Any recommendations for a Twin Channel Overdrive Distortion... but one that does...

[GuitarDoc]

Re: Any recommendations for a Twin Channel Overdrive Distortion... but one that does.

Ooops. Sounds like the little bighorn has met its waterloo.

 

[IM4Tone]

Re: Any recommendations for a Twin Channel Overdrive Distortion... but one that does.

The Bugeras I owned weren't Junk because of where they were made, it was in their DNA. First one failed. I spent nearly a year throwing "good" money at the second one trying to get it to sound good. Like putting lipstick on a pig! That's not snobbery, it's a very bad experience.

Has nothing to do with Korea or China; it's design.

 

[Chickenwings]

Re: Any recommendations for a Twin Channel Overdrive Distortion... but one that does.

http://www.fulltone.com/products/gt500

these sound good even into a totally clean amp. The eqs on both channels let you tailor each sound to whatever guitar/amp you are using. I set all the eq trimmers at zero, then wind each one up till i'm happy. The trick is to trust your ears. Plenty of sweet tones on offer, and always defined and clear.
The only thing it doesn't do according to your specifications is swap between the two channels with one button, but you can always angle your foot and press both buttons at the same time!

 

[BiGHoRN]

Re: Any recommendations for a Twin Channel Overdrive Distortion... but one that does.

The Bugeras I owned weren't Junk because of where they were made, it was in their DNA. First one failed. I spent nearly a year throwing "good" money at the second one trying to get it to sound good. Like putting lipstick on a pig! That's not snobbery, it's a very bad experience.

Has nothing to do with Korea or China; it's design.

That maybe true to some extent. However, for the price that Blackstar are charging for their 'Eastern made' Marshall designs, bearing in mind that everything has a Union Jack on it just winds me up... Their profit margin's are ridiculous!

You say it shouldn't matter where it's made... Have any Fender's???? Gibson's??? If it doesn't matter to you, it matters to a lot of other people. The fact that child labour is used in China and Korea may also bother some folk... I'm guessing that you're UK based?

As for Bugera, or Blackstar for that matter, I'm guessing it's just this endless pursuit to try and get the best tone that we can, which is all preferential is it not?

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http://www.fulltone.com/products/gt500

these sound good even into a totally clean amp. The eqs on both channels let you tailor each sound to whatever guitar/amp you are using. I set all the eq trimmers at zero, then wind each one up till i'm happy. The trick is to trust your ears. Plenty of sweet tones on offer, and always defined and clear.
The only thing it doesn't do according to your specifications is swap between the two channels with one button, but you can always angle your foot and press both buttons at the same time!

I really like the idea of the GT500, I'm just not sure that the switching will work or that it has enough gain on the distortion side. I have the Clyde Deluxe Wah and absolutely love it to bits! The touch, feel, tone, quality are fabulous!

 

[Chickenwings]

Re: Any recommendations for a Twin Channel Overdrive Distortion... but one that does.

switching is bomb proof. I usually kick on/off (a/b) my fulldrive and the gt's dirt channel at the same time and never missed. Plenty of gain too. I never run it past 12 o clock...usually its at 9.

 

[Vasshu the humanoid typhoon]

Re: Any recommendations for a Twin Channel Overdrive Distortion... but one that does.

Their profit margin's are ridiculous!

Well did you look at their intern numbers??
Since when did they use kids in South Korea?
About everything in electronical parts are made in the East now...
Earning money is what they do, it is no humanitarian freebe branch the last time I checked.
Foxrox ZIM might be a good thing to look at, Xotic also made a couple of dual ones.

 

[BiGHoRN]

Re: Any recommendations for a Twin Channel Overdrive Distortion... but one that does.

It's not just that, it's overrated, overpriced Korean Marshall ripoffs, I heard a sales manager state that the increased price alone, puts it in a higher class category! Care to take a guess what the cabinets are made from?

Thanks for pointing out the FoxRox Zim, I'd never heard of them before, I'm not too sure about the changeable card thingy though. Do you know if the come with several different cards or buy them separately?

 

[drpietrzak]

Re: Any recommendations for a Twin Channel Overdrive Distortion... but one that does.

What are your switching requirements?

 

[stevie_bees]

Re: Any recommendations for a Twin Channel Overdrive Distortion... but one that does.

Hell no! I don't want any Made in China or Korea **** on my pedalboard! I'm using nice gear all the way. I don't want to spoil it with Blackstar ****

I use a Blackstar HT-Dual and I'm intrigued to know what part of that particular pedal falls short of your level of 'nice gear'?

 

[pinto79]

Re: Any recommendations for a Twin Channel Overdrive Distortion... but one that does.

The Ibanez Jemini would likely do what you're after.

 

[hermetico]

Re: Any recommendations for a Twin Channel Overdrive Distortion... but one that does.

Hell no! I don't want any Made in China or Korea **** on my pedalboard! I'm using nice gear all the way. I don't want to spoil it with Blackstar ****

Check the Wampler Brent Mason's Hot Wired V2. If it works for him...

 

[UberMetalDood]

Re: Any recommendations for a Twin Channel Overdrive Distortion... but one that does.

Hell no! I don't want any Made in China or Korea **** on my pedalboard! I'm using nice gear all the way. I don't want to spoil it with Blackstar ****

I'm a huge gear whore and waste way too much money on gear. I too like to have the cream of the crop on in my rig; however, I must defend Blackstar because I owned their Series One head an it was of a high build quality and extremely good tone. I also owned an HT100 which I dropped, kicked, and banged up for a couple of years and never failed me once. I'm definitely a snob when it comes to *where* something is made, and my usual preference is USA, Japan and UK. I rarely make exceptions and that's mostly due to a lack of choice, but Blackstar has proven themselves as a quality builder and I'd recommend the Series One to any boutique amp user.

Anyway, I have some excellent suggestions for you. Check them out and I'm sure you will find what you're looking for in one of them. However, it sounds to me like you may need to consider a couple of things first. I think the Nova Drive is incredible, not just because it has incredible tone, but also because you get the real analog OD/Dist. but with digital features. If you're not getting what you want from it then maybe there's something within your setup that needs a little tweak.

I don't know what amps you're using or how you're running your distortion, but it sounds like you are probably mainly using OD/Dist. on a clean amp. I personally prefer using an OD at the lowest settings (kind of like a clean boost), and leaving it on when I switch to the clean channel. It doesn't add much grit to the clean channel and it helps the clean stuff cut through. It's simple and the only switch you need to step on is the channel switch. The OD just stays on all the time. Then again, I buy high-end amps because I want to get the most desirable distortion without pedals. I purchased a Bogner Goldfinger 90 a while back because it has plenty of gain for most applications, but is also built with pedals in mind. It has 2 FX loops, one for OD/Dist. pedals and the other for modulation effects and stuff. It also takes pedals through the input extremely well and very low noise.

So if you still aren't getting where you want then the T-Rex Dr. Swamp is awesome. It has a dual setup and goes pretty much from light boost to pretty heavy distortion. It sounds great. It has a top end sparkle that makes it sound brilliant, but the tone knob can darken or brighten it to your taste. It has kind of a similar distortion to the TC stuff. Next, I'd recommend a Bogner XTC RED or Uberschall pedal. They are really well built and sound incredible of course. I have the RED pedal and it's very versatile. It goes from light OD to pretty heavy distortion. The Uberschall is a bit more versatile than most people realize, but it gets brutal. I also have an Xotic BB Plus which has 2 channels. They sound different from one another and can be blended. It's a fantastic pedal once you get the hang of it. It also allows you to control the compression so it sounds better with different setups. Then there's the Guyatone Mighty Micro Hot Drive which I really like. It's warm sounding pedal with several options. It can even do some fuzz stuff if you set it that way. It's a real good quality and the OD/Dist. sound amazing. You can tap it for PLENTY of distortion if you desire.

T-Rex Dr. Swamp
Bogner XTC RED or Uberschall pedal
Xotic BB Plus
Guyatone Mighty Micro Hot Drive

 

[BiGHoRN]

Re: Any recommendations for a Twin Channel Overdrive Distortion... but one that does.

What are your switching requirements?

Ideally, I'm after a channel switch, so CLEAN is off, 1 would be OVERDRIVE with 2 a DISTORTION. But I'd need each side to switch the other side off. Surely there must be an easier way to explain that...

 

[dominus]

Re: Any recommendations for a Twin Channel Overdrive Distortion... but one that does.

I use a Blackstar HT-Dual and I'm intrigued to know what part of that particular pedal falls short of your level of 'nice gear'?

I had their HT-DISTX and it was probably the nicest made pedal I've ever had (and I've had PLENTY of USA made ones). Only reason I sold it was because it didn't have enough gain for me.

 

[BiGHoRN]

Re: Any recommendations for a Twin Channel Overdrive Distortion... but one that does.

I'm a huge gear whore and waste way too much money on gear. I too like to have the cream of the crop on in my rig; however, I must defend Blackstar because I owned their Series One head an it was of a high build quality and extremely good tone. I also owned an HT100 which I dropped, kicked, and banged up for a couple of years and never failed me once. I'm definitely a snob when it comes to *where* something is made, and my usual preference is USA, Japan and UK. I rarely make exceptions and that's mostly due to a lack of choice, but Blackstar has proven themselves as a quality builder and I'd recommend the Series One to any boutique amp user.

Anyway, I have some excellent suggestions for you. Check them out and I'm sure you will find what you're looking for in one of them. However, it sounds to me like you may need to consider a couple of things first. I think the Nova Drive is incredible, not just because it has incredible tone, but also because you get the real analog OD/Dist. but with digital features. If you're not getting what you want from it then maybe there's something within your setup that needs a little tweak.

I don't know what amps you're using or how you're running your distortion, but it sounds like you are probably mainly using OD/Dist. on a clean amp. I personally prefer using an OD at the lowest settings (kind of like a clean boost), and leaving it on when I switch to the clean channel. It doesn't add much grit to the clean channel and it helps the clean stuff cut through. It's simple and the only switch you need to step on is the channel switch. The OD just stays on all the time. Then again, I buy high-end amps because I want to get the most desirable distortion without pedals. I purchased a Bogner Goldfinger 90 a while back because it has plenty of gain for most applications, but is also built with pedals in mind. It has 2 FX loops, one for OD/Dist. pedals and the other for modulation effects and stuff. It also takes pedals through the input extremely well and very low noise.

So if you still aren't getting where you want then the T-Rex Dr. Swamp is awesome. It has a dual setup and goes pretty much from light boost to pretty heavy distortion. It sounds great. It has a top end sparkle that makes it sound brilliant, but the tone knob can darken or brighten it to your taste. It has kind of a similar distortion to the TC stuff. Next, I'd recommend a Bogner XTC RED or Uberschall pedal. They are really well built and sound incredible of course. I have the RED pedal and it's very versatile. It goes from light OD to pretty heavy distortion. The Uberschall is a bit more versatile than most people realize, but it gets brutal. I also have an Xotic BB Plus which has 2 channels. They sound different from one another and can be blended. It's a fantastic pedal once you get the hang of it. It also allows you to control the compression so it sounds better with different setups. Then there's the Guyatone Mighty Micro Hot Drive which I really like. It's warm sounding pedal with several options. It can even do some fuzz stuff if you set it that way. It's a real good quality and the OD/Dist. sound amazing. You can tap it for PLENTY of distortion if you desire.

T-Rex Dr. Swamp
Bogner XTC RED or Uberschall pedal
Xotic BB Plus
Guyatone Mighty Micro Hot Drive

I work in a guitar shop and have seen a lot of Blackstar's for some repair or another.

I'm really quite excited to look into your suggestions. I love the NovaDrive, but don't feel like I am getting what I need from the distortion side. Due to the switching being set to 'Toggle' I can only have the one side on as a preset.

I am using a Divided by 13 SJT10/20 for some of the smaller gigs and a Divided by 13 FTR37 for the largher ones... both of them have stunning cleans with amazing overdriven tones, the only problem with them is that for me to get those tones, the volume is insane!

Along with the NovaDrive, I'm using a Klon mainly as a Boost with very little gain, I also have the Switchazel for the Clean Boost/Mute for tuner.

I hope that helps you to understand my situation a little better!

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What are your switching requirements?

Ideally, I'm after a channel switch, so CLEAN is off, 1 would be OVERDRIVE with 2 a DISTORTION. But I'd need each side to switch the other side off. Surely there must be an easier way to explain that...

 

[FretFire]

Re: Any recommendations for a Twin Channel Overdrive Distortion... but one that does.

Ideally, I'm after a channel switch, so CLEAN is off, 1 would be OVERDRIVE with 2 a DISTORTION. But I'd need each side to switch the other side off. Surely there must be an easier way to explain that...

I've not seen a two-in-one pedal that behaves this way. I think you'll be looking at two options:

1) Find a two-in-one pedal you like. Turn on one side. To switch "channels", simply step on both switches at the same time. If side 1 is on, hitting both will turn it off and side 2 on, and vice versa.

2) Find two separate pedals you like and run them through an A/B switch.

 

[stevie_bees]

Re: Any recommendations for a Twin Channel Overdrive Distortion... but one that does.

Ideally, I'm after a channel switch, so CLEAN is off, 1 would be OVERDRIVE with 2 a DISTORTION. But I'd need each side to switch the other side off. Surely there must be an easier way to explain that...

Funnily enough, that's how the HT-Dual works...

 

[BiGHoRN]

Re: Any recommendations for a Twin Channel Overdrive Distortion... but one that does.

I've not seen a two-in-one pedal that behaves this way. I think you'll be looking at two options:

1) Find a two-in-one pedal you like. Turn on one side. To switch "channels", simply step on both switches at the same time. If side 1 is one, hitting both will turn it off and side 2 on, and vice versa.

2) Find two separate pedals you like and run them through an A/B switch.

Thanks! That is a great idea, the switchazel works as an A/B/A+B...

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Funnily enough, that's how the HT-Dual works...

I had heard.. Thanks for the info but I think I'll try EVERYTHING else first! ;-)