Hey guys. Blues is obviously my main thing. I also like to play Jazz and Classic Rock (AC/DC, Police, Foreigner, and Mountain type stuff). I absolutely love the cleans on the Fender Super Reverb, but it obviously has no distortion. I know I could just get a distortion pedal/overdrive pedal, but are there any other ways of producing a higher quality distortion via a clean only amp? I'm not too famililar with preamps, but I know distortion amps (Marshall, Mesa, Soldano) all use preamps, thus their dsitortion. Could I buy a preamp for the Super? I've seen Soldano and Budda distortion pedals for like $300, why are they so much? Thanks for any help!
If I were to get a Fender Super Reverb, how can I make good distortion?
- Thread starter BluesGuyJ
- Start date
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Lewguitar
Guest
Re: If I were to get a Fender Super Reverb, how can I make good distortion?
Nah...just get a nice Boss DS-1. I use it like Vai and Satriani: I set the controls to about 1/2 way and then turn it on and leave it on. I can turn my Tele down to about 3 or 4 and get sparkling clean tones that are nicer than without the pedal, or turn my guitar's volum control up to get steller overdriven tones.
I have a wonderful old Super Reverb...but it's been modded: .02 caps in the tone stacks of both channels, reverb on both channels, doubled the size of the negative feedback resistor for less neg feedback and a tone that overdrives more easily, etc.
Lew
Nah...just get a nice Boss DS-1. I use it like Vai and Satriani: I set the controls to about 1/2 way and then turn it on and leave it on. I can turn my Tele down to about 3 or 4 and get sparkling clean tones that are nicer than without the pedal, or turn my guitar's volum control up to get steller overdriven tones.
I have a wonderful old Super Reverb...but it's been modded: .02 caps in the tone stacks of both channels, reverb on both channels, doubled the size of the negative feedback resistor for less neg feedback and a tone that overdrives more easily, etc.
Lew
Re: If I were to get a Fender Super Reverb, how can I make good distortion?
Another thing you can do is to have the amp modded so you can use the first channel as an overdrive into the second channel ... there used to be a device called the Fender Mender, I think it was, that you plugged into the amp and then the tube on that channel, and it switched in and out like a pedal ... it let you use the first channel as a overdrive with it's own tone controls. A similiar thing can be done with a mod, since not many people used the first channel on the *normal* *vibrato* channel setup Fenders. Just food for future thought.
Another thing you can do is to have the amp modded so you can use the first channel as an overdrive into the second channel ... there used to be a device called the Fender Mender, I think it was, that you plugged into the amp and then the tube on that channel, and it switched in and out like a pedal ... it let you use the first channel as a overdrive with it's own tone controls. A similiar thing can be done with a mod, since not many people used the first channel on the *normal* *vibrato* channel setup Fenders. Just food for future thought.
F
Falstaff
Guest
Re: If I were to get a Fender Super Reverb, how can I make good distortion?
Kent's suggestions are great...there are Tweed mods, Boogie mods, Marshall mods, etc., etc., and I suppose you could also get an attenuator that would allow you to crank your amp and use the volume knob.
The cool thing is that you can also get a few distortion/boost/OD/whatever pedals and have a great selection of distortion tones/degrees to use. With the SR you have the foundation to make some great stuff happen.
I have an old Pro Reverb and a few pedals and I am thrilled with the variety I can get from it. The best thing is that when you turn 'em off it sounds so freakin' good, too!
Kent's suggestions are great...there are Tweed mods, Boogie mods, Marshall mods, etc., etc., and I suppose you could also get an attenuator that would allow you to crank your amp and use the volume knob.
The cool thing is that you can also get a few distortion/boost/OD/whatever pedals and have a great selection of distortion tones/degrees to use. With the SR you have the foundation to make some great stuff happen.
I have an old Pro Reverb and a few pedals and I am thrilled with the variety I can get from it. The best thing is that when you turn 'em off it sounds so freakin' good, too!
Jonny R
Volcano Fireologist
Re: If I were to get a Fender Super Reverb, how can I make good distortion?
I use a Twin, and get great overdrive with a G2D Custom Overdrive. It's worth checking out. Listen to the sound samples for the Custom Overdrive, but also the Cream Tone and the Classic Overdrive.
www.g2d.co.nz
I use a Twin, and get great overdrive with a G2D Custom Overdrive. It's worth checking out. Listen to the sound samples for the Custom Overdrive, but also the Cream Tone and the Classic Overdrive.
www.g2d.co.nz
fusion101
New member
Re: If I were to get a Fender Super Reverb, how can I make good distortion?
OK let me help before u make a mistake, i have had a super reverb for my main amp for a year and as much as i love the cleans, it just kills me that i cant get OD with it. I regret getting, not to mention the son of a bitch gets muddy after four(not a overdriven smooth sound but a nasty muddy **** sound), theres a fender twin amp that has just as good as clean plus overdrive, u might say "i can just get a pedal" but after a while u will get anoyed by the cleanness. I wish i had money to get a new amp.
OK let me help before u make a mistake, i have had a super reverb for my main amp for a year and as much as i love the cleans, it just kills me that i cant get OD with it. I regret getting, not to mention the son of a bitch gets muddy after four(not a overdriven smooth sound but a nasty muddy **** sound), theres a fender twin amp that has just as good as clean plus overdrive, u might say "i can just get a pedal" but after a while u will get anoyed by the cleanness. I wish i had money to get a new amp.
Re: If I were to get a Fender Super Reverb, how can I make good distortion?
Thanks guys. I guess the thing to do before getting an amp is to upgrade my pups to the CC and C5, get a Boss DS-1, and some other distortion/od pedal, bring them in, and try all the single channel fender amps in the shop. These amps are big bucks and I dont want to screw around.
Thanks guys. I guess the thing to do before getting an amp is to upgrade my pups to the CC and C5, get a Boss DS-1, and some other distortion/od pedal, bring them in, and try all the single channel fender amps in the shop. These amps are big bucks and I dont want to screw around.
Re: If I were to get a Fender Super Reverb, how can I make good distortion?
Well on that note ... If you happen to have a SR with the pull boost on the master (if you have a master, most do ... I think they did make some silvers that were non-master volumes ... I think, i might be wrong), the pot could be changed out for a DPDT switch (I think it's just a SPST stock), and with a few bleeder resistors (cut down on switch *pop*) I'm sure you could enable or disable the extra preamp channel via the push/pull master. The level difference could be set via a knob added next to the master, and that could come before the second preamp or after it ( after would overdrive the crap out of the second preamp, not sure how much you'd have to knock the voltage down though), although the switching would have to be a bit more
complex. You'd probably want to chnage the first preamps eq section a bit also.
Part of the reason that fenders get so flabby on the low end when overdriven is that there eq sections scoop out to much mids, and need to trim the bass back;that scoop sounds great clean, but overdriven ... nah, generally very empty, thin, and flabby. Also the coupling caps a a much larger value than say Marshalls ... This is why Lew changed his, to lean that bass, along with revoicing his tone stage.
BTW a lot of people hate that nosebleed type boost tone that they get from the pull boost, well if the cap value is changed on that, the boost becomes very useable, and the cap value can still be selected to give a full boost while still rolling off a bit on the low end to keep things tight ... Again if the switch type is changed to a DPDT then a complementary hi cut can be implemented along with it to give a mid boost ... very useful for solos ... clean or dirty. Just some ideas
I've always said that if you can't get a good sound clean, you're not going to get one distorted. It's been tested true many times.
Falstaff said:
Well on that note ... If you happen to have a SR with the pull boost on the master (if you have a master, most do ... I think they did make some silvers that were non-master volumes ... I think, i might be wrong), the pot could be changed out for a DPDT switch (I think it's just a SPST stock), and with a few bleeder resistors (cut down on switch *pop*) I'm sure you could enable or disable the extra preamp channel via the push/pull master. The level difference could be set via a knob added next to the master, and that could come before the second preamp or after it ( after would overdrive the crap out of the second preamp, not sure how much you'd have to knock the voltage down though), although the switching would have to be a bit more
complex. You'd probably want to chnage the first preamps eq section a bit also.
Part of the reason that fenders get so flabby on the low end when overdriven is that there eq sections scoop out to much mids, and need to trim the bass back;that scoop sounds great clean, but overdriven ... nah, generally very empty, thin, and flabby. Also the coupling caps a a much larger value than say Marshalls ... This is why Lew changed his, to lean that bass, along with revoicing his tone stage.
BTW a lot of people hate that nosebleed type boost tone that they get from the pull boost, well if the cap value is changed on that, the boost becomes very useable, and the cap value can still be selected to give a full boost while still rolling off a bit on the low end to keep things tight ... Again if the switch type is changed to a DPDT then a complementary hi cut can be implemented along with it to give a mid boost ... very useful for solos ... clean or dirty. Just some ideas
I've always said that if you can't get a good sound clean, you're not going to get one distorted. It's been tested true many times.
Bludave
New member
Re: If I were to get a Fender Super Reverb, how can I make good distortion?
I have a SR with silver and no master. It is basically a black face. but a little cleaner. Someone here posted that it gets muddy over 4. That amp needs work. I play through a SR with LP, SG,335 Strats and Teles, and it is crystal clear and clean up to about 5 or 6 than it starts to get real tuby in tone. Over 7 it gets real hot. Obviously volume is a problem. If you can play this amp at 7 you would not need anything other thAN THE VOLUME KNOB ON YOUR GUITAR TO CONTROL THE TONE. That in most cases is to loud, so find yourself a go OD pedal and viola you have channel switching!!!! I would recommend a TS9 Reissue or TS808. For what you describe as the type of music you play, these pedals will give you a lot of options for what you want to do. Do not get rid of the AMP, it is one of the best out there. You will regret it down the road if you do. I A/B my super with a Marshall. I love th combination of sounds I can get!!! LOL D>S>
I have a SR with silver and no master. It is basically a black face. but a little cleaner. Someone here posted that it gets muddy over 4. That amp needs work. I play through a SR with LP, SG,335 Strats and Teles, and it is crystal clear and clean up to about 5 or 6 than it starts to get real tuby in tone. Over 7 it gets real hot. Obviously volume is a problem. If you can play this amp at 7 you would not need anything other thAN THE VOLUME KNOB ON YOUR GUITAR TO CONTROL THE TONE. That in most cases is to loud, so find yourself a go OD pedal and viola you have channel switching!!!! I would recommend a TS9 Reissue or TS808. For what you describe as the type of music you play, these pedals will give you a lot of options for what you want to do. Do not get rid of the AMP, it is one of the best out there. You will regret it down the road if you do. I A/B my super with a Marshall. I love th combination of sounds I can get!!! LOL D>S>
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