How do you use your distortion pedals?

[Dills]

Do you set your amp on on the best clean sound and hit the pedal for distortion? Or do you use it as a boost on top of your amps distortion? Whats the best way of doing it cause i often find the amps distortion sounds alot better than all the pedals i use with it.

[Skullkrusher]

Re: How do you use your distortion pedals?

I only use my pedals for recording on my comp. I love the sound of my amps to much to not use the distortion on them.

[bvc310]

Re: How do you use your distortion pedals?

I use my pedals only as a solo boost. I set my clean channel the way i like it and use the gain channel as a rhythm guitar sound and some leads, but when I need that extra kick, I push on my DS-1 which acts mainly as a level and slight overdrive boost to get a little louder and be more present.

[Number One]

Re: How do you use your distortion pedals?

It depends on where I am. At home, I use it straightup, and at the studio, I use it to boost my amps natural distortion.

[some_dude]

Re: How do you use your distortion pedals?

Depends. I prefer my amps distortion. The only time I mess it up with a dirt box is for leads (TS-9) or more punk/noise type stuff (hard to get harsh natural dirt out of an overdriven tube amp).

TS-9 - I use it to overdrive the clean channel, or boost and compress the dirt channel for leads.

DOD Grunge - If I want a strait up pedal sound, I stick to the clean channel, I some times use it as a gain and treble boost on the dirt channel.

Big Muff - I only use this on the clean channel. Since getting my new amp this sits on a shelf.

Effector 13 Sacred Fuzz - This is a pretty dark sawtooth fuzz, I use it the same as the Grunge, only it doesn't treble boost.

[Young Angus]

Re: How do you use your distortion pedals?

Ive got a pedal which doesnt actually get to saturating distortion levels by itself (pedal ones) but it does add a lot of sustain to the sound and has a very smooth tube type sound to its distortion...its a boutique hand wired analogue thing.

So i use it with a clean channel by itself and i get a pretty good hendrix type sound good for light to mid gain stuff...but it can get pretty thick anyway...just a different kind of thick to what most people (myself included) are used to.

And with my heavier sounds i set the amp up for a great already chunky rhythm sound, or even an already high gain (but no highest) tone and dial in a quarter distortion and kick it in for solos, and because the pedal adds so much sustain it makes the leads sound huge.

It can get a bit noisy and hissy though...does anyone else get this with pedals?

[theboatcandream]

Re: How do you use your distortion pedals?

Know what? It entirely depends on the song. If I want two levels of distortion and never cleans, then I'll use one pedal and overdrive my amp. I really like how some of my pedals sound when they're being overdriven by a second distoriton pedal, but I think it's redundant to just overdriving my amp. That said, I use my marshall jackhammer to get a marshall sound out of my amp - I just set my amp to play clean, then put the jackhammer late in the chain with mild gain. Then I'll overdrive it with my mxr distortion +. The marshall adds back in the bass end that the mxr takes away. On the other hand, my big muff sounds best AFTER my jackhammer, but when I use the big muff by itself I always have my amp set on clean - but that's just cause of the music I play with it. The mxr and big muff do not play well together. When I'm using the mxr alone, it's usually for classic rock or punk, and I'm usually overdriving my amp even before the pedal is on. It's because the distortion from the mxr is entirely similar to the overdrive of my amp, the electroharmonix I use for hard rock and metal, the jackhammer can just do anything but not necessarily as well as something else. It just depends.

[SlashRules]

Re: How do you use your distortion pedals?

I use my boss HM-3 on the clean channel because it gives a brilliant distortion because the distortion on my amp is crap

[Bludave]

Re: How do you use your distortion pedals?

I have mentioned this before. I use two amps. A MArshall and a Fender. I use the Fender for more of the clean work, and the Marshall for Higher volume solo/lead work. I don't use distortion pedals. I use a TS9 in the Fender when I need a little more sustain. I also get a little more bottom with single coils with this pedal. In the MArshall I have a Marshall Bluesbreaker (an original) that I use when I want to send the Amp over the edge. Other than that I use the Amps to do what they does best! I have both Amps on and setup with a A/B box so I can go from shimmering clean to High gain very quickly and easily. I have yet to find one Amp (even with pedals) that will do what a Marshall does best or a Fender does best. Thats why I have elected to use both. IF you can eliminate Pedals the signal is more pure and it simply sounds better. This is not always feasabile to do volume limitations. In order to get some Amps to sound good without pedals you have to play very loud, and this is not going to work in some situations. Pedals are a necessary tool for most of us.!