Can you recommend me a versatile overdrive/distortion that is battery powered?

allen

Hi all,

I've done quite a bit of research on this and haven't quite found what I'm looking for and I hope I can get some useful input.

Short version

Basically, I want a dirt pedal to stick in the back of my amp that I can whip out and noodle on for 20 mins in the living room and then throw back in there.

Long version

I've got a massive (too big given what a crap player I am) pedalboard with 5 types of dirt pedal (EHX Soul Food, Xotic SL drive, Zendrive, HoofReaper, Rockett BlueNote) and those are nice pedals, but I don't want the inconvenience of ripping one off the pedal board and putting it back every time I get a spare ten minutes of playing. I also think I'd feel a bit wasteful by just buying another one of them again (although they are not all that versatile in themselves).

My musical tastes are a bit 'average 50 year old guitar playing bloke'

- SRV

- Hendrix

- ACDC

- Zep

- Santana

- yadda yadda

My strat is the guitar that I keep nearest the amp, but I also plug in my humbucker guitars sometimes.

The amp is a tone king imperial, think fender clean if you don't know it.

Stuff I've ruled out

- Empress multidrive (no battery)

- Dr Scientist The Elements (no battery)

- Source Audio OFD (no battery)

- JHS dual pedals (no battery)

Funny enough I don't have a tube screamer, but every time I hear a youtube demo I'm not that keen on the sound. The only time I like it is the 'clean boost' SRV sound using a TS.

So that would probably rule out The Palisades

Current candidates

- Truetone VS XO (Nobels ODR-1 and a Tube Screamer in one box) 

- Seymour Duncan 805 (Impressive youtube demos)

- Wampler Plexi Deluxe (Low gain hendrix stuff and 70s rawk)

- Wampler Hot wired (but probably only because it's got 2 buttons)

- Other things with 2 buttons ( Jetter?)

Ideally something you can walk into an actual shop and try first.

What do you think?

Dave_Mc

i haven't tried it but the duncan is a tubescreamer with a 3-band eq. so if you don't want a tubescreamer...

Sassafras

Dunlop JH Fuzz Face with both pots on full. By using the volume pot on the guitar you can get boost, overdrive, distortion or fuzz.

zepp76

Sounds to me like you're calling out for a Boss BD-2 Blues driver.

ICBM

Boss OS-2 Overdrive/Distortion. The clue is in the name .

meltedbuzzbox

Truetone VS XO (Nobels ODR-1 and a Tube Screamer in one box) 

that would be my choice

olafgarten

You could also try those new Tone City pedals from Andertons.

You get the choice of
Marshall,
Vox,
AnalogueMan King Of Tone,
EVH,
Boogie,
and Soldano.

These are only £79.99 each.

Cols

Not on your list, but a RAT should cover it.

MtB

Rothwell Heartbreaker. I've never had one myself tho', but have felt like I should have.

http://www.rothwellaudioproducts.co.uk/html/heartbreaker.html

http://www.rothwellaudioproducts.co.uk/html/heartbreaker__guitarist_review.html

koss59

The VSXO is great. It's got loads of bass if you want it dialling in which is great for low volume playing. Something a lot of other pedals lack.

mike_l

Ibanez Jet Driver.

Blackster LT Distortion

The MXR range do some nice OD into Distortion pedals. The Distortion 3 at a lower gain does a nice OD and gets towards DS-1 territory when cranked. Also is a good lead boost for a dirty amp.

allen

Dave_Mc;992942" said:

i haven't tried it but the duncan is a tubescreamer with a 3-band eq. so if you don't want a tubescreamer...

Good point, but youtube demos sound impressive

allen

Sassafras;992987" said:

Dunlop JH Fuzz Face with both pots on full. By using the volume pot on the guitar you can get boost, overdrive, distortion or fuzz.

Sime impressive demos out there of that. Somehow feel I want more knobs though.

allen

olafgarten;993384" said:

You could also try those new Tone City pedals from Andertons.

You get the choice of
Marshall,
Vox,
AnalogueMan King Of Tone,
EVH,
Boogie,
and Soldano.

These are only £79.99 each.

That 'king of tone' isn't really (they are trying to imply it is). The manufacturer's blurb says klon on the left and 'original' on the right. Which makes it interesting though.

allen

Cols;993416" said:

Not on your list, but a RAT should cover it.

They say that a lot on TGP too. Got to try one.

allen

mike_l;993731" said:

Ibanez Jet Driver.Blackster LT Distortion

The MXR range do some nice OD into Distortion pedals. The Distortion 3 at a lower gain does a nice OD and gets towards DS-1 territory when cranked. Also is a good lead boost for a dirty amp.

Thanks. I used to like that blackstar tube drive pedal (got an ht-1) but maybe a bit 'modern' for me. Mxr do some pedals with 3 band eq too.

allen

I think my ideal pedal would cop
Zendrive
70s marshall
Low gain JTM/Klon

The jetter red square does zendrive, marshall and what sounds like low gain tweed to me. So it's close.

And the vsxo deffo merits a try.

TimmyO

Black box Guv'nor ? 

Dave_Mc

allen said:

Dave_Mc;992942" said:

i haven't tried it but the duncan is a tubescreamer with a 3-band eq. so if you don't want a tubescreamer...

Good point, but youtube demos sound impressive

Sure. I was going to say, maybe don't discount it and other tweaked tubescreamers if you can get to try them first in case you do like them. Just if you can't, and if you know you don't like them, maybe there are safer options.

builttospill

Jam pedals Rattler classic Rat clone is freaking awesome... very versatile pedal

english_bob

If you'll pardon the spam, I'd say that the Foxrox ZIM is well worth considering. 

It's a two channel drive with switchable inputs and outputs so that you can put the two channels in either order or at different points in your signal chain. It has a very powerful EQ control on one channel (based on a phase shifter, which means you can get in the ballpark of Jimmy Page's studio sounds which depend on phase cancellation from multiple mics) and Foxrox's unique interchangeable circuit board system that allows you to load a whole range of different dirt sounds- tubescreamers, transparent ODs, Fuzz Face, Big Muff, octave fuzz, clean boosts. Built like a tank.

http://www.foxroxelectronics.com/ZIM.html

As it happens I'm selling mine- since I switched to a split-channel amp I don't use pedals as much as I used to for dirt and I really want a DD-500.

http://www.thefretboard.co.uk/discussion/63456/fs-vox-delaylab-foxrox-zim-price-drop#latest