Is anyone else stacking overdrives or boosts?
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Rex_Rocker
Well-known member
Re: Is anyone else stacking overdrives or boosts?
The Electro Harmonix Black Finger can get a mild amount of tube grit going, and it does great for solos before my TS808 > high-gain driven amp.
I'm hoping the TC Electronic Spark does the job of mid-boosting better than the Black Finger, though.
The Electro Harmonix Black Finger can get a mild amount of tube grit going, and it does great for solos before my TS808 > high-gain driven amp.
I'm hoping the TC Electronic Spark does the job of mid-boosting better than the Black Finger, though.
Metalman_666
New member
Re: Is anyone else stacking overdrives or boosts?
For the last 6 months or so, I go Wampler Ego comp (set for unity volume, blend very low at 8 or 9 o'clock) --> FatBoost 3 (slight volume boost, gain at 1 o'clock, bass rolled off). I have left the FatBoost on all the time, kicking on the comp only when using my G&L or if I needed some more sustain with the humbuckers. Once in awhile I would put the Fulldrive between the two and use it only for solos, to really get some cream without switching channels.
Last week at a bigger gig, I left the Fulldrive on the whole time (vol at 12, tone at 11, drive at 7, FM mode and MOSFET), I took the gain and treble down on the Fatboost, and used the comp only with the G&L again. The result was glorious once I dialed back the gain on my Rhythm 2 channel, I just had so much control at my guitar's volume knob. And when I switched to Lead channel, I almost ran offstage for a towel mid-song.
I think for smaller gigs the above would be too much gain, but with the amp opened up and set for more headroom, it worked perfectly and really helped my guitar to cut like a knife. As a rule I try to be very tame when stacking gain/OD pedals, as my young self even three years ago had a tendency to overdo it.
For the last 6 months or so, I go Wampler Ego comp (set for unity volume, blend very low at 8 or 9 o'clock) --> FatBoost 3 (slight volume boost, gain at 1 o'clock, bass rolled off). I have left the FatBoost on all the time, kicking on the comp only when using my G&L or if I needed some more sustain with the humbuckers. Once in awhile I would put the Fulldrive between the two and use it only for solos, to really get some cream without switching channels.
Last week at a bigger gig, I left the Fulldrive on the whole time (vol at 12, tone at 11, drive at 7, FM mode and MOSFET), I took the gain and treble down on the Fatboost, and used the comp only with the G&L again. The result was glorious once I dialed back the gain on my Rhythm 2 channel, I just had so much control at my guitar's volume knob. And when I switched to Lead channel, I almost ran offstage for a towel mid-song.
I think for smaller gigs the above would be too much gain, but with the amp opened up and set for more headroom, it worked perfectly and really helped my guitar to cut like a knife. As a rule I try to be very tame when stacking gain/OD pedals, as my young self even three years ago had a tendency to overdo it.
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Re: Is anyone else stacking overdrives or boosts?
true. i usually only stack em for big solos so typically would kick at least one off as soon as the wanking is over
true. i usually only stack em for big solos so typically would kick at least one off as soon as the wanking is over
Matt42
New member
Re: Is anyone else stacking overdrives or boosts?
I run anywhere from two to four ODs on my board at a time. I typically run one for rhythm and stack a second for leads. Occasionally I'll run two for rhythm and add a third for leads.
That all being said, my board will be changing radically in the next few days as I find the right pedals to use with my new amp.
I run anywhere from two to four ODs on my board at a time. I typically run one for rhythm and stack a second for leads. Occasionally I'll run two for rhythm and add a third for leads.
That all being said, my board will be changing radically in the next few days as I find the right pedals to use with my new amp.
Chickenwings
Alnico 6/8
Re: Is anyone else stacking overdrives or boosts?
Ive been working on getting my nashville/bakersfield chops down for a new project.
Ive found that a tele into a Princeton Reverb (with a 12) via a blues driver with the gain set low covers a lot of great rhythm sounds, then i step on a compressor for leads which works equally well for pure clean leads as it does for pushing the blues driver into more of a lead tone. Its a pretty simple but effective setup for lower volumes which is great when playing with a double bassist and brush drummer.
If i want to rock out a little harder then i switch off the blues driver and use an SD-1 instead with the gain also low, and boost that with the compressor for leads.
Ive been working on getting my nashville/bakersfield chops down for a new project.
Ive found that a tele into a Princeton Reverb (with a 12) via a blues driver with the gain set low covers a lot of great rhythm sounds, then i step on a compressor for leads which works equally well for pure clean leads as it does for pushing the blues driver into more of a lead tone. Its a pretty simple but effective setup for lower volumes which is great when playing with a double bassist and brush drummer.
If i want to rock out a little harder then i switch off the blues driver and use an SD-1 instead with the gain also low, and boost that with the compressor for leads.
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PFDarkside
of the Forum
Re: Is anyone else stacking overdrives or boosts?
Sounds cool. Did you mod the PR for the 12"? What speaker?
treyhaislip
Well-known member
Re: Is anyone else stacking overdrives or boosts?
How's that Joyo US Dream treating you?
I use the Suhr Riot as a lead pedal–turn it on over either my Suhr Shiba or my Mad Professor Golden Cello.
How's that Joyo US Dream treating you?
I use the Suhr Riot as a lead pedal–turn it on over either my Suhr Shiba or my Mad Professor Golden Cello.
Chickenwings
Alnico 6/8
Re: Is anyone else stacking overdrives or boosts?
Mine is a Princeton Reverb II, so it was built with a 12 back in 1981. I've had a few speakers in there, firstly the fender spec. design (flabby), then a celestion g12t75 (too scooped but it was better than the fender), then a jensen c12n (too piercing) then a 75 watt greenback style clone (nice and thick), then a texas heat (also nice and thick) and now a cannabis rex- fat loud and warm.
My good buddy and sometime jazz guitar duo partner has an old princeton reverb he has been gigging since the 70s. He was jealous of how the 12 sounded, and when his baffle developed a crack he had a new cab built for it and installed a cannabis rex. Then it was my turn to be jealous cos his sounded so fat, so i installed a cannabis rex. I think we are both happy now.
I reckon you can get a very similar sound with either a vintage or reissue deluxe reverb and a cannabis rex. I was recommended the cannabis by jeremy who uses this combo. I know there are a lot of other cats out there running a deluxe with a CR as well and getting great sounds for jazz blues, country or rock (actually ive used it a lot doing classical gigs too).
Interestingly (for me at least and maybe a few other guys who are interested in country) it turns out that Guthrie Trapp's main amp is also a princeton reverb in a 1x12 cabinet. I don't really know what speaker he uses tho. Maybe some kind of vintage jensen. Turns out Kenny Vaughan also loves his princetons but i dunno if he uses them stock of with the 12 inch speaker.
Sorry to derail the thread and rave on about amps and speakers...but they are good platforms for stacking pedals so i guess we are still on topic.
Oh yeah...final piece of the puzzle when using a tele....roll the tone back to halfway and set the amp and pedals up from there.
Mine is a Princeton Reverb II, so it was built with a 12 back in 1981. I've had a few speakers in there, firstly the fender spec. design (flabby), then a celestion g12t75 (too scooped but it was better than the fender), then a jensen c12n (too piercing) then a 75 watt greenback style clone (nice and thick), then a texas heat (also nice and thick) and now a cannabis rex- fat loud and warm.
My good buddy and sometime jazz guitar duo partner has an old princeton reverb he has been gigging since the 70s. He was jealous of how the 12 sounded, and when his baffle developed a crack he had a new cab built for it and installed a cannabis rex. Then it was my turn to be jealous cos his sounded so fat, so i installed a cannabis rex. I think we are both happy now.
I reckon you can get a very similar sound with either a vintage or reissue deluxe reverb and a cannabis rex. I was recommended the cannabis by jeremy who uses this combo. I know there are a lot of other cats out there running a deluxe with a CR as well and getting great sounds for jazz blues, country or rock (actually ive used it a lot doing classical gigs too).
Interestingly (for me at least and maybe a few other guys who are interested in country) it turns out that Guthrie Trapp's main amp is also a princeton reverb in a 1x12 cabinet. I don't really know what speaker he uses tho. Maybe some kind of vintage jensen. Turns out Kenny Vaughan also loves his princetons but i dunno if he uses them stock of with the 12 inch speaker.
Sorry to derail the thread and rave on about amps and speakers...but they are good platforms for stacking pedals so i guess we are still on topic.
Oh yeah...final piece of the puzzle when using a tele....roll the tone back to halfway and set the amp and pedals up from there.
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Rex_Rocker
Well-known member
Re: Is anyone else stacking overdrives or boosts?
So... I guess a bit on-topic:
I was experimenting with my overdrive pedals yesterday. I run a TS808 on all the time as an integral part of my rhythm tone because, out of the pedals that I own, it's the least transparent and the one that colors the sound more evidently by shelving off the most bottom-end and adding the tasty, squishy, creamy, familiar Tube Screamer mids.
I was shooting out my other two overdrive pedals against each other in front of the TS808 as a boost for leads. I really liked the voicing of the mids on the Maxon OD-9. It's basically the same kind of tube screamer creamy mids with a hint of added upper-mid grit from the TS9 design, and the usual Tube Screamer low and high end rolloff. I like really vocal, honky mids for my leads, but the gain is a bit too much even with the knob set to 0. It's not unuseable, but it does get a bit more washy-sounding than I'd like in front of an already boosted high-gain sound.
Then my MXR Classic Overdrive. The gain level was perfect. If you crank the gain knob on this one, it can get a lot more gainy than the OD-9 and TS808, but it just so happens that with the gain set to 0 on all, the MXR is the cleanest by a hair too. It does have a bit of high and low-end rolloff ala Tube Screamer, just not as dramatic. However, the mids are just not voiced the same. The MXR is less vocal and less squishy, kind of an in-between Boss SD-1 and Ibanez TS808 sound. It is a great pedal, though. I'm keeping this one on my board for now in front of the TS808 because it does sound great, but I'm not 100% sold on it for a lead boost.
I'm happier now that I really TWEAKED the pedals that I have than I was before with my lead tone, but I'm still convinced I need a slightly less gainy pedal with a more tweakable EQ to boost my TS808 + high gain amp rhtym sound to make it less dry, and more middy and singing for leads.
So... I guess a bit on-topic:
I was experimenting with my overdrive pedals yesterday. I run a TS808 on all the time as an integral part of my rhythm tone because, out of the pedals that I own, it's the least transparent and the one that colors the sound more evidently by shelving off the most bottom-end and adding the tasty, squishy, creamy, familiar Tube Screamer mids.
I was shooting out my other two overdrive pedals against each other in front of the TS808 as a boost for leads. I really liked the voicing of the mids on the Maxon OD-9. It's basically the same kind of tube screamer creamy mids with a hint of added upper-mid grit from the TS9 design, and the usual Tube Screamer low and high end rolloff. I like really vocal, honky mids for my leads, but the gain is a bit too much even with the knob set to 0. It's not unuseable, but it does get a bit more washy-sounding than I'd like in front of an already boosted high-gain sound.
Then my MXR Classic Overdrive. The gain level was perfect. If you crank the gain knob on this one, it can get a lot more gainy than the OD-9 and TS808, but it just so happens that with the gain set to 0 on all, the MXR is the cleanest by a hair too. It does have a bit of high and low-end rolloff ala Tube Screamer, just not as dramatic. However, the mids are just not voiced the same. The MXR is less vocal and less squishy, kind of an in-between Boss SD-1 and Ibanez TS808 sound. It is a great pedal, though. I'm keeping this one on my board for now in front of the TS808 because it does sound great, but I'm not 100% sold on it for a lead boost.
I'm happier now that I really TWEAKED the pedals that I have than I was before with my lead tone, but I'm still convinced I need a slightly less gainy pedal with a more tweakable EQ to boost my TS808 + high gain amp rhtym sound to make it less dry, and more middy and singing for leads.
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Nostalgic Distortion
New member
Re: Is anyone else stacking overdrives or boosts?
Oh hells yeah!!! I run a Spark for a clean boost into either a TS9, E-H Soul Food, BBE Bohemian Treble Booster, or O.C.D (depending on what flavor I'm after & what amp I'm pushing) usually with the gain set someplace between 11:00 & 1:00 o'clock, into my E-H Metal Muff, gain set @ about noon? I guess technically that's two pedals in one if you count the top boost circuit as a second & then into a MXR 7 band E.Q. pedal.
The Spark, Metal Muff, & E.Q. are pretty much permanent fixtures on my board, the Overdrive pedal that I use changes to taste but these days I'm using the O.C.D 89% of the time. Unless I'm playing out of one of my AC's, then it's almost always my Treble Booster & the E-H, sometimes I'll swap out the Metal Muff with a Swell G Drive, (also a two stage pedal) but both stomp boxes sound great stacked up!!!
Oh hells yeah!!! I run a Spark for a clean boost into either a TS9, E-H Soul Food, BBE Bohemian Treble Booster, or O.C.D (depending on what flavor I'm after & what amp I'm pushing) usually with the gain set someplace between 11:00 & 1:00 o'clock, into my E-H Metal Muff, gain set @ about noon? I guess technically that's two pedals in one if you count the top boost circuit as a second & then into a MXR 7 band E.Q. pedal.
The Spark, Metal Muff, & E.Q. are pretty much permanent fixtures on my board, the Overdrive pedal that I use changes to taste but these days I'm using the O.C.D 89% of the time. Unless I'm playing out of one of my AC's, then it's almost always my Treble Booster & the E-H, sometimes I'll swap out the Metal Muff with a Swell G Drive, (also a two stage pedal) but both stomp boxes sound great stacked up!!!
TwilightOdyssey
Darkness on the edge of Tone
Re: Is anyone else stacking overdrives or boosts?
I reamped these guitars today; with the exception of the "clean" guitar, they are all stacked pedals.
I reamped these guitars today; with the exception of the "clean" guitar, they are all stacked pedals.
Chickenwings
Alnico 6/8
Re: Is anyone else stacking overdrives or boosts?
preferably one with an attack control.
Try a nice compressor
preferably one with an attack control.
Rex_Rocker
Well-known member
Re: Is anyone else stacking overdrives or boosts?
I guess what I really really want is a Koko Boost, but I'm trying to find something that can get a similar vibe going, but that isn't as expensive, or that I already own. I can't believe no one makes a simple mid-boosting pedal that isn't $200!!!
I tried my EHX Black Finger! I love that pedal... but I dunno. It does give a nice sustain, but it doesn't color the EQ the way I'd want for my leads. It is a killer sound, just not really what I'm going for.Try a nice compressor
preferably one with an attack control.
I guess what I really really want is a Koko Boost, but I'm trying to find something that can get a similar vibe going, but that isn't as expensive, or that I already own. I can't believe no one makes a simple mid-boosting pedal that isn't $200!!!
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Progbusters
New member
Re: Is anyone else stacking overdrives or boosts?
guitar OCD soul food = clearer OCD sound
I don't really stack pedals, but I found this out yesterday
guitar OCD soul food = clearer OCD sound
I don't really stack pedals, but I found this out yesterday
Securb
One of Jerry's Kids
Re: Is anyone else stacking overdrives or boosts?
Try finding a Boss PQ-4 that will do the trick
I can't believe no one makes a simple mid-boosting pedal that isn't $200!!!
Try finding a Boss PQ-4 that will do the trick
Rex_Rocker
Well-known member
Re: Is anyone else stacking overdrives or boosts?
Just a quick update on my boost pedal update. I ended up with a Blackstar LT Boost. Yeah, I know, it's cheap, but I compared it at the store with an Ibanez BB9 and an MXR Micro Amp, and I preferred the Blackstar. It's definitely not a clean boost. It's more like a very mild natural overdrive that's more transparent and tube-like than the Tube Screamer. I dug the personality it had.
It plays well in front of my TS-boosted high-gain amps for a lead boost! It makes it nice and cutting without going too harsh or thin. Now I just need a nice delay pedal.
Just a quick update on my boost pedal update. I ended up with a Blackstar LT Boost. Yeah, I know, it's cheap, but I compared it at the store with an Ibanez BB9 and an MXR Micro Amp, and I preferred the Blackstar. It's definitely not a clean boost. It's more like a very mild natural overdrive that's more transparent and tube-like than the Tube Screamer. I dug the personality it had.
It plays well in front of my TS-boosted high-gain amps for a lead boost! It makes it nice and cutting without going too harsh or thin. Now I just need a nice delay pedal.
