OD808 vs SD1 vs Soul Food (through a Marshall)

[Guitarjon]

Hey all!

I was playing through my Marshall JCM 800 Studio SC20H and I wanted to compare some boost pedals since the amp really benefits from a good boost to bring in more gain. I wanted to keep it simple and straightforward so I'm just doing a rock riff and one setting for each pedal. The goal is just to make this amp have more gain and tighten up the low-end a bit.

The pedals that I compare are the Maxon OD808, the Boss SD-1 Super Overdrive and the Electro Harmonix Soul Food. They each do their own thing. The Maxon has that well-known mid hump that makes it instantly recognizable, the SD-1 seems to have a more open and clear sound which I really like and the EHX seems to sound the most transparent and it lets more low-end through.

In hindsight for this comparison I think I prefer the SD-1 this time but of course all the pedals and the amp could be tweaked further. Would love to know your thoughts!

[jeremy]

Re: OD808 vs SD1 vs Soul Food (through a Marshall)

my rig for a long time was a 50w jcm 800 head into a 4x12 with a sd1 as a boost. ive always though the sd1 worked great with the jcm 800s

[Mincer]

Re: OD808 vs SD1 vs Soul Food (through a Marshall)

I like the Soul Food. I built a BYOC Silver Pony, which is supposed to be a 1:1 Klone (I never checked, though). Great sounding pedal.

[Guitarjon]

Re: OD808 vs SD1 vs Soul Food (through a Marshall)

my rig for a long time was a 50w jcm 800 head into a 4x12 with a sd1 as a boost. ive always though the sd1 worked great with the jcm 800s

Yeah man, the SD-1 seems to work wonderfully with the JCM 800! I only bought mine (first one I ever had) a couple months ago because they flew under my radar for some reason haha. I'm pretty happy with it though!

I like the Soul Food. I built a BYOC Silver Pony, which is supposed to be a 1:1 Klone (I never checked, though). Great sounding pedal.

I've never tried a Klon but I can tell you that the Soul Food is very transparent when it needs to be...

[Aceman]

Re: OD808 vs SD1 vs Soul Food (through a Marshall)

My first thought was "What's wrong with that 800 the way it is?!?!?!"

I honestly could barely tell the difference. But...I guess I'd maybe take the SD1. Little more sparkly top (barely). The EHX definitely added a little booty, but nothing I couldn't do from the amp.

[Liam1963]

Re: OD808 vs SD1 vs Soul Food (through a Marshall)

A modded SD-1 thru my Marshall always sounded great, Soul Food sounds great thru my AC30, and if I do use an 808 style pedal, I add an EQ after the OD to bring back up some of the lows. My vote is the SD-1.

[Guitarjon]

Re: OD808 vs SD1 vs Soul Food (through a Marshall)

My first thought was "What's wrong with that 800 the way it is?!?!?!"

I honestly could barely tell the difference. But...I guess I'd maybe take the SD1. Little more sparkly top (barely). The EHX definitely added a little booty, but nothing I couldn't do from the amp.

Haha, well there is nothing wrong with the amp the way it is. It just doesn't have a big enough amount of gain for the music that I like to make often (more classic stuff aside). I wouldn't say that the Soul Food adds low-end but rather it does not take it away like the others do.

[ErikH]

Re: OD808 vs SD1 vs Soul Food (through a Marshall)

I've used all 3 of those pedals (though the 808 was an Ibanez TS808, same thing as the Maxon). Lately, I've been using a Soul Food. Picked one up used for kicks to see what it was about. I was pleasantly surprised when I first used it and continue to. All of those pedals are good at what they do. The one thing the Soul Food does better is the touch sensitivity. I noticed that right off the bat with it. So dynamic. Nothing gets lost.

[Lewguitar]

Re: OD808 vs SD1 vs Soul Food (through a Marshall)

I've used all 3 of those pedals (though the 808 was an Ibanez TS808, same thing as the Maxon). Lately, I've been using a Soul Food. Picked one up used for kicks to see what it was about. I was pleasantly surprised when I first used it and continue to. All of those pedals are good at what they do. The one thing the Soul Food does better is the touch sensitivity. I noticed that right off the bat with it. So dynamic. Nothing gets lost.

The Soul Food, being essentially a Klon, has that touch sensitivity for sure. It's also more transparent and cleans up both with the guitar's volume control or simply by picking more lightly.

There's a reason my favorite rock guitarist, Jeff Beck, uses a Klon.

I was close up to Joe Satriani at a G3 show years ago and he was using a DS-1 into Marshalls. I got tired of that sound quickly. Just wore my ears out.

[jeremy]

Re: OD808 vs SD1 vs Soul Food (through a Marshall)

ive played a few real klons and a few ktrs, they are very similar. i dont think the soul food is that close. its a cool pedal but i notice enough difference that i wouldnt call it that similar.

[Lewguitar]

Re: OD808 vs SD1 vs Soul Food (through a Marshall)

ive played a few real klons and a few ktrs, they are very similar. i dont think the soul food is that close. its a cool pedal but i notice enough difference that i wouldnt call it that similar.

I notice enough of a difference that I'd call the Soul Food and Klon KTR "similar" but not the same. The KTR is definitely better. I gave my Soul Food to my best friend when I bought my KTR.

[ErikH]

Re: OD808 vs SD1 vs Soul Food (through a Marshall)

I noticed Lynch has Klon on his board these days along with a TS808. He still uses an old Plexi and Parker amp too, after many years of playing nearly everything else under the sun...lol.

[The Dali]

Re: OD808 vs SD1 vs Soul Food (through a Marshall)

I didn't notice much of a difference between them all - but your playing was great and love that ESP.

[Guitarjon]

Re: OD808 vs SD1 vs Soul Food (through a Marshall)

I didn't notice much of a difference between them all - but your playing was great and love that ESP.

Cheers!