Overdrive to cover most bases

BintyTwanger77 · November 2017

zepp76 said:

I'm going to sound like a stuck record but I've got to recommend the Strymon Sunset. It is the most versatile pedal I have owned and will give you from clean boosts to balls out high gain in the flick of a switch. Go try one, you won't be disappointed.

I found that with my Sunset, there was definitely an affect on my tome when the pedal wasn't engaged, very trebly and clangy, like an overactive buffer (and I got this whether TB or buffered modes were engaged). You're obviously not getting this because you like it: you haven't found this? If not, where could I've gone wrong?

I was going to recommend the Chase Bliss Brothers, which I already have, if budget allows.

punchesjudy · November 2017

Earthquaker Palisades.. That ended my long running search for an od that could do low gain, high gain and stack well with a fuzz. The boost is just a nice bonus.
I have heard great things about the Chase Bliss Brothers if your budget allows it.

Ro_S · November 2017

kswilson89 said:

Can anyone recommend a good overdrive that covers blues and rock? Would it be best to get a tubescreamer and a separate klone for more transparency? I've been considering the Wampler Clarksdale as it has an adjustable 3-band EQ so I could dial the mids in and out as I see fit.

Any overdrive worth its salt should cover blues and rock.

If you are considering that Wampler pedal due to its flexible EQ, definitely also check out a similar pedal that Seymour Duncan do (805, or something I think it might be called). They're both TS related.

If you like Boss stuff, the SD1 and BD2 are both good choices. Former is basically a TS. Latter has flatter EQ and quite a wide gain range.

EHX Soul Food is very good affordable choice for lower gain overdrive and the Klon thing.

OCD and Barber Gain Charger mentioned by others will both cover distortion stuff, too. The former is more for higher gain overdrive and lower gain distortion. The latter covers the whole gamit. If you just want an overdrive / lower gain, I wouldn't go for the OCD.

How much gain do you want?

Pairing two overdrives can give you three extra sounds (A, B, and stacked) just with their footwitches. I'd suggest getting two more affordable overdrive pedals rather than one expensive one.

Do you already have an overdrive pedal? If so, my suggestion would be dependant on knowing what that is.

what type of pickups do you use and what amp?

hoofhearted · November 2017

My vote is for the Providence SOV-2. Got one recently and its amazing

builttospill · November 2017

Really liking the Vick Audio Tree of Life, nice low gain all the way up to thick and meaty

builttospill · November 2017

Massively impressed with my Boss OD-1, very simple to dial in and loves to be pushed by a klone, Very addictive Overdriven tones.

crunchman · November 2017

stratman3142 said:

rico said:

stratman3142 said:

I had an OCD which sounded good in isolation but thin in a band context, so I sold it. Conversely my Tubescreamer (a Maxon OD9) didn't sound particularly exciting in isolation but worked really well in a band context. What works will probably depend on the instruments in the band and the sound of the other guitarist (if there is one).

Interesting! How did you have it set? On the low peak setting with the gain wound up its very very fat!

I tried various settings but overall found it too mid scooped. In my previous band the bass frequencies of the other instruments masked the bottom end (plus the other guitarist had a fairly bassy sound) which left the top end sounding thin, with not enough mids to fill it out. But it might sound OK in other band set ups.

With the bands I've played in, I've generally found more mids (to upper mids) seem to slot in for drive sounds. I've had a similar experience with my home recordings, where the guitar in isolation can sound somewhat middly but it works (and doesn't sound that way) in the full track. Focusing on good guitar sounds in isolation can often cloud an overall mix. However, I like my clean sounds to be more mid scooped.

It does depend of the version of the OCD. I had a very early version one (or 1.1), that really didn't have much mids. I've now built myself a clone of the 1.4. It's not a Tubescreamer but it does have more mids than the first one.

It does depend on amp as well. My number one amp is a Tweed style so the amp is quite mid heavy. With that, the OCD has been my go to drive for a very long time. With an amp with less mids, it might not be quite as good. Having said that, I've heard an OCD played with a Fender 65 PRRI that sounded brilliant. The higher gain sounds did have a Soul Food pushing it, which would boost the mids.

The other thing I would say about the OCD is that it's better on 18V. At 9V it's a good pedal, but I've never found another drive pedal I like as much as an OCD on 18V. I've had a good few expensive drives over the years as well.

Saddlepunk · November 2017

Empress multidrive - fuzz, overdrive, distortion +++

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Overdrive to cover most bases

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