Guitar Overdrive Pedals in Series?

**GuitaRoland** · 05-17-2010, 07:31 AM

Does any of you use more than one overdrive in series, or maybe a distortion and an overdrive?
What is your conclusion, is it sometimes justified to beef up your sound with more than one distortion type pedal?

/R

**gordon** · 05-17-2010, 07:54 AM

HEY! this is a jazz guitar forum, you naughty heretic

kidding..

**msr13** · 05-17-2010, 08:48 AM

I have two. A Hermida Distortion plugged into a Zen Drive. You get some pretty fun sounds, but I never use them together when playing jazz. I will use only one or the other sometimes when playing jazz leads. But both, is too much.

**GuitaRoland** · 05-17-2010, 08:54 AM

Originally Posted by msr13

I never use them together when playing jazz. I will use only one or the other sometimes when playing jazz leads. But both, is too much.

Thanks Matt, I didn't think of jazz specifically, I meant in general - in blues and rock - I don't use much overdrive in jazz either.

/R

**msr13** · 05-17-2010, 09:08 AM

Then, I really enjoy them together. The distortion fattens up the tone of the Zen. And, you can get some really sweet sounds. The reason I like Hermida, is he makes those Dumblesque, smooth overdrive sounds in his pedals and they stack well.

**derek** · 05-17-2010, 01:08 PM

Yes, I do stack OD pedals frequently. I have a Keeley Fuzzhead that stacks nicely with a NOC3 Firefly (TS +), and the distortion channel of my Ceriatone OTS. There are plenty of other pedals out there that stack well also, and in fact, were designed with that in mind to a degree.

**saponsky** · 05-17-2010, 02:45 PM

Technically I don't stack pedals but, I use a multieffects pedal that you can use to model stompboxes as if were stacked. My favorite setting is using a Tube Screamer in series with a Metal Zone, the metal zone gives me enough overdrive power while the screamer complement it with lots of sustain.
Long time ago I mixed an overdrive pedal with a chorus an it sounded really cool a la nirvana!

**GuitaRoland** · 05-17-2010, 02:58 PM

Originally Posted by saponsky

Technically I don't stack pedals but, I use a multieffects pedal that you can use to model stompboxes as if were stacked. My favorite setting is using a Tube Screamer in series with a Metal Zone

And what multieffect do you use, I never managed to get my tone with multieffects, and I promise you that I've really tried.

/r

**saponsky** · 05-17-2010, 03:10 PM

I use the Line 6 POD xtLive it has a software (don't remember its name right now) and you can edit your presets settings with it.
It took me a while to get the tone I want. There are too much factors eg. amp settings, amp modeling settings, eq, etc. When you're setting your sound, if you've spent more than 30mins settings a preset, leave it a lone for 5min or so and then go back.

**Bertrand tB** · 05-17-2010, 04:09 PM

For my Rock gigs I use the Visual Sound Jekyll&Hyde pedal. That's two (distortion and overdrive) in one. But for jazz I'll keep it clean!

**jbear** · 05-17-2010, 08:43 PM

BBE Green Screamer and a Maxon SD9. Occasionally a Boss DS-1.

**GodinFan** · 05-17-2010, 10:41 PM

Danelectro Cool Cat Drive into the Cool Cat Distortion.

I've got a TC Nova Drive as well that lets you do stacked O/D into Distortion, or the other way round. Also lets you run them parallel with clean sound.

**cosmic gumbo** · 05-19-2010, 01:04 PM

Whenever I want to perk things up a bit while I'm playing Satin Doll, I'll do it Swedish style and use a touch of Boss Metal Zone into a Digitech Death Metal Distortion. Sometimes we call that version of the tune- Satan Doll.

**GuitaRoland** · 05-19-2010, 02:04 PM

Originally Posted by cosmic gumbo

Whenever I want to perk things up a bit while I'm playing Satin Doll, I'll do it Swedish style and use a touch of Boss Metal Zone into a Digitech Death Metal Distortion. Sometimes we call that version of the tune- Satan Doll.

I liked that one!

/R

**P.J.** · 05-26-2010, 05:36 AM

Originally Posted by GuitaRoland

Does any of you use more than one overdrive in series, or maybe a distortion and an overdrive?
What is your conclusion, is it sometimes justified to beef up your sound with more than one distortion type pedal?

/R

I have found that a Tonebone Classic is great w/ just about anything in front of it. I especially like my Prescription Experience and my Frantone Peachfuzz. Not what I would call "traditional" jazz tone but good for making a racket!

=-) PJ

**fender** · 06-02-2010, 02:43 AM

My main setup is:
DOD Milkbox Compressor -> modified Boss Blues Driver BD-2 with almost no gain -> slightly modified Ibanez Tubescreamer TS-9 with very small gain and this goes into modified Hughes and Kettner Attax 50 (Hand made tube preamp like Marshall JMP and Attax50 only as power amp).