Overdrive pedals!

[refriedwhiskey]

Okay, I'm seeking advice again. This time on an OD pedal. I'm most interested in a Tube Screamer or an OCD, but I'm open to other recommendations. I'd like to pay $150 or less, and I'm looking for something I won't need or want to modify.

I'd like a good electric blues tone with oodles of sustain. My favorites are Clapton, B.B., SRV, Buddy Guy, Robert Cray...them fellas.

Questions: Is the Vintage Tube Screamer Reissue really so much better than the regular Tube Screamer that it's worth an extra $70?

Is the OCD better than either? Both? Is there any kind of waiting list for an OCD, like there is for some boutique pedals?

Is there such a thing as a Tube Screamer or OCD clone kit that would be cheaper than the real thing? Anybody have actual experience with these?

Should I be considering any other OD pedals?

Thanks as always in advance for advice.

[jeru]

You can mod any TS-9 (and I think some of the others as well, other folks here will know which ones) to old-school 808 spec for a couple of bucks in parts. I did mine myself, and I'm a complete idiot. Oodles of info on this on the web on this.

As far as one drive pedal being better, it depends on what sound you're going for (you named quite a few greats, with widely differing sounds), what type of rig you play though, etc. An OCD and a TS are completely different animals.

Go to a store that has all the pedals you're considering, plug in a guitar similar to yours, plug into an amp as similar to yours as you can find, and make some noise. Get whatever helps you make the sound you hear in your head.

Among other pedals, I have a TS-9 reissue, a beat to hell old school TS-808, and an OCD. They are all great pedals, but they are useful for different things. You have to get out and play them, otherwise you're flying blind.

Edit: I forgot -- clones. http://www.buildyourownclone.com/screamer.html

[Offshore Angler]

RFW, it really depends too on the amp. Some pedals work better with differnt amps. For a BF I still like a BOSS OD-1 or the newer OD-3. I have a TS-9 I've doctored and love, but it basically sounds like the BOSS does out of the box now.

For one of my other amps nothing but a Blues Driver sounds right, and for one of my amps, noting but a RAT set to low gain works. It's really all about the sound you hear in your head.

One thing though, is price means nothing. Some guys will swear you must have some special botique pedal, but in reality, most of those are merely built to mimic the off-the-shelf units that some famous recording was made with.

It's a very personal choice, and the guy writing that such and such a pedal is perfect sounding may have a completely different sound in his head, and different gear and technique.

jeru's advice is sound, IMHO.

[refriedwhiskey]

To clarify a bit: I'm not looking to cop any specific artist's sound. I listed a handful of my heroes knowing they all have their own sounds...but they all seem to have one thing in common: great tone with loads of sustain.

My rig barely qualifies as a rig: It's a Squier Strat with Fender Vintage Noiseless pups and an M-Audio Black Box amp modeler. The Black Box does tons of different amps with varying degrees of success. For the most part, I use the Bassman, Deluxe Reverb, and Twin Reverb models. I guess the Twin model is my favorite; it seems a little warmer than the DR model.

I don't know how accurate these models are, but they all sound very good clean or with a little drive -- but not so good with more drive. So I figure an OD pedal might be in order, and maybe the good folks here can give me some ideas about what I should try out. I figure if several people all say "I like X a lot," that's one I should check out myself. I might add the Boss pedals to the list; I've always liked Boss.

Is the Tube Screamer very sensitive to guitar volume? Does it clean up well if you roll the volume back or pick more softly? How about the OCD and Boss pedals? What's the difference between the OD-1 and -3?

[Offshore Angler]

RFW, a stock 'screamer isn't really dynamic or transparent. They lack the saturation required for that. When I mod them, besides changing the cheap caps to electrolytics, I lower the resistance in the tone stack. I replace the 4.7k with 2.2k, and on my current one, I added a switch to go from 2.2k to 1.1k.

The electrolytics aid vastly in gaining transparency and dynamics, and the lower tone stack values give it tons more warmth and for some reason I can't explain, the sum of the mods also results in some compression and thus sustain.

That said, I can tell you this setup works good into BF Fenders. How it would work with your modeler is up for grabs.

[refriedwhiskey]

Thanks. Every bit of data is useful to the process. I have about as much fun researching a purchase like this as making it.

[rudutch]

http://www.musiciansfriend.com/produ...dal?sku=150070

a pedal should not cost as much as an amp

[cdw2000]

FWIW the Ibanez Tone-Lok TS-7 has an identical circuit to the TS-9 (except that it has a "Hot Mode" switch to boost the gain), and is way cheaper.

I know because I've traced the circuit and modded it to a TS-808... and applied the Robert Keeley mods.

http://www.zzounds.com/item--IBATLTS7

[fenderden]

a pedal should not cost as much as an amp

I am sure there are some who may argue that point. I happen to believe that not all effects are created equal and there are good, bad and even great overdrives out there. The expense comes into the labor such as hand wiring, etc. Yes, sometimes prices can even by hyped by overzealousness.

That all said I think the OCD by Fulltone is my recommendation here.

[refriedwhiskey]

FWIW the Ibanez Tone-Lok TS-7 has an identical circuit to the TS-9

Yeah, what is the deal with those little, silver Ibanez pedals with the bargain prices? I saw a couple on MF when I was listening to OD pedal clips. The TS-7 didn't sound too shabby...and it's $40, as opposed to the TS-9's $99 or the TS-808 RI's $169.

What's the catch?!

I haven't tested any pedals in person yet, but I'm leaning toward a Tube Screamer, just based on sound clips I've been able to find. The TS-808 kit at BYOC.com looks like fun. Half the price of the Ibanez reissue, and it comes with lots of extra components and instructions to do a bunch of the popular mods. I may go for that.

Are there overdrive pedals that cost as much as an amp? If I had the money for my amp of choice right now, I'd get a DRRI...I can't imagine any OD pedal being worth $850!

(I did see some tube-based pedals for $200 and more, but I'm not even looking at anything that expensive.)

[Mesotech]

For overdrive I have a Bad Monkey, and a Fulldrive II Mosfet. I like both. Both are different, yet both are the same. The Fulldrive is more versatile with its many options, yet pricey. The Bad Monkey gets the job done too for less than $40, and is less versatile. Into my amps, the Bad Monkey sounds like a TS9, with an option for changing the tone. It's not a bad deal for the price.

I know it's a shame to admit, but I've never put either OD in front of a modeller, so I don't know how that would sound. I don't even use them very often, because I mainly enjoy playing into smaller wattage amps that I can crank up without bleeding ears to put the amp into its natural sweet spot. I'd use the OD's if I went to play somewhere and thought I'd need more amp but found out later that I brought too much amp. To me, that's where the OD's shine, allowing me to push the amp's front end to simulate what the amp was putting out naturally if pushing the back end, but without the volume.

Back to the modellers, I've never had any problem getting one to give an overdriven sound. Most tend to do overdrive ad nauseaum and lack the true dynamics of a real amp.

The advice above to play as many as you can gain access to using as close to your existing gear as possible is a good one. Let your ears decide, not your wallet. You might find that you like several, but each for their own application.

[refriedwhiskey]

Back to the modellers, I've never had any problem getting one to give an overdriven sound.

I'm not having any trouble getting overdriven sounds from my modeller; I just don't like what I'm getting very much.

(That's true for the Fender models, at least. The overdriven sounds of the high-gain amp models, like the SLO-100, Uberschall, and Mesa Dual Recto are excellent. But I don't have much use for those since I don't play metal or hard rock.)

[cdw2000]

Yeah, what is the deal with those little, silver Ibanez pedals with the bargain prices? I saw a couple on MF when I was listening to OD pedal clips. The TS-7 didn't sound too shabby...and it's $40, as opposed to the TS-9's $99 or the TS-808 RI's $169.

What's the catch?!

The catch is that it's not painted green.
Some folks don't think they hold up as well, but I haven't had any problems. I obtained the schematic and compared it to a TS-9 and they are identical, down to the opamp being used. They made the Tone-Lok series on modular circuit boards so the common circuits (like the effect switch) can be shared among all the Tone-Lok pedals.

I also own the Tone-Lok Delay-Echo DE-7 and love it. It's the cheapest digital delay you can find. It has a switch that let's you select modern echo (no highpass filtering of the repeats) or vintage delay (with high pass filtering to make it sound like an analog delay). I liked it so much, I sold my vintage Ibanez AD-9 for more than twice what the DE-7 cost. The only drawback of the DE-7 is that it does not have tap-tempo.

I also own the Digitech Bad Monkey (based on raves from this group) and like it a lot. You should try to check that one out as well. It's a little fuller and more neutral sounding than the TS and has bass and treble controls so you can really dial in your tone. They go for about $40.

[rudutch]

I am sure there are some who may argue that point. I happen to believe that not all effects are created equal and there are good, bad and even great overdrives out there. The expense comes into the labor such as hand wiring, etc. Yes, sometimes prices can even by hyped by overzealousness.

That all said I think the OCD by Fulltone is my recommendation here.

TS9 sells for $250

http://cgi.ebay.com/VINTAGE-82-IBANE...QQcmdZViewItem


Pro Jr sells for $220
http://cgi.ebay.com/Fender-Pro-Jr-15...QQcmdZViewItem

anyone can understand an amp has more in components and labor than s stinking stomp box. Whats in a stomp box, $9 worth of components? $5?

This is just nuts

[Gtrplyr]

TS9 sells for $250

http://cgi.ebay.com/VINTAGE-82-IBANE...QQcmdZViewItem


Pro Jr sells for $220
http://cgi.ebay.com/Fender-Pro-Jr-15...QQcmdZViewItem

anyone can understand an amp has more in components and labor than s stinking stomp box. Whats in a stomp box, $9 worth of components? $5?

This is just nuts

Yea, it really does seem crazy that pedals can be so pricey. I also realized that I've got enough invested in my own pedal board to have bought a boutique amp.

That said I'm quite happy with my OCD pedal and it's been the pedal I've been searching for for many years. Very versatile and also gets the crunch and sustain I like hearing.

[telecustom]

I'm quite happy with my OCD pedal and it's been the pedal I've been searching for for many years. Very versatile and also gets the crunch and sustain I like hearing.

++1
I've tried a bunch of pedals and I'm now happy with the OCD (in addition to and combined with a Seymour Duncan Twin Tube Classic...These 2 pedals and a stomp tuner are all I need in my chain).

Problem is you can't play and sample the upper-end pedals since alot of times they're not in stores.
I paid $130 for a used OCD pedal on eBay and I've been very happy with the purchase.

[flintpunk]

I don't think you can go wrong with any of the following (in no particular order)...

TS808 Reish
OCD
Jeckyl and Hyde

Arion Tubulator if you're looking for a TS808 clone for cheap (I've seen them as low as $9.99 on MF!)

[WideAwake]

Another vote for the Bad Monkey...

[crazy fingers]

I'm partial to the sparkle drive myself...

[andresbriceno]

Try the Jeckyll & Hyde, 2 for the price of one

[refriedwhiskey]

The clips I heard of the Sparkle Drive did sound good. Didn't care much for the J&H or Bad Monkey -- but that's just judging from clips I could find. I haven't tried any out in person yet.

[andresbriceno]

I tried the new tube screamer 808 reissue, sounded a little metalic, the hyde side of the jeckyll its like the 808 but with a bass boost, if you want I can try to record a clip for you

see ya

[refriedwhiskey]

I ended up ordering a Screamer kit from Build Your Own Clone. I was leaning toward a TS808 reissue, and I couldn't resist the price of the kit (or the geeky fun of building it myself, which was a bigger factor than I should probably admit).

It apparently comes with parts for a lot of the most popular Tube Screamer mods. I'll almost certainly build it to TS-808 specs to start with...but does anyone here have experience with the mods?

[JAM]

Most of the mods have to do with the clipping diodes, and modifying the low-end rolloff. I believe the BYOC kit has the details.

[refriedwhiskey]

Yeah, I looked at the kit's instructions online and noticed a bunch of the mods were about diodes...symmetrical, asymmetrical, even using LEDs in some cases. Once nice thing is that the PCB is already etched and drilled for an asymmetrical diode setup. You just solder a jumper across one of the three diode positions if you want to keep it symmetrical.

And it comes with three different op-amps and a socket so you can change them easily. The kit even ships with a roll of desoldering braid so you can do lots of mods.

[JAM]

Everything you need to know about Tubescreamers:

http://www.geofex.com/Article_Folder...ch/tsxtech.htm

[refriedwhiskey]

Sweet! Thanks. That'll give me some reading to do while I wait for the kit to arrive.

[chuckocaster]

geeky fun? i think you're in the minority here...

have fun man, that's what it's all about!

one of these days i'm going to get one of the BYOC kits, still have to decide which one though. they all look like so much fun.

for more dorktime check out www.muzique.com i built a simple fuzz off there and it was a lot of fun, and sounds great into a marshall.

[refriedwhiskey]

geeky fun? i think you're in the minority here...

I'm telling you, man...installing those pups and pots in my Squier Strat really brought back memories of building a Heathkit digital alarm clock back in jr. high. I've been jonesing for a new electronic project ever since. I think I caught a buzz off the solder fumes.

And I have to say, I've been reading and posting here for a few months now, and I just don't get the impression that getting a geeky kick out of soldering up a stompbox kit puts me in the minority.

[chuckocaster]

i have no idea what you are talking about...

[refriedwhiskey]

Be that way!

[chuckocaster]

fine, NO SOUP FOR YOU!

[Rickenjangle]

...ONE YEAR!

[Stills41]

Blackstone Appliances Mosfet 2S

[cdw2000]

ReFried, you are correct in my case. I love building and modding effects. Have several home made clones (including etching my own circuit boards:

TS808, ProCo Rat, Ross Compressor, my own design of a stomp box version of the Peavey transtube circuit...

[refriedwhiskey]

Cool. I'd say you're a good bit more advanced than me. I'm fine if somebody hands me an etched and drilled circuit board and components and tells me exactly where everything goes...but designing circuits and etching my own boards is beyond me.

[JAM]

If you're at least comfortable with following a diagram, circuit boards are available here:

http://www.generalguitargadgets.com/...tpage&Itemid=1

[refriedwhiskey]

Thanks. I could see this becoming a hobby. Along with playing, of course.

[franchelB]

I've seen many people use:
1. Tube Screamer
2. Blues Driver
3. SD1
4. Digitech Bad Monkey

Personally @ $40.oo, I don't understand why more guitar players don't have a Bad Monkey in their gear collection...

[djinn1973]

Another vote for the bad monkey, I picked one up today couldn't believe the price. Unreal bang for the buck.