drive pedals for an already overdriven marshall/blackstar amp

nickp · September 2017

suggestions please for a creamy smooth overdrive for one of these?

my gunshot is kinda too middy for it and sounds a bit boxy for my ears. the boss SD1 sounds sort of ok when I give the higher gain channels a kick with it as all the harmonics come pouring out.

I've not had one of these style amps before and I'm just trying to tweak stuff to fit. It might be that my ears are thinking of getting a sort of us/boogie ish lead sound out of it sometimes

The OCD into it doesn't sound right to me either - but maybe I'm just a twat and need my ears examaning

I'm also trying to identify stuff to sell so I can go buy either a prs or an eggle (that's the subtext and has been the subject of previous posts!

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Cirrus · September 2017

I'd have said SD-1 is perfect for an overdriven Marshall style amp. I think the Blackstars are a bit less raw though, more refined in the mids, not quite as alive? Maybe something like a Rat with the gain set low to introduce a little more chaos into the mix? With the filter rolled up they can get very smooth up top, but of course the amp's overdriving so it might well add its own upper harmonics regardless of how much you roll off at the pedal.

Personally, I'd think something of that callibre is going to be the way to go - what is it about the SD-1 that doesn't make you go "This is it?" Might the slightly smoother TS-9 do the job?

I think the subtleties of more expensive overdrives with their tweaks and improvements and touch sensitivity, dynamics or whatever, while not to be sneered at, are largely going to be lost when you're kicking an amp that's already driving itself.

Sassafras · September 2017

Treble booster, SD-1 or Helix.

ICBM · September 2017

Is it a Marshall, or a Blackstar?

mike_l · September 2017

Boss SD-1 just works with Marshall and Marshall like amps.
The MXT GT-OD is also well worth a look, a bit Tubescreamer-y, but different. A very good lead boost.
For higher gain, the Boss DS-1 works really well with Marshall and similar amps.
The MXR Distortion3 also works really well with these amps.

All these pedals are the gain/tone(mids)/volume type, any pedal with these controls will be worth trying (IE anything along the Tubescreamer lines). Personally I wouldn't bother with anything laid out like a preamp (IE Volume, bass/mid/treble, gain controls) although they can be, and are, very useful in other situations.

nickp · September 2017

ICBM said:

Is it a Marshall, or a Blackstar?

blackstar

series 1 6l6 (and I know what you think of them

)

ICBM · September 2017

nickp said:

blackstar series 1 6l6 (and I know what you think of them )

In that case you probably want something more cutting/edgy than the SD-1, which is why I asked

.

If you're going for a Marshall sound are you setting the ISF to the left, not the right?

To be fair, I've got a S1-45 to work on this week and it does seem to sound OK - but also a HT-50 head, which sounds dreadful.

Sassafras · September 2017

ICBM said:

nickp said:

blackstar series 1 6l6 (and I know what you think of them )

In that case you probably want something more cutting/edgy than the SD-1, which is why I asked .

If you're going for a Marshall sound are you setting the ISF to the left, not the right?

To be fair, I've got a S1-45 to work on this week and it does seem to sound OK - but also a HT-50 head, which sounds dreadful.

Who are you and what have you done with the real ICBM?

professorben · September 2017

What about a Spark?

guitarfishbay · September 2017

Are you using OD1? Been a while since I played the 6L6 but IIRC the only channel that'll get close to creamy is OD1

nickp · September 2017

there's nothing horribly wrong with the SD-1 to give it a kick - it was the first thing i tried - i had one in my box and it kinda does the business - remembering i'm after a solo tone that's more american boogie than marshall - that's in addition to the native Blackstar tones which are great and i'm happy with them - nice classic rock/blues crunches and some decent slashisms.

i'm doing a major kit rejig which sadly will involve the sale of some beloved pedals, and a guitar, to buy a new guitar and a couple of pedals for the blackstar

nickp · September 2017

professorben said:

What about a Spark?

ta - i already use a spark booster (TC) to kick the strat to the same level as the LP without having to fanny with any volume knobs mid gig - I could try using it for a more full on boosta roll - ta ben

nickp · September 2017

guitarfishbay said:

Are you using OD1? Been a while since I played the 6L6 but IIRC the only channel that'll get close to creamy is OD1

using em all

not too much gain on any of them so clean is just below v mild break up, crunch is on 9 o clock, od 1 similarly about 9 o clock and probably about the same on OD 2. OD 1 is getting used a lot

esp with the vol knob on the guitars and the crunch channel is really good for some classic rock rhythm etc

Ro_S · September 2017

An SD1 or tubescreamer type pedal, due to their mid hump, may make it too muddy - especially if you're using humbuckers.

You may be better off getting/using an overdrive with a flatter eq profile.

CarpeDiem · September 2017

Friedman BE-OD? I find it versatile in terms of gain and EQ.

guitarfishbay · September 2017

nickp said:

guitarfishbay said:

Are you using OD1? Been a while since I played the 6L6 but IIRC the only channel that'll get close to creamy is OD1

using em all not too much gain on any of them so clean is just below v mild break up, crunch is on 9 o clock, od 1 similarly about 9 o clock and probably about the same on OD 2. OD 1 is getting used a lot esp with the vol knob on the guitars and the crunch channel is really good for some classic rock rhythm etc

Cool

The crunch channel is my favourite on these amps. I used to own the 4 channel EL34

Ro_S · September 2017

CarpeDiem said:

Friedman BE-OD? I find it versatile in terms of gain and EQ.

That's a Marshall-in-a-box style pedal, yes? Marshall pedal into a Marshall amp? I don't see the point?

CarpeDiem · September 2017

Ro_S said:

CarpeDiem said:

Friedman BE-OD? I find it versatile in terms of gain and EQ.

That's a Marshall-in-a-box style pedal, yes? Marshall pedal into a Marshall amp? I don't see the point?

Yes, it is a Marshall in-a-box style pedal. It's capable of high gain, but there's an internal pot allowing you to back the gain range lower. I've had mine going from Slash type creamy lead to high gain riffing.

ICBM · September 2017

Sassafras said:

ICBM said:

To be fair, I've got a S1-45 to work on this week and it does seem to sound OK

Who are you and what have you done with the real ICBM?

OK…. I have to admit it. I based that post on about two minutes at the end of a day with a partially working amp. (Clean channels dead, just the crunch channels working.)

I've now got it fixed, and had a proper listen to it - and it's not anywhere near as good as I thought.

It *is* better voiced than the other Blackstars I'm more familiar with in that it's noticeably brighter and clearer. But the problem is that it's horrifically stiff and hard-sounding - really cutting and brash, not bright in a good 'sparkly' Fender-type way, more like a solid-state amp even though it's mostly valve. And I *like* solid-state amps! I thought my old Peavey had a tendency to be too steely and bright if you're not careful with it, but this Blackstar is worse - and unlike the Peavey, turning the bass up high and the mids low doesn't seem to soften it much.

So my answer to the OP's question is that you're probably going to need a Mesa V-Twin, which is the only pedal I have heard to date which can really give valve-amp-like depth and responsiveness to a hard-sounding solid-state amp, so I expect it would work with this too. Surprisingly, it's much more 'Marshally' than you would expect for a Mesa product. There is a reason for that...

rico · September 2017

A Suhr Koko Reloaded would be a good choice here. A clean boost and a multi choice mid boost in one pedal. Very useful indeed.

ecc83 · September 2017

ICBM if time allows could you try driving the Blackstars from the FX return ? I would love to know if the 'stiffness/steeliness ' is in the pre amp or PI/OP stages.

Dave.

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drive pedals for an already overdriven marshall/blackstar amp

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