What's your most under-rated pedal?

ThePrettyDamned

Flanging_Fred said:

Someone on eBay sent me a GV2 by mistake a few years ago. I really don't understand why people like it so much. I tried it up against my Mk1 Guvnor and found the gv2 to be fizzy , muddy and really unresponsive to changes in tone and volume. Could be user error or it not working well with my amp I suppose, but I wasn't impressed.

 I'm not a particularly discerning tone hound but I wasn't at all disappointed to return it. 

It doesn't clean up and it is crap at bedroom volume but it's the closest thing I've heard to changing a clean fender into something that truly sounds like a Marshall jcm800. 

Doesn't have ridiculous gain levels - I ran mine just a bit under max. But it has so much oomph to it, and it really just seemed so right. 

Better loud, but still very good. It has a resonance control which makes a clean combo really churn out some bottom end - it's easy to dial in too much, mine was always less than a quarter up. But it was excellent. 

thermionic

I find the Guv'nor II to have a very "soft" type of overdrive, if that makes any sense? I've owned a DSL 201 and a first series Valvestate (which didn't contain a valve, but the drive channel was a Guv'nor style type circuit - two LEDs clipping an opamp output). Both had that Marshall rock crunch in spades. The Guv'nor II is maybe lacking a bit of edge somehow - compared to the Marshall amps, but also in comparison to something like the OCD. I know there's the "C22 mod" which opens up the higher frequencies, but it doesn't seem like just high frequencies missing, it's sort of missing some raw quality. Still a nice overdrive sound, but it doesn't match up with my experience of Marshall amps, or JCM800 models I've played about with in modellers.

mike_l

@thermionic I found that with the Gv2.
 Did you try a boost in front, summat like an SD-1? Worked really well for me. Tightened everything up, and gave it a little extra kick. The low boost needs to be set carefully otherwise things get a bit flubby and bass heavy.

thermionic

No, I haven't tried that, I only use it when I want a standalone Marshall sound. Makes sense though, as SD-1 into a Marshall amp is a well-proven setup. I read somewhere that a change in value of C22 can be useful, rather than clip it out completely.

digitalscream

Not sure if counts as "underrated" in the absolute sense, but...I'm chucking the Bogner Ecstasy Red in the ring, because it doesn't get half as much love as it should.

I've just put together a preamp-based board (AMT F1 always-on at the end of the chain, basically a Fender Twin preamp) with the Red providing the distortion. It's utterly incredible; acts exactly as you'd expect a high-gain amp's preamp to behave, and has the unusual property of the boost switch being both dependent on the bypass (so when it's bypassed, the boost does nothing) and the boost acting on both the volume and the gain, just as you'd expect from a two-channel amp with shared EQ.

On top of all that, the Variac switch is a revelation! Can't quite put into words what it does, other than to say that it takes a "precise"-sounding tone and makes it all squishy and amp-like.

I've even been recording a bit with the board direct into my interface instead of through the power section of my JCA22H then a reactive load, and it sounds just as good to my ears.

It ain't cheap, but it's bloody-well worth it.

Voxman

thermionic said:

 I've owned a DSL 201 and a first series Valvestate (which didn't contain a valve, but the drive channel was a Guv'nor style type circuit - two LEDs clipping an opamp output). 

All valvestates had a valve in the gain channel...that's why they were called Valvestates.  I still have my mk1 8080 80v, and there is definitely a 12AX7/ECC83 in there! I bought mine new in 1991 when they first came out.  If your Marshall didn't have a valve, then it wasn't a valvestate. 

Re the GV2, as I mentioned, I use mine with an EQ after it, which enhances both the highs and bottom end.

builttospill

Wazmeister said:

builttospill said:

I'm really warming to my CTC Blackface Stardust.  Finally found a drive that works with my Princeton... gives any thing from light grit to full on crunch! combined with the Hotcake I've been able to get some suprisingly good Pavement tones.

I had a CTC and sold it, but it did the best driven Fender tones Ive heard in a pedal. 

Yep! It's a cracking pedal... Interacts well with other pedals and I like the fact that it works really well at low volume

builttospill

builttospill said:

Wazmeister said:

builttospill said:

I'm really warming to my CTC Blackface Stardust.  Finally found a drive that works with my Princeton... gives any thing from light grit to full on crunch! combined with the Hotcake I've been able to get some suprisingly good Pavement tones.

I had a CTC and sold it, but it did the best driven Fender tones Ive heard in a pedal. 

Yep! It's a cracking pedal... Interacts well with other pedals and I like the fact that it works really well at low volume... better still I only paid £95 brand new! CTC have just revamped the graphics on it so got it heavily discounted 

Flanging_Fred

Voxman said:

thermionic said:

 I've owned a DSL 201 and a first series Valvestate (which didn't contain a valve, but the drive channel was a Guv'nor style type circuit - two LEDs clipping an opamp output). 

All valvestates had a valve in the gain channel...that's why they were called Valvestates.  I still have my mk1 8080 80v, and there is definitely a 12AX7/ECC83 in there! I bought mine new in 1991 when they first came out.  If your Marshall didn't have a valve, then it wasn't a valvestate. 

Re the GV2, as I mentioned, I use mine with an EQ after it, which enhances both the highs and bottom end.

Sorry but I don't think you're correct. In the original series of Valvestates, the 8020 was solid state only. No pre-amp valve. 

ICBM

Voxman said:

All valvestates had a valve in the gain channel...that's why they were called Valvestates.  I still have my mk1 8080 80v, and there is definitely a 12AX7/ECC83 in there! I bought mine new in 1991 when they first came out.  If your Marshall didn't have a valve, then it wasn't a valvestate.

The smallest ones don't - the 10 and 20W models. The 40W is the first one which does.

The reason they're called Valvestate is actually the supposedly valve-emulating solid-state power section, hence why the rack power amp models have a switch on the back marked 'Valvestate' and 'Linear'.

Voxman

Flanging_Fred said:

Voxman said:

thermionic said:

 I've owned a DSL 201 and a first series Valvestate (which didn't contain a valve, but the drive channel was a Guv'nor style type circuit - two LEDs clipping an opamp output). 

All valvestates had a valve in the gain channel...that's why they were called Valvestates.  I still have my mk1 8080 80v, and there is definitely a 12AX7/ECC83 in there! I bought mine new in 1991 when they first came out.  If your Marshall didn't have a valve, then it wasn't a valvestate. 

Re the GV2, as I mentioned, I use mine with an EQ after it, which enhances both the highs and bottom end.

Sorry but I don't think you're correct. In the original series of Valvestates, the 8020 was solid state only. No pre-amp valve. 

My bad @Flanging_Fred  I just found the manual and you're quite right, the smaller basic 8010 and 8020  versions didnt have the valve...well I'll be jiggered.  Goodness knows how they could be called valvestates then...very misleading.

mike_l

thermionic said:

No, I haven't tried that, I only use it when I want a standalone Marshall sound. Makes sense though, as SD-1 into a Marshall amp is a well-proven setup. I read somewhere that a change in value of C22 can be useful, rather than clip it out completely.

Well worth trying, turn the gain right down on the SD-1, add mids to taste.

lasermonkey

Probably the Behringer CC300 Space Chorus, which is a clone of the Boss DC-2 Dimension. It's close- bloody close, and cheap as chips.
The same goes for the RV600 (Verbzilla clone). I actually think it sounds better, as it doesn't have the weird distortion issue that the Verbzilla suffers from.

William Williamson

Behringer SF300 is a fantastic Maestro Fuzz clone - definitely Electric Wizard in a pedal, only getting shot of mine thanks to the Carcosa.

AxeWieldingBastard

Line 6 Echo Park is one of the best delays I own. The modulation in tape mode randomize's which few 'warble/wow/flutter' emulators do (it also sounds incredibly sci-fi with the depth turned all the way up). It has the best reverse delay mode I've ever heard, ping-pong, multihead, slap back and a phaser type delay (which sounds great); it also has 3 different modes (bbd, analog, tape), stereo, trails and tap bloody tempo! At about 40 squid used it's honestly rude not to buy one.

In addition to that, im.bloody loving my Boss DS1 at the moment. It's a bit sad used on it's own as the output ctrl is a bit weak and the tone knob only sounds good in one position. But, run it into a ZVEX Channel 2 (set just above unity) and it smells like glory.

+ ZVEX Channel 2's are still only £60 at GAK? That's less than half the price of a new SHO, and you receive the added bonus of not having a pre-school drawing of a guitar wielding gorilla on your pedal, or having it decorated with the words "super", "hard" or "on".

Strangefan

I really like my line6 m9,  some amazing sounds in that box 

AxeWieldingBastard

Yep, I have an M5 too. The delays are different to the Echo Park, but still great. I wish I had the M9 so I could stack the delays & verbs with the synth models- will have to get one this year.

professorben

Voxman said:

Flanging_Fred said:

Someone on eBay sent me a GV2 by mistake a few years ago. I really don't understand why people like it so much. I tried it up against my Mk1 Guvnor and found the gv2 to be fizzy , muddy and really unresponsive to changes in tone and volume. Could be user error or it not working well with my amp I suppose, but I wasn't impressed.

 I'm not a particularly discerning tone hound but I wasn't at all disappointed to return it. 

Everyone has different tastes but never more than when you get into distortions.  Plugged into my Laney VC30-210 or Cub 12R, it's 'instant Marshall'.  

clarkefan said:

I have both the Jackhammer and Guvnor2,  your thoughts on both are er at odds with mine.  GV2 like JCM800? I've clearly missed something, will go investigate

I think you really have - just remember to take the gain down, not to crank it full.  You do need to set the 'deep' and EQ settings properly too as the controls are actually quite interactive.  Most folk don't appreciate that a JCM800 doesn't actually have anything like the gain that they think.  The JCM800 tone that most folk have in their head is a modded JCM800 or with a tubescreamer, SD1 or trebleboost added.  (I used to have an original unmodded JCM800).

I run a GE7 EQ at the end of my pedal board set in a 'W' shape - kicking that in gets you the extra highs & bottom end, and gives you that 'modded/boosted' tone. 

Agreed to my ears a 800 is 'Angus' levels of gain. 

BintyTwanger77

The Dr Scientist Frazz Dazzler is a hugely underrated fuzz pedal. I've still got one and keep trying to sell it because I barely use fuzz, but hasn't sold yet, and that surprises me. It sounds huge (tremendous bass end), the sizzle control is great and you can blend in the dry/wet signal. Great pedal. But if it continues to be this underrated, I may have to remove it from the forum and keep it forever  

peaches

+ ZVEX Channel 2's are still only £60 at GAK? That's less than half the price of a new SHO, and you receive the added bonus of not having a pre-school drawing of a guitar wielding gorilla on your pedal, or having it decorated with the words "super", "hard" or "on".

I fail to see the downside to either of those things. Erect gorillas are totally welcome and in fact preferred on all of my pedals.