Favorite OD Pedal

[MetalManiac]

Re: Favorite OD Pedal

What.. no mxr Distortion plus? It is said to be the same same circuit as the Dod 250 ( I have an Analog man YJM 308 modded to graybox 250 spec and it is a nice pedal!), but I don't know. Just between you and me, the reissue MXR Dist.+ blows goats.I bought one for 99.00, they are now down to 69.00 new , and I'm triyng to unload mine for 50.00.

I have an OD-1 original, but i see why they aren't as highly prized as the original 808 screamers.

Do any of these or the "other" pedals have good clean boost functions?

Is the Timmy left on all the time, or just used as a boost for leads?

I really want another OCD. I stupidly sold my V2 OCD. I also want anoher FD-2.
T
he Klon is the greatest modern overdrive of all time. I will never have one, the are now too expensive to consider to own, and I do not trust the reissues/ clones to sound half as good.

Oh yeah, my favorite is my 'tweed in a box' pedal, better than the Les Luis; Clark Gainster.

Other than that, Id say that all of the famous Marshall in a box pedals, that were left out of the poll, are worthy contenders; lovepedal Purple Plexi, Rockett Animal, MI Crunchbox V4, Box of Rock,Plexi-Drive, and all the old marshall pedals ( Bluesbreaker, uv'nor, Shedmaster),

 

[xxxplorer]

Re: Favorite OD Pedal

For what I use a dirt pedal for 90% of the time I vote Fulltone Fulldrive II Mosfet. I use it to goose my already cruncy amps and love it.

As a stand alone pedal into a pristine clean sound it's kinda boring, for that I'd choose my Oxfuzz Germanium or Black Arts Black Forrest (Coloursound overdriver inspired). I have not heard a stand alone pedal that sounds like an amp distortion... Or more importantly feels like it, so Fuzz works lol...

 

[ErikH]

Re: Favorite OD Pedal

What.. no mxr Distortion plus? It is said to be the same same circuit as the OD-1, but I don't know.

No, it is not. The two are completely different circuits. The Distortion + and old Ross Distortion are virtually the same with some part value differences here and there. The SD-1, TS808, TS9, OD-1 share the same circuit design but the OD-1 doesn't have a tone control and uses the inverting input of the opamp rather than the non-inverting input, the like the SD-1, TS808 and TS9 use.

 

[MetalManiac]

Re: Favorite OD Pedal

No, it is not. The two are completely different circuits. The Distortion + and old Ross Distortion are virtually the same with some part value differences here and there. The SD-1, TS808, TS9, OD-1 share the same circuit design but the OD-1 doesn't have a tone control and uses the inverting input of the opamp rather than the non-inverting input, the like the SD-1, TS808 and TS9 use.

Oh yeah, what I meant was the original Dod 250 is the same circuit as the MXR Dist.+. Good information otherwise though.

 

[jon the art guy]

Re: Favorite OD Pedal

I'm hoping we all get naked and work our differences out like adults.

 

[SteveAlysis]

Re: Favorite OD Pedal

OCD, Plimsoul, Fulldrive

Fulltone stuff has never disappointed me

 

[That90'sGuy]

Re: Favorite OD Pedal

The problem with online is that you see all these names pop up time and time again and people think there are similarities when really... half those pedals aren't even close to one another.

Get out there and play stuff. Stop researching TGP's pedal of the day and try stuff through your rig. I've owned half the stuff listed and I'll give you a brief summary of them, but what I use with my stuff and what you use with your stuff could yield radically different results.

Without further ado....

Bogner XTC Blue - preamp in a pedal. Quality control is inconsistent. Boost volume is loud and not configurable for anything close to unity gain. You use this pedal when you want a convincing crunch tone through a darker clean amp base. It can be configured for a fair amount of gain and it feels more like an amp than most pedals. However, with my Fender amps it had a harsh treble that could not be dialed out and it got fatiguing very quickly so I sold mine. This pedal, with a few tweaks would have been perfect and arguably it's the closest thing to an authentic amp channel I've experienced in a stompbox. For all my complaining about the footswitch issues - that much is true.

Xotic BB Preamp. This straddles overdrive and distortion. More gain on tap than the Blue, but the original version I had was way too fizzy and compressed to be worth anything. Where the Bogner sounded more organic, this had a tone that felt a lot more processed. For heavier music that could be welcome, but I didn't like the vibe of it and sold it within a few weeks of owning it.

Analogman King of Tone. I had V4 of this and there were things I loved and things I hated. My favorite part of it was the clean boost side. For lightly clipping an amp it did a nice job. There's a slight smoothing effect to the tone, it doesn't have much aggressiveness IMHO and there was no harsh highend. I've also noticed a slight bass cut which I particularly liked, but I could see how bedroom players may not like it. The red channel I hated. It didn't really cut and it was too smooth for my taste.

Custom Tones Ethos. I had one just prior to them releasing the TLE mod. This pedal is a preamp, it can go direct and I think that's where it shines. In the front of an amp I was severely underwhelmed. The clean channel was very bland and generic and the overdrive did not have the rich bloom and sustain I was expecting considering all the hype of Dumble amps and what this pedal was supposed to do. I've heard Rodney's clips and the reason why it sounds as decent as it does is because he's an exceptional player. If you're even remotely considering this pedal, I'd advise looking into the TLE mod and I hated how muffled and loose the lowend was on my non-TLE modded unit. This is a very expensive pedal and I really think it hits a very specific niche and should not be listed with the other pedals. Honestly, the Clay Jones Overdrive I had worked much better for that "singing with clarity without much gain" better than this pedal and if it wasn't for the amount of money they commanded at this time, I'd still have that pedal today.

I'm not stating all this stuff to put down people's tastes, I'm merely suggesting that the OP seriously consider what the objective is because these pedals couldn't be further apart from one another. Tone is subjective and there is no substitute to playing through your own stuff and seeing how it reacts.

 

[ken361]

Re: Favorite OD Pedal

Thats your opinion dude and your amp, my blue sounds stellar with my blues deluxe/speaker and cable change. prb your speakers or preamp tubes mine smooth as silk. I keep the boost set low all the time for added gain very plexish. Red is awesome too.

 

[JeffB]

Re: Favorite OD Pedal

IME, everything is awesome through some certain combination of guitar,pickups,amp, and speaker cab/type.

I have loved one pedal with one guitar and setup and hated it with others. In fact rarely do I find something that works awesome no matter what I use it with, or something that sounds horrid no matter what I use it with.

It all just depends, and is a matter of finding the right tool for the job at hand.

 

[ken361]

Re: Favorite OD Pedal

Blue is my main dirt now and i always reset my pups to my new dirt or amps first of all, because i always find a new sweet spot even if its just a little adjustment.

 

[Rodney Gene]

Re: Favorite OD Pedal

Custom Tones Ethos. I had one just prior to them releasing the TLE mod. This pedal is a preamp, it can go direct and I think that's where it shines. In the front of an amp I was severely underwhelmed.

...and the overdrive did not have the rich bloom and sustain I was expecting considering all the hype of Dumble amps and what this pedal was supposed to do.

Unfortunately, this has been alot peoples experience who may have had the pedal mis-represented or mis-understood the design and intent of this pedal coupled with the original buzz/over-hype/guitar player voodoo nonsense. I waited 5 months for my first Ethos pedal. This pedal really is dumble-eque IMO, same as a Zen Drive and Ecstasy in regards to dynamics and musicality. It is by no means better or worse, just very unique to itself. I think it is easy to see that it is not desirable for alot of players. I also agree, the OD was very spongy without the TLE switch and yet that 'loose' tone is so desirable in the right context with the right player. I am one of those players who works well with the pedal. I actually gravitate towards that spongy tone as it is exceptional for country and blues with tight single coil pickups IMO. Plus...the Ethos OD channel stacks really well with other ODs. This is where it adds real magic (for lack of a better word).

The clean channel was very bland and generic...

I understand this. Unless you have experience with old Solid State Polytone mini-brutes jazz amps or clean SS bass preamps, I can see how this would be someone's experience. Bland can also be interpreted as 'uncolored' or un-flavorful and that is desirable to me and hard to find IMO. Because I had waited months for this unit, I decided to see how far I could take the design and ended up with a flexible and musical preamp for direct bass and mandolin. For guitar, the clean channel is added tone shaping to an amps controls. It took time to work out but now it is integral to me and I hope others begin to see the advantages of that approach.

I've heard Rodney's clips and the reason why it sounds as decent as it does is because he's an exceptional player. If you're even remotely considering this pedal, I'd advise looking into the TLE mod and I hated how muffled and loose the lowend was on my non-TLE modded unit. This is a very expensive pedal and I really think it hits a very specific niche and should not be listed with the other pedals.

Hey, I appreciate the compliment, thank you! I think the tone has something to do with my skill level as a musician, but more to do with my understanding and approach of the tool. Coming from Pro Audio I don't see it as a stompbox OD pedal. You are right, for plug and play, the satisfaction factor is limited. For some players they never get there and other really find the passage to nirvana LOL. But honestly this has been the case with any of the best amps (bass more than guitar) I have owned. The 'tones' are in the box, it just takes time IMO. I think often players convince themselves they should like it for what they payed for it and for what it is supposed to do. But it is not for all of us. You are also right in that it does a direct signal well. Price? It would be expensive for an OD pedal alone, but for a 2 channel preamp with so much flexibility I find it a really smart purchase for me.

IME, everything is awesome through some certain combination of guitar,pickups,amp, and speaker cab/type.

I have loved one pedal with one guitar and setup and hated it with others. In fact rarely do I find something that works awesome no matter what I use it with, or something that sounds horrid no matter what I use it with.

It all just depends, and is a matter of finding the right tool for the job at hand.

+100 This is sound advice.

Respect,

RG

 

[Rodney Gene]

Re: Favorite OD Pedal

I think often players convince themselves they should like it for what they payed for it and for what it is supposed to do.


Respect,

RG

To clarify, I think the hype of any pedal gets spread too thin and too wide when players don't use their own ears to determine if the gear is right for their vision or unique setting. Its an epidemic that runs rampant on certain gear forums.

 

[some_dude]

Re: Favorite OD Pedal

I don't use OD very often, but when I do it's usually a Fulltone Fulldrive 2.

 

[Condemnedsoul]

Re: Favorite OD Pedal

My 5 watt Ibanez has a built in TS.

However, I voted in the other category. The two OD's that I prefer are the Fulltone Fulldrive2 and the OCD.

 

[Bludave]

Re: Favorite OD Pedal

Even though it's not on your list I voted Ts9. The TS interacts WITH the amp rather then mask it with some other tone. I am sure many if the pedals you listed are working in a similar way but I own 2 TS9's both have been modded. I use one with my Shiva more like a clean boost in the clean channel and I also use it in the drive section. It's a killer OD pedal and does exactly what I need. My other one I use mostly with a Deluxe Reverb and more like a channel switch


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk - now Free

 

[OsvyRock]

Re: Favorite OD Pedal

MXR Bad Ass 78' Distortion pedal.
I use it as an overdrive pedal with great results!

 

[SirJackdeFuzz]

Re: Favorite OD Pedal

Coloursound Overdriver or a kickass treble booster for me please.

Right now, it is . . .

A man after my own heart!

. . . i believe the Black Forrest OD from BAT is based on the original Coloursound OD.


I also want to test this one (see below) against my Black Forrest OD :


http://www.pedalgeek.com/cgi-bin/pg-ns91213.cgi?config=&uid=KYWECg991381823774&command=link--vfxcd

 

[Securb]

Re: Favorite OD Pedal

What.. no mxr Distortion plus? It is said to be the same same circuit as the Dod 250 ( I have an Analog man YJM 308 modded to graybox 250 spec and it is a nice pedal!), but I don't know. Just between you and me, the reissue MXR Dist.+ blows goats.I bought one for 99.00, they are now down to 69.00 new , and I'm triyng to unload mine for 50.00.

I have to agree the Distortion+ plus is a workhorse. I haven't use the reissue but my original non-led has been the cornerstone of my tone since the 80's. My favorite has to be my Soundblox PRO Classic Distortion, it is simply the best and most versatile digital distortion I have ever used. The Soundblox PRO Classic Distortion will take you from simple boost to great fuzz all the way to full on high gain distortion.

 

[hermetico]

Re: Favorite OD Pedal

It all depends on the song/use.

Best JTM-45 alike: Weehbo Plexdrive
Best JCM alike: Weehbo JCM Drive
Best all-around british OD: Weehbo Helldrive
Best all-around clean OD: Wampler Euphoria
Best Dumble tone: Hermida Audio Zendrive
Best Twin tone: Mad Professor Sweet Honey Overdrive
...

Well, there are lot of gain nuances out there...

 

[erksin]

Re: Favorite OD Pedal

. . . i believe the Black Forrest OD from BAT is based on the original Coloursound OD.

Haven't tried that one, but I know from other CSOD-based pedals I've tried like the RXOD that I much prefer the original circuit without the MV on it - I know it's loud and the reasons to put a MV on one are valid, but I feel like it chokes off the dynamics and feel a bit. It's not a pedal to be run into a clean amp to provide dirt - it's a pedal to boost a dirty amp even further into saturation. No MV required for that task - the amp provides the limiting.