Questions about the Boss SD-1 and Pork n Beans bosot

[spleenharvester]

1) Does a Boss SD-1 play nicely with a Vox AC15?

2) Are there any good alternatives to the Pork n Beans boost pedal (impossible to get hold of in this country it seems)?


Background - I'm trying to nail Mike Cooley's guitar sound (Drive-By Truckers), specifically like the start of this song:



I don't know what was used on the studio recording, but I know that Cooley's rig for the past few years has been usually telecaster w/Seth Lover + hotrails --> Pork n Beans boost --> Boss SD-1 --> Sommatone Roaring 40.

My current rig is a Blacktop Stratocaster --> heavily modded DS-1 --> Vox AC15. I haven't been able to push the volume very hard yet because I live in apartments, but it sounds like I need some overdrive in there rather than the DS-1.

Cheers

[Aceman]

Re: Questions about the Boss SD-1 and Pork n Beans bosot

I'm thinking that tone could be all Hot Rails and AC30....

Have you tried the DS-1 turned Wayyyyyy down? I do that with an HM-2 (of all things) and get an awesome grindy sound.

I hear a lot of rich amp breakup in there...but overall and SD-1 is a much better choice than the DS-1.

Great sound to shoot for by the way.

[PFDarkside]

Re: Questions about the Boss SD-1 and Pork n Beans bosot

Pork n Beans is a Rangemaster clone. (Classic pairing with AC15/AC30) Some options, from most accurate to most affordable:

Analogman Beano Boost
Keeley Java Boost
BBE Freq Boost
EHX Screaming Bird

I should also add, Treble Boosters aren't something that really work at low volumes. You need the amp at a high enough volume to be compressing or distorting, then the Treble Boost kicks it into creamy sustain.

Also, SD-1 are a dime a dozen, it's a great utility pedal that works with a lot of guitars and amps.

[spleenharvester]

Re: Questions about the Boss SD-1 and Pork n Beans bosot

Thanks for the great help as ever guys.

To the DS-1's credit I really haven't been able to push this amp above 1 (I'm amazed it sounds good at all at these volumes). Rehearsal spaces are damn near impossible to find around here so it's going to be a while before I can.

Kind of tempted to throw a hot rail in my strat's neck now. I have both a hot rail and a Slash APH2B humbucker kicking about that I was going to try, but both need to be sent for repairs. Going to get the pedals and a rehearsal space and I'll probably end up trying both of them, might get a recording too.

[Chickenwings]

Re: Questions about the Boss SD-1 and Pork n Beans bosot

1) Does a Boss SD-1 play nicely with a Vox AC15?

2) Are there any good alternatives to the Pork n Beans boost pedal (impossible to get hold of in this country it seems)?

1. yes. Always a winner.
2. analogman beano is at the top of the list of many excellent rangemaster style pedals out there. The choices are almost endless. A treble booster and a vox ac15 or 30 is one of the all time classic sounds - but bear in mind, the amp already needs to be overdriving or it wil sound thin, brittle and harsh.

That rhythm sound on the record just sounds like a cranked up amp, but an sd-1 will give you a usable approximation of that nasal midrange honk at lower volumes. He is definintely not using a treble booster. If you cant turn your amp up past one at home, dont worry. It probably sounds great next to a drummer onstage and gets nice and crunchy early. Ditch the Ds-1, you dont need it.
The lead sound reminds me of the tone you get when you plug into a leslie cabinet. Gotta love the studio.

ps. If you like those vintagey rock and roll sounds, and want a little extra flexibility, it would be worth looking at the xotic ac and rc boosts. They both really kill into pretty much any amp. The ac is a lot like how and sd-1 would sound in a perfect world. The RC is not a rangemaster but it is a real swiss army boost. Last thing....for a great low volume practice tone the "brit combo" setting on the tiny boss micro cube is surprisingly rewarding.

[spleenharvester]

Re: Questions about the Boss SD-1 and Pork n Beans bosot

As a bump to this - I went in to retrieve my Duncan hot rail + humbucker to single coil adapter ring to try and replicate that there Zip City sound (along with a Slash APH-2B). Unfortunately, the hot rail seems to have been damaged in storage moreso than I expected, and the APH-2B was damaged by me being a total moron, and as a result only one coil is working on each pickup.

The upshot of this is I now get free reign over the pickups I'm going to buy for this guitar, and thanks to conversion rings they can either be humbuckers or SCs. I'm kind of tempted to try and replicate Cooley's rig (hot rail in the bridge spot with adapter, Seth Lover in the neck). Does this sound like a good choice? Kind of tempted to try the half-broken pickups in anyway just to see how it sounds. Any other possible neat suggestions for a Blacktop + SD-1 + AC15 would be appreciated, since I'll probably be having a play around!

[Chickenwings]

Re: Questions about the Boss SD-1 and Pork n Beans bosot

ps...im only guessing but i'd put twenty bucks that he's using celestion blues on that recording.

[spleenharvester]

Re: Questions about the Boss SD-1 and Pork n Beans bosot

Thank y'all for the input, got an SD-1 today and it sounds absolutely glorious. Haven'[t pushed the amp above 1 yet still but it's really hitting 'that sound' harder at this volume. I thought my modded DS-1 was the bees knees, now I want to throw it in the bin.