amp guys

[Kent S.]

Re: amp guys

I dunno what to get. I reckon I'll try out the Boss Bluesdriver.

i forgot about the BD-2, the BD-2 is NOT a bad sounding pedal, and it can be pushed into hard rock territory is desired, very open sounding on low gain settings, where has the SD-1 doesn't produce those upper harmonics like the BD-2 does, the SD-1 seems a bit more midrangey also.

[some_dude]

Re: amp guys

Here's a review my friend put up on another board. I'm only posting it because I think it's a good SD-1, BD-2, Wylde OD comparison, and may help you in your search for an OD.

MxR Wylde Overdrive – Review
I finally got it and spent part of the afternoon with it.

Pedals I A/B it with and my comments for each in order to create a reference point.

AMP: Marshall JCM 600, OD channel.

Pedal Settings: Tone =noon, Level= 11AM, Gain = noon.

Boss Blues Driver BD-2 (Stock) : Phat rhythm kinda lame for leads
Boss Blues Driver BD-2 (Doobtone) : ULTRA Phat rhythm and adds some spice to leads
Boss SD-1 (Japan): Nasal rhythm but ULTRA great for harmonic boost and lead clarity.

ZW-44 MXR Wylde Overdrive on MF Sale Price: $99.99

I’ve been using the SD-1 since 1988 and I always found the rhythm to be on the nasal side. Nevertheless when you boost the ‘Level’ and drop the ‘Gain’ the Harmonics just pop out.

I found that the Stock BD-2 adds some fatness to your tone but not really enough to warrant it being on all the time. However the Doobtone Modded (same as the Keeley one) creates a real thick and warm distortion tone. It has all the properties of a high end distortion pedal and like the high end distortion pedasl it has little extra noise.

The MxR Wylde Overdrive is a mix of the BD-2 and the SD-1. You get to use the gain to get a thicker tone and get all the harmonics from the SD-1. The rhythm tone isn’t as compressed sounding as the BD-2. The harmonics are actually clearer than with the SD-1. That’s a huge bonus! I can sweep pick the 12th fret harmonics and the harmonics simply scream out.

Now the differences are NOT HUGE but if you understand the difference between a BD-2 and a SD-1 than you might still prefer to choose one (or the other) over the Wylde OD. However if you want the opportunity to have both tones in one box and be able to leave it ON all the time this is definitely worth looking into.

Conclusion: This pedal didn’t blow me away but it sure didn’t disappoint.

Check it out for yourself.

How did it sound as a strait up dirt box (ie, not overdriving the amp, but just the dirt by itself)?

Would you recommend this to someone who's looking for a TS-9 replacement (I don't like the bottom end drop on my TS-9)?

Good question!

I did do the same A/B test with all 4 pedals with:

AMP: Marshall JCM 600, Clean channel.

Pedal Settings: Tone =noon, Level= noon, Gain = none/ just a wee bit.

Wylde OD was the raspiest of the bunch .... much like the SD-1 but it was obvious that it wan't meant for a clean boost.

With a little dirt it sounded OK but let's put it this way the other pedals were MUCH warmer sounding. Plus, the Level on the BD-2s would increase the volume a lot more ...something I never noticed.

As a clean'ish boost I still think the stock BD-2 is worth it's value an more.

I had an original TS-9 way back when they were a $50 pedal and I prefered the SD-1 for the harmonic accentuation. Bear in mind that I wasn't into blues back then.

But to answer your question ... If your OK with accepting a minimum of dirt in your sound this will sound much fuller and less nasal than a TS-9.

What you were saying you read about it being flatly EQ'ed seems dead on ... let your EQ boost your mids and let the Wylde OD provide the straight dirt. You can get some of the pros of a distortion box without the cons.

I would call it a Gain Head's OD.