Different or alternative overdrive sounds... What is there

thecolourbox

So having read the interesting Brian May thread on here recently, I'm interested in what interesting pedals or methods of getting different overdrive sounds, like May overdriving his Deacy and into the ac30s etc.

We all know what a tubescreamer sounds like, we all know what amp-in-a-box pedals sound like. We all know what amp like drive or distortion sounds like, as well as fuzz and distortion.

But which pedals or methods could give something a bit different? If you don't want warm, buttery tasteful overdrive, instead something unusual, but usable as a rhythm tone.

So far I'm thinking of a Bit Crusher, I'm aware of things like the Hudson Broadcast but the demos just make it sound like a crunchy fuzz. The jhs Colourbox could be good (and would suit my username). Would something like the EHX Crayon be such a beast as it says it's full range and may be different?

Alternatively, would one of those Fender Mini Twin battery amps in front of a proper amp as a pedal work in a similar fashion to the Deacy?

Let's hear your ideas for unusual but useful guitar rhythm overdrive sounds

stickyfiddle

Gamechanger Plasma? I have one arriving in a couple of weeks. I don't know how useful it will be but I'm intrigued and very keen to find out.  

bbill335

thecolourbox said:

I'm aware of things like the Hudson Broadcast but the demos just make it sound like a crunchy fuzz.

yeah the demos don't do it justice imo. the guy who first made me aware of them said the same, the low gain is so sort of natural and organic (uuugggghhhhhh i hate myself for saying that) that it isn't the kind of thing that really shines in demos. and yeah the fuzz is awesome too.

my crunchy rhythm sound for a long time was a buzzz (superfuzz) with the octave off. really snarly punky rhythm tone.

thecolourbox

stickyfiddle said:

Gamechanger Plasma? I have one arriving in a couple of weeks. I don't know how useful it will be but I'm intrigued and very keen to find out.  

Wow that one looks incredible

Sporky

Zvex Machine? 

NPP

you could try a video tape machine or cassette player. I had an enjoyable afternoon at a mate's in the 80s playing through the video (set to record, overdrive the tape, monitor out into guitar amp). Nowadays I think you can just use a Strymon Deco. 

Zvex Fuzz Factory is another thing I would try if I were after unusual distortion (is that what @Sporky meant?), which, however, I am not, so I never tried. 

Sporky

No, I meant the Machine.

It uses crossover distortion rather than clipping. 

thecolourbox

Good stuff chaps keep them coming.

The zvex machine and fuzz factory seem more on the fuzz side of things, I have a Woolly Mammoth clone which does similar things I think, but they are definitely the right kind of concept I'm thinking of. 

I've also been recommended to try a compressor or two with an eq between or before, shall give this a whirl too

NPP

Sporky said:

No, I meant the Machine.

It uses crossover distortion rather than clipping. 

ah, I've not been keeping up, again

benmurray85

You should look at some lower gain demos of the Broadcast. (For me) its clean to crunchy rhythm sounds are probably the strongest point for that pedal. 

Teetonetal

The moog mf drive is an odd one. Dark and wooly. Wasn't for me but a lot of people like it.

thecolourbox

Will see if I can find a tape machine to hack, as I've not had a cassette thing nor a VCR for at least 15 years Haha but I suppose yes that would be quite interesting.

benmurray85 said:

You should look at some lower gain demos of the Broadcast. (For me) its clean to crunchy rhythm sounds are probably the strongest point for that pedal. 

I'll see if I can find one, though every demo I've heard the Colour box has sounded much better for that kind of thing. Maybe I have cloth ears though....

Teetonetal said:

The moog mf drive is an odd one. Dark and wooly. Wasn't for me but a lot of people like it.

Will have a look as I've not ever listened to one of those

Sporky

thecolourbox said:

Good stuff chaps keep them coming.

The zvex machine and fuzz factory seem more on the fuzz side of things, 

The Machine doesn't sound like anything else I've heard. Really weird overtones, but still usable. 

DarnWeight

Tronographic Rusty Box or Boxidizer are both surprisingly versatile drives which are based off solid state Traynor amp/preamp circuits.  You can set them for milder drive sounds, but with the gain pushed harder they do a great sizzly compressed solid state tone, with a hint of weird intermodulation in there.

The Infanem Driving Notion is another oddball...great for clangy, scooped post-punk drive sounds.  

Never tried one, but Source Audio did a digital multiband distortion box a few years back, which had some pretty distinct and unusual sounds in it.

thecolourbox

Sporky said:

thecolourbox said:

Good stuff chaps keep them coming.

The zvex machine and fuzz factory seem more on the fuzz side of things, 

The Machine doesn't sound like anything else I've heard. Really weird overtones, but still usable. 

I take it back, the demos I listened to was through fuzz as well (handily, a Woolly Mammoth of which I have a copy so at least I know how that sounds). Yes it sounds like the kind of thing I mean, I can imagine that with by Boss Multi overtone thingy would be like the world was ending due to somebody scratching huge nails on a huge blackboard

variplexi

Supro drive in front of other overdrives / distortions. Perhaps might not be as "unique", but certainly different! Many tones in there depending on what you stack it with and between the 2 gain settings on the Supro drive. Works for rhythm and lead tones. 

Moe_Zambeek

How about something like the Castledine magical mystery box? Based on the old Vox SS amps of the late 60s. I like the misboosted scratchy SS sounds it can do.

The Machine as previously mentioned is a worthy contender - very odd sounds. Buy a Sonar and you get the Machine built in for free...

The Moog MF drive is rubbish, I’d avoid it.

thecolourbox

variplexi said:

Supro drive in front of other overdrives / distortions. Perhaps might not be as "unique", but certainly different! Many tones in there depending on what you stack it with and between the 2 gain settings on the Supro drive. Works for rhythm and lead tones. 

I've a Supro amp already! But it has a line out so could try that into another pedal and into another amp maybe.

Moe_Zambeek said:

How about something like the Castledine magical mystery box? Based on the old Vox SS amps of the late 60s. I like the misboosted scratchy SS sounds it can do.

The Machine as previously mentioned is a worthy contender - very odd sounds. Buy a Sonar and you get the Machine built in for free...

The Moog MF drive is rubbish, I’d avoid it.

Will look up the castledine thing, thanks. I did spot something about the Sonar having the Machine inside it when looking for where to buy a Machine, seemed about the same price as well... Interesting

Sporky

thecolourbox said:

Sporky said:

thecolourbox said:

Good stuff chaps keep them coming.

The zvex machine and fuzz factory seem more on the fuzz side of things, 

The Machine doesn't sound like anything else I've heard. Really weird overtones, but still usable. 

I take it back, the demos I listened to was through fuzz as well (handily, a Woolly Mammoth of which I have a copy so at least I know how that sounds). Yes it sounds like the kind of thing I mean, I can imagine that with by Boss Multi overtone thingy would be like the world was ending due to somebody scratching huge nails on a huge blackboard

I would like to hear that. With a Miko.

For some reason almost all the Machine demos are through a fuzz, at which point it sounds like a fuzz. On its own it's rather more interesting than that.

octatonic

The 'overdriving a console' type of sound.

You can also cascade multiple channels on a console into one another (ch1 into ch2, into ch3 etc) to get it really hot and crunchy.
Then attenuate into a tape machine or DAW.

Musicman20

octatonic said:

The 'overdriving a console' type of sound.

This.