Distortion/Overdrive pedals: That Mesa Boogie Sound

wtfuhz

wtfuhz

5 dollar loud blunts
Anyone know of some pedals that kinda emulate that rich, saturated overdrive of a mesa boogie rec or stiletto? Of course having the amp itself is ideal to achieve the sound, but like many people in this world I don't have a thousand bucks+ to spend on it(I'm aiming for $170 or less). I plan on going to the store to try out several pedals on the clean channel of an egnater head.

I've heard good things about Fulltone Fulldrive2 Mosfet, TS9 of course, and DS-1.

Are there better candidates that you think I should try before I make a decision? Once again, the key word is saturation. Lots of it. Reminiscent of a mesa boogie or even a cranked orange.
 
Look into these:

Mesa V-Twin
Bogner Ecstasy Blue, Ecstasy Red, and Uberschall pedals
Fulltone OCD
Earthquaker Devices Monarch (supposed to sound like an Orange)


I don't know too much about the new pedals Mesa just released, but it might be worth checking those out too. Mesa Boogie New Pedals
 
I don't play guitar, but the TS-9 is awesome. It is subtle though, so you have to be most of the way there already, but it can really push the tone over the edge.
 
Boogie's sound is a lot of preamp and a single pre phase inverter Master Volume control to put a leash on it before the power tubes.
Depending on the amp you have, and your budget, I'd say you want a 'distortion' box with a lot of low end, to avoid what I call the 'Constipated Kazoo' tone. Maybe a Wampler Ecstasy? An already 'crunchy' tone with a pedal like this takes it to a whole 'nother level.
 
Look into the Tech 21 California pedal. Plenty of demos on youtube. In the right hands, I think the Tech 21 pedals do a fairly good job of emulating whatever group of amps they're designed to mimic. They seem to be better at going direct rather than driving an amp though, so if live is your thing you'd definitely want to try it with your setup first.

I've got a Fulltone OCD, and I wouldn't call it Boogie-like, but then I guess I haven't really tried to make it sound that way. If you can find one at the store to try out there, by all means give it a shot.
 
Thanks for all the good suggestions. I'll be sure to check them out today. Something I wish I had mentioned was that I am looking for some fairly decent note separation from the pedal as well. I'll just have to see which is my cup of tea though.
 
The OCD is not Mesa-like. It's a nice amp-in-a-pedal, but really you're not gonna get that sound with a pedal. That Mesa sound is the result of a Mesa amp. Tubes, wires, resistors, capacitors, transformers, etc. You best bet IMO would be a processor or modeler if you can't get the real thing.
 
I already know I wont get the natural sound. I've noted that in the original post. I tried a bunch of stuff and ended up getting the Earthquaker Monarch. Sweet tone that stacks with my amp really nicely :thumbs up:
 
what sort of amp will you be using with the pedal?

[edit - you already got the pedal, so] what sort of amp are you using with the pedal?
 
So you got a pedal that is a polar tonal opposite of the big Mesa sound that you originally asked about? wtfuhz indeed! :D
 
The R2 has a companion Distortion box called D2.
I didn't mind the sound of the pedal - it was OK but a bit to OD'd for my lliking. I HATE those New Wave Of Heavy Metal type riffs he was playing though.
The Guitar Fetish Brownie Classic isn't bad but it's a Marshall chaser.
 
Yeah, after playing around with some pedals the monarch just kinda gave it that flavor I really liked. Mesas are overrated! :yawn:
 
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