Best overdrive should be in your amp..

[Gold star]

It should be possible for amp makers to install the kind of pedal circuits people love ...esp for overdrive.. into the amp chassis. There are pedals out there costing as much and even more than a complete amp. Fender hot rod series are one example

[Erlend_G]

true.

I find it almost sad, that they make such a "great" amp as my Blackstar Ht-20mkII.

without a real spring reverb :/.

I'd love it, without the digital reverb- maybe also the "usb out" could be used for something just as important, like a better midrange control...

but. I was about to buy the Ampeg 6v6 1x12" combo right before it was discontinued.

And a Princeton Reverb, before my money was stolen...

...but man, a real spring reverb- every amp deserves that .

-Erl

(i got tons of overdrive, lol )

[St_Genesius]

There are a bunch of amps whose preamp clipping sections essentially function like built-in pedals.

[Erlend_G]

There are a bunch of amps whose preamp clipping sections essentially function like built-in pedals.

yeah, i suspect my HT-20 to do that .

But it's not bad sounding. I'd just rather have another preamp tube :/-.

Then again, it's a "budget" amp.-. I could have bought two, for stereo operation...



I'll have to stick with it for the next 10 years. \m/

[Erlend_G]

But I really agree...

though, there's like... a ton of high-end heads that got no reverb.

Only real solution I found, was a 400USD option with a real spring reverb, and a box for the FX loop (if any)

To me, the reverb is a big part of the sound. (And also is the overdrive. The blackstar has almost maginificent OD, only beaten my Marshall in my book)

[Mr. 80's]

I know Ibanez has the TSA tube amps with a built in Tube Screamer. I love the built in clean boost on my Marshall Origin but I like my outboard Tube Screamer and Rat for boost/OD even more. I think for the most part since everyone has their own personal flavor of OD/boost and what works best for whatever givin amp and genre it's being used for, external stand alone boxes work best IMHO. It's just a shot in the dark with anything that's built in or whatever amp company thinks people would want, even with loved classics.

[Erlend_G]

Yeah, agreed :/...

I really wish I had waited 3 more months, and invested in another amp...

cause this one really lacks a good reverb... aswell as a third (fourth? :o) preamp tube

But else all good \m/

[Securb]

. There are pedals out there costing as much and even more than a complete amp.

Typically distortion/overdrive/fuzz are among the least expensive pedals. That is the main reason most guitar players have so many different flavors of them. However, keep in mind pedals (for the most part) try to capture the essence of an overdriven amp. For an amp to try to capture the essence of a pedal would be a bit backward, unless we are talking about modeling and that is a whole different conversation.

[Securb]

I know Ibanez has the TSA tube amps with a built in Tube Screamer.

I loved the concept until I played the lunchbox head. The thing has zero touch sensitivity and no bite what-so-ever. It was the flattest sounding amp I ever played with or without the TS9 engaged

[ErikH]

My old Marshall head (JCM900 MkIII) had a diode rectifier in the pre-amp stage somewhere between the first and second preamp tube. It may have even been between the first and second half of the V1, can't recall without looking at the schematic. It was kinda like an overdrive built in. Had it's own gain knob (went from 11-20, continuing from where the preamp gain 1-10 left off). Killer sounding amp and the way it was designed really made it work great. Nothing was lost.

When it comes to pedals, there are so many varieties out there and types of overdrive pedals that it doesn't make sense for amp makers to put anything in the amp, unless it's a modeller where they do with the rest of it. Even then there's lots of options. For physical pedals, I like the Boss OD-3 Overdrive and Soul Food these days.

[Lewguitar]

It should be possible for amp makers to install the kind of pedal circuits people love ...esp for overdrive.. into the amp chassis. There are pedals out there costing as much and even more than a complete amp. Fender hot rod series are one example

I used to feel like that. One reason I bought a modeling amp.

Used to play with no pedals too and just use small 60's Fender or 50's Gibson amps I could turn up.

Still do if it's a situation where I'm playing with a band run by a grumpy blues purist.

But these days I mostly prefer having a 30 watt amp I can set up for what I hear as stellar clean tones and then using a Klon KTR or Dover Drive (or both!) for my overdrive tones.

I like AC30's. And the Blackstar Artist and Artisan amps, which have similarities to an AC30.

[St_Genesius]

I'm in a sorta similar boat to Lew: I've got an amp whose distorted sound I *do* like, but most of the time I run it clean(ish) and use pedals for dirt. It works out, because that distorted sound isn't the ONLY distorted sound I like.

Of course, I'm pretty sure there's a transistor in my amp helping out the 12ax7s, so one way or another, there's diode dirt involved.

[Condemned soul]

You are not picking on the misguided little amp! The small Ibanez really is a monotone dimensionless little sucker.
Yet I bought one many years ago as I wanted a small easy to move amp to move around the house.
The honeymoon soured quickly. Changed both tubes and played for a couple of weeks. The overall tone has improved some and amp still sounded muffled and the T/S now sounded like a banshee being strangled.
Swapped out the stock speaker to the Emmence Ragin Cajun which incredibly improved the amp and it gave flat mids, smooth and firm bass and highs. This speaker also incredibly improved the T/S'er side of life and turned it into a fun to use option.

[Mincer]

Well some people just use their volume knob with the right amp. Some channel-switching amps have a great overdrive channel, but some are either dead clean or meltdown with nothing in between. I am happy we have choices to use pedals or not. I am not someone who thinks only amp distortion is good (although it can be great in the right amp).

[Gold star]

Typically distortion/overdrive/fuzz are among the least expensive pedals. That is the main reason most guitar players have so many different flavors of them. However, keep in mind pedals (for the most part) try to capture the essence of an overdriven amp. For an amp to try to capture the essence of a pedal would be a bit backward, unless we are talking about modeling and that is a whole different conversation.

The least expensive ? depends. A good many sell for $ 150 to $200 ..Then there was the time when Klo Centaurs were goig for up to $3000-used. I think the Boss DS 1 is a very good pedal and quite reasonable