone Bender style turned down, just to color tone more into Jimi and Jimmy style. I like the Ramble FX Twin Bender for that.

I'm a fan of Rev. Billy tone. He turns the Treble to zero on his amps, and likes a little extra dirt. For that I use a Wilson Effects Sparkling Blue, which has a 3 band EQ and a great circuit. Treble, of course, is turned to zero, and adds a bit of extra gain over and above the amp.

My . YMMV.


----------



## Plexitim

tallcoolone said:


> That's badass


Thanks. In their day these were great stage effects and offered the ability to craft your own tones - just need the midi foot controller to switch between effects.


----------



## tallcoolone

jagrenet said:


> I concur. None of my Marshalls need them. I get all the drive/gain anyone could ever want or need. IF I find one of my amps needs more, I simply tweak the circuit and perform easy and simple mods to get it into "shape". No need for pedals. Let the amp do all the work.


It’s not a ‘need’ issue. Not everyone has the same tone in their head. As @Gutch220 pointed out, some like different color crayons.


----------



## tallcoolone

Plexitim said:


> Thanks. In their day these were great stage effects and offered the ability to craft your own tones - just need the midi foot controller to switch between effects.


Those things are fun as hell. And hey, they are ‘vintage’ now!


----------



## NickkiC

TC Electronics booster-line driver/distortion. Into front of a 2204, 2203.
I also like the Octonaut Hyperdrive by Interstellar Audio Devices and the Custom Shop Overdrive by Visual Sound. Haven’t played the Octonaut in a group or live jam yet, but I like how it sounds at drummer volume.


----------



## Karl Brake

Fulltone Full-drive V2, mostly for the pure clean channel on my JVMHJS. It's about as uncolored as I've found, and just adds some liquid quality to the clean and crunch channels. I also sometimes use a compressor for those channels just to make them more present in a band mix. 

I've used the Archer Ikon for a smaller footprint, much more neutral than my TS9. 

I like the Fulltone products in front my Marshalls more than anything else. Actually, I like the Fulltone Univibe as a clean boost as well as for its effect. On single notes, it just sounds nice and liquid.

Tend to use overdrive just to fatten up and add sustain to clean tones, not for high-gain.


----------



## MP+

Casey_Butt said:


> I think this is a good point. Pedals usually don't clip the signal like a tube amp would. If you feed a cranked amp with a relatively low-output hard-clipper like a Rat, then as the note decays the amp is likely going to come out of clipping before the pedal. Then you have a transition from one sort of clipping to another. The Tube Screamer and Klon both blend a portion of the clean signal in with the clipped signal, so as the amp comes out of clipping that clean signal can start showing up in the sound again. It isn't 'natural'.
> 
> Not to say that 'natural' is always better. Some people like those pedals precisely because of their characters, but it certainly could be considered as a "clash" between two different types of clipping.
> 
> Technically, the Guv'nor was a hard-clipper, but it used red LEDs for the clipping diodes, which gave it a higher clean headroom than the typical silicon diodes used in most other classic dirt pedals... at typical settings the amp preamp will probably begin clipping before the pedal does (depending on the settings, of course). So as the note decays the pedal will probably come out of clipping first and that transition could be masked by the amp's tubes, which are still clipping. Along with being purposely voiced like a Marshall it probably sits more naturally in front of one.


Exactly what I was saying but you've described it better. What you mention about the LEDs in the Guv. gets back to what I was saying about the front circuit of the Silver Jub. which has the same twin LED set up for its on board overdrive. So driving a Guv. with a clean line booster sort of mimics driving a Jub. with a line booster. This gives a great result when running into a relatively clean set Marsh. head. There is always some competing which can be heard where two separate sources of overdrive or distortion are sharing the same signal, much of it sounds really muddy when one cuts through over the other, then the other fades back over the top. The same still happens with a Guv. into an overdriven or distorted Marsh. head however it is like you say, masked by the fact that the tones are similar to each other to start with.


----------



## Casey_Butt

MP+ said:


> Exactly what I was saying but you've described it better.



Really? I thought it just came across as gibberish. 



MP+ said:


> What you mention about the LEDs in the Guv. gets back to what I was saying about the front circuit of the Silver Jub. which has the same twin LED set up for its on board overdrive. So driving a Guv. with a clean line booster sort of mimics driving a Jub. with a line booster. This gives a great result when running into a relatively clean set Marsh. head. There is always some competing which can be heard where two separate sources of overdrive or distortion are sharing the same signal, much of it sounds really muddy when one cuts through over the other, then the other fades back over the top.



I think the 'key' to a very natural overdrive sound with a boosted amp is to have a situation where the pedal doesn't start clipping until after the amp has already hit its clipping threshold. So the pedal can boost the amp enough to start clipping even when the pedal is still relatively clean. That way, when the pedal is hit hard enough to clip the amp will be clipping as well and the amp's overdrive character will dominate the pedal's. As the note fades the pedal comes out of clipping first, then the amp. So the pedal is again 'hidden' by the amp.

That happens naturally in an amp with cascaded tubes because each successive tube adds more gain and clips harder than the previous tube. But with a pedal you can get into an 'unnatural' situation where the first stage in the chain (the pedal) has more clipping than the next (the amp's first tube). It's a messed up gain staging situation that wouldn't happen naturally in an amp. In a sense, for a very natural overdrive pedal you're trying to make the pedal behave like the first tube in the preamp... one that will clip at the right level so the natural gain staging order is preserved. The more out of whack the gain staging is (like with a very hard-clipping, low-output pedal) and the more funky the pedal's EQ is, the more you're going to hear the pedal clashing with the amp.


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## guitarzan2525

Friedman BE-OD is warm to start with & plenty of gain to go. Marshall's love BE-OD's..


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## MP+

Casey_Butt said:


> Really? I thought it just came across as gibberish.
> 
> 
> 
> I think the 'key' to a very natural overdrive sound with a boosted amp is to have a situation where the pedal doesn't start clipping until after the amp has already hit its clipping threshold. So the pedal can boost the amp enough to start clipping even when the pedal is still relatively clean. That way, when the pedal is hit hard enough to clip the amp will be clipping as well and the amp's overdrive character will dominate the pedal's. As the note fades the pedal comes out of clipping first, then the amp. So the pedal is again 'hidden' by the amp.
> 
> That happens naturally in an amp with cascaded tubes because each successive tube adds more gain and clips harder than the previous tube. But with a pedal you can get into an 'unnatural' situation where the first stage in the chain (the pedal) has more clipping than the next (the amp's first tube). It's a messed up gain staging situation that wouldn't happen naturally in an amp. In a sense, for a very natural overdrive pedal you're trying to make the pedal behave like the first tube in the preamp... one that will clip at the right level so the natural gain staging order is preserved. The more out of whack the gain staging is (like with a very hard-clipping, low-output pedal) and the more funky the pedal's EQ is, the more you're going to hear the pedal clashing with the amp.


There's a case to look back and think about where overdrive came from and what role pedals do play in crafting a tone in line with what's mentioned about "gain stages" and "natural overdrive". The first and best "natural overdrive" simply came about by totally cranking an Amp. full bore, resulting in overdrive of the output tubes. Of course that involved volume that could land you in court if done regularly from the suburban home studio or bedroom. The workable remedy involved introducing channels on tube Amps. which relied on overdriving the preamp tubes. This is where line boosters and / or "cleanish" overdrive pedals came into play, pushing the preamp tubes further into distortion. Not quite as raunchy as overdriving the output stage, but not a bad "second best" alternative. Distortion created from pedals involves overdriving internal FET transistors or linear Op Amps, still an Ok third best which can be blended and brought back to life via a good tube preamp stage (as you mention) but gets fiddly and can involve a lot of tweaking to get what might sound Ok at bedroom volume moved on to a decent tone at performance volumes. There's no "perfect fit" with the issue coming down to what you're after. To my ears though, having recorded in the past, cranking a quality tube Amp. into distortion is still the best ever, if that's not distorted enough, drive it with a quality line booster or overdrive set up as booster using the level control more than anything else. Modelled digital distortion just never worked for me, I've tried it out and ditched it. Just seemed like I had to adjust my pick action and timing to pull a half decent tone.


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## Barfly

I switch it up. I have an OFA Klon Klone, a Soldano GTO, A Keeley Red Dirt and a Tech21 OMG that is wonderfull.


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## tallcoolone

MP+ said:


> There's a case to look back and think about where overdrive came from and what role pedals do play in crafting a tone in line with what's mentioned about "gain stages" and "natural overdrive". The first and best "natural overdrive" simply came about by totally cranking an Amp. full bore, resulting in overdrive of the output tubes. Of course that involved volume that could land you in court if done regularly from the suburban home studio or bedroom. The workable remedy involved introducing channels on tube Amps. which relied on overdriving the preamp tubes. This is where line boosters and / or "cleanish" overdrive pedals came into play, pushing the preamp tubes further into distortion. Not quite as raunchy as overdriving the output stage, but not a bad "second best" alternative. Distortion created from pedals involves overdriving internal FET transistors or linear Op Amps, still an Ok third best which can be blended and brought back to life via a good tube preamp stage (as you mention) but gets fiddly and can involve a lot of tweaking to get what might sound Ok at bedroom volume moved on to a decent tone at performance volumes. There's no "perfect fit" with the issue coming down to what you're after. To my ears though, having recorded in the past, cranking a quality tube Amp. into distortion is still the best ever, if that's not distorted enough, drive it with a quality line booster or overdrive set up as booster using the level control more than anything else. Modelled digital distortion just never worked for me, I've tried it out and ditched it. Just seemed like I had to adjust my pick action and timing to pull a half decent tone.


Lots of thought going into slapping a dirt box in front of an amp to tighten it up lol


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## MP+

tallcoolone said:


> Lots of thought going into slapping a dirt box in front of an amp to tighten it up lol


I think a lot of this comes down to what volume budget you're working with. That will also have an impact on how much drive you're looking to get from the box.


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## tallcoolone

MP+ said:


> I think a lot of this comes down to what volume budget you're working with. That will also have an impact on how much drive you're looking to get from the box.


True, so does venue, PA, crowd density, indoor/outdoor…that’s why I have 3 low gain ODs and a high headroom eq on the board, Regardless of the amp I bring I always want an OD in front to tighten things up—at least for my ‘lead’ tone—so I want choices.


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## MP+

It's a good move to have some sort of line boost at your front of Amp. once the cabling goes past around 25ft. Signal loss is a logarithmic decay with the top end of your signal diving rapidly by the time you hit over 30ft. I've tried this out using just a coupling between two 20ft. cables, then just a single 20ft. cable, then a clean line booster as the joining point. Many pedals have in built buffers which address this but if all your gear is true bypass then something is needed. I've also seen players slightly knock the level up on their wireless sets to drive the Amp. input a touch harder. It turns into a question of where the guitar circuit ends and where the Amp. circuit begins.


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## MP+

Adding to the above, I've found that the best way to set up an effects chain is one brick at a time rather than just wiring up a complete floorboard in one hit. Some boosters (which includes, overdrives, EQ pedals etc. set up to boost signals) sound awesome for that very reason, since they are nullifying an issue. This is where active pickups came about, setting up the line boost in the guitar itself. I recommend the same with anyone running via an effects loop, start with just the cables alone through a coupling then using an EQ or line booster, bring the signal back as close to original as possible via comparison. Some loops have a level control included in circuit for this very reason. From there, it becomes a matter of preference as to whether leaving the compensating booster on all the time, or dropping it out when you hit a distortion or overdrive pedal which takes over the role of signal boost. It's also worth experimenting with the order in which any floor pedals are connected, such as before the line boost or after, there's not many right or wrongs with that, really comes down to your ears judging what you're hearing. One sort of fail is distortion pedals and Wah pedals in the effects loop, they seem to sound a touch rough, but then some might find that useable.


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## Cal Nevari

tallcoolone said:


> Thought about this when reading the Tubescreamer thread...I love dirt boxes in front of all—but especially Marshall amps. Bought and sold dozens and dozens of them and I think still have at least a dozen lying around. Love to hear experiences of others...here is what I have at the moment
> 
> *Maxon OD820*—honeymoon period but I love this guy. Like the TS9 but more treble, more headroom...just BIGGER. Also physically larger so keep in mind
> *Timmy*—love this, got replaced by the new Maxon OD820 but will be back. The original ‘transparent’ od
> *TS9*–benchmark mid hump od best run low in front of an already overdriven amp
> *Secret Preamp*—my ‘always on’ pedal at the end of the board. Not really an od, more of a compressor? I dunno—try one out, you’ll thank me.
> *SoloDallas Storm*—like the SP, more of a compressor/boost than an OD but where the SP is subtle the Storm is like a cock punch. Tons of boost on tap and something else that changes your tone more drastically than the SP.
> *Archer Ikon*—best ‘Klone’/Klon Cline I’ve tried. Pretty unique—not a ton of boost but I really liked it run like a TS—low gain, tone up. Great in front of my SC20 when it’s breathing a bit
> *Naga Viper treble booster*—Rangemaster circuit apparently? Sounds ‘Sabbath-y’ to me in front of my Marshalls. I like a lot of high end to my tone and this is lacking a bit in that Dept
> *Tone Job EQ/booster*—replaced the Detox as my ‘clean channel’ pedal. Set low it works just like your guitar volume the way it cleans up your tone. But better and actually tweakable
> *OCD*—if I were going to a gig not knowing what I was going to have as a backline I’d bring the OCD. At home in front of anything really—played a hard rock gig once with a 100w Hiwatt in a small room and only an OCD and a wah


So recently picked up a couple of lesser-known Boss pedals: FB-2 Feedback/Booster and DN-2 Dyna Drive. They work nicely together, with the FB-2 more of a clean boost and the DN-2 a mellow, touch sensitive OD. You have to place the booster in front of the dyna to get the feedback function to work properly. YMMV.


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## tallcoolone

Cal Nevari said:


> So recently picked up a couple of lesser-known Boss pedals: FB-2 Feedback/Booster and DN-2 Dyna Drive. They work nicely together, with the FB-2 more of a clean boost and the DN-2 a mellow, touch sensitive OD. You have to place the booster in front of the dyna to get the feedback function to work properly. YMMV.


I could have fun with those from the sound of it haha. Just got the ThorpyFx Team Medic V2 and it is damn cool. Plenty of clean boost and a 3 band eq with lots of range. 

Anything that kicks up the clarity and removes mud I’m usually a fan of and that FB-2 sounds like just that.


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## Shred Monster

tallcoolone said:


> Thought about this when reading the Tubescreamer thread...I love dirt boxes in front of all—but especially Marshall amps. Bought and sold dozens and dozens of them and I think still have at least a dozen lying around. Love to hear experiences of others...here is what I have at the moment
> 
> *Maxon OD820*—honeymoon period but I love this guy. Like the TS9 but more treble, more headroom...just BIGGER. Also physically larger so keep in mind
> *Timmy*—love this, got replaced by the new Maxon OD820 but will be back. The original ‘transparent’ od
> *TS9*–benchmark mid hump od best run low in front of an already overdriven amp
> *Secret Preamp*—my ‘always on’ pedal at the end of the board. Not really an od, more of a compressor? I dunno—try one out, you’ll thank me.
> *SoloDallas Storm*—like the SP, more of a compressor/boost than an OD but where the SP is subtle the Storm is like a cock punch. Tons of boost on tap and something else that changes your tone more drastically than the SP.
> *Archer Ikon*—best ‘Klone’/Klon Cline I’ve tried. Pretty unique—not a ton of boost but I really liked it run like a TS—low gain, tone up. Great in front of my SC20 when it’s breathing a bit
> *Naga Viper treble booster*—Rangemaster circuit apparently? Sounds ‘Sabbath-y’ to me in front of my Marshalls. I like a lot of high end to my tone and this is lacking a bit in that Dept
> *Tone Job EQ/booster*—replaced the Detox as my ‘clean channel’ pedal. Set low it works just like your guitar volume the way it cleans up your tone. But better and actually tweakable
> *OCD*—if I were going to a gig not knowing what I was going to have as a backline I’d bring the OCD. At home in front of anything really—played a hard rock gig once with a 100w Hiwatt in a small room and only an OCD and a wah


My 800 only likes Tube Screamers. Especially the UE 300. Getting US high gain amps to eliminate pedals.


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## Cal Nevari

tallcoolone said:


> I could have fun with those from the sound of it haha. Just got the ThorpyFx Team Medic V2 and it is damn cool. Plenty of clean boost and a 3 band eq with lots of range.
> 
> Anything that kicks up the clarity and removes mud I’m usually a fan of and that FB-2 sounds like just that.


Absolutely spot on about the clarity. Too much muddy guitar tones out there!


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## David Szabados

I do like the old standby TS-808 or SD-1 still in my older non-master Marshalls. The bass cut is useful when the amps are driving hard. OCD is good too but that’s a better pedal to run into a clean Fender amp to produce a quasi-Marshall type tone so that’s what I keep those for.

Not as much of a Klon fan these days into Marshalls. I actually prefer the softer response and feel from the TS-808. 

Nice to play with different flavors for sure.


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## pittbull

What overdrive- distortion pedal are some using in front of a already overdriven Marshall amp


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## tallcoolone

pittbull said:


> What overdrive- distortion pedal are some using in front of a already overdriven Marshall amp


That’s always how I use mine. Right now I’m using an Archer Clean with a ThorpyFx Team Medic V2 at the end of the chain. Tube screamers and klones work great as well. Some like the SD1. KOT is also one of my favorites


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## tallcoolone

duplicate post


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## Point 2 Point

Casey_Butt said:


> Really? I thought it just came across as gibberish.
> 
> 
> 
> I think the 'key' to a very natural overdrive sound with a boosted amp is to have a situation where the pedal doesn't start clipping until after the amp has already hit its clipping threshold. So the pedal can boost the amp enough to start clipping even when the pedal is still relatively clean. That way, when the pedal is hit hard enough to clip the amp will be clipping as well and the amp's overdrive character will dominate the pedal's. As the note fades the pedal comes out of clipping first, then the amp. So the pedal is again 'hidden' by the amp.
> 
> That happens naturally in an amp with cascaded tubes because each successive tube adds more gain and clips harder than the previous tube. But with a pedal you can get into an 'unnatural' situation where the first stage in the chain (the pedal) has more clipping than the next (the amp's first tube). It's a messed up gain staging situation that wouldn't happen naturally in an amp. In a sense, for a very natural overdrive pedal you're trying to make the pedal behave like the first tube in the preamp... one that will clip at the right level so the natural gain staging order is preserved. The more out of whack the gain staging is (like with a very hard-clipping, low-output pedal) and the more funky the pedal's EQ is, the more you're going to hear the pedal clashing with the amp.


This makes sense, good post.


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## Mike.Welch

There are several pedals that I like to use to overdrive my Marshall amps.

Proco Rat
MI Crunch Box
Boss BD-2
Paul C Timmy
Boss SD1
MXR Micro Amp

These pedals are used mostly as a boost with the gain turned way down and the volume turned up. I like to adjust the amp so that it just starts to break up and use the pedal to boost the input untlis it breaks up a little more. In some cases there is no increase in signal, but mostly tone shaping. I never turn the gain all the way up on any pedal. I usually set the pedal gain control to around 9 oclock to noon.


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## cjs42079

For now I’m using:

Solodallas Storm (usually always on unless a song needs super clean)
Klone
SD-1
Be-OD

same thing as Mike.Welch, I keep my gains quite low and levels high.


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