distortion pedals

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twist

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I've been using a rack mount DigiTech efx processor for guitars. Though it does everything, has 230 programs, I'm
never satisfied with the distortion programs. It's OK for lead parts, but on the preset programs, the distortion is too heavy for rhythm guitar parts. It's adjustable of course, but if I reduce the amount of distortion, it starts too sound really crappy, more like a buzz. Yuck!

So the question is, does anyone have any suggestions for a distortion pedal. The sound I'm looking for is more like the natural sounding distortion from playing chords through a cranked amp.

POD seems like a cool product, but I'm really on a budget (read wife/kids/mortgage/etc.).So it must be cheap.

Thanks
Twist
 
Distortion Pedal: Big Muff

It's a great stomp box. You can buy em used or new. It sounds good through the clean channel or through the distorted channel of your amp.

If you want to hear an example of it played through a distorted channel, listen to Weezer.

Ultimately, it's what sounds good to you. Go to the local music store and listen to different pedals.

Scott
 
If you have a tube amp that can growl a bit already I'd reccomend an ibanez tube screamer.Then theres the rat distortion pedal.Also theres the boss ds-1.

Instead of a sansam id reccomend the tech 21 xxl pedal, it has a knob to adjust the even and odd harmonics and is selling cheap at musicians friend.The classic sans amp isnt my favorite choice.but, the sans amp ps-1 will rock your world

Each of these pedals are effective to put an amp over the edge.If you dont like the sound of your amp then theres only one thing to do really, run dont walk and get the mesa boogie v-twin pedal.

Personally im looking at their formula preamp myself.
http://www.mesaboogie.com

hughs and kettner also have a tube pre amp pedal that is very NICE

the pod is missing something imho, It doesnt respond the way I like an amp to.For running into your amp Id recdcomend a yamaha dg instead.
some info for your pleasure here-
http://www.amptone.com

for a distortion sound to really behave nicely in regards to dynamics and saturation whats needed is a tube power amp.then you hook up a powewr attenuator to the amp turn it way up hook up some celestion vintage 30's or ev's stick an e.q. and a tubescreamer up front and rock out.

Tube pre amps are only effective when the pre amp tube is mysteriously conjoled to behave like an overdriven power tube-mesa boogie seems to be good at this...

The mesa boogie v-twin kicks the pods ass used with an amp(or otherwise)

and the mesa boogie formula a little more pricey kicks ass for recording direct.

[Edited by robert jaybird on 01-19-2001 at 10:53]
 
"it must be cheap"

tech 21 xxl i saw for under $90 at musicians friend, but play before you buy.My personal favs for stomp box's are the tube screamer and the rat(but no stomp box will sound good, especially the tube screamer unless it has a tube to scream)
 
twist, does your digitech pedal have cab emulation? If so, try turning it up for more highs/output or lower it for more mellow/deeper sounds. I think i keep mine around 5 to 7 or so. I also run my digitech pedal through a SansAmp GT-2 to give it "tube" tones, this works very nice too.
 
twist,
Check out http://www.tonefrenzy.com/, there's a section that contains soundfiles of tons of distortion and overdrive pedals. It at least gives an idea of how some of them sound, then you can narrow the field before you go to try some out. If you are going to run them through the rack processor to record the guitar direct, then you need to take the processor along with you and your guitar when you go to audition pedals. You can listen through a mixer or some phones. Make sure they have a good exchange policy in case you get it home and don't really like it. I could tell you my faves, but since guitar distortion is such a subjective topic, you really just need to use your ears. All the aforementioned pedals are good, each in their own way.

Good luck.
 
Thanks one and all,
see ya later,
gotta go do some shopping.

Twist
 
Check out marshall's line of pedals..the particular one being the Jackhammer..
 
That new Digitech RP200 is pretty cool if you don't need Midi control.It's got an expression pedal built in and the case is made of metal.Pretty decent FX,too.
 
Jackhammer (whatta name!)

poo:

I definitely agree with you. I won one in a competition recently. Very versatile, although it's quite heavy-sounding. I like the overdrive-mode definitely better than the distortion mode. Really sounds like Marshall.
 
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