Is it okay to use pedals as main distortion?

[tubeman87]

Re: Is it okay to use pedals as main distortion?

Right Now, I play a 59 bassman reissue (or a crate clean tube amp) and use distortion pedals for my distortion sounds, and I almost always play with distortion. Are there any pros cons to doing it this way...since I already have the bassman, pedals are much cheaper than a new amp...

What kind of music are you playing first of all, Blues, Rock, Hard Rock, Metal?

If your playing Blues and Rock, even some hard rock I'd have to go with the natural tube distortion, AND pedals...you never want to limit your options.

If its metal (I don't know why Metal would be played throught a Bassman.) get new amp or some pedals.

 

[G&Legacy]

Re: Is it okay to use pedals as main distortion?

What kind of music are you playing first of all, Blues, Rock, Hard Rock, Metal?

If your playing Blues and Rock, even some hard rock I'd have to go with the natural tube distortion, AND pedals...you never want to limit your options.

If its metal (I don't know why Metal would be played throught a Bassman.) get new amp or some pedals.

Well here is the deal, I originally bought the amp because it was a great amp and I got it at a discount, I was super into SRV at the time and it sounded great...now my band plays hard rock (not metal but pretty high gain) and we do covers that range from SRV to tonic to G n' R to revelation theory so one.

I know that I could buy another amp but I don't have the money so that is why i use pedals instead and now that i got my amp fixed (it has been out of commission) the pedals sound really good to me and my bandmate (so I guess that is what is important).

I guess I was looking for answers like, "well pedals aren't as reliable because they breakdown more often." or "well if your amp breaks down and there is another good tube amp around, you can still get a good sound."

Thanks for all of the suggestions

 

[devastone]

Re: Is it okay to use pedals as main distortion?

Do what works best for you, do you think Jimi would care what people on a forum thought?

But, there is nothing wrong with your setup, I've used old Superleads the same way because I couldn't push them loud enough for breakup. In fact, your setup is quite flexible. If it were me, I would look into some really nice distorto pedals, like the Radial Tonebone or Hot British, a Carl Martin Plexitone, or maybe the Xotic BB Preamp. Yeah, they are a little expensive, but as you say, still cheaper than an amp.

As far as the question about "isn't ss amp distortion the same as a pedal", wow, there are like 1001 or so different flavors of pedal distortion, so, no, the ss amp isn't going to sound just like pedal x, but yes, they are getting their distortion in similar ways, but it's not as simple as all ss sounds the same.

 

[WhoFan]

Re: Is it okay to use pedals as main distortion?

Right Now, I play a 59 bassman reissue (or a crate clean tube amp) and use distortion pedals for my distortion sounds, and I almost always play with distortion. Are there any pros cons to doing it this way...since I already have the bassman, pedals are much cheaper than a new amp...

i have a few different set ups... tube amps, SS amps, and some Tube amps with Pedals in front.... I used Pedals for my main Distortion sound all the time... mostly thru my Peavey Classic 30 and Classic 50 amps.... I figure if Gilmour made some nice tones with Pedals i'd give it a try... People who say Tube amps distortion is the only way to go are missing out on the other half of distortion sounds....

Your Bassman is great for being used with pedals!!!! perfect!!!!

With my pedal board i have it working like a 3 Channel amp... The Seceret is the Boss Line Selector pedal... It is a pedal with 2 FX Loops... I use my rythym Distortion box in Loop A... and my solo box in Loop B set louder and more distorted... This way i can get a huge distortion and volume boost for solos... Plus i can turn either one that is on to off and have clean sounds from the amp... so it is like a 3 channel amp. Plus in each loop you can have different sounding distortion pedals and it works like a MultiFX unit.. Add a Chorus and a wah and i'm in heaven...

That Boss Line Selector pedal is amazing... i'm going to order a new one very soon just as back up... i have doubles of my most used pedals...

 

[The Golden Boy]

Re: Is it okay to use pedals as main distortion?

If you're liking the sound you're getting, keep going with it. If you're not satisfied with the tone you're getting, think about checking out some amps that sound pretty close to the way you want yourself to sound.

I haven't come across a pedal that emulates the sound, feel and response of an amp breaking up- but that's the tone I'm looking for. The stock MV sound of my amps is/are pretty good- and do what I want them to do. Yeah, they do sound better cranked with the Pre backed off.

Personally, I don't like the idea of using a pedal to provide primary tone- there's plenty of people that do.

 

[Vasshu the humanoid typhoon]

Re: Is it okay to use pedals as main distortion?

Pedals are just not just pedals anymore....and some of us likes our amps clean, and working as the foundation of our sound.
My take on pedals, let the amp work for them, not using the pedal to work the amp, so it will always take an amp that has a sound you like!
And alot of amps do not sound very good driven....but rather well clean.

 

[sublimerules9604]

Re: Is it okay to use pedals as main distortion?

I use pedals for my distortion all the time, because I have a single channel amp. The blues jr crunch just isnt my style, but the cleans are pretty good for the price. So, this is where I justify using pedals to achieve my distorted sounds. Well that and as a college student I cant justify spending tons of money for an amp with multiple channels and just the right sound, that will end up being played only at the lowest setting (Mesa Mark IV ).

 

[scottish]

Re: Is it okay to use pedals as main distortion?

Fender amps are legendary for their amazing clean tones. You are already starting with a great, untouched clean tone with the bassman. I would and do use pedals with my fender amp for OD and distortion. Having the amp set higher for crunch and then rolling back the guitar volume for clean tones just doesnt sound the same to me.

But as everyone has said, dont change it if its working and if you like it.

 

[ratherdashing]

Re: Is it okay to use pedals as main distortion?

So many classic guitar tones have been achieved with a od/dist pedal into a clean or semi-clean amp. Odds are most of the famous high-gain guitar tones you love involve a pedal of some sort.

Go for it. The only thing that really matters is the outcome.

 

[erikm5150]

Re: Is it okay to use pedals as main distortion?

I swore off dist. pedals a long time ago, until I tried the MI audio crunchbox.
I used to use the dist channel on my carvin X100B, but not anymore... the crunchbox sounds better, and it has a good "feel". It sounds good both at practice and gig volumes... And it's a blessing for late night low volume practicing.

IMHO pedals nowadays are very good... there are a million options out there for good boutique and modded pedals -- Xotic, MI Audio, Barber, Catalinbread, Subdecay, Maxon, Zvex, Carl Martin...just to name a few.
Modded boss pedals are cool to, depending on who mods em... Monte Allums and indyguitarist are very good.

But just like with anything, there are good pedals and bad sounding ones.

Bottom line is that if it sounds good, it IS good

 

[Dr.Mavashi]

Re: Is it okay to use pedals as main distortion?

Gillmore ..... are you f*$^@#& me ??? Who care what he does, the guy can't shred and I never heard him keep up with a real double bass drummer .....please.




Just kidding. It really depends on the style of music and tones in that style you like. If you are into heavy stuff but riff oriented, you like riffs that you can remeber just as much as the vocal melodies you need single not clarity and usually distortion pedals are not that well defined when comes to single notes that's the price you pay for that fat saturation. An overdirve pedal with very little clipping and output cranked into the pre-amp with 4 or more ECC83s will give you the punch and saturation of a distortion pedal with a single note clarity usually associated with clean channels. Just my opinion.

 

[Rich_T]

Re: Is it okay to use pedals as main distortion?

I use a mixture of the two for my main sound. The master volume on my 2204 is usually around 7-8, the preamp full on, and then I push that with a Rat with the volume dimed, and the distortion and filter both at 1 o' clock. Never liked the windows anyway.

 

[Fender_Punk]

Re: Is it okay to use pedals as main distortion?

Both ways are good ways to go. if you're looking for a new distortion, I'd suggest a DS-1 or 2, a Digitech Distortion Factory, a EHX Muff of some sort or a Pro Co Rat.

If you like how you're current set-up is, keep it that way.

EDIT: When Nirvana recorded Nevermind, Kurdt used a Japanese Strat HSS (JB bridge) and a Fender Bassman for Lithium (used a Mosrite Gospel and I believe Marshall stack for the most of the album). I'm not sure if he put his DS-1 through Butch Vig's bassman, but it sounds amazing. Shows you the goods the Bassman has!!

 

[korovamilkdud]

Re: Is it okay to use pedals as main distortion?

As long as it works in your band's mix I don't see how it's horribly crucial. I've heard guys use a boss DS-1 as their primary distortion and, since their amp was of decent quality, they sounded just fine.

 

[Robbiedbee]

Re: Is it okay to use pedals as main distortion?

My main distortion pedal is a Twin Tube Classic, so go figure

Well, that's not entirely true. I find that the TTC can be a little flubby and unclear towards the buttom end, but really gives the sweetest, smoothest leads. Conversely, my Marshall is better for crunch, and not as great for smoother leads.

I think whatever sounds best to your ears for your needs is the way to go. There are some fantastic pedals out there (modded DS-1s or TS models, OCD and even a BD-2). I reckon 95% of an audience would be completely oblivious if you used one instead of the other one night, providing you were still hitting the notes, throwing the shapes and pulling the faces.

 

[jony]

Re: Is it okay to use pedals as main distortion?

Dave Gilmour ran pedals into clean amps.

Jeff Beck ran a RAT into 4 Fender Twins.

 

[Mike M.]

Re: Is it okay to use pedals as main distortion?

Nothing wrong with OD pedals as I use them all the time for rock tones. Yeah, nothing sounds as good as a cranked amp, but wow.....the ringing ears are not fun anymore.

 

[34029324079]

Re: Is it okay to use pedals as main distortion?

if its a high quality pedal and you are pushing the amp into overdrive, then yes it is a good thing. it depends on the amp and the pedal. I wouldn't pair up a fender twin with a metal zone and start playing pantera for instance. it just doesn't make sense and will sound thin/bad.

 

[Bludave]

Re: Is it okay to use pedals as main distortion?

YES!! As long as you are using a good amp and a good pedal you should be fine. I used a Super Reverb and a Tube Screamer for year. Worked great!

 

[Rich_T]

Re: Is it okay to use pedals as main distortion?

My main distortion pedal is a Twin Tube Classic, so go figure

Well, that's not entirely true. I find that the TTC can be a little flubby and unclear towards the buttom end, but really gives the sweetest, smoothest leads. Conversely, my Marshall is better for crunch, and not as great for smoother leads.

I think whatever sounds best to your ears for your needs is the way to go. There are some fantastic pedals out there (modded DS-1s or TS models, OCD and even a BD-2). I reckon 95% of an audience would be completely oblivious if you used one instead of the other one night, providing you were still hitting the notes, throwing the shapes and pulling the faces.

Do you mix the TTC with the drive channels on the DSL? I used to get great results pushing OD2 with an SD-1 for leads.