Best Cheap Marshall Dirt Pedal

Mukobi

New member
Hello,

I'm interested in adding another dirt pedal to my chain in order to get some good, British, Marshall tones. I found out that there are many pedals on the super cheap side of things (<$60 USD used) that claim to do these sorts of things, but I have no idea where they rank among each other and which one would be the best. Here are the ones I've found grouped by what they seem to be aiming for:

Plexi tones and clones: Joyo Golden Face, Joyo Hot Plexi, Tomsline Plexion, Tone City Golden Plexi

MI Audio Crunch Box clones: Mooer Cruncher, Joyo Crunch Distortion, Joyo Deluxe Crunch, Hotone Chunk

Other/Unidentified: Marshall Guv'nor Plus, Marshall Bluesbreaker II, Marshall Jackhammer, Joyo British Sound

I play a Les Paul-style guitar into a Fender Hot Rod Deluxe (which is right away probably going to eliminate several of these pedals), and my favorite Marshall players are Joe Satriani, Eric Clapton, SRV, and AC/DC. With this all in mind, which of the above pedals or another that I am not aware of do you think would be the best for me and others in this situation?

Thanks!
 
Re: Best Cheap Marshall Dirt Pedal

You forgot the mk1 Marshall Guv'nor pedal.
 
Re: Best Cheap Marshall Dirt Pedal

Would you recommend the Guv'nor Mk2 though?

Probably not. It is a long time since I tried one. I recall liking the low end "body" control feature but not the fundamental sound of the pedal.

In your position, I would be inclined to manipulate the existing tone of your Fender amplifier with an equaliser pedal in the send/return loop. Better still, your budget for a pedal could go towards a more "British" voiced loudspeaker.
 
Re: Best Cheap Marshall Dirt Pedal

Probably not. It is a long time since I tried one. I recall liking the low end "body" control feature but not the fundamental sound of the pedal.

In your position, I would be inclined to manipulate the existing tone of your Fender amplifier with an equaliser pedal in the send/return loop. Better still, your budget for a pedal could go towards a more "British" voiced loudspeaker.
Would a Celestion Greenback be good for a British speaker?
 
Re: Best Cheap Marshall Dirt Pedal

I would not...it sounds bad on a good day!
Still don't get the Fender amp if you want British sounds though!
I primarily play blues and jazz stuff, so the Fender was my best all around bet. I'm trying to find a British voiced pedal for those times that I want that sound without having to buy a different amp.
 
Re: Best Cheap Marshall Dirt Pedal

What Marshall sound are we looking here. The Cruncher is my favorite out of the list, but it's definitely more of an 80s modded JCM tone than, say, A JTM45 or a Plexi.
 
Re: Best Cheap Marshall Dirt Pedal

What Marshall sound are we looking here. The Cruncher is my favorite out of the list, but it's definitely more of an 80s modded JCM tone than, say, A JTM45 or a Plexi.
I already have some pedals that can do a low gain overdriven thing alright, and I really like Satriani's music, so I feel like something more JCM or otherwise high gain would give me the most out of it.
 
Re: Best Cheap Marshall Dirt Pedal

I already have some pedals that can do a low gain overdriven thing alright, and I really like Satriani's music, so I feel like something more JCM or otherwise high gain would give me the most out of it.

Well, in that case, the Cruncher is probably my recommendation

 
Re: Best Cheap Marshall Dirt Pedal

https://reverb.com/item/1781362-marshall-the-jackhammer-jh-1

$50 and you get something that actually says Marshall on it with a full range EQ. Stick to the OD mode and go for it.

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Re: Best Cheap Marshall Dirt Pedal

Barber Direct Drive
Great thru a Twin..
Less Paul
Works well for me

Sent from my SM-G928T using Tapatalk
 
Re: Best Cheap Marshall Dirt Pedal

Should I also consider the GGG MGV Guv'nor clone kit for $60? I don't mind building it myself, but does it sound good for that high gain Marshall tone?
 
Re: Best Cheap Marshall Dirt Pedal

Probably the best route is run one of these pedals the the power amp in (return).
 
Re: Best Cheap Marshall Dirt Pedal

I've got a Tech 21 British that's not bad. I'd rather have a Wampler Plexi Drive, but those are both more than you're talking about.
 
Re: Best Cheap Marshall Dirt Pedal

This is probably a little over budget but an Xotic SL Drive does a great Marshall-type overdrive/distortion.
 
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