Best Overdrive Pedal...Price Unlimited

[Trey]

So what do y'all think? This is usually a pretty touchy subject, people seem to like what they like and detest all else. I haven't played enough of them to form an opinion, but have played enough to know that the botique stuff blows the run of the mill pedals out of the water...I used to think my BD-2 sounded pretty nice until my guitar teacher let me play with his Fulltone OCD for a week

So what say ye? Clean Boosts are acceptable too, but no full on distortions. Y'all's recommendations will most likely lead to a few purchases by yours truely, and I have no need for full throttle distortions(really have no need for an Overdrive/Clean Boost either ;D but I want, no need a new pedal)

[Baron ManShred Von PickedOften]

I have a DOD YJM-308 - it's basically a cosmetically re-packaged DOD-250 overdrive.

I think it's great...transparent enough at lower settings, nice bite at higher gain, and does a great job of sending a cranked tube amp into smooth distortion.

If you like Yngwie's tone, run your axe into a YJM-308 and into a cranked non-master volume Marshall, and there you go...

[GuyaGuy]

about a year ago i bought a Boss OD-3 from a bandmate and haven't even considered trying another OD pedal since then. (and he's since bought one to replace the one that he sold to me!)

in general, the problem with OD from a pedal is the same as OD from a SS amp: there is NO chunky midrange and no rich harmonics, both of which are THE sound of valve OD. so a lot of SS/pedal OD's sound sort of castrated and trebly.

well, i don't know what kind of mojo Boss summoned and put in the OD-3 but it's got the tube-like warm mid-range AND some nice harmonics! i've not tried the OD-1 or-2, but the OD-3 sounds quite different from the SD series, leaving even the SD-1 sounding very transistor-y. the OD-3 is also rather transparent, so yr guitar sounds like yr guitar rather than like a pedal. it's also very responsive to picking dynamics. it's more Fender tweed than half-stack crunch but it also goes from almost-clean boost to quite heavy. (heavy for vintage standards, that is.)
well, for "true tube tone" you need tubes (despite what you read in ad copy!), but the OD-3 gets dern close!
after buying it, i found it it has developed quite a following:
www.harmony-central.com/Effects/Data/Boss/OD_3-01.html

btw, i don't think a boutique pedal is neccessarily better than a mass-produced one. in fact, most boutique OD's are in some way based on mass-produced TubeScreamers, SD-1's, etc. boutique pedals just offer what isn't being offered by the big companies, whether it's a more authentic replica of the UniVibe or a wacked out theremin/noise machine like the Z.Vex FuzzProbe.

[erikh]

There's so many choices out there and so many different opinions. For me, it's the Boss SD-1 or MXR ZW-44 Wylde Overdrive. I've been using the ZW-44 more lately though. I love how it doesn't color your tone, just adds more grit to it.

As for boosts, there's a million of them out there and many that you can build yourself. I've built 3 so far, each one sounding different.

[bam]

I'm very convinced about the OD-3. I've always been sticking with SD-1, and thought that the OD-1 was good (not THAT good, though).. but seemed like the OD-3 can do better.

Think I'm going to try one after the exam days..

[dinis64]

You may think about checking in to modifying some stock pedals, like your BD-2. At www.indyguitarist.com you can have your BD-2 modded different ways. Brian Wampler has an excellent ear, and he is cheaper than Keeley and Analog Man (I like them, too, though). You can talk with (email) Brian and have it modded the way you want it. And he has mods for all of the Boss OD/ distortion pedals, and many more.

Check Keeley's website for some excellent clean boosts. I am going to modify a Boss TR-2 (or have Robert Keeley do it). After you add the volume adjustment, the TR-2 (Boss) is supposed to be one of the best clean boosts available (turning the tremelo all the way down).

There are also a lot of websites with info on making and modifying your own effects.

You may want to check into the Vox overdrive pedal that isn't made any more. They go off on Ebay for around $100. They are a tube screamer circuit but are much better than most stock tube screamers. Analog Man has a mod for these, but even he admits that it is one of the best stock OD's available.

[bam]

Okay, time for a revision ..

I've been using my old faithful SD-1 for around 3 years or so, until a few days ago a fellow guitarist lend me his Marshall Jackhammer (JH-1), the Guvnor's brother .. now that's awfully changed my preferences and now I'm thinking of selling my SD-1. It's way cool than any Boss OD/DS pedals out there, I think .. nice OD/DS pedal with OD/DS selector and 6 controls (gain, volume, bass, treble, contour[mid scoop], and Q), full metal casing and true bypass (unlike Boss/Line6/Ibanez pedals). Pretty versatile, it does even metal, although in small amount of gain it kinda sucks. (But the SD-1 does, too .. And I even think that all OD/DS pedals does)

And oh yeah, the JH-1 is NOT for clean boosts. it's DIRTY. I mean DIRTY.

[jamie]

Thats what i want, the Marshall Jackhammer (JH-1).
I want to try it through effects loop of Marshall JCM900 for extra push, grit and soaring solos.
Im gonna get a job next week, and gonna get one.
The marshall pedals apeal to me, or they are promoted really well. They got me sucked in, i want them all.

I have also heard alot about the Ibanez Tube Screamer.
But the originals are getting expensive. I briefly seen somewhere that Ibanez now makes two versions of the Tube Screamer. A lower priced one and a more pricey one that replicates the original as close as possible.
I have only heard of it being good for lead/solo sounds, anyone know if it is good for rhythem er chords?

[dinis64]

www.indyguitarist.com/soundclips/ig-od-fuzz-705.mp3

soundclip, new from Indyguitarist

from my email:

Here is a blurb from the website:
The LAST overdrive/distortion/fuzz you will ever need!! Our new overdrive goes
from clean boost
to overdrive to distortion all the way to fuzz simply by stepping on a switch
and turning the knobs!
* Bass boost/cut switch
* Blue Led
* Completely True Bypass
* Custom made Diamond Plate/Poplar enclosure with copper shielding for extra
noise shielding!
* Smooth and rich, Dark and Dirty, Nice Milky-Smooth, or Bright and Crunchy!
* Guitar version and Bass Guitar version available as well!

[erikh]

I heard that clip too. It's ok. Nothing special to me really.

[bam]

.. simply by stepping on a switch and turning the knobs!

(Correct me if I wrong, but .. aren't the same goes for ALL other pedals :?)

Honestly, I've tried my Jackhammer (bought last week) and it does all the tone Indyguitarist does except the "clean boost" (note: the amp is a Peavey Stereo Chorus 212 solidstate). Price ? $45 brand new.

[nowhereismyhome]

Save a buck, buy the parts to make your own mod and just modify a Boss BD-2 or an Ibanez Tubescreamer. I even modded an SD-1, but it sounds like a barrel of crap to me. And the Keeley modded DS-1 sounds awful to me...I only kept it to try and sell it on ebay. The DS-1 sounds like something Pennywise would use on Brohymn. The SD-1 you can't get a single clean boost out of. The BD-2 gets a clean, tubey overdrive, but still has some dirt in its output. The modded TS-5 sounds the best to me...

[Mini-Strat_Maine]

I've got a TS9 Tube Screamer, stock, which ain't bad. Also have a TS7, the one with the "Tone-Lok" knobs and "TS9/HOT" switch. I had that one modded by Analog Man, and it's excellent. I can't imagine ever switching it over to "HOT," though. Wee-OO!
I may eventually have the TS9 modded, too.

[nowhereismyhome]

If you're into home projects, try modding your TS9 yourself. Its pretty easy. I only recommend it because I enjoy doing it so damn much.... here's the link. www.monteallums.com

Jeez, I've posted that link so much lately that you'd think I WAS monte allums...heeeheeeheeee (I'm not). (I swear.) (Seriously, I'm not Monte).

[Mini-Strat_Maine]

nowhereismyhome said:

If you're into home projects, try modding your TS9 yourself. Its pretty easy. I only recommend it because I enjoy doing it so % much.... here's the link. www.monteallums.com

Jeez, I've posted that link so much lately that you'd think I WAS monte allums...heeeheeeheeee (I'm not). (I swear.) (Seriously, I'm not Monte).

Monte is Good People. (You are, too, but here's a recent transaction I had with him.) I had asked him about cutting one of his SSH copper pickguard shields with just the humbucker cutout, for my Squier Bullet. (I already have one of his SSS ones for my JS-050.) He emailed back and basically said, "Sure; no problem." I ordered it, plus a sheet of the new 12"x12" self-adhesive copper.
Later, when I went to order something from another vendor, PayPal popped up "sending to monteallums.com LLC." I thought, "Okay; another T-Von enterprise." Wrong.
Very shortly after I completed the transaction, he emailed me and said he didn't sell that item, and was returning the payment. It came back to my account immediately, no foot-dragging whatsoever. It was a small amount, and no merchant with a lick of sense would keep a payment for something they didn't sell, but Monte was both honest and prompt about it. (And he didn't say, "Yeah, right. Sure." when I said it was a PayPal Brain Cramp. [Dumped the cache and restarted the computer, and it kept doing that.])

Okay, that's enough O.T. from me.

[nowhereismyhome]

Not sure I understand what you're talking about, there. What do you need to buy to shield your pickguard? The copper cut out and some adhesive? I'm confused. He sells the best stuff on the net for modding, if you ask me, because getting your pedal modded is a rip. Fifty bucks for two hours worth of soldering work? And you have to send it away for a week or two. Save 30 bucks and do it yourself! Its fun!

[Mini-Strat_Maine]

nowhereismyhome said:

Not sure I understand what you're talking about, there. What do you need to buy to shield your pickguard? The copper cut out and some adhesive? I'm confused.

Yeah, I was thinking of using some spray adhesive and then kind of rrrolllinnnggg the shield onto the inside of the pickguard, just to make sure the cutouts on both line up perfectly. The copper on the pickguard wouldn't need conductive adhesive. You might only get one shot at lining everything up, so I might tack it down one half at a time.

Fifty bucks for two hours worth of soldering work?

But it's not just the labor, it's those extremely rare components they use. Some'a them electrothingies are potted with unicorn ear wax, ya know. ;D

And you have to send it away for a week or two.

Yeah, but that's still faster than I've ever completed a mod or scratchbuild.

Save 30 bucks and do it yourself! Its fun!

I just might do that, after I get some of my other projects caught up.

[nowhereismyhome]

Home projects are more fun, anyway. Still waiting on my Mighty Mite pups....

[night0wl]

IMO the MI Audio Tube Zone is THE best overdrive pedal out there. Brett Garsed uses these pedals exclusively for his sound. I made a sample here (please ignore my amaturish playing! ) which I used a tele copy with DiMarzio Chopper in the bridge, through the tube zone into a Mesa/Boogie .22 Calibre combo. The pedal settings were almost untouched straight from the box (drive was on about 7) Read more about the tube zone here and download Brett Garsed's demo for an even better example.