the ultimate overdrive pedal?

[Alter]

the ethos pedal though isn't just an overdrive pedal but more of an "amp in a box" sort of thing, it is supposed to have a great amp simulation too, kind of like the sansamp models. Never tried one..

I try to have a go on most drive pedals that have made a name for themselves in the market, some work with my gear and some don't. I 've come to the conclusion that it is very useful to have a few different pedals to get the different distortion sounds, clean & treble boost, fuzz, transparent and mid heavy overdrive, plexi style and modern distortion etc, and also most famous pedals are famous for a good reason. But i also think it basically comes down to the amplifier, the player and the pickups. Mostly the amp. Almost anything will sound good through a good amp. And distortion is a very subjective thing. The cheapest, most modest box may easily be better for someone than the most expensive one (bad monkey? ). If something gives you a sound you dig, don't underestimate it for more expensive stuff.. done this mistake a few times myself..

[Thumpalumpacus]

That blonde pedal just below my ugly duckling -- Butler Tube Driver. Only dirtbox I used for over a decade. They're a little pricey, but lordy, they can do all things gainey except convincing fuzz.

[jzucker]

it doesn't really have amp simulation. It just utilizes a lowpass filter so that you don't get frequencies over 4k-5k and I think it's variable based on some switches and knobs. It's probably the best at getting clean or overdriven dumble tones and works great direct or into an amp. Most people use it into an amp, not with the amp simulator on. That was added as an after-thought.

the ethos pedal though isn't just an overdrive pedal but more of an "amp in a box" sort of thing, it is supposed to have a great amp simulation too, kind of like the sansamp models. Never tried one..

I try to have a go on most drive pedals that have made a name for themselves in the market, some work with my gear and some don't. I 've come to the conclusion that it is very useful to have a few different pedals to get the different distortion sounds, clean & treble boost, fuzz, transparent and mid heavy overdrive, plexi style and modern distortion etc, and also most famous pedals are famous for a good reason. But i also think it basically comes down to the amplifier, the player and the pickups. Mostly the amp. Almost anything will sound good through a good amp. And distortion is a very subjective thing. The cheapest, most modest box may easily be better for someone than the most expensive one (bad monkey? ). If something gives you a sound you dig, don't underestimate it for more expensive stuff.. done this mistake a few times myself..

[jzucker]

Never did like that pedal. Everyone wanted one when they saw it on eric johnson's pedalboard but unless you're playing it through a really cranked marshall, it sounds thin and buzzy IMO. It runs the preamp tube at extremely low voltage so it's not even using the tube optimally like a tube amp would.

That blonde pedal just below my ugly duckling -- Butler Tube Driver. Only dirtbox I used for over a decade. They're a little pricey, but lordy, they can do all things gainey except convincing fuzz.

[jzucker]

Oh, i forgot about this. This is probably the "best" of anything out there.



http://atomicamps.com/amplifirebox/

[John A.]

Not if you want a dumble in a box. Sometimes it's actually complicated to get the "right" sound. You think holdsworth got his sound with just a princeton and a tele?

OP shows a box; Mr. B says "too many knobs". You show a box; I say "too many knobs AND too many switches." Continuation of semi-joke response by previous commentor. Oh well, too hip for the room (once again ...), I guess.

Come on people, can't we all agree to ridicule something? What has the world come to?

John

[mr. beaumont]

Wow, too many knobs AND too many switches!

John

Lots of knobs and switches, but at least they're labeled words I understand

[Gilpy]

For overdrive effects I like to keep things simple. The Boss OD 3 has very useful overdrive tones and doesn't mask the true sound of the guitar. I've tried, but haven't found anything I like better.

For more distortion, I use the Suhr Riot. All the good things about distortion without getting too frizzy. But it's about $200. The Joyo "U.S. Dream" is a knockoff that's way cheaper and sounds almost as good.

When I need to get a really saturated sound, I use both at once.

In a gigging band situation I try to play with as little distortion as as needed to do the job. A thick, fat, infinitely sustaining overdrive sounds great to the player but, in my experience, it'll cause your guitar to get lost in the mix.

[Thumpalumpacus]

Never did like that pedal. Everyone wanted one when they saw it on eric johnson's pedalboard but unless you're playing it through a really cranked marshall, it sounds thin and buzzy IMO. It runs the preamp tube at extremely low voltage so it's not even using the tube optimally like a tube amp would.

Horses for courses. It sounded anything but "thin and buzzy" with the pictured rig. I know; it was my rig for eleven years. I'd bought the pedal two years before I got the Bassman, by the way -- to give me better dirt than I was getting from my London SS 100w head. And it did that.

Whatever the plate voltage was was irrelevant to me. I'm a musician, concerned with sounds, not specs.

Here's a demo I did with it way back when; forgive the shitty singing. First solo at 1:30 showcases a darker tone, second at 3:35 is more searing but hardly what I'd call "thin", myself:

[John A.]

Oh, i forgot about this. This is probably the "best" of anything out there.



http://atomicamps.com/amplifirebox/

Too many ... oh never mind.

John