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happyplucker
Bronze Member
United Kingdom
126 Posts |
 Posted - 03/10/2008 : 13:55:35
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not sure if thats the right word.
you know when you crank up a tube amp, and your guitar starts to break, and it sustains like a good'un, kinda page-esque i suppose, but also that thick clapton cream sound, well what pedal is going to 'help' you achieve that at lower volumes?
i know amp and guitar is paramount, and of course volume, but lets overlook that. any ideas guys? so far ive used a bd-2 ( for me a bit edgy and had the allums mod), a ds-1 (wasp nest), and a tube screamer (ignore that last one) BOSS pedals!)) cheers!  
thinking of buying an 'overdrive' so any help would be good.
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Edited by - happyplucker on 03/10/2008 13:56:49 |
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Goran
Double Platinum Member
Sweden
2203 Posts |
Posted - 03/10/2008 : 14:42:28
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To me the best way to get that beautiful sustain/feedback is to use a good Fuzz Face type of pedal, adjusted to lower gain with the Fuzz-control and mucho volume. Just about the same way as using an overdrive as a booster, but not as low as it will sound as a clean boost.
I can get that sound with low wattage amps at home, by positioning myself close to the speaker.
If we�re talking lots of distortion Boss ML-2 is capable of delivering very good sustain and feedback.
Volume is the most important factor of course...
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Edited by - Goran on 03/10/2008 14:43:41 |
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DeFrag
Moderator
USA
3409 Posts |
Posted - 03/10/2008 : 14:57:35
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| The Boss OD-3 is a step below the BD-2. Its not as noisy or gritty.. just clean, smooth OD, thats it. Very basic but very necessary pedal. I drove 150 miles for mine! |
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FRANZONI
Double Platinum Member
Ireland
3543 Posts |
Posted - 03/10/2008 : 20:54:35
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The OD-2 is good as well as you have the choice of two different types of overdrive..i've heard of mode 1 being described as like the 0D-1 and mode 2 is a fatter,thicker,more midrangy version of it.... i used one for a long time and it's still in the gig bag..i stopped because of a impedance problem with it and a active strat i was using a lot at the time..i find the OD-2 not as loud as some overdrives i have used but it can sound very good IMHO....I never had a problem with it and a passive strat or tele or any non active guitar..... |
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Leeroyfunk
Silver Member
United Kingdom
400 Posts |
Posted - 03/10/2008 : 20:58:00
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quote:
Originally posted by DeFrag
The Boss OD-3 is a step below the BD-2. Its not as noisy or gritty.. just clean, smooth OD, thats it. Very basic but very necessary pedal. I drove 150 miles for mine!
Agreed - I've got a BD-2 and an OD-3, and for sustaining smooth overdrive, i use the OD-3 every time. I like the BD-2 because it's really touch sensitive, and it's a good edgy sound for dirty, gritty funk rhythm stuff, but the OD-3 is much more compressed and gives a smoother sustained sound. |
Edited by - Leeroyfunk on 03/10/2008 20:59:49 |
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zentropa
Gold Member
USA
837 Posts |
Posted - 03/10/2008 : 22:36:09
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happyplucker:
what volumes are you referring to? e.g. late night in an apartment low or like 2 guitarists jamming together in the garage on a saturday afternoon low?
also, what kind of amp are you trying to drive?
i've found very few overdrive pedals sound all that great at low volumes, and only a handful of overdrives sound good to me if they are played through an amp with a solid state preamp (even if it's tube powered).
i dig the OD-1 and OD-3 for that warm break sound, but if you are going at very low volumes, the OS-2 is a very versatile option (albeit it never sounds great... i actually like it more at low volumes than high volumes) |
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happyplucker
Bronze Member
United Kingdom
126 Posts |
Posted - 03/11/2008 : 10:11:35
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hi guys cheers for the replies,
in terms of volume, just general 'bedroom' level. ive got a buthcered old marshall amp thats 50 watts, tubes all the way. when i crank this up, bingo, and when practicing i roll off the volume of the guitar but to my ears it aint so sweet.
so wondered if or what box would aid me to get that slightly, break-up, yet smooth and warm sustain sound at lower levels. i kind of liked the stock sd-1, but you know, i reckon the one i played on was weird, as it was SO quiet, even with the level knob at full, or os that a trait in that pedal?  |
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FRANZONI
Double Platinum Member
Ireland
3543 Posts |
Posted - 03/11/2008 : 11:15:11
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quote:
Originally posted by zentropa
happyplucker:
what volumes are you referring to? e.g. late night in an apartment low or like 2 guitarists jamming together in the garage on a saturday afternoon low?
also, what kind of amp are you trying to drive?
i've found very few overdrive pedals sound all that great at low volumes, and only a handful of overdrives sound good to me if they are played through an amp with a solid state preamp (even if it's tube powered).
i dig the OD-1 and OD-3 for that warm break sound, but if you are going at very low volumes, the OS-2 is a very versatile option (albeit it never sounds great... i actually like it more at low volumes than high volumes)
just as a matter of interest...what amps have you used with a solid state preamp and valve output section....?? i have a musicman combo ,one of the first 'hybrid' amps amps of this type and keeping the preamp gain slightly lower than the master i get a pretty good sound out of it with overdrive pedals...cranking the preamp gives a very 70's type fuzz sound which can be cool for some things but mostly i keep it clean and just use a pedal,it has a very nice clean rythmn sound very 'fendery' which isn't really suprising as musicman were designed by leo...did others manufacturers go the same route...??.... |
Edited by - FRANZONI on 03/11/2008 11:16:21 |
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zentropa
Gold Member
USA
837 Posts |
Posted - 03/11/2008 : 14:32:44
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quote:
as it was SO quiet, even with the level knob at full, or os that a trait in that pedal?
on the majority of older-design boss overdrives they behave a lot like preamps so you need to crank up both the gain and the level in order to pick up volume boost. this is harder to accomplish with really high output pickups (both ceramic humbuckers and single coils make this tough) unless you crank the pickups down.
since you have a tube marshall, you should be able to use nearly any pedal to nudge it over the top. OD-3's don't have as much of a level issue as SD-1's and OD-1's. I haven't owned an OD-2 or SD-2 in a long time, so i'm not sure about those, but i'm fairly certain the SD-2 will not have a problem with it either. i guess a BD-2 might be worth consideration but i've never cared much for those. i'd probably lean OD-3.
if you have any music stores w/ a no questions asked return policy? that might be key here.
does your marshall have a master volume?
quote:
just as a matter of interest...what amps have you used with a solid state preamp and valve output section....??
i worded this a little wrong. i should have said solid state rectifier. |
Edited by - zentropa on 03/11/2008 14:34:16 |
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happyplucker
Bronze Member
United Kingdom
126 Posts |
Posted - 03/11/2008 : 14:36:31
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it does indeed have a master volume, and two channels, but the drive volume is a bit crap.its been battered and butchered so i dont know how much is now marshall. but i like it. generally set a clean tone and colour with stomp box, hence the question  |
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zentropa
Gold Member
USA
837 Posts |
Posted - 03/11/2008 : 14:42:19
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| were the SD-1 and BD-2 the appropriate levels of gain? (albeit maybe not the tone nor volume?) |
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Laurie
Double Platinum Member
Canada
4854 Posts |
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happyplucker
Bronze Member
United Kingdom
126 Posts |
Posted - 03/12/2008 : 09:30:50
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cheers lauries useful thread,
zentropa - yes, sd-1 as near to tone as i got but the level thing was weird, bd-2 just a nice amount of break up but too edgy.  |
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zentropa
Gold Member
USA
837 Posts |
Posted - 03/12/2008 : 13:36:41
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| i would definitely recommend the OD-3 then :) |
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happyplucker
Bronze Member
United Kingdom
126 Posts |
Posted - 03/12/2008 : 18:28:08
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Cheers guys, off to find an od-3 let you know what i think |
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happyplucker
Bronze Member
United Kingdom
126 Posts |
Posted - 03/19/2008 : 10:19:16
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got the od-3 yesterday. let me thank you all who helped. its EXACTLY what i needed to give it that bit more at lower volumes, and well, with a tube amp at higher volumes and that pedal, its unreal. cheers guys |
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Topic |
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overdrive
