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Tele_Man
Bronze Member
USA
86 Posts |
 Posted - 04/01/2008 : 04:39:02
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So my DS-1 just isn't doing it for me right now. What distortion pedal will give me that quintessential 1970's, classic rock, wall of Marshall's kind of sound? I'm looking for a "these go to eleven" kind of sound.
Any suggestions to point me in the right direction? |
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zentropa
Gold Member
USA
837 Posts |
Posted - 04/01/2008 : 04:45:07
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what amp? (wattage, speakers, tube power? tube preamp?)
what guitar? (body style/wood, pickup magnets?)
early suggestions are an MIJ HM-2.
read a lot of people digging the PW-2 for marshall sound but honestly, my PW-2 into my actual marshall doesn't sound very good :P
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Tele_Man
Bronze Member
USA
86 Posts |
Posted - 04/01/2008 : 04:59:57
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I suppose those questions are pretty relevant, aren't they?
I play through a pretty modest 30-watt tube amp (Electar Tube 30) with 2 12AX7's and 2 EL84's (JJ's) and a Carvin Vintage Series 10" speaker rated at 65 watts.
As for guitars, I go back and forth between a Squier Jagmaster with DiMArzio EJ Custom humbuckers, a MIM Tele with EMG's, a strat with Gold Lace Sensors, and a strat with with a JB Jr. bridge, Duckbucker middle, and Lil '59 neck. That strat will soon get it's original Robert Cray pups put back in.
Obviously, I don't expect a 30-watt tube amp to sound like a Marshall stack, I just wanted to give a general idea of the sound I want to try to approach.
By the way, this is primarily for impromptu "concerts" in my basement for 2 disinterested cats and for jamming with friends at modest volumes. I'm no pro nor a gigging amateur. |
Edited by - Tele_Man on 04/01/2008 05:02:37 |
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Laurie
Double Platinum Member
Canada
4854 Posts |
Posted - 04/01/2008 : 05:04:29
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I've become quite partial to the MT-2 as a "wall of distortion" - don't let the name "metal zone" put you off (like it did me for years)
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jack
Platinum Member
USA
1418 Posts |
Posted - 04/01/2008 : 06:11:52
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quote:
Originally posted by lauries2
I've become quite partial to the MT-2 as a "wall of distortion" - don't let the name "metal zone" put you off (like it did me for years)
Warren Haynes of Gov't Mule uses one too, so the name can be misleading. I like the MT-2 as well, though mine is Keeley modded, so to me it sounds like lava in a box. I know lava doesn't have a sound, but its hard to explain... |
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zentropa
Gold Member
USA
837 Posts |
Posted - 04/01/2008 : 06:29:11
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so class AB 30 watt w/ dry speakers. the 2 12AX7's are kinda throwing me though... guessig you get "medium" gain from just the amp? not enough to crunch a palm mute but enough to break up on a hard strum?
pickups...
jag = paf voiced alnico V.
tele = ceramic
strat = paf voiced ceramic
strat w/ alnico V, ceramic, and alnico V.
by modest volumes, do you mean audible over drums?
since you have a tube preamp i would avoid the PW-2 unless you really struggle with gain. my tube amp distortion seems to conflict w/ the PW-2's distortion circuit/wave.
is your DS-1 a stock MIT? what isn't it doing for you?
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Edited by - zentropa on 04/01/2008 06:29:29 |
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midibuddy
Silver Member
Ecuador
285 Posts |
Posted - 04/01/2008 : 08:38:55
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| well... this is a BOSS users forum, and I'm one... but the Marshall Guvnor sounds fantastic through a tube amp... we tried one on a VOX AC30 and sound just great... I also had a DS-1 EcuaKeeley mod.. and the DS-1 sounded great through my peavey supreme head (SS) and 2x12 eminence cab... but it soundned awful on the VOX.. the Guvnor in the VOX made THE PERFECT rock sound... hope this helps! |
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FRANZONI
Double Platinum Member
Ireland
3543 Posts |
Posted - 04/01/2008 : 11:38:25
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I find (and as zentropa pointed out) into an amp thats a bit dirty sounding your better off going with an overdrive.....for straight out distortion the best results i used to get(i don't really use distortion anymore)was into a clean amp like my musicman or marshall superbass,now both these amps have a good bit of clean headroom the marshall is 100 watter and the musicman is a 130 watt amp....i'm not too familar with your amp but if it has a gain pot and a master volume you could try keeping the pre amp gain low and the master up to give you as much clean headroom as you can get.....as for a pedal....this might get me flamed but i've sort of given up on boss dist/drive pedals although i'm still fond of my DS-1 and OD-2 i don't really use them much anymore and their not on my 'board...a lot of people swear by the metal zone here for distortion or you could probably find a DS-2 with the turbo mode pretty handy still... and i still think the OD-2 is a good overdrive and with it and the DS-2 you would have the turbo option..... |
Edited by - FRANZONI on 04/01/2008 11:46:47 |
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Leeroyfunk
Silver Member
United Kingdom
400 Posts |
Posted - 04/01/2008 : 16:44:01
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| If it's a Boss you're after, I'd suggest an OD-3: I tend to think of a "1970's rock sound" as being a medium-gain overdrive type of sound, and the OD-3 does this very nicely - It's also got a lot of volume boost on tap to push your amp a bit harder (plus they're cheap, so if it's not your bag, you haven't wasted too much cash). |
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controlfreak
Silver Member
Ireland
337 Posts |
Posted - 04/01/2008 : 17:06:41
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| ^^ i was just going to recommend the same. the OD-3 is regarded by some as the best boss overdrive out there. past or present. and it'll def give you a loud marshally sound (slight mid hump) albeit at a lesser gain amount than the DS-1. it's a loud pedal tho, louder than most OD's which should take you into crunchy full stack territory in no time. |
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zentropa
Gold Member
USA
837 Posts |
Posted - 04/01/2008 : 17:30:11
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i find the relative sound quality of boss pedals seems keyed at a certain type of amps and play volumes.
there's a handful that do well at both high and low volumes and a similarly small handful that sound equally good through tube or solid state.
the HM-2 and OS-2 are the only pedals i know of that sound good through tube and solid state amps and at both high and low volumes.
most of boss' overdrives are fairly transparent through a tube amp and if your tube amp has a tube rectifier, they will probably behave more like a virtual gain knob than anything with some volume manipulation (e.g. my marshall set to low gain w/ an OD-1 basically sounds like my marshall set to higher gain). that should be somewhat true for your amp as well. OD-3's are higher gain than SD-1's, but how close to a marshall sound will depend upon what your amp sounds like to begin with.
if your amp sounds nothing like a marshall to begin with, you will probably have to look to something to color your tone more.
if you were planning on ditching your DS-1 anyways, i might suggest spending $3-7 on parts and doing the keeley seeing eye or ultra mod on it (you don't need to drill or anything if you only do 1 mod instead of the switch). that may do it for you.
otherwise, i'd say probably an HM-2 for low or high volumes, MT-2 dialled in for high volumes (they sound very buzzy at low volumes, not noisy, just the distortion doesn't sound very good to me).
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Tele_Man
Bronze Member
USA
86 Posts |
Posted - 04/02/2008 : 04:39:28
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Wow, lot to digest here. First, a big thank you to all the replies. Let me address a few specifics raised by some of you:
I tend to play through my amp clean. It's a single channel amp with an "overdrive" button. The overdrive is very harsh sounding and reminds me of a fuzz more than anything. I tend to play with the volume knob maxed out and use the gain knob to dial in the overall level. Again, because the amp's overdrive isn't to my liking, I keep things clean and use pedals for overdrive and distortion.
quote:
by modest volumes, do you mean audible over drums?
When playing at home, not load enough to be heard over drums. When jamming with friends, there is a drummer, so it's definitely load enough to be heard over the drums.
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is your DS-1 a stock MIT? what isn't it doing for you?
Yes it is stock MIT. As to what I don't like, hmmm . . . that's tough. I've read lots of posts by guitarists here far more accomplished than I describing tone in very precise and nuanced language. I think my ear lacks the refinement to describe the sound and what I don't like very precisely. I guess the best way to put it is that the distortion lacks warmth or an organic feel. Does that make sense? As a reference point, I DO like the sound of my SD-2's lead channel [level around 11 o'clock, tone around 10 or 11 o'clock and drive around 9 or 10 o'clock; that's with the SD's and Dimarzios] . But I think of that as overdrive, not distortion.
quote:
I tend to think of a "1970's rock sound" as being a medium-gain overdrive type of sound, and the OD-3 does this very nicely
I've heard nothing but good things about the OD-3. If it's like the lead channel on the SD-2 only better, than I would certainly like that. Perhaps it's a fine line between OD and distortion, and a really heavy, kick-ass OD is what I'm looking for.
quote:
if you were planning on ditching your DS-1 anyways, i might suggest spending $3-7 on parts and doing the keeley seeing eye or ultra mod on it
I had a hard enough time just installing the EMG's on my tele. Mod'ing a pedal might make my head explode! 
Thanks again for all the great feedback. It's exactly what I was hoping for. I welcome any other comments you all might have.
Cheers! 
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Edited by - Tele_Man on 04/02/2008 04:42:08 |
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zentropa
Gold Member
USA
837 Posts |
Posted - 04/02/2008 : 07:45:24
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TM:
that sums up a lot and allows me to give a definitive recommendation.
quote:
I tend to play with the volume knob maxed out and use the gain knob to dial in the overall level. Again, because the amp's overdrive isn't to my liking, I keep things clean and use pedals for overdrive and distortion.
you may have to re-adjust your amp to use a pure overdrive pedal. something more like gain at 5, master volume at 5 vs. gain at 2 master volume at 10.
quote:
Yes it is stock MIT. As to what I don't like, hmmm . . .
stock MIT's are a bit thin/fuzzy/tinny imo (did you like my super specific technospeak? hehe)
as for the keeley mod i'm talking about, check this out:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8ZWnilE5duA
switch up = seeing eye mod
switch down = ultra mod
the mod is sooooooo easy. there's a step-through on it here:
http://www.geocities.com/overdrivespider/DS1/keeleyds1.htm
makes it sound a lot more like huge overdrive. if you try the mod, worst case scenario is you kill it and you fry a $30 pedal you didn't really care about in the first place :)
quote:
I've heard nothing but good things about the OD-3. If it's like the lead channel on the SD-2 only better, than I would certainly like that. Perhaps it's a fine line between OD and distortion, and a really heavy, kick-ass OD is what I'm looking for.
i haven't played an SD-2 in years, but if what i remember is correct... it won't sound anything like the SD-2 lead channel. the OD-3 will sound more like the SD-2 crunch/rhythm channel but a bit thicker/warmer if memory serves correct.
my #1 recommendation would be an MIJ HM-2 heavy metal. yah, it's got heavy metal in the name, but coming out in 1983 the heavy metal it's trying to copy is in the vein of a judas priest or randy rhoads sound... aka marshall cranked to 11 w/ maybe a tubescreamer in front of it. i will say not to bother with the MIT version of this pedal as it's not really going to save you any money (maybe $10?) and it's too noisy and is overly prone to feedback (i've owned 2 of each). should be able to get one of these in the $50 range. it is usable at all volumes (sounds good quiet as well as loud). it does feedback a bit for both MIT/MIJ models but if you've ever cranked a marshall to 11 and stood anywhere near it, the exact same thing happens :P
my #2 recommendation is a distant 2nd. OS-2 Overdrive/Distortion. i can almost guarantee you will not get the exact sound you are looking for with this pedal. however, i can assure you that there's a plethora of usable tones with that pedal and it sounds good at all volumes. there's an overdrive/distortion blend knob that when cranked all the way to the overdrive side it's SD-1ish and when cranked all the way to the distortion side it's DS-1ish... the nice thing is finding that perfect blend somewhere in between. you can get an overdrive flavor with an over the top fuzz/gain sound to it or you can go with a distortion flavor with a lot more warmth. these should run ~$40 used. a sound sample is at: http://www.bossus.com/gear/productdetails.php?ProductId=132&ParentId=90
my hesitant #3 recommendation would be a PW-2 Power Driver. i find the bass to be overwhelming on it when i play with humbuckers, but the flavor of the distortion sounds like what you are seeking. i find this pedal is pretty crappo at low volumes (sounds like a metal zone played quietly), but at high volumes it like a cranked jcm900.
my recommendation #2b = mod your DS-1 :) |
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nilo
Bronze Member
Sweden
75 Posts |
Posted - 04/02/2008 : 10:08:28
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an sd-1 into an already distorted amp sounds very Marshally, although i have only tried it on my JCM 800  |
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zentropa
Gold Member
USA
837 Posts |
Posted - 04/02/2008 : 17:15:17
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quote:
an sd-1 into an already distorted amp sounds very Marshally, although i have only tried it on my JCM 800
agreed when it is plugged into a marshall. my OD-1 w/ JRC4558DD sounds just like my marshall when my marshall is on louder or with more gain. next closest is my OD-3, then SD-1, then a few other OD's... unfortunately it's only through my marshalls. that's the downside of overdrives that are fairly transparent :)
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Johnrocks
Silver Member
Brazil
175 Posts |
Posted - 04/02/2008 : 20:49:57
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quote:
Originally posted by Tele_Man
So my DS-1 just isn't doing it for me right now. What distortion pedal will give me that quintessential 1970's, classic rock, wall of Marshall's kind of sound? I'm looking for a "these go to eleven" kind of sound.
Any suggestions to point me in the right direction?
Hi Tele! Well, first of all, I have a question for you: Is your DS-1 MIJ or MIT? The DS-1 versions REALLY do sound different! Mine is MIT, September 1990 and it has the Toshiba chip. It really spounds way different from the new pedals. I would never buy a DS-1 MIT pedal nowadays cuz it doesn�t sound very well. But, I have a suugestion.. In case you don�t have an old DS-1, why don�t u modd it? A lot of guys like George Lynch did that to their Ds-1. here�s a link for Robert Keely http://www.robertkeeley.com/product.php?id=10
Did I help u?
God bless you,
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recommend a distortion box
