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Post by rogerwilco on Apr 25, 2006 1:21:58 GMT -7
Hi I'm new here, please be nice...
I have been looking for an overdrive for my Dr.Z Maz Snr for an eternity now, and have finally narrowed it down to Keeley's BluesDriver Phat mod and the SD-1 5-Star mod. But what are the differences beween the two? Unfortunately I do not have the opportunity to try any of them out, so any help would be greatly appreciated!
Cheers!
M
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Post by real oldster on Apr 25, 2006 3:33:38 GMT -7
Honestly, I don't believe verbal descriptions will do it. If you're savvy enough to play a Maz Sr no opinion but your own will matter. Can you buy them both, try them and return one?
Nice? We're always nice!
(Get the Blues Driver Phat Mod. It's more musical).
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Post by hdahs143 on Apr 25, 2006 3:37:57 GMT -7
I have the BD2 Phat mod, and an SD1 that I did the Monte Allums 808 mod on. The BD2 is a nice sounding pedal, and in my opinion best suited to low gain slight breakup stuff. The Sd-1 has far more gain on tap, and to my ear is on the outer edge of what an o/d pedal sounds like and borders on being a distortion pedal. But with the Allums 808 mod, it sounds really good, much nicer than stock. Lots of gain, but with definition!
Hope this helps!
Harold.
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Post by billyguitar on Apr 25, 2006 4:52:10 GMT -7
Rogerwilco: Get both. Live with them for a while. I bet you want to keep both.
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Post by rcrecelius on Apr 25, 2006 6:57:52 GMT -7
Why not try these pedals in their stock form first? I have owned a Blues Driver for years and until I started playing Z's I didnt really like it...with a 38Sr it works quite well in stock form...Im sure Keeleys mod only makes it better. Ok...I see youre in Norway so you'd probably rather buy once and not have to ship a stock pedal back in for modifications. Lookup forum member JChance...he has several sound clips using various pedals and speakers with a Maz 38 that might help you decide.
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Post by cacibi on Apr 25, 2006 7:16:26 GMT -7
I owned (and sold) both, here are my thoughts:
The BD-2 had a very transparent, natural sounds at low gain settings and - in fact, I could get it to sound just as good and very similar to my Barber LTD; but....why the rest of the gain spectrum did nothing for me and in fact sounded very 'buzzy'. Since the one setting I liked was so close to a pedal I already had....I decided to sell it.
The SD-1 in the asymmetrical mode was very good. Transparent with lots of boost on tap. A little loss of low end to my ears - but better than when the clipping switched is set to the 'normal' or TS-9 style clipping. Here - it very much is a TS-9 box but with a HUGE mid boost and virtually no low end. I actually liked it as a true 'effect' - that is to say, more of a 'sound effect' than a distortion/overdrive box. The honky sound of that mid-boost could have come in handy.....but only once in a blue moon, and so I sold that one too.
I would recommend trying the Boss OD-3 (stock) before either of the Keeley offerings. It's a much more transparent, natural sounding overdrive to my ears. There's a slight loss of bass, so I think it's better as a lead pedal or solo boost - but, opinions vary.
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Post by garyh on Apr 25, 2006 19:24:07 GMT -7
I'm glad to hear someone else mention the OD-3. I am consistently impressed by the transparency of that pedal; a real sleeper.
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Post by rogerwilco on Apr 26, 2006 6:33:27 GMT -7
Thank you for your replies. You really are nice (unlike on some other forums I know...)!
You are of course right that only I can decide what sounds best with my amp, but it is a great disadvantage to live in a place where the guitar centres are as crappy as the latest Kaipa album. Therefore I have to rely on descriptions and audio samples. I will most certainly check out the OD-3. If nothing else, it certainly is ceaper than the Keeleys.
What I am after is an overdrive with the same amount (or perhaps a little more) of gain as a TS-9, but with less of a mid-bump. I already have a Maxon OD-9 (somewhat modified) which I love for breakup sounds, which I plan to combine with the pedal I am searching for. That way I get four sounds from clean to singing lead.
Oldster: I liked your little subl(ue)iminal message at the bottom. Very nice and subtle!
M
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Post by real oldster on Apr 26, 2006 8:26:48 GMT -7
We aim to please.
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Post by Curt on Apr 26, 2006 11:47:52 GMT -7
I use and love the Keeley BD-2, I had one amp it sounded "Buzzy" or Mesquitoesqe with...but love it with all others. MAZ Sr>BD-2>RC Booster =
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