Looking for a dirtbox for SS amp

althy

Hi, i'm looking for a drive/distortion/fuzz or preamp pedal to get a 90's alternative/Lo-Fi/ shoegazy sound out of an mv 50 clean with a 112, i'm using a squier J-Mascis Jazzmaster. Currently trying out the JB-2 which is cool but the BD-2 side is really spanking my eardrum even w tone knob around 9,  the JHS part sounds kind of fizzy and a tad too much mids for vocals to cut through nicely. Tried and OCD before and it was fine but chords would often lose definition. pork loin didn't do it for me neither did the rat.. OD1-x was kinda cool but there is a bit to much glassiness. i generally scoop the clean a bit ( bass around 9 treble round 1) and give some headroom for the amp to be more dirt friendly.. i'm currently looking at the crowther hotcake the riverside and the empress multidrive if anyone has got any experience w theme and SS amps?

Jalapeno

Try out the TRex Moller - superb sounds via S/S amps

Johnnyseven

Any particular shoegaze bands whose sound you're trying to replicate?

Babones

Through a clean amp, I use a DOD 250 (90s US reissue) as my OD stage.

bingefeller

Yes, I play a clean SS amp and run dirt through it.  You could stack a Suhr Rufus into another pedal for your fuzz sounds.  The Rufus has two modes (green and red).  The green is more like a classic overdrivey fuzz, and the red is a heavier fuzz sound.  Just beware - it's not a balls to the wall fuzz sound, but if you use it to push a distortion pedal or an overdrive pedal, then you it can get ballsy. 

If you listen to the intro of Big Wreck's You Caught My Eye, that's a Rufus into a dirty amp. 

Ro_S

a few suggestions:

Rat or clone of    (or Turbo Rat, or You Dirty Rat)

TRex Mudhoney 

MXR Distortion+

Boss JB-2 is flawed as a distortion cos it lacks sufficient eq controls.  Get a different Marshall Shredmaster inspired pedal instead.

p.s.   Vox mv50 isnt SS, it's hybrid.

Ro_S

Two even more specific ones you might like for your tastes:

Penny Pedals Fingerprint Redux 

Fuzzhugger Algal Bloom

I have one of the latter for sale (selling cos i have two of them).

Winny_Pooh

Tough one.... try a Nobels ODR-1
You want something that is already smooth rather than something fizzy that you need a tube amp to tame. 

ICBM

Mesa V-1 Bottle Rocket

Big, expensive and needs its own special power supply, but it really works for this. One of the best sounds I've ever got at a gig was one through a borrowed Fender Princeton Chorus.

There's one in the classifieds too. (Not mine!)

Ro_S

Coopersonic Valveslapper

Johnnyseven

If you don't like the Boss BD2 you could try the Boss OD3, it's not as bright but is a really good OD. Can be picked up really cheap too.

Grunfeld

Winny_Pooh said:

Tough one.... try a Nobels ODR-1
You want something that is already smooth rather than something fizzy that you need a tube amp to tame. 

That is pretty much how I found it too.
It was the smoother Nobels ODR-1 which finally worked with the new SS Orange CR-120 head. 
The small collection of ODs which I had that were great with the valve amps before the SS didn't quite cut it with the Orange and I think that's why.

impmann

I wouldn't suggest the Hotcake into a clean full range amp - they are better in bluesberry mode but in standard mode they aren't great used like that.

althy

Thanks everyone for the advices, after multiple trials found out a boss DS1x might just do it for me.

bingefeller

althy said:

Thanks everyone for the advices, after multiple trials found out a boss DS1x might just do it for me.

DS1X is pretty harsh when played through a clean SS amp.  

The best Boss dirt pedal on the market today is the Powerstack IMO but, if you want fuzziness, then I would look elsewhere.  

What about the Boss FZ-5 or FZ-3?

bloodandtears

Marshall Guvnor...

althy

 sounds tight and clear w low tuning and decay is actually not square sounding like the analog pedals I've tried. Just works well with this amp. As someone said mv series aren't pure ss 

builttospill

Boss OD-3 or SD-1w... I'm sure Neil Halstead (Slowdive) uses an OD-3 with a Roland JC-120