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Post by John on Jan 13, 2006 13:26:38 GMT -7
I've just purchased a Maz18 2X12. I come from a high gain amp background so this is very different for me. One thing that's missing is a real overdriven sound with lots of sustain. (for certain solos)
I need to select an OD pedal, but I want this pedal to be as transparent as possible. I only want it to add sustain. No change in tone.
I have a BOSS Super-Overdrive. But that colors the tone too much. It gives an upper midrange honk and takes away all the bass, and much of the high end.
Any suggestions? If possible, I'd like to find something that isn't rare/unheard of/WAY too much money. Hopefully just the popular brands.
I'll be dragging the amp into Guitar Center to test out a bunch of their pedals, but I wanted to get a head start on the selection process if people can offer suggestions.
Thanks for your suggestion.
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Post by kruzty on Jan 13, 2006 13:54:21 GMT -7
I have a Boss BD-2 that I modded with a kit (cost is around $20) and it made the pedal very transparent. If that is too much trouble for you, maybe you should think about a compressor instead of an overdrive. That will give you as much sustain as you want.
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Post by jzguitar on Jan 13, 2006 14:32:02 GMT -7
TIMMY!!! Takes a while to get, but it sounds killer and the price is right. Do a search here and you'll probably find some more info. I love mine. The EQ is awesome - plenty of bass and highs if you want them.
jz
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Post by John on Jan 13, 2006 16:13:35 GMT -7
I guess I should have also listed one more thing: No Modifications. I just want to plug and play.
Thanks
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Post by pickupcentral on Jan 13, 2006 21:51:06 GMT -7
You probably won't find them at Guitar Center, but for years I used a Fulltone Fulldrive II. I set it for some drive, then used the boost for over the top distortion. I recently got a Barber Burn Unit that is working out really well.
You might find one of these units used. Give it a try, if you get it used you can probably get your money back if you don't like it.
-Phil
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Post by billyguitar on Jan 14, 2006 10:10:52 GMT -7
Major guitar stores should have a Visual Sound Jekyl & Hyde, generally considered a good pedal.
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Post by jakeddy on Jan 14, 2006 19:28:07 GMT -7
TIMMY!!! Takes a while to get, but it sounds killer and the price is right. Do a search here and you'll probably find some more info. I love mine. The EQ is awesome - plenty of bass and highs if you want them. jz BIG +1 I have a Tim and it is more or less a Timmy with a boost. Great OD! For a different clean boost try a Roger Meyer Voodoo 1.
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Post by John on Jan 15, 2006 6:39:02 GMT -7
What is a TIMMY!!!? I thought the guy was a South Park fan.
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arthur
Junior Member
Posts: 85
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Post by arthur on Jan 15, 2006 7:04:44 GMT -7
The J&H is a good pedal. You could also buy mod'd pedals, such as the TS from Analog Man. Try some of the tube overdrive/distortions out there, such as the English Muffin too. But just about everything will color the tone at least somewhat.
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Post by jwr on Jan 15, 2006 19:19:31 GMT -7
If you can get your hands on one try a Fulltone Fat Boost, Keeley Java Boost, or a Keeley Katana Boost.
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Post by hollowman on Jan 16, 2006 9:45:44 GMT -7
Agreed about the Keeley boosts, they are nice. You might also try Keeley's compressor, it gives a nice clean boost with all the sustain you need. His stuff is a little pricey compared with standard Guitar center pedals, but I think worth it.
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Post by humphreyaudio on Jan 17, 2006 6:41:14 GMT -7
Greetings,
I recommend my Modded 'Atom Smasher' BOSS Compressor from Humphrey Audio. It'll give you the *feel* of saturation you're looking for yet your tone remains articulate. You'll hear every note in a chord with this comnp through your Z amp. I use a Z MAZ 18 Jr NR, and my tone is the best in 25 years of pro playing.
5humphrey@charter.net
Thanks,
Mark Humphrey
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Post by bluzsteel on Jan 17, 2006 7:02:59 GMT -7
My Zendrive is real cool, I have it set to where you dont really hear it ....you just get more
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Post by jwr on Jan 17, 2006 8:50:58 GMT -7
bluzsteel, is that the Zendrive with or without a tube in it?
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Post by bluzsteel on Jan 17, 2006 11:54:08 GMT -7
without , ive got a tube one coming
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Post by tjstrat on Feb 24, 2006 7:26:54 GMT -7
If you can get your hands on a Jauernig Diabolical Gristle Tone Manipulator you won't be sorry. The Barber Direct Drives are very nice too. For higher gain the Fuller OCD is pretty good too.
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Post by garyh on Feb 24, 2006 18:14:04 GMT -7
There is a new pedal from MI-Audio called the crunch box that folks are raving about. It sounds like a modded Marshall, rather high gain with some mid boost ($99). Check here for sound samples: www.miaudio.com/I use a Boss OD3 at times which is very transparent. It is a much underated pedal and supposedly the only overdrive where Boss got it right (from Monty Allum mods).
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Post by greenmachine on Feb 24, 2006 18:48:37 GMT -7
+1 on the Zendrive. I have the original version and it really sounds great through the maz
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Post by mazmaster on Mar 6, 2006 13:02:17 GMT -7
I've just purchased a Maz18 2X12. I come from a high gain amp background so this is very different for me. One thing that's missing is a real overdriven sound with lots of sustain. (for certain solos) I need to select an OD pedal, but I want this pedal to be as transparent as possible. I only want it to add sustain. No change in tone. I have a BOSS Super-Overdrive. But that colors the tone too much. It gives an upper midrange honk and takes away all the bass, and much of the high end. Any suggestions? If possible, I'd like to find something that isn't rare/unheard of/WAY too much money. Hopefully just the popular brands. I'll be dragging the amp into Guitar Center to test out a bunch of their pedals, but I wanted to get a head start on the selection process if people can offer suggestions. Thanks for your suggestion. Try this out and thank me later. ;>) Everybody who has heard this rig likes the distortion tones better than my Hot Cat 30R and Flexi. Maz 18 Junior NR into Kinman Highway 61 with British-made G12H-30s: V1-V3: Tung-Sol 12AX7 Power: GT-EL84-S, #6 Rectifier: GT-5AR4 (i.e. Sovtek) Maz 18 Settings: Volume: 12:00 Treble: 9:00-10:30 (to taste, to room) Middle: 1:30 Bass: 10:30 (+/- to room) Cut: MAX Fulldrive 2 Lead: (Vintage Mode, Comp Cut OFF) Volume: 1:00 Tone: 3:00-3:30 Overdrive: 11:00 (low gain lead) Boost: 3:00 (high gain lead) Fulldrive 2 Rhythm: (FM Mode, Comp Cut OFF) Volume: 10:30 Tone: 3:00 Overdrive: 10:30 (low gain dirty rhythm) Boost: unused
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Post by guitargeorge on Mar 7, 2006 6:07:56 GMT -7
I've been getting good results from hitting the amp set on the verge of break-up with a Klon Centaur, real thick, amplike and creamy tones. I also have good results from an Addrock Boostmaster, in the treble boost mode it will also kick an on the verge MAZ into thick creamy distortion. That's the way they did it in the old days.
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robt
Full Member
Posts: 138
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Post by robt on Mar 7, 2006 9:57:13 GMT -7
For what it's worth, the Keeley-modded DS-1 Distortion is the best pedal I've used as far as zero coloraton of tone and preservation of the bottom end. I know, it defies reason; however, it can go from a true clean boost to crunchy sustain, depending on settings. As a reference I should add that I replaced my Hotcake with this pedal. Before the Cake there was a succession of pedals, each one labeled "Overdrive." I had one of the early Klons, a SHO, and on and on and on. The Keeley modded DS-1 is not expensive and IMHO yields a surprisingly uncolored boost that retains tone and bottom end. It can also take you into Crunchytown if you wish--there is a wide bandwidth available.
I still like the Hotcake but it now sounds a bit like a fuzz in comparison. FYI: the unmodded and stock DS-1 will NOT sound good--so avoid that as a reference point.
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Post by mazmaster on Mar 7, 2006 10:42:58 GMT -7
I can also tell you what NOT to try. I just returned a Fulltone Distortion Pro. Pretty disappointing pedal. It gets more sounds than the FD2, but none of them sound as good as the FD2. What was strange about the D-Pro is that it didn't have any sustain, even when using tons of gain and at all settings of the Saturation control, which should be relabeled "Fuzz", IMO. You could hit a note and it was like a "thud". But, at similar gain levels, the FD2 would sing like a bird and eventually break out into feedback.
The other weird thing about the pedal is what Mike thought was an Eric Johnson tone! With the Saturation maxed and the voicing set low, this thing sounded more like a cheap, thin-sounding fuzzbox. To get smooth, violin EJ-type tones, I actually had to do just the opposite! Bring Saturation down (which smooths out the tone) and raise the voicing to get some fatness happening. But, even then, it was a busy, complicated sound, with all sorts of weird overtones.
So, I'm in the process of exchanging it for the 10th Anniversary MOSFET edition of the FD2. I may also spring for an OCD.
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Post by billyguitar on Mar 7, 2006 11:47:40 GMT -7
Not a fan of Fulltone distortion/od pedals. Personally I feel they've been obsolete for a while. Don't get mad, it's just my opinion and what one guy likes isn't what another guy likes.
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Post by mazmaster on Mar 7, 2006 12:32:37 GMT -7
Not a fan of Fulltone distortion/od pedals. Personally I feel they've been obsolete for a while. Don't get mad, it's just my opinion and what one guy likes isn't what another guy likes. OD pedals are like ice cream flavors. It's impossible to say one is good and the other is bad. Aside from subjective issues there are tons of variables that can skew people's perceptions, most notably what amp is being used and how it's setup....and especially what speakers/cabs are being used, not to mention the PUPs and other effects driving the pedal. IMO, the 2003 FD2 is one of the greatest OD pedals of all time...far from being obselete. I have tried and/or heard just about every Tubescreamer and/or DS1 boutique variation out there, as well as the MI Audio stuff, Keeley, Barber, Tonebone, Voodoo Labs, etc, etc, etc and nothing seems to touch the Fulldrive variations. I'm constantly trying new OD/distortion boxes but then constantly returning them or relegating them to the dust-collecting heap in favor of the tried-and-true FD2, which always seems to sound so much bigger and fuller (no pun intended) than everything else. But, there's definitely stuff I have NOT tried, so the search continues! But, in the meantime, the 2003 FD2 is still king of the heap for me.
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