Pedals with tubes in them?

[DrNewcenstein]

Re: Pedals with tubes in them?

B.K. Butler counts both Eric Johnson and David Gilmour as customers/users for his original-design Tube Driver pedal. He also makes one with a bias control.

I've got both a regular and biased model, and run them through a JCM800 100w head. The pedal enhances what's already there, certainly, but doesn't turn it into a raging high-gain beast. It could also be used on a non-channel-switching head to "replace" the amp's dirt settings, and then use another booster in front of that, especially for the JCM800. Stacking both pedals, however, doubles the noise as well as the gain.

[devastone]

Re: Pedals with tubes in them?

I think the Tube Driver pedals use a starved plate design (I could be wrong), but yes, they do sound great. I had one of the original Tube Driver amps too, great sounding amp! Better after I added a master volume after the effects loop.

[Mincer]

Re: Pedals with tubes in them?

I am sure there are really good sounding tube pedals, and bad sounding ones (I have tried those). Same as regular analog circuits. I generally don't like the proprietary power supplies and the extra weight, though.

[Jeffblue]

Re: Pedals with tubes in them?

I own several tube pedals and they do something special. I own a Seymour Duncan Twin Tube Blue, Electro Harmonix English Muff'n, 2 Rocktron Silver Dragons, 2 BK Butler Blue Tube and a Real Tube and a Radial Tonebone Classic. The English Muff'n, Radial Tonebone, Twin Tube Blue and the Real Tube are my favorites. One of the Blue Tube pedals I modified to use an octal (larger 8 pin) tube and I had to punch a hole in the side of the pedal housing to fit the larger tube. The Twin Tube Blue is like having the front end of a two channel amp. The Silver Dragon pedals are really high gain. Starved plate designed pedals are sometimes really good sounding.

[Lewguitar]

Re: Pedals with tubes in them?

I've used a couple and thought they sounded good but not good enough to keep.

I use a Fender tube amp (Blues Deluxe) and have great result with tubeless pedals for boost and drive on my amp.

Same here. Had a Tubeworks Real Tube. I get better overdrive from a Tubescreamer or Klon KTR. Gave the Real Tube to a friend who likes it.

[devastone]

Re: Pedals with tubes in them?

I am sure there are really good sounding tube pedals, and bad sounding ones (I have tried those). Same as regular analog circuits. I generally don't like the proprietary power supplies and the extra weight, though.

The AMT tube preamps don't weigh any more than normal pedals, they do use 12V power supplies though, 1.25A IIRC.