Overdrive and Distortion Pedals

[theGeek]

I've been using a Jekyll & Hyde pedal for sometime now but I was at Woodwind & Brasswind in South Bend, IN and I played through some Fulltone Pedals. I was able to check out the OCD, Fulldrive and GT-500.

I was very impressed! I never knew what I was missing in terms of tone! So now I'm looking at replacing my Jekyll & Hyde. The GT-500 is the same idea as the jekyll & hyde but with, in my opinion, far superior tone.

But before I take the plunge I'd like some opinions... anyone else use this pedal? or any other boutique pedals? I'm not married to the "Distorion/Overdrive-in-one-box" method but I'm not against it either. But I do need both over drive and distortion... I just don't care if they are separate.

[dewey decibel]

I'm a fan of the Menatone pedals. He has a couple now that have more than one boost/distortion so you could find one that's a 2 in 1. My experience was with the Top Boost in a Can and the King of the Britons. These are very amplike pedals, very responsive to your picking dynamics (especially the Voxey one).

The Fulltone pedals are OK, but they seem more geared to a different kind of playing than I'm into (I guess blues rock is how I'd describe it). The OCD is cool, but it's very dependent on the amp you're running it through, IMO. Actually any true OD pedal is going to be like that as there's a big difference between breaking up a clean amp like a Fender Twin Reverb vs an already slightly pushed Marshall plexi. Haven't tried the GT 500.

If you tell us the sounds you're after we can give you better choices, but here are some others to check out that are pretty popular:

Xotic RC Boost and AC Boost
Jaques Tube Blower
Zvex Sho and Box of Rock
Analogman King of Tone
Tim and Timmy pedals


BTW, my favorite OD is an Nobels ODR-1 that I bought for $35 shipped to my house about 8 years ago...

[theGeek]

I'm a big fan of:

Jimmy Page
Mike McCready
Angus Young


I'm a HUGE fan of the plexi tone. I have a modded plexi as my main amp. I run it just a little soiled and I use pedals to push it over the edge.

[popvulture]

I've owned so many OD pedals...

Buy a Klon Centaur, by far the best I've ever played. You'll have to wait at least a month to get it, but it's more than worth it. Fulltone ODs are fantastic, but the compression that occurs is enough to cause annoying tonal compromises in a studio setting. If you've got an amp that sounds great cranked and you can just disregard the pedal and pop it in an iso booth, then fine, but it really sucks to fall in love with the live sound of say a Fulldrive into a Twin then have headaches when you're recording.

The Centaur is by far the only OD pedal I've ever heard that can truly brag on the "transparent" quality.

K L O N

PS I think Fulltone's real strength lies in their Fuzz pedals, namely the '69, plus the Supa-Trem, Choralflange, and Tube Tape Echo (one of my favorite possessions). GREAT company.

[84K]

bmod
fulldrive
klon is ok
rust driver

[ewegogetemtiger]

I have both the Fulltone OCD and the FD2 and they pretty much kick ass seven ways to sunday

the comments about compression and 'compromise' don't fit my experience at all.

if you're going to get one, you might as well get all of them -- they're really different but each great. but if you just want that plexi-ish thing, get the OCD

[doorknocker]

It's pretty much endless but live it stick to using an AnalogMan-modded Boss DS-1 and a Danelectro Fabtone. Between these two pedals and using the tone and volume controls on my Tele I can cover pretty much all the shades of distortion I need.

Funny that the Fabtone is very cheap yet among my faves, great low end response and tightness!

In the studio I pretty much use anything that's laying around: One of my faves is the Colorsound One Knob Fuzz, a kiler 60ies-fuzz type pedal. Very early Page-like. Colorsound also offers various ToneBender incarnations, these pedal are pretty expensive but totally worth it. I also like the Russian Big Muff.

[CrankyRayHanky]

Nothing but good times out of my Bassdrive (for guitar and Bass) live and studio. It adds just the right amount of coolness to a sound- including my Plexi Randall module. Not a big fan of the actual sizzle gain, I leave that down to a minimum and enjoy using the pedal as a slight boost

I also find them to be versatile for a wide range of blues- hard rock...but admitedly haven't had much experience with boutique pedals, just your Sam Ash/GC Boss DoD Digitech types which it destroys

[octatonic]

I'm always messing around with different pedals.

At the moment I have a Keeley modified RAT, ZVex Fuzzfactory (bought from Andi/doorknocker) and a reissue Muff on my pedalboard.

I also give props to Voodoolab Sparkledrive and Superfuzz, Danelectro Daddy-O and Fabtone.

[dewey decibel]

Originally Posted by theGeek

I'm a big fan of:

Jimmy Page
Mike McCready
Angus Young


I'm a HUGE fan of the plexi tone. I have a modded plexi as my main amp. I run it just a little soiled and I use pedals to push it over the edge.

I'd look at the OCD, the Zvex Sho, and the RC Boost. Have you considered a treble boost as well? None of those cats are known for using one, but it's an effect I'd think you'd like and there are a lot of decent clones out there. The Box of Rock is pretty much the closest to a JTM-45 I've heard in a pedal, and would be perfect for AC/DC stuff.

Also consider a fuzz. Page used fuzz on a lot of Zep stuff. You don't want a Fuzz Face kind of sound, you want more of a Tone Bender sound like doorknocker said. Fulltone has the Soul Bender which I had for a minute- pretty much the Communication Breakdown sound.

[Unclenny]

Originally Posted by doorknocker

It's pretty much endless

That it is.

These days I'm running my SG through an AnalogMan Maxon SD-9 and then into Sparkle Drive.



Shared Soul

[chrispick]

I have a mix of OD/distortion/fuzz pedals I use and like:

Cusack Screamer
Hughes & Kettner Tube Factor
Marshall Guv'nor
Voodoo Lab Superfuzz
MXR Blue Box (octaver/distorter)
MXR Dyna Comp (for gain staging)
Snarling Dogs Tweed-E Dog

BTW - I grew up in South Bend. Woodwind & Brasswind has been around forever.

[tenchijin2]

I prefer to use a treble booster to push the amp. Doesn't really matter which.

[theGeek]

Originally Posted by tenchijin2

I prefer to use a treble booster to push the amp. Doesn't really matter which.

I tried that before and it worked out pretty well but not exactly what I'm looking for.

[guitardom]

the Barber LTD! a killer gain pedal. i have a special version of it called the sr (special recipe) only difference is the tone knob. the sr has more sweep. just od, not much for distortion. has a nice amount of gain, can get nice and jangly like slamming the preamp tubes harder w/o overdriving them (loves single coils!) to a nice saturated overdrive tone. at times i use it to drive the gain channels of the amp a bit more, other times (especially on the dr. z) have a PUSHED clean sound and using the ltd to overdrive it from there, VERY nice

i have a boogie road king and a dr. z maz jr 18, and the ltd compliments them both, especially the dr. z by far the best gain pedal i have ever played, and i have played a BUNCH! very simple volume, tone, gain. but by pulling of the bottom cover there is a variety of dip switches to alter bass response, treble and such.

[Blast9]

Wow - the GT-500 sound great on one of those Youtube clips

YouTube - Fulltone GT-500 GT500 Overdrive Distortion Pedal

[Joe Silence]

i have a few gain pedals:

ZVEX Fuzz Factory
RetroMan Wolf Tone Machine
Crowther Hotcake
Snarling Dogs Very Tone Dog (basically a varitone with a half coil/full coil switch and clean booster)

gain pedals i want to get the Analog Man mods for:
$29 DOD YJM-308
$29 Boss DS-1
Boss MT-2

[Croaker]

for me

Klon Centaur for overdrive

Analog Man Sundial for Fuzz

[Joe Silence]

i've been seriously considering a Fulltone OCD for a couple of years now.

should i?

[ptbarnum]

recently got an ocd after realizing that i didn't have a single non-fuzz distortion. it's wonderful.
very cello-like tones through my carr

[ewegogetemtiger]

Originally Posted by RefD

i've been seriously considering a Fulltone OCD for a couple of years now.

should i?

I think so. If you need it. Not too expensive either.

[Joe Silence]

Originally Posted by ewegogetemtiger

I think so. If you need it. Not too expensive either.

how would you describe it?

i need something different from my Hotcake.

[ripper]

funny... just discussing pedals w/ a colleague in UK via email today.

when i mix, i usually have 2 reamp boxes and to Avalon U5 DI's running to separate mono I/O paths to my pedal board... they're all great pedals and i love using them on keys, guitars, vocals and bass... gives me way more unique sounds than any plug-ins (ho hummm!).

here's some of the email:

love the voltage knob on the durham electronics crazy horse... goes from a voltage- starved roger mayer "satisfaction " type thing to a violin-like hendrix big muff thing just by cranking the knob. plus there's a separate knob for drive and fuzz... have one, the other or a bit of both

actually i seldom crank my 64 vox ac30 top boost or 59 bassman that high... that's why i love the sex drive. (durham). it sounds like the amps are cranked when they're not... and my 66 strat still has it's tone intact. the durham mucho boosto is similar but more gain.

live, i have the sex drive on all the time (FOH guys love me as my amp AINT on 6... more like 2.5, 3 max)... i hit the mucho for some solos or big chorus... and off course the crazy horse for the fuzz or over the top stuff.

between those pedals, i can get ANY bass sound in mix down... unreal, they still retain all the low freq... first i've heard that do that on bass.


i love all the durham pedals... and i'm more of a vintage guitar/ vintage amp guy.
they just dont screw my tone.

and great for mixdown!!!

[Blast9]

Originally Posted by RefD

how would you describe it?

i need something different from my Hotcake.

there's some great clips on youtube - by Sinasl1 AKA Pete Thorn. Chris Cornell's guitarist

YouTube - Suhr Badger with OCD and Jimmy Page Les Paul < here's 1

[Joe Silence]

Originally Posted by Blast9

there's some great clips on youtube - by Sinasl1 AKA Pete Thorn. Chris Cornell's guitarist

YouTube - Suhr Badger with OCD and Jimmy Page Les Paul < here's 1

sorry, but the audio on youtube is useless...it's like listening to a 1960s transistorised AM radio from across the room, only not as good.

[theGeek]

Has anyone used the HAO RD-1?

I'm leaning toward a less = more approach.

[feyshay]

Originally Posted by RefD

i've been seriously considering a Fulltone OCD for a couple of years now.

should i?

Can't go wrong with the OCD, although I'd go for the FullDrive 2 over the OCD. I have both. I'm also a big fan of Diamond Fireburst. It growls.
It really depends on the amp and sound I want. A Fulltone fuzz pedal gives me anything else I want.

[Joe Silence]

Originally Posted by feyshay

Can't go wrong with the OCD, although I'd go for the FullDrive 2 over the OCD. I have both. I'm also a big fan of Diamond Fireburst. It growls.
It really depends on the amp and sound I want. A Fulltone fuzz pedal gives me anything else I want.

i have both the beefy growl and the freakish harmonic sustain covered, i need something that does the medium gain high-passed snarl and grind.

perhaps i should just buy an OCD from some place with a money back guarantee and return it if it fails to please during testing.

[theGeek]

Originally Posted by RefD

i have both the beefy growl and the freakish harmonic sustain covered, i need something that does the medium gain high-passed snarl and grind.

perhaps i should just buy an OCD from some place with a money back guarantee and return it if it fails to please during testing.

or ebay it.

[Joe Silence]

Originally Posted by theGeek

or ebay it.

i wouldn't touch ebay with someone else's dong.