Distortion pedals - suggestions?

monquixote

The DS1X and OD1X are both very good but they are quite weird pedals. They are digital and use Boss MDP processing so they don't respond quite like you'd expect. Specifically you don't get as much intermodulation between strings as you normally would and the sustain and back off feels slightly different anything else. 

ICBM

monquixote said:

The DS1X and OD1X are both very good but they are quite weird pedals. They are digital and use Boss MDP processing so they don't respond quite like you'd expect. Specifically you don't get as much intermodulation between strings as you normally would and the sustain and back off feels slightly different anything else. 

That doesn't sound like I would like them at all.

For what it's worth I didn't like the BB-1X Bass driver - it sounded good, but I found the response frustrating - it seemed to do both too much and too little at the same time.

TimmyO

Reading those 2 posts reminds me almost exactly of my experience yesterday trying to dial in the H9's (digital) dirt algorithm to sound close to one of my pedals.

There's plenty of control over eq (traditional, plus a pre dirt low end bump called grit, and either pre or post dirt compression) but nothing sounded.....quite natural. 

That inter modulation effect mentioned is a good way to put it, plus the fact that it felt less satisfying despite each of the frequency areas you might listen out for sounding nicely prominent where I'd want them to be. 

But I digress.

The Emma Reeza thing (not battling win iOS autocorrect to spell that!) sounds good

Sassafras

To all of you who don't like the Rat I would say they're not the easiest pedals to dial in but once you get the knack they're really versatile. Boost, overdrive, distortion and verging on fuzz. It does it all and sounds good through most amps including solid-state.

Jalapeno

You've been there and done that with the Zendrive haven't you ? I love it for the creamy Robben/Larry thing

Grunfeld

ICBM said:

Grunfeld said:

The Tubescreamer, which hasn't been off my board in 7 years, gets lost in the solid state Orange.  It does nothing.

The Boss SD-1 and SD-2 on the other hand are perfect with the Orange

If you're going to stack pedals I would *still* pick the DS-1 - with an SD-1 in front of it. You can buy both for less than almost any boutique pedal, and you get three great sounds.

You're right! 

Before I read your post I was having another tweak of the board for a gig tonight (yep, Sunday, booo!), and that's what I've settled on.  The only decent alternative to the SD-1 that I have ready to hand seems to be the Tech21 GS-2. 

I have to say that the Orange CR-120 is a fiddly amp but in a good way I think.  I've not used it much but I think I'm going to.  I've been using the JVM for years and I can get "my" sound very easily.  Not so with the Orange.  The sound is in there but there's a lot more variation going on between the gain knobs and the master volume.  So, fun and games tonight

Dave_Mc

TimmyO said:

Dave_Mc said:

What about an od pedal into a distortion pedal? I tend to find most distortions are crunchier-sounding and don't really have the sustain or mids I need for leads, but a tubescreamer- or sd1-style boost into them tends to fix that. Doesn't need to be that dear, either, you can get e.g. an sd1 or tubescreamer clone plus a decent distortion pedal (say, crunchbox clone) for less than a lot of the single pedals suggested here.

That's an interesting shout actually. I have an SD-1 (it's off the board at the minute while I have a play with and get used to the Guv'nor) 

Cascading/Stacking had slipped my mind - I'm sure XP -> Klone -> Guv'nor might sound interesting :-) 

sd1 into klone into guv'nor should work pretty well (that's not a joke, that's actually a serious suggestion)

Sporky said:

Cabicular said:

I must be the only guitarist here who doesn't have any time for Rats.

They don't work for me either - other people can do great things with them but they have a funny granularity thing that I find distracting when I play.

yeah, i've noticed that graininess too. i really like my mooer rat clone, and if i had to pick one pedal that i knew would sound pretty good for most types of distorted tone, into most amps, i'd pick it, but for most more specific situations i'd likely pick something else. if that makes sense.