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Post by foxx on Jun 10, 2006 22:04:50 GMT -7
I got a Budda Phatman for Christmas, and changed the sovtek 12ax7MB's to GT 12ax7m's. It was very raspy and buzzy, but the new GT's made a BIG difference. I never thought to play around with those tubes until yesterday. I put a 5751 into the slot closest to the input of the Phatman. This lowered the overall gain of the pedal. Now there is no sandpaper grit at low gain setting, but more of my Mazerati's own overdriven tone.
Are any of you guys using tube overdrives? If not, what are the reasons? I haven't experienced too many OD's, and I'm always wondering if I'm missing something. I like the Phatman, but no other Z owner on this forum seems to. Thanks in advance, even if you hate tube overdrives.
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Post by billyguitar on Jun 11, 2006 3:05:57 GMT -7
I've had two and got rid of them both, a Tone Bone Classic and a Bad Cat 2 Tone. The tube was more of a gimmick with the Tone Bone. It sounded to me as if they just added the tube to run the signal thru a bit. I switched tubes in it a bunch and could hardly hear any changes. It also seemed to have a slight nasal quality that wouldn't go away. The Bad Cat was better but when I a/b'd it against my Reverend Drivetrain there wasn't enough difference to justify the cost and the size. To be honest the clean side of that pedal was defective but the drive side sounded fine, just not enough better to hassle with it. I've heard that Hughes & Kettner Tube Factor is a good pedal and I also hear good things about the Koch but never heard one. O/d pedals are so subjective you're lucky if you ever hear about two different guys agreeing. To sum up I don't think having a real tube is as much of an improvement as we'd all like to think. The better diode pedals seem to still be the better way to go. JMHO, YMMV, etc..
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Post by benttop (Steve) on Jun 11, 2006 9:30:33 GMT -7
The Marshall JCM900 has back to back diodes in its preamp! That diode distortion trick is probably the oldest trick in the book.
I've always wondered what back to back TUBE diodes would sound like across a guitar signal....
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Post by billyguitar on Jun 11, 2006 13:20:40 GMT -7
Tube diodes?
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Post by foxx on Jun 11, 2006 13:38:28 GMT -7
Yeah, what are TUBE diodes Benttop? And what are you and Billy using as overdrives? I can't get rid of the Budda, it was a gift, but I could add another.
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Post by billyguitar on Jun 11, 2006 13:45:10 GMT -7
I really shouldn't use an o/d at all for the stuff my band plays but sometimes on the bluesier stuff I use one to kick it up a bit on the second solo verse. So far I haven't found anything I like better than my Reverend Drivetrain. The key for me is to set the treble high, the bass about 2:00 and the gain all the way down. Crank the gain much and it'll get lost in the mix. I like the Xotic BB and the Keeley modded Blues Driver. Stock, that BD sounds like poo to me.
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Post by bustertheboy on Jun 11, 2006 18:33:15 GMT -7
for billyguitar and foxx a diode is a valve just as a tube is a valve- in other words it lets current flow just one way what's happening with either type is clipping- tubes, germanium diodes and silicon diodes all have a different sound i've read (and certainly experienced) all sounding great as well as terrible- i think realistically the circuit is the major contributor, also all of the other components it's the same as the old stuff we've all read in guitar player mag et al- is a good guitar just the pickups, is it body wood?- it's the sum of the parts (gestalt theory- the whole is more than the sum of the parts) then there's what we bring as a player- to quote you billyguitar: O/d pedals are so subjective you're lucky if you ever hear about two different guys agreeing. personally i love myTS808 modded TS10 into my ghia, but they all respond differently with diff guitars etc
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Post by foxx on Jun 11, 2006 20:08:30 GMT -7
Thanks for the info, busterboy.
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Post by ruger9 on Jun 12, 2006 3:47:42 GMT -7
My experience has been that tube overdrives work better with SS amps, and SS overdrives work better with tube amps. Unless you set the tube amp clean and use the tube pedal for ALL your overdrive, I have found that running a tube OD into an ALREADY-PUSHED tube amp is too mushy & compressed. My best results have been from running my amp pretty hot... like maybe a Brad Paisley-type of "hair on the note" overdrive (which is NOT "clean"), then adding a SS OD (my current fave is the LTD) into it for a gain boost.
YMMV, etc.
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Post by foxx on Jun 12, 2006 7:35:20 GMT -7
I know what you mean, I do use my Mazerati clean, at home, and the Phatman is really all my overdrive. If I was playing with a drummer or out at gigs I would need to change things a bit. For now I am getting away with not having a "better" overdrive. I'm running out of GAS anyway. So, the idea of looking, buying, trying tons of overdrives is not a great one for me. Someday I will have to look at some new OD's. Just not today.
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Post by johnnyl on Jun 12, 2006 15:52:36 GMT -7
I had a Matchless Hotbox that I played through an AC50 about 10 years ago and it was tone heaven. It really is a nice overdrive if you can find one. I bet it would sound real nice through a KT45 or RT66... Don't you hate when you let nice gear go.. to fund a trip cross country to see an old girlfriend... oh well... One hotbox for another I suppose...
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Post by foxx on Jun 12, 2006 16:00:35 GMT -7
I know what you mean, I used to date a Redhead.
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Post by johnnyl on Jun 12, 2006 16:04:17 GMT -7
HA!!!
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Post by billyguitar on Jun 12, 2006 16:22:22 GMT -7
A friend of mine once sold a 1959 Porsche cabriolet for a girlfriend. When she was gone he said he'd never do something like that again. I won't either. Women are too fickle to invest in. At least for now. I may change my mind again one day. But now i get my cake 'and eat it' too!
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Post by guitarboy02451 on Jun 12, 2006 20:03:59 GMT -7
I have a Tube Works (BK Butler) Real Tube Pedal. I dislike it on my MAZ Sr and Ghia, but it sounds awesome on my JCM900. Has a very EJ like sound, especially the tone he has on his latest cd Bloom.
But has anyone tried the Zendrive II?
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