Which distortion/od pedal?

B

BluesJunkie

New member
(I originally posted this in the Rack forum, but somebody said I should post over here. Maybe a mod can delete whichever thread is in the wrong spot.)

Ok, here's the deal. I haven't used distortion pedals in years, so I'm out of touch. I used to play really loud plugged straight into a Marshall, and then for the past several years I've played at lower volumes running a POD into my practice amp. I've started jamming a lot more lately, and I want to be able to get a good sound without the POD.

I'm currently playing a Les Paul through a Marshall JCM 900 combo (I want to get a Fender amp), but the Marshall's distortion sucks at low volumes. I want to be able to go from a very smooth, slightly overdriven blues sound to a heavy, non-fuzzy, Slash or King's X type sound. The Boss Overdrive pedal may be what I'm looking for on the bluesy side, but it doesn't have enough drive for heavier stuff.

What pedal(s) would y'all recommend?
 
DO NOT buy the Boss OS-2 OverDrive/Distorion. It BLOWS. The OD sucks the bass and mids out of your signal and is harsh as a mother trucker. You can get some halfway decent distorted sounds out of it if all you play are power chords. I haven't used mine im months. I wasted 50 bucks on it. I dunno why I haven't sold it yet.

I recommend The Rat.
 
Assuming you are going to sell your 900...

The best bet is a Soldano pedal or seach until the far ends of the earth for a Matchless Hot Box. They are expensive but give the best distortion. Soldano is like $250.

If you can afford it...

Get your Fender for clean and find a used 20 or 40 watt Marshall Valve combo. I can't remember the names of the 900 series but the new ones are called DSL. Then you have that magnificent harmonic distortion with pure clean tones throughout the whole song. (I still can't believe how much better distortion is with a clean tone running next to it.)

I can't comment on solid state pedals. I just know I can't seem to go back after owning a tube amp.
 
I second both suggestions for the Ibanez Tube Screamer or the ProCo Rat. Both are perfect matches for the JCM 900. I have used the Tube Screamer for that exact purpose and have also heard great results from the Rat.
 
If you have to play a marshall at low volumes, (and I have no idea if this is good for an amp or not) try saturating the power tubes with the gain cranked and set the volume with the preamp. This should give you some balls at lower volume.
 
the Route 66 pedal is pretty cool.........it has two footswitches.....overdrive and compression.........the compression sounds great
 
I just replied on the rack page but here it is again:
My son, who plays in the industrial metal band "Animal Filter" http://www.animalfilter.com/ uses a sansamp GT-2 usually straight to the PA. I've played around some with this unit and find it very versitile. Mellow "fendery" clean and mildly distorted sounds to a close aproximation of the Mesa dual rectifier sound. Marshall AC/DC type sounds are also possible. Small knob movements can make a large difference. It is the only unit I've heard that doesn't sound "fizzy" when taken direct either recorded or live!
 
flatrockrecordin said:
I just replied on the rack page but here it is again:
My son, who plays in the industrial metal band "Animal Filter" http://www.animalfilter.com/ uses a sansamp GT-2 usually straight to the PA. I've played around some with this unit and find it very versitile. Mellow "fendery" clean and mildly distorted sounds to a close aproximation of the Mesa dual rectifier sound. Marshall AC/DC type sounds are also possible. Small knob movements can make a large difference. It is the only unit I've heard that doesn't sound "fizzy" when taken direct either recorded or live!
Click to expand...

I love my GT2 and it's great for a lot of reasons. I have even used it live into mic'ed amps and it sounded killer. However, I have used it with a few amps where the combination wasn't great. If you get one, it will have a ton of uses, especially playing at low volume, but try it with your amp before buying it.
 
i like the jeykl & hyde for OD and more gain. I ended up getting a maxon 808, but it doesn't have enough at low volumes. their other od has more gain suposedly. an 808 and rat could be good together. I also use a big muff but that won't work for you.
 
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