Best natural, transparent, edge of break up pedal?

fastonebaz

I'm gonna have to keep following this thread now to find out how it ends.   In tearing my hair out here with nerves...

fretfinder

The obvious answer for the OP is just to buy one of each of the pedals recommended, do a side by side comparison, keep the one that does the job and sell the rest. Simples! 

NickB

Here's another one HX Stomp Timmy. Last night I managed to match it to my Barber Gain Changer....made me question if I need real world pedals vs the stomp or HX effects. I seem to have fallen down a rabbit hole. 

Sporky

NickB said:

Here's another one HX Stomp Timmy. 

I s'pose everyone says that models don't sound like the real thing, so maybe that gets past the "not a Timmy" stipulation. 

EricTheWeary

I thought my old Toadworks Lil Leo was good for putting 'hair' on a sound and generally something roughly Fenderinabox would work for me. I had a ZVex Distortion which I liked in a sort of pre amp role into whatever amp I was faced with that week but Marshallinabox type pedals seem to colour the sound too much. Although I seem to remember that the Klon started life as an attempt at a Fenderinabox type pedal which maybe brings us round full circle. 

fastonebaz

But them all, test them, send them back in 14 days returns policy.  

Corvus

Gain Changer I loved with Strat/single coils, less with humbuckers.
Rockett Blue Note was great, the older one with two modes. Can do transparent or screamer impressions depending how you set it. 
Revival Drive, I've got a Hot Rod Compact and messing with gain & blend it can do low gain really well. It does great guitar vol  cleanup too.
Fuzz face into dirt or crunchy amp, roll off the guitar vol. This into the RD is what I do most of the time for low gain stuff.

digitalscream

Moved, for obvious reasons.

Yorkie

digitalscream said:

Moved, for obvious reasons.

Thanks :-)

Greatape

I use a Secret Preamp for this. 

rickd2112a

I would add the Origin Effects DCX Boost. This is totally transparent if you want it, can work as a boost or OD and will also sculpt your tone if you wish.

I got one in July and love it. I'd previously had a Kingsley Page, which I loved but for my situation didn't give enough drive without a volume boost. I replaced it with a DCX and have to say I haven't looked back. It works beautifully and is more versatile than the Page. And, I know how highly the Page is regarded.

I am now looking to pair the DCX with a Halcyon Gold to cover all my drive needs. The Gold looks like it is very versatile and not just another Klone - the mid hump can be removed and it is very responsive.

Josh_Cosku

I think the pedals which cleans up well from guitar volume knob is really helpful for edge of break up sounds especially playing live. 

Most of the new pedals sound fine when volume is fully on but few cleans up nicely.

This also helps to switch between single coils and humbuckers guitars, generally work well with both.
My favorites Vemuram Shanks, Hudson Broadcast, Gladio SC and Benson Preamp.
I want to try The Dane, Tilt Shawn Tubbs pedal lots of compliments about these two.

pluckbuddy

Barbershop really is a level up from most "transparent" pedals in um... transparency. I don't know how people use the T word in relation to klons.

Kingsley Page is also a level up but has more tone controls and the gain characteristic (clipping?) is really, really great to my ear. Softer than the Barbershop. 

Both the BS and the KP are great for what the OP wants.

Lebarque

pluckbuddy said:

Barbershop really is a level up from most "transparent" pedals in um... transparency. I don't know how people use the T word in relation to klons.

Kingsley Page is also a level up but has more tone controls and the gain characteristic (clipping?) is really, really great to my ear. Softer than the Barbershop. 

Both the BS and the KP are great for what the OP wants.

I've had the Barbershop before. Loved it, but it added a sparkle that you can't dial out due to no tone control. Would love to try a Page, but crikey they're dear.

pluckbuddy

That's interesting. The Barbershop doesn't do that in my set up but yes the lack of a tone pot is a limiting factor and the tone switch isn't up to much in my opinion.

The main downside though for me is that the more distorted settings can be a bit raspy at times - sometimes I love it, others I look for something smoother like the Page. I'd like the Page to have a touch more gain though. 

stickyfiddle

Cirrus said:

Everyone in this thread is stupid except me. Listen to me! I am the best. My knowledge is the best:

There is no definitive best pedal. It totally depends on your guitar, your amp, what else it needs to interact with, and how you play.

My "Best" has changed over time. You find it by trying out a whole bunch of stuff and seeing what sticks.

For the last couple of years, I've absolutely loved this:

Wis for this. My best isn't the same as your best. or OPs best, or even my own best from 6 months ago

But the Kingsley Page is seriously good. Never tried that yellow Taxi thing!

NickB

I rickd2112a said:

I would add the Origin Effects DCX Boost. This is totally transparent if you want it, can work as a boost or OD and will also sculpt your tone if you wish.

I got one in July and love it. I'd previously had a Kingsley Page, which I loved but for my situation didn't give enough drive without a volume boost. I replaced it with a DCX and have to say I haven't looked back. It works beautifully and is more versatile than the Page. And, I know how highly the Page is regarded.

I am now looking to pair the DCX with a Halcyon Gold to cover all my drive needs. The Gold looks like it is very versatile and not just another Klone - the mid hump can be removed and it is very responsive.

wonder how the DCX would sound with the the M-EQ?

allen

Josh_Cosku said:

I want to try The Dane, Tilt Shawn Tubbs pedal lots of compliments about these two.

I've got the Shawn Tubbs pedal. It's great for edge of breakup stuff. I've had it a while (couple of months?) and I think it is somewhere in the territory of a BD-2. 

Also, Mick on TPS summed it up well by saying that it was 'easy to play'. Somehow it is very forgiving.

Josh_Cosku

@allen thank you. Very helpful indeed.

UnclePsychosis

Just to be the latest to add a suggestion...

EQD Special Cranker