Distortion vs overdrive A Perfect Circle

inhuman

New member
To get that A Perfect Circle (Billy Howerdel/ Troy Van Leeuwen) heavy distortion would a distortion pedal work or is it an overdrive pedal? I play through a fender Deville. Would I have to use a distortion pedal to get that Marshall grit? What is recommended besides switching out amps. Just trying to understand the differences between distortion and overdrive.
 
Re: Distortion vs overdrive A Perfect Circle

the difference between distortion and overdrive is how they interact with your amp

distortion pedals are designed to make a clean signal sound heavy and crazy

overdrive pedals are designed to boost an amp into slightly heavierness

for your amp i'd either get a good OD to boost the gain channel or a good distortion to use in the clean channel.
 
Re: Distortion vs overdrive A Perfect Circle

Billy uses a custom Dave Friedman amp called the Naked to get that sound. I've played one and plan on owning one as soon as I can save up for it. It's a truly unique beast for the tone it produces.

To produce that sound WITHOUT spending that kind of money, I'd go for a cranked Marshall pushed over the edge with an overdrive pedal.
 
Re: Distortion vs overdrive A Perfect Circle

Billy recorded the first two APC albums with JCM 900's. The album was multitracked and layered a lot. That tone is incredibley hard to nail.
To start, you want a thick sounding guitar like an LP and a high gain Marshall with it's gain at 75%.
 
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Re: Distortion vs overdrive A Perfect Circle

You're going need to get a good distortion AND od pedal and cascade them into your amp. You're not going nail that tone to many factors involved, but you can get an idea.
 
Re: Distortion vs overdrive A Perfect Circle

Billy recorded the first two APC albums with JCM 900's. The album was multitracked and layered a lot. That tone is incredibley hard to nail.
To start, you want a thick sounding guitar like an LP and a high gain Marshall with it's gain at 75%.

Pretty sure he used an old JMP for the first APC cd, remember reading an interview where he said that he loved how he could clean that amp up with the volume unlike a lot of more modern amps. Whatever it is, his guitar tone always sounds super processed to me, it's definitely not straight guitar into the amp.
 
Re: Distortion vs overdrive A Perfect Circle

APF
aperfectcircle.jpg


2000
http://www.guitargeek.com/rigs/img/p/perfectcircle_billie_2000.gif
perfectcircle_billie_2000.gif


2007
http://www.digitalburn.org/wp-content/uploads/2007/08/billy-howerdel-a-perfect-circle.jpg
billy-howerdel-a-perfect-circle.jpg
 
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Re: Distortion vs overdrive A Perfect Circle

Billy recorded the first two APC albums with JCM 900's.

That's interesting, where did you hear that? I've spoken to Dave Freidman a few times about having one of those Naked amps built and according to Dave the original Naked amps he built for Billy are the primary tone you hear for the first two APC albums. He only built them for Billy until earlier this year when he put them into production.

Whether or not it was layered, he didn't say. I suppose that might be the case considering how thick those sounds are. But having played a Naked, that amp plus a Les Paul pretty much nails the APC tones.
 
Re: Distortion vs overdrive A Perfect Circle

That's interesting, where did you hear that? I've spoken to Dave Freidman a few times about having one of those Naked amps built and according to Dave the original Naked amps he built for Billy are the primary tone you hear for the first two APC albums. He only built them for Billy until earlier this year when he put them into production.

Whether or not it was layered, he didn't say. I suppose that might be the case considering how thick those sounds are. But having played a Naked, that amp plus a Les Paul pretty much nails the APC tones.
That's right. It was JMP's. I could have sworn it was 900's, from an old GW rig rundown. I'll have to dig that issue out.
(It was the first rig entry from about 7 years ago, not the one with the Naked and VHT cabs like posted above)
 
Re: Distortion vs overdrive A Perfect Circle

I see see- So since I use the fender clean channel, would a maxon-od9 and a boss DS-1 work to get the same heavyness? A pedal that mimics the marshall overdrive?? I play an epi les paul btw.
 
Re: Distortion vs overdrive A Perfect Circle

That's right. It was JMP's. I could have sworn it was 900's, from an old GW rig rundown. I'll have to dig that issue out.
(It was the first rig entry from about 7 years ago, not the one with the Naked and VHT cabs like posted above)

Nice. If you can find that see if you can scan it or something. I'd love to see it! I'm a nerd like that. :D

Dave said the Naked is based on the circuit of a Mk II Marshall and the front end of a Naylor Superdrive, but at the end of the day it's got it's own thing going on.
 
Re: Distortion vs overdrive A Perfect Circle

Nice. If you can find that see if you can scan it or something. I'd love to see it! I'm a nerd like that. :D
I sure will. I remember it pretty clearly, because along with a drawing of his rig there is a picture of him and two of his LP's. One of them being his coveted Cinnamon burst Gibson LP.
 
Re: Distortion vs overdrive A Perfect Circle

I get his tone pretty easily on my modded Dual Rectifier or my Bogner Shiva which I think sounds better than the Naked amp.
 
Re: Distortion vs overdrive A Perfect Circle

Don't laugh, but my good buddy gets a GREAT APC tone with a loud as hell Bugera 1960 head / Marshall cab (from the early 70's / made in the UK Greenbacks) and an MXR GT-OD pedal. (that beautifull metallic-green box.)

Oh, and it deff helps if you are using a Les Paul.
 
Re: Distortion vs overdrive A Perfect Circle

I've no idea on getting his tone, but as I was watching this only yesterday, this seems the ideal opportunity to share with you good people - enjoy!

 
Re: Distortion vs overdrive A Perfect Circle

I get his tone pretty easily on my modded Dual Rectifier or my Bogner Shiva which I think sounds better than the Naked amp.

papersoul, thanks for necro bumping this thread from 2010 just to spread your love for your own amps...

I just noticed this...
 
Distortion vs overdrive A Perfect Circle

Watched a few cool interviews with Troy last night. In QotSA he plays a vox AC50CP2. Sounds great. He does say in a rig rundown that the bands are totally different and that APC does tons of things digitally for at least 1/2 their sound.
 
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