Amp drive or pedal

Barney

I always used amp drive but feel I might be missing something with all the various dive /distortion pedals out there now ...so what's everbodies preferences ..pros and cons ECT and would the pedal go in a clean amp or partly driven ?

monquixote

I've never really liked pure amp drive.

The best sounds I've ever had have always been slightly pushed amps with drive pedals or cleanish amps with fuzz.

Danny1969

For classic rock stuff like Van Halen, Free, GnR I like amp drive, mainly Marshall. For just about everything else I like some pedals into a clean Fender amp

JDE

Breaking up amp pushed by pedals for me, too. Never owned an amp with a really great dirt channel, though, so perhaps that’s why. I’m sure if I played metal and had a Diezel or a 5150 or whatever I’d be laughing. 

Maynehead

I've never liked a drive/distortion pedal into a clean amp over amp drive. The pedal always lacks the deep lows and chimey highs, so sounds "smaller". Amp drive to me sounds more full and open.

However, boosting the amp's natural drive with a pedal can sometimes yield good results, but the majority of the distortion needs to come from the amp.

mgaw

easier and more practical volume wise to use pedals into clean fender amp imo

Sassafras

I don't think this question's ever been asked on here?
  

Pedals give me more variety, especially when I've had to play through borrowed amps. I always sound like me whatever I play through.

Nerine

I set the amp pretty cookin, and when I need some extra bwaaarrrrrggghhhhh, boooooooowwww, weedly widdly, kraaannnnnggggg for face melting solos, I'll punch whatever drive is on my board. 

I'd say the best tones are a combination of both. 

I'd also say that I've never heard a high gain rock sound that was achieved better with pedals into a clean amp than the valve preamp in a good high gain amp. No way. Not happening. 

tone1

Clean and pedals for me...

TTBZ

I like fairly high gain saturated tones, Bogner etc. A pedal into a clean amp just never seems to be able to match a boosted dirty amp for that sort of tone. I've not tried the Bogner, Friedman or Suhr pedals though. 

GoldenEraGuitars

My lead channel is set to an ever so slightly broken drive but luckily with the Lonestar it’s also got one of the best single note definition I’ve ever heard. None of that is lost when you kick in a drive or distortion pedal. Every note in a chord can be heard. I’ve come to realise that I can colour the tone of the amp in a variety of ways using drive or distortion pedals. 

PolarityMan

amp drive all the way

Lestratcaster

Amp drive for me though I do use an OD pedal just to push it a bit more and tighten up the flubbiness.

6505+ and Maxon OD808's are like a match made in heaven!

Dominic

Like both...........depends on the guitar .........whether HB s or Single coils ........and the amp
AC 30 types are best at breakup being pushed by a treble booster for example ;the natural distortion is too messy 

fastonebaz

Nerine said:

I set the amp pretty cookin, and when I need some extra bwaaarrrrrggghhhhh, boooooooowwww, weedly widdly, kraaannnnnggggg for face melting solos, I'll punch whatever drive is on my board. 

Aha, that's how you spell that feeling I get too.

pintspiller

Presently it's pedals for me, but I play bass into clean/logain single-channel amps. However, when I played more guitar and used two-channel amps, I kept reverting to channel-switching after using pedals and going nowhere.

Grumpyrocker

It was always about amp drive for me. But in recent times I've changed my mind. I've been playing dirt pedals into my little Joyo Zombie lunchbox amp and it sounds as good as any actual high-gain valve amp I've owned. 

Rowby1

Little bit of hair from the amp if the guitars on 10, the rest from pedals. Easier to get a consistent tone at various volumes that way, for me anyway.

gordiji

Both, ideally boosted hair channel.

stickyfiddle

I'm an indie kid at heart, so it's always been about an amp just past clean with a couple of pedals for dirt. I'm hankering for some vintage Marshall dirt lately, but even then I'm angling towards something like a Revival Drive rather than buying an amp specifically for that sound.

skippy76

Both for me, if I have the house to myself I drive the amp, if not its pedals through clean at lower volumes.

When driving my 68 Princeton and 68 Deluxe Reverb I still use a pedal (supro boost or echoplex) to tighten up the saggy bottom end.  

Fender 5E3 and Supro Tremoverb just get driven