distortion pedal?

  • Thread starter Thread starter ConcreteHippo
  • Start date Start date
I like the BOSS Bluesdriver quite a bit.
Don't like the OD's at all.
 
well the blues driver is a type of overdrive....i use an sd 1 as a boost before my ds 2...sustains like nothing else!
 
Cardioidpotent said:
I've got one that I think sounds like crap! It's an old one, before they had all the different kinds, though, so that may be it. Are you guys just using it as a boost to the pre in your amp, and it's really the amp sound your getting? The only sound I can get out of mine is what I would describe as 80's hair metal. Like I said, wtf am I doing wrong? What sort of settings are you using to get 'slightly dirty'?
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The filter knob is kind of like an opposite tone knob. Clockwise rolls off the treble. With that in mind, I can get a good mild distortion with the distortion just past 9 o'clock, the filter somewhere between 2 and 3 o'clock, and the volume at around 4 o'clock. I've noticed that the Rat is very responsive to your pickup, and sounds very different through different amps. So if you're getting a bad sound, then you're probably using bad gear. You can remedy this somewhat with an EQ pedal before the Rat. Try turning the bass down on your amp and let the Rat take care of the low end, or the opposite. Another thing I've noticed with the Rat is a lack of midrange. I used to have this EQ'd in because my pickup doesn't have much midrange either. Now I use an overdrive before the Rat with the mids boosted a bit . It not only gives it the added punch of the mids, but it also boosts the lower level harmonics, making it easier to do pinch harmonics.

The most important thing to remember is that the Rat has its own type of distortion, it doesn't try to sound like something else. Chances are you're not going to be able to match the sounds of other players, and to me this is a godsend. I think of its sound as a cross between Fender's distortion and Marshall's. There are a lot of people who don't like Fender's distortion when used as a full blown distortion rather than a slight overdrive, so this might be the part of the Rat that you don't like.

Many people say that the Rat can't do metal either and I agree, to a point. No, it doesn't sound like a 5150 or Dual Rectifier. It doesn't give off a tight, focused distortion like they do. However, with the right adjustments (overdrive pedal, EQ, etc.) you can get a nasty metal tone that is completely unique. I love it.

Man, I sound like a ProCo salesman :p
 
I picked up a Fulltone OCD a while back. Holy crap does it sound good.

It better for how much it costs, but it does live up to its price tag.

-C
 
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