Let's get DIRTY!!!!

[Rich_S]

Re: Let's get DIRTY!!!!

For somebody who used just a Boss GE-7 into a 2203 for years, it seems I've accumulated quite a few dirt pedals in my middle age.



On my pedlaboard (top row, right to left):

1. DIY Alembic Stratoblaster - a bright boost that whomps my baby Marshall harder without adding dirt of its own.
2. DIY Paisley Rat - My #2 dirt box, a clone of an LM308 small box, built on a Madbean PC board. Usually used with the distortion up and the volume down for dirty rhythm parts or sustaining special effects.
3. Exotic BB Preamp - My #1 dirt box. I love its ability to add dirt without compressing out the pick attack and playing dynamics. With gain and volume both about halfway up, it turns my Telecaster into a howling beast. Raising the active treble and bass controls a smidge helps un-do the natural mid-hump.

Fun-To-Have-Around Also-Rans:

• Boss SD-1 - Was my dirt box of choice before I discovered the BB Preamp. This one's been modded with C6 removed, plus a switchable bass boost.
• Boss DS-1 - Everybody should have one of these around. I've modded several, but keep coming back to the stock version.
• Dunlop Blue Mini Fuzz Face - Again, everyone should have a Fuzz Face, and I like the silicon version the best.
• MXR La Machine - Recent acquisition, an update of the '70s Foxx Tone Machine. Gnarly distortion/fuzz with or without the octave. If I can convince my old band to 1) play a 35th reunion this year, and 2) put some Missing Persons in the set, this may replace the Paisley Rat on my board, at least for a while.
• DIY Triangle Muff - The Triangle is my favorite Muff, but EHX wasn't making one until just recently. So, I built this one myself several years ago, on a Madbean PC board. Knobs from an old Heathkit/Bell and Howell "learn electronics at home" oscilloscope, copper plate my your truly.
• DIY Mosrite Fuzzrite - The Triangle Muff's look-alike cousin. I wanted that In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida sound on the cheap, and this gives it to me. (Not shown: another Fuzzrite that looks like the paisley Rat. It is the sole dirt box on my "surf rock" pedalboard.)

 

[Dave Locher]

Re: Let's get DIRTY!!!!

Missing Persons tone = fuzz? Which songs? I am intrigued!

 

[Rich_S]

Re: Let's get DIRTY!!!!

I’m pretty sure Warren used a Tone Machine for his more over-the-top dirty sounds. I read it a while back, but have no idea where. Same for Adrian Belew, back in the Talking Heads and Bowie days.

They both used Rats, too. It was, after all, the ‘80s.

Check out the first two songs of Missing Persons’ set at the 1983 Us Festival, “Mental Hopscotch” and “Noticable One”. The solo tones are really nasty, and I suspect that’s the Tone Machine. Of course, Warren also appears to have three Eventide H3000’s in his rack, so it’s a wonder we can hear anything from the dirt boxes he’s using. LOL.

 

[jeremy]

Re: Let's get DIRTY!!!!

my most recent addition is the blackstone mosfet overdrive. it wasnt what i was really looking for but it sounds terrific. fat and harmonically rich, not overly compressed, has two channels and is very small. almost too small but it cleans up really well.

 

[Aceman]

Re: Let's get DIRTY!!!!

Come on guys!!!!!! I know a crap-ton of you have a butt-load of dirt boxes!!!!! Bring the pics!!!!!

 

[Jack_TriPpEr]

Re: Let's get DIRTY!!!!

It has a terrible name ... like an English-is-my-2nd-language person trying but missing at coming up with a cool product name .... but if you look up the reviews of this pedal online, the Biyang "Metal End" distortion pedal has mostly very favorable reviews. Either it's a clone of the Akai Deluxe Distortion pedal from the 2011 time frame or vice versa, its not well documented.

Anyways, this distortion pedal is what i use to get my main metal/thrash distortion tone - bypassing the preamp, going directly into the power amp, followed by a graphic EQ pedal. I went through a LOT of distortion pedals -never getting the sound i wanted - until i found this guy.

 

[dystrust]

Re: Let's get DIRTY!!!!

I'm not one of those guys with a ton of dirt boxes.

Big Board:

• Fulltone GT-500: Mosfet drive and clean boost in one. I run it in the 'clean' loop of my board for extra volume or an overdrive tone similar to a Peavey Classic. As a bonus, the boost can be cascaded into the distortion.
• Home Brew UFO: Secondary boost in the 'dirty' loop. IMO it sounds kinda like a Tone Bender with a switchable octave; very fat fuzz that can still be dialed in to cut. It has a TON of gain and could be run into a clean channel, but I prefer how it sounds with the gain around 9 o'clock run into an already dirty amp.
• Wampler Tumnus: Solo boost in the 'dirty' loop, and the lead tone I've been chasing for YEARS. I like how it's fatter than a TS and the mid-hump is variable too.

Lead 12 Board:

• Maxon OD-9: Basically the dirty channel of my Lead 12. I run the amp on the edge of break up and slam the front end with this.
• SD Pickup Booster: This is the *more* switch on my Lead 12 board for when the OD-9 isn't enough. Sometimes I use it without the OD-9 for just a bit of grit.

Spares:

• Boss OS-2: I haven't looked at the schematic, but it's basically a DS-1 and SD-1 in the same box in terms of tones. I mostly run it into a clean amp in DS-1 mode.
• Late '70s MXR Distortion+: When you want *that* sound, there really isn't anything else. I haven't plugged it in in years, but it's a fun toy that I got for a steal.

I bought all of the ones in use for specific reasons, while the MXR was an impulse steal and the OS-2 was a freebie when I bought something else.

 

[Jack_TriPpEr]

Re: Let's get DIRTY!!!!

View attachment 96609

I've never seen that pedal before. What are its strengths and weaknesses?

 

[chadd]

Re: Let's get DIRTY!!!!

I've been through a ton over the years, but don't use many.
MXR/CAE 402: love the clean boost, but the OD sounds like as s. I only use the OD for Nirvana covers
A.C. Booster: does the jangle, slightly gritty stuff for me and works well with the clean boost in front. It also gets really nasty when used with my slightly dirty channel.
OCD clone: great pedal, but I have it set up for one song and a tone that I couldn't get from my amp.
Stomp Under Foot Civil War Muff: really mid focused fuzz. It's pretty mild for a fuzz, perfect for me.

Currently off my board, zendrive clone: great pedal for what it does, but doesn't fit our set list right now

 

[dave74]

Re: Let's get DIRTY!!!!

dave's dirty dozen

 

[Aceman]

Re: Let's get DIRTY!!!!

That's what we're talking' bout!!!!

HM-3 - how's that?

 

[Little Pigbacon]

Re: Let's get DIRTY!!!!

I like a theme.

 

[Aceman]

Re: Let's get DIRTY!!!!

I like a theme.

Yeah - that top row makes a certain statement. Just missing a mega-distortion.

 

[BloodRose]

Re: Let's get DIRTY!!!!

Just remembered another one i have. little Bear R.ATTACK

Supposed to be a Ratt clone with 3 diff versions; Vintage, turbo and and dirty.

I need to dig this one out and play with it as Ive been thinking I need a Rat pedal. Sad, that I forgot I even had this one...

 

[dave74]

Re: Let's get DIRTY!!!!

That's what we're talking' bout!!!!

HM-3 - how's that?

With all knobs at noon it has about the same feel and sound (just a little fuller) as the OpMuff at max sustain and neutral tone.

The HM-3 might be Boss's most unique dirt box (minus the Metalizer and JB-2). It's very crunchy with a stiffer feel and clearer fundamental than their others.

Just like the ML-2 I find it's high/lows too extreme to apply more than a hair of boost. Cutting the highs to 10:00-11:00 works better with bright scorcher pups.
The ML-2 also has that stiffer feel but with more saturation on tap,,,,,,IMO it's just a digital pumped-up HM-3 clone.

Now here's the kicker. Both make great boosters, but with the HM-3 you can actually apply a bit of it's own clipping under the tube amp's gain without it sounding like a typical double-stacked distortion thing. Even running a basic TS I almost always have the gain on 0 if it's under the amp's dirt.

The main gripe on the HM-3 is it's buzzy highs and scooped mids, but both are remedied by simply backing the highs down to noon or less.
I don't much like it for fast alt-pick riffing. It's not smooth like a pushed HM-2.

 

[dave74]

Re: Let's get DIRTY!!!!

 

[SweetClyde99]

Re: Let's get DIRTY!!!!

I’ve definitely been through more than this, but these are what’s in the stable right now. Now to put most of them away before the wife sees...

Edit: The Metal Zone and Daddy-O on the bottom-left both have Montel Allums mods installed.

 

[80's_Metal]

Re: Let's get DIRTY!!!!



Clean and simple these days. I've been through dozens, but these 3 get me.

DigiTech Metal Master 90% of the time
EHX pocket/nano Metal, hand painted Stinkeye 9% of the time
AMT E1 preamp 1% of the time.

 

[rainsong86]

Re: Let's get DIRTY!!!!




Amptweaker Tight Metal with a 7-band cheapo EQ pedal in it's effects loop (can be set to before or after the pedal itself, I have it set to after). It has a "side-trak" effects loop that's only engaged when the Tight Metal is off. There I keep a Wampler db+ (great booster and also has a buffer switch) in front of a JHS Sweet Tea.

I like the ts808 side of the Sweet tea more than the Angry Charlie side. It's difficult to set both sides to sound good together. I do enjoy the Angry Charlie (marshall guv'nor copy) by itself sometimes, most often with single coils.

The ARC Klone is a great Centaur copy. I also included the Fender engager. I'll call it a utility boost. I think of it more as a simplified EQ pedal. The mid switch selects between 400 and 800hz. Great tool to put before other drives, especially the Tight Metal.

 

[jeremy]

Re: Let's get DIRTY!!!!

i really want one of those engager boosts but i havent found one in a store to try