Overdrive/Distortion Amp vs Pedals

[Skater]

Amp Distortion/Overdrive vs Pedals.

I'm not looking for recommendations, just looking to see what others think of it.

Which would you prefer?

[PFDarkside]

Re: Overdrive/Distortion Amp vs Pedals





It’s all great to me. A loud Fender sounds great, boost it with a Tube Screamer, it also sounds great in a different way. A loud Marshall is excellent. Boost it or add a Fuzz and it’s excellent in different ways. AC30.... with treble booster.... both classic. Even high gain cascades designs... a Rectifier or 5150 is heavy, boost with an OD and it could be heavier.

A TS into a Fender will never sound like a Fuzz into a Marshall or a high gain cascading Preamp design. It’s good to have all the tones you want/need, IMO.

[Skater]

Re: Overdrive/Distortion Amp vs Pedals

Topic is well over due haha, should make an interesting weekend :P

[NegativeEase]

Re: Overdrive/Distortion Amp vs Pedals

I used to use a ton of power tube distortion and just hit the stage with medium/high level. makes for super round big full with clarity if you keep from clipping it to much in the pre or pedal stage. -But it's not a great cut through the mix lead type of breakup IMO -shaping your lead tone with a pedal or channel switching

I play a lot of clean or medium clean these days -so I use a transparent OD to drive breakup on my Fenders, except on my VOX AC15 -where I like using the Pre for breakup. On my Marshall, I do both because I use a modded 2210 primarily with channel switching and an effects loop -so lots of options.

My favorite lately is using a transformer preamp pedal with brownface voicing straight into the effects return (avoid the Marshall pre) for what I'm finding is quite incredible tone wise.

I've been using the Greer Somas `63. for this.

[NecroPolo]

Re: Overdrive/Distortion Amp vs Pedals

Great tones above. On a blind test, to me it would be impossible to tell it's not a tube amp.

I am a simple guy, playing music since the late '80s guitar -> cable -> amp way. During the last decade an ample of pedals appeared in the market (SansAmp, Mooer, AMT, Greer above and so on) that emulate this well enough to me that I switched to a guitar - pedal - FRFR - DI to the PA way.

As for using a boost / distro pedal with or instead amp drive, I've never used that as a guitarist - but I see its function as a sound engineer, it can spice up / retexture guitar sounds. So both no - a boost pedal has no use to me with a guitar in my hands; and yes - it is a welcome addition if I sit behind the mixing desk recording someone else.

[Diego]

Re: Overdrive/Distortion Amp vs Pedals

Both are awesome, and both can be crap.

I have no preference on this subject. A pedal that will sound killer through most amps is something nice to own as a gigging guitar player, and a distortion that suits you well through your favorite combo or head is awesome.

I don't think this is much of a worthy subject anymore.

[NegativeEase]

Re: Overdrive/Distortion Amp vs Pedals

I don't think this is much of a worthy subject anymore.

We shouldn't try to time stamp subjects as complete and done or unworthy IMO.

theres a different mix of people, new information, and energy at any given time online that could yield useful discourse.

I think any topic that is "on topic" for the forum should be allowed, just bail out if your done with it.

I've pulled the rip cord on many for sure

[Aceman]

Re: Overdrive/Distortion Amp vs Pedals

Depends on the amp and the pedal. In general, I tend to like Amp better...but again, not all amps, and not for all uses.

Sometimes you just need a Metal Muff w/ Top Boost or an HM2 or whatever for "that" sound.

And then there are the infinite variety of blends of OD and Amp OD/Dist...

[Skater]

Re: Overdrive/Distortion Amp vs Pedals

For me, I think there are some really good pedals out there to emulate a noce drive. But my thing is cable length. I used pedals years ago, and shy'd away because I can hear my tone detererate. Which is a shame. I'd run a 20ft mogami into 2 pedals, a boost an a overdrive, then another 20ft to my amp for shows.

Even in my effects loop too, I ran a mxr 10 band eq in my effects loop, took some tone out from that.

[Diego]

Re: Overdrive/Distortion Amp vs Pedals

We shouldn't try to time stamp subjects as complete and done or unworthy IMO.

theres a different mix of people, new information, and energy at any given time online that could yield useful discourse.

I think any topic that is "on topic" for the forum should be allowed, just bail out if your done with it.

I've pulled the rip cord on many for sure

Oh, don't get me wrong. This a guitar forum and guitar shall be discussed until the forum is gone or we're all gone. If people want to discuss how to get Karl Sanders' tone, how to play faster than the speed of thought or why Clapton is the greatest, knock yourselves out.

I personally think this is a bit of a pointless argument, much like actives vs. passives. I don't think a "Versus" applies. I don't care if my pickups are passive or active, I just want them to sound and feel good. Same with my distortion. I don't care if it's an op-amp pedal clipping, a 12AX7 overdriving or a software mimicking my favorite amp, as long as it feels right and you get there by trying **** out. All the mentioned recipes have worked and will keep working for me.

I do prefer pedal distortion at reasonable home volumes, though.

[80's_Metal]

Re: Overdrive/Distortion Amp vs Pedals

I have always preferred thick as **** distortion pedal in front of a clean channel.
But lately, I've really been digging into the od in front of a crunchy amp style of tones.

Learning to fall in love all over again is hard, but worthwhile.

I like them both for different reasons and uses.

[Mincer]

Re: Overdrive/Distortion Amp vs Pedals

Generally I like TS-levels of gain, so whichever sounds better, that's fine with me. I've been playing too long to make blanket statements.

[beaubrummels]

Re: Overdrive/Distortion Amp vs Pedals

I much prefer amp distortion. And when that is not practical, I just have to find some pedal distortion that is a satisfactory substitute.

[Skater]

Re: Overdrive/Distortion Amp vs Pedals

This maybe a really stupid question. Is there a pedal that uses the amp overdrive and just pushes that? Is that the purpose of a tubescreamer? Sorry again.

[PFDarkside]

Re: Overdrive/Distortion Amp vs Pedals

This maybe a really stupid question. Is there a pedal that uses the amp overdrive and just pushes that? Is that the purpose of a tubescreamer? Sorry again.

Yes, you can do this with an EQ, clean boost, treble booster, overdrive (like a Tube Screamer) or a Distortion (like a DS-1 or Rat). Boosting an amp sounds different than turning up the gain because you are hitting the first gain stage of the amp harder.