Post by detuned on Jul 16, 2020 9:39:06 GMT -7
A while back I caught one of Mike Fuller's periodic blem sales and scored an OCD for stupid cheap. I put it on my board (provisionally) as a medium to high gain replacement(?) for my JHS @. I like the @ pedal (original version) a lot, but I've noticed that it's somewhat temperamental from gig to gig. Some nights, it's the Hammer of the Gods, other nights, more like M.C. Hammer (no disrespect, Little Hammer).
Anyway, the OCD is really nice in that application, but I struggled a bit with it, trying to find a reasonable high gain setting. When you crank the gain, it's hard to set it at unity without having the level really low. And when you do that, the pedal's not really working, so it doesn't sound as good as when you have the level up a bit.
So, similarly I found a good deal on a "The Dude" the other day, checked out some videos, and gave it a whirl. I have a D-style amp I really love the OD on, so I was somewhat familiar with what I was getting into. Yesterday I finally got some time into it and the results were... inconclusive.
The Dude is definitely more versatile - there's a treble and bass control, and they seem to act like some of the Doc's tone circuits, in that they work "traditionally" up to about 12 o'clock on the knob, and then they just add "more". Like there's isn't "more" treble or bass per se, but the EQ curve seems to do something I'm still trying to pin down. It's a good sound, though.
The OCD just has the one tone knob, but it's relatively easy to dial in a good spot for it for just about any guitar. I found that, with the OCD, putting it into "LP" mode drops the input gain a little, and I was able to turn the level up enough to improve (to me) the overall performance of the pedal.
Both pedals have a similar gain range - plenty on tap, but also sounds pretty great when you wind it back a bit. I'd say The Dude is more compressed-sounding, and a little more "refined". I'm not sure what that means in terms of EQ or tone structure, but the OCD feels a bit more raw and unruly than The Dude. Not better, just different. Overall, surprisingly similar in tone, though.
Anyway, I'm in no danger of playing out any time soon, so I have plenty of time to feel things out. In fact, the similarity (to me) of both these pedals indicates that I should probably spend more time practicing, and less time hunting down the perfect sound. My rig's pretty great as is, so I'm not sure how much finding "better" parts is going to help me play better.
Am I actually maturing at 57 years old? Somebody help me!
Anyway, the OCD is really nice in that application, but I struggled a bit with it, trying to find a reasonable high gain setting. When you crank the gain, it's hard to set it at unity without having the level really low. And when you do that, the pedal's not really working, so it doesn't sound as good as when you have the level up a bit.
So, similarly I found a good deal on a "The Dude" the other day, checked out some videos, and gave it a whirl. I have a D-style amp I really love the OD on, so I was somewhat familiar with what I was getting into. Yesterday I finally got some time into it and the results were... inconclusive.
The Dude is definitely more versatile - there's a treble and bass control, and they seem to act like some of the Doc's tone circuits, in that they work "traditionally" up to about 12 o'clock on the knob, and then they just add "more". Like there's isn't "more" treble or bass per se, but the EQ curve seems to do something I'm still trying to pin down. It's a good sound, though.
The OCD just has the one tone knob, but it's relatively easy to dial in a good spot for it for just about any guitar. I found that, with the OCD, putting it into "LP" mode drops the input gain a little, and I was able to turn the level up enough to improve (to me) the overall performance of the pedal.
Both pedals have a similar gain range - plenty on tap, but also sounds pretty great when you wind it back a bit. I'd say The Dude is more compressed-sounding, and a little more "refined". I'm not sure what that means in terms of EQ or tone structure, but the OCD feels a bit more raw and unruly than The Dude. Not better, just different. Overall, surprisingly similar in tone, though.
Anyway, I'm in no danger of playing out any time soon, so I have plenty of time to feel things out. In fact, the similarity (to me) of both these pedals indicates that I should probably spend more time practicing, and less time hunting down the perfect sound. My rig's pretty great as is, so I'm not sure how much finding "better" parts is going to help me play better.
Am I actually maturing at 57 years old? Somebody help me!