Silly question: Boosting a dirt pedal with an amp via the Send?

[DrNewcenstein]

No, you read that right: Obviously one can boost an amp with a dirt/drive pedal in front of it, but has anyone run an amp's Send into a dirt/drive pedal, using the amp's preamp to boost the pedal, then feeding that back into the Return? Would this even be advisable? Guitar to amp, Send to drive/dirt pedal, pedal to Return. Obviously this would not be advisable with a high-gain amp like a TripleRec or 5150II, but say a JCM800 or even Super Reverb as a clean boost? Maybe a JC-120?

I did say it was a silly question, but I'm genuinely curious.

I've tried in years past to run rack units this way, but that's typically been Line level to Instrument level and the results were less than expected.

Then again I'm guessing it'd be the same thing with an amp, depending if the Send was Line or Instrument, and what the pedal input was set up for. But if the Send were switchable between the two formats?

[VinceT]

Re: Silly question: Boosting a dirt pedal with an amp via the Send?

I haven't - can't imagine it would be enjoyable tone-wise (I'm thinking fuzz direct into a PA ugly) - though there are no rules and all tones might find some space in some mix somewhere!


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[PFDarkside]

Re: Silly question: Boosting a dirt pedal with an amp via the Send?

To quote That Pedal Show "Well, it's A sound..."

The issue I see is that the final gain stage is the main tone shaper. Most dirt pedals don't have an EQ curve you'd prefer over your amplifier. Something like a preamp pedal might work, but usually your "boost" is either a mid hump, or relatively flat. The tonal curve of a preamp boosting a pedal might be interesting!

[Chickenwings]

Re: Silly question: Boosting a dirt pedal with an amp via the Send?

I think it would be difficult on a super

[DinoTrousers]

Re: Silly question: Boosting a dirt pedal with an amp via the Send?

I haven't - can't imagine it would be enjoyable tone-wise (I'm thinking fuzz direct into a PA ugly) - though there are no rules and all tones might find some space in some mix somewhere!


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Interestingly enough. all the Eagles of Death Metal stuff is recorded with a couple fuzz boxes direct into the board.

[VinceT]

Re: Silly question: Boosting a dirt pedal with an amp via the Send?

That would be the "No rules" bit


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[ThisDyingSoul76]

Re: Silly question: Boosting a dirt pedal with an amp via the Send?

Tried once. Sounded horrible and uncontrollable feedback. Distortion pedals aren't typically designed to be used that way with the exception of sans amp type pedals or preamps like the old Mesa V-twin or Blackstar's HT series tube pedals. Even then, typically you'd bypass the amp's own preamp and go from guitar to pedal then direct to the power amp in/return.

[Mincer]

Re: Silly question: Boosting a dirt pedal with an amp via the Send?

I am guessing the output of the pedal would overdrive the return on every amp (and some, like my Mesa, have parallel loops, not series). I am not saying it won't work, because as soon as you say that, someone comes up with a way to use that sound, but I am guessing howling feedback is going to be the result.

[hydro]

Re: Silly question: Boosting a dirt pedal with an amp via the Send?

What kind of dirt pedal did you have in mind? A tube screamer?

Wouldn't this be the same thing as running a dirt box in an amp's fx loop?

[DrNewcenstein]

Re: Silly question: Boosting a dirt pedal with an amp via the Send?

I dunno, that's why I'm asking :P

Certainly not running say a JCM800 preamp into a Metal Zone or Rat, but perhaps a low-gain dirt pedal (not so much into a "distortion" pedal as into a "this pedal could use a push" pedal - Tube Driver type thing set just for "well, I wouldn't exactly call it clean", etc)
I can certainly imagine a true "distortion generating" pedal set up this way going into instant, brain-killing feedback.


And yeah, if the Super doesn't exactly have a Send, it would be difficult, but I was thinking more along the lines of "an amp that only goes into distortion when you have all the knobs maxed out, and even then you're not going to get much beyond Heartbreaker's main riff, if you're punching the strings".

[Mincer]

Re: Silly question: Boosting a dirt pedal with an amp via the Send?

I get it, but I don't think it would sound good. A TS-type pedal like the 805 does all of that in the front of any amp, so there is no real problem to solve there.

[crusty philtrum]

Re: Silly question: Boosting a dirt pedal with an amp via the Send?

I put my OD pedal between the amp and the speaker. For more OD, use a higher-wattage amp.

Like this ...

Guitar > 200 Watt Marshall Major amp > Overdrive pedal > speaker.

[DrNewcenstein]

Re: Silly question: Boosting a dirt pedal with an amp via the Send?

I get it, but I don't think it would sound good. A TS-type pedal like the 805 does all of that in the front of any amp, so there is no real problem to solve there.

Not really a "problem to solve" per se, just wondered if it had/can be done with acceptable results. It might be a roundabout way of doing the same thing elsewise, or maybe not.

I put my OD pedal between the amp and the speaker. For more OD, use a higher-wattage amp.

Like this ...

Guitar > 200 Watt Marshall Major amp > Overdrive pedal > speaker.

Right, because an OD pedal is totally a dummy speaker load, got it.


I realize it sounds odd, but really, it's a simple enough question.