Always on pedal for big amp sound at low volumes

YellowLedBetterMan

I've been thinking this week about how some people use compressors at low volumes (say, at home or in small venues where the sound man doesn't like sound) to emulate the compression of an amp being gunned. I also know people use low-gain overdrives for this task.

What I wanna know is what are people's opinions on this and what pedals/other bits of kit do they use for this?

I'm mainly looking for the "off-clean" sounds of people like Frusciante, or that mythical "edge of breakup" tone that Guitarist magazine jizzes it's pants over every 5 minutes. Something I can put on my board to take to gigs where there is supplied backline to bring a sense of familiarity in the dynamics.

munckee

Nobels odr1 has just become my always on pedal. Like my clean amp but better. 

mikenetic

Could you go for a TC electronics MojoMojo with the gain backed off? Quite a few people seem to use it like that. Andertons are knocking them out for £40 at the moment.

JezWynd

Fairfield Accountant, esp with a boost in front of it, gives an amp like driven valve sound.

MikeB

Xotic EP Booster will make a difference to makes things sound "bigger"

Zoolooter

Anarchy Audio Gold Class. It’s a very light OD that solved the ‘edge of break up’ at home conundrum. 

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=37y7LL0soRY

Sassafras

SHO for me.

Keyroh

JezWynd said:

Fairfield Accountant, esp with a boost in front of it, gives an amp like driven valve sound.

I recently sold my Barbershop to get the Modele B version, the bypass switch became redundant.
Love the accountant too but never used it like that

Beexter

Wampler Pantheon is very dynamic with a really wide gain range. I run a Koji comp after it which works well 

JMP220478

Have you a specific amp flavour edge of breakup you're looking for and whats your base amp ? 

Wazmeister

Ill echo a couple of the above...

- Fairfield Barbershop & Accountant
- Xotic EP

But the hidden sleeper for me is the superb JHS Clover.

stickyfiddle

Zoolooter said:

Anarchy Audio Gold Class. It’s a very light OD that solved the ‘edge of break up’ at home conundrum. 

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=37y7LL0soRY

This in spades. 

mburekenge

Klone

Lewy

I’m using a 24v Hudson Broadcast on the clean setting for this purpose. 

kossofffan

Strymon Deco, provides saturation & double tracker !

slacker

As mburekenge suggested a klon (e), set the gain at min or 9 o clock, set vol to what you can get away with. 

Another suggestion would be a king/prince of tone or bluesbreaker set to clean boost.

Out of the box thinking a zvex nano amplifier at 9 o clock volume and an inefficient speaker will get you there. Disadvantages are cost space and having gear with very limited use.

YellowLedBetterMan

JMP220478 said:

Have you a specific amp flavour edge of breakup you're looking for and whats your base amp ? 

My main amp is a Kustom Coupe 36 - not unlike a HRD.

But if possible I'd like something I could use with pretty much anything. I hope when all of this blows over that I'll still be able to go out on blues jams/a few gigs which is something I said I wanted to do as a kind-of New Year's resolution. There'll obviously be times when supplied backline is less than ideal, so something that can bring familiarity to the sound in those instances would be nice.

Hattigol

The AC Noises Vola. Wonderful sound enricher.

I'd agree with the comments about Klon(e)s best being used at min gain. I always think they sound best if you use the 100 rule - i.e If the level is at 80%, gain should be at 20%, or 70%/30% etc.

melod

Ordered a Fulltone 2b and will comment on the thread. I have also no doubt that the effectrode fire bottle would be very very good but I wanted something cheaper, compact and easier to power.

monquixote

A compressor with a clean blend like an SP or Koji will do the job really well.

In terms of overdrives I've had stacks, but the ones I really like for that kind of job are Subdecay Liquid Sunshine, any Klone, Laney TI boost, TC Spark Boost

JMP220478

Frusciante - used Marshall backlines afaik - Jubilee + others I'm advised by Dr Google - he also ran Boss / EHX - od / fuzz in front of them 

 I would suggest a low gain style MIAB - possibly the Carl Martin Plexitone  lo gain  or similar 

I also find a little bit of delay - my goto is a Belle Epoch atm - using  Eric Johnson type settings  - just adds a little bit of air around the notes and gives a bigger sound IMHO - Andy Timmons uses delay in similar way adjusting to taste as it goes from clean through to his angry Marshall / AT+ tones ...  

Reverb can also give a bigger sound when dialed in correctly -  lots of choice out there - whilst not everyones cup of tea - the HOF with toneprints give lots of options at a decent price ..