Best cheap dirt

[pingu]

hi folks,
i need a decent dirt pedal
but i don’t want to pay too much

us there a view as to what is
the best cheap dirt pedal out there ?

i would prefer if it was battery
powered

many thanks
ps i own a HB american sound
it’s a good little preamp
but i don’t dig it too much for
dirt

[Grigoris]

Tc electronic Zeus (Klon clone)

Second hand: around €50.

[pingu]

1285244[/URL]]Tc electronic Zeus (Klon clone)

Second hand: around €50.

that looks great ta

is there a version with a battery
compartment ?

I could always bodge a pp3 battery
to it i guess (I don’t use any other
pedals at the mo)

[st.bede]

It depends a lot on what type of dirt you want. Voodoo lab makes a good ts9 type pedal, that can be found used for not much: sparkle drive. I like it because it has a dry blend. If I am adding just a tad of distortion, I clean blend in the clean and still use chords with more color, without things becoming too funky.

If I wanted an all out 100% dirt type thing, I tend to like germanium fuzz or a rat pedal. If I want to push an amp hard I like a ts8 or a DOD 250 type pedal. Most of those can be found used for not too much and there are plenty of cheap clones. Idk if there is a cheap clone for the DOD.

[John A.]

What's your definition of "cheap"?

[spencer096]

Nobel ODR-1...not the mini

EDIT...these are $120 now!?!? i rescind the recommendation. no idea what's better for less...maybe a used boss blues driver or super overdrive.

[jorgemg1984]

TC MojoMojo. Cheap, sounds great, and takes batteries. It does not have much gain though, if that's relevant.

[pingu]

1285298[/URL]]What's your definition of "cheap"?

about £40

[pingu]

i want to use the pedal in front
of a totally clean SSamp

(or into a PA sometimes)

[jorgemg1984]

i want to use the pedal in front
of a totally clean SSamp

(or into a PA sometimes)

That's actually a hard requirement. Most drives are designed to be put in front of "non-clean" amps, being "edge of breakup" or already overdriven. RATs and Klones are exceptions and work very well in front of 100% clean amps, and there's plenty of cheap and good clones of both (and they sound quite different). Besides TC, NUX also has a good reputation, but there's more brands. The MojoMojo I mentioned worked very well in front a Twin with an archtop - but RATs and Klones are more tested alternatives.

[John A.]

i want to use the pedal in front
of a totally clean SSamp

(or into a PA sometimes)

For that use, I'd be inclined to recommend some sort of "amp in a box" pedal, maybe a Joyo American Sound set with a lot of gain and voiced toward the tweed end of the voice knob. The JAS meets your definition of cheap and sounds very good. A regular old dirt box in front of a PA or PA-like amp sounds pretty bad IME.

[pingu]

for reference

this the nicest sounding one
i’ve found (to my taste)

but it’s £185 ….

Drive-Thru Overdrive (Pedal) — Huw Price

I don’t really want to spend that
kinda dough ….

I quite liked the Zeus
so maybe I’ll get one and a battery
pack
It must be the Germanium diodes
sound that appeals to me

[pingu]

1285332[/URL]]For that use, I'd be inclined to recommend some sort of "amp in a box" pedal, maybe a Joyo American Sound set with a lot of gain and voiced toward the tweed end of the voice knob. The JAS meets your definition of cheap and sounds very good. A regular old dirt box in front of a PA or PA-like amp sounds pretty bad IME.

thanks John that’s v helpful
i already know i don’t dig the Rat
type sound ,( i owned one years ago)

so probably narrowing it down to
a Klon clone of some sort

is there a cheapo type one that has a battery compartment , and runs
germanium diodes ?

[pingu]

1285332[/URL]]For that use, I'd be inclined to recommend some sort of "amp in a box" pedal, maybe a Joyo American Sound set with a lot of gain and voiced toward the tweed end of the voice knob. The JAS meets your definition of cheap and sounds very good. A regular old dirt box in front of a PA or PA-like amp sounds pretty bad IME.

i have a harley benton American sound (joyo equivalent) but i don’t dig the sound that much

its ok , I am using it atmo but
I’d like something that inspires
me a bit more

I think i want some Germanium action !

but cheap

[339 in june]

ProCo RAT
Second hand will near your budget
If it was good for Sco, it was good for me
Not very musical if you push it to the limits but there is plenty of usable space within these limits !

[Tal_175]

The cheapest RAT:
Mosky Black Rat Pedal Review: The Cheapest RAT I Can Find – Guitars For Idiots

[Peter C]

I never got the overdrive pedal dilemma thing. I've always used what was on hand at the time and got what I was seeking within a few minutes tweaking a few knobs here and there. This is admittedly mostly with low gain settings on Boss/Roland gear and I wouldn't try it on a Big Muff for example, lol. How much is a used Boss OD2? Not much I would guess. A Voodoo Sparkle thingie? Tube Screamer clone?

Pedals directly into PAs are generally evil. Here, the Micro Cube (line out) does a great job.

[pingu]

don’t want a Rat
Sco likes em
not for me tho thanks

[pingu]

1285381[/URL]]I never got the overdrive pedal dilemma thing. I've always used what was on hand at the time and got what I was seeking within a few minutes tweaking a few knobs here and there. This is admittedly mostly with low gain settings on Boss/Roland gear and I wouldn't try it on a Big Muff for example, lol. How much is a used Boss OD2? Not much I would guess. A Voodoo Sparkle .

yes , I think I must be picky about
distortion sounds ….

(funny cos I’m not at all picky about
amps …. )

[DougB]

Boss Blues Driver?

[darkwaters]

I once would have recommended a Bad Monkey, but their prices have gone to Sillyville.

The Mojomojo is a nice OD, but, to me, a bit dark and muddy. This may, however, place it right in your wheelhouse.

My personal favourite is the venerable Boss SD-1. Still cheap as chips and with a nice woody tone. It’s my current goto OD.

[Peter C]

Yeah, these pedals come in different flavours but it's possible to dial in a usable sound on most of them by varying tone and gain levels, player input/"attitude" being key. The rest is mostly BS filling up hours of YouTube gear reviews by players who should probably be working on other stuff. JMO, of course.

Edit - The gear nuts at TGP opine: OD pedals all sound the same... | The Gear Page

[Betz]

OK; I wanted to add some dirt without losing the character of the guitar. I found two pedals that did it. Both are on my board as they play so well together.

The Greer Lightspeed works well in front of a clean amp and will add just a bit of hair or a lot of dirt while not overpowering the original guitar sound. It also will run off a 9v battery.

The Strymon Deco adds tape saturation instead of traditional dirt and will just break your heart. Power supply only.

They are both going to blow your budget new but they have been out for a while and can be found used.

[Little Jay]

If you like Tubescreamers: Kokko overdrive, the green mini one. $20 on AliExpress and I hear no difference with the real thing.

[pingu]

thanks LJ

I borrowed an original Tubescreamer
from a mate a long time age
but it didn’t seem to do much

probably in front of a good tube stage
it would have been great but i was
using a JC50 at the time !