Need a Good Distortion for Not Much $$$

[Boogie Bill]

Re: Need a Good Distortion for Not Much $$$

And forgot to add, some of the coolest, cheap distortion pedals around our coming out of Electro-Harmonix. I like what the Soul Food adds to my Mesa amps, and I'm thinking about adding a Satisfaction pedal for some old-school, buzzy grind. Check out that line...terrific values.

Bill

 

[Archer250]

Re: Need a Good Distortion for Not Much $$$

 

[dominus]

Re: Need a Good Distortion for Not Much $$$

I've never used the Flex Tone, but I would tell you that some solid-state amps can be finicky with distortions. So try it in your amp before you buy, or get a liberal return policy.

It's digital, not solid state. Most analog solid state amps are fine with distortion pedals.

How do I do that?

The ME-33 has built in overdrive and distortion pedals. From the brochure on their website they're listed as OD / Fat / Blues for overdrive, and DIST / METL / FUZZ for distortions.

 

[beaubrummels]

Re: Need a Good Distortion for Not Much $$$

I have a Flextone III and it does well if you go straight in. Putting pedals in front of it doesn't respond like putting pedals in front of a real amp. If you must have a pedal do the saturation, I bought a used Marshall Guv'nor that does really well, sounds like an amp and cab regardless of the amp you run it through, and it responds like a real Marshall when rolling back, though IME it's difficult to get any fully-saturated pedal to go completely clean when rolling back.


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[Butch Snyder]

Re: Need a Good Distortion for Not Much $$$

The ME-33 has built in overdrive and distortion pedals. From the brochure on their website they're listed as OD / Fat / Blues for overdrive, and DIST / METL / FUZZ for distortions.

Right, I know about and have used all those. Direct to the amp's input, they are great. Through the effects loop, they're horrid as most volume, gain, comp type pedals are. Those need to stay in the signal chain from guitar to amp. I use delays, modulation effects through the effects loop; as they tend to sound best that way and delays aren't affected by distortion effects.

So, using the ME-33, you're either direct or through the effects loop. You can't split effects and have some go direct and some not.

I have a Flextone III and it does well if you go straight in. Putting pedals in front of it doesn't respond like putting pedals in front of a real amp.

Explain that a little bit. I have a Marshall ED-1 and a Visual Sound Route 66 that sit in between my amp and the guitar. They sound great and do exactly what they're supposed to do. Maybe I'm just not catching what you're saying here.

 

[treyhaislip]

Re: Need a Good Distortion for Not Much $$$

I've never used the Flex Tone, but I would tell you that some solid-state amps can be finicky with distortions. So try it in your amp before you buy, or get a liberal return policy.

Excellent advice here! :bigthumb:

I had a Flextone tone for a while–got some great sounds out of it but felt like I kept re-creating the same tone over and over again so I switched from the modelers/modeler amps to tube amps and pedals. Not saying that is for everyone but that is what worked for me–Fender Tube clean amp with different pedals. But, the Flextone can definitely get some awesome sounds, just don't know how it will react to pedals...my dad's AX2 does not like pedals at all.

And while it isn't cheap, if you're looking for that smooth, fluid, saturated tone take a look at the Mesa Flux Drive. This is more like the Mark Series amps, as opposed to the Rectifier-type distortions. If you want even more versatility, the Flux Five adds a 5-band EQ.

Thanks alot Bill, just when I thought I was done buying pedals you have to show that one. :chairshot jk lol

That actually looks like an awesome pedal! I will have to find a way to try one out! I miss my Mesa DC-5, the 5 way EQ was awesome!

 

[Butch Snyder]

Re: Need a Good Distortion for Not Much $$$

So try it in your amp before you buy, or get a liberal return policy.

Nice thing is I work 5 minutes from the Cincy Guitar Center. Their return policy is good and they have an ample selection of distortion/OD pedals.

 

[Butch Snyder]

Re: Need a Good Distortion for Not Much $$$

So I went to Guitar center today and tried out a bunch of pedals. I went through their standard fare set up; a DRRI and strat. I did ask to put a comp in front since I use one. I bought a DOD Overdrive Preamp 250. That model is the first distortion pedal I had ever owned and one of the very best. First bought one back in 1982. This one is improved. It sounded very very nice. I went to buy it (45-day return policy works for me). I found it was on clearance; so I got a very good deal; especially since I know it's going to act and sound different through my amp. Stay tuned.....

1st edition

Latest version

 

[ehdwuld]

Re: Need a Good Distortion for Not Much $$$

My solid state Laney likes distortion pedals
My GNX modeling pedal does not

I vote DS-1 as well
Hit the front of it with an SD-1 for the brutalz

*(Sent from my durned phone!)*

 

[Butch Snyder]

Re: Need a Good Distortion for Not Much $$$

My solid state Laney likes distortion pedals
My GNX modeling pedal does not

I vote DS-1 as well
Hit the front of it with an SD-1 for the brutalz

*(Sent from my durned phone!)*

Well, we'll find out tonight.


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[Gearjoneser]

Re: Need a Good Distortion for Not Much $$$

I'll second beaubrummel's suggestion of buying a Marshall Gov'nor II. It'll be a good match for your compressor, since it's from the same series. What makes it great is all the EQ capabilities it has, so you can fatten up your tele, as well as sounding like you're plugged into a Marshall halfstack.

The Gov'nor II is a very underrated pedal, and they're easy to find used or on sale.

 

[Butch Snyder]

Re: Need a Good Distortion for Not Much $$$

Okay, I connected it up and it's going back. Throught the DRRI, the tone was great. Through my amp, it was okay. It worked and was very usable; but it was really no better than what I already had. Oh well, I'll stick with what I have. It sounds good.

 

[ehdwuld]

Re: Need a Good Distortion for Not Much $$$

Okay, I connected it up and it's going back. Throught the DRRI, the tone was great. Through my amp, it was okay. It worked and was very usable; but it was really no better than what I already had. Oh well, I'll stick with what I have. It sounds good.

I take it, we are discussing the DS-1

 

[Chickenwings]

Re: Need a Good Distortion for Not Much $$$

There has got to be something wrong if you cant get a saturated sound out of your line 6.
Try unplugging everything else and tweak the models. Modelling amps work best just by plugging straight in. Plus it has onboard effects so plugging the boss unit into your loop is redundant.
If that wont do it for you then there is definitely a problem somewhere along the signal chain.

 

[Butch Snyder]

Re: Need a Good Distortion for Not Much $$$

I take it, we are discussing the DS-1

No, DOD Overdrive Preamp 250. Blew the DS1 away.


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[Butch Snyder]

Re: Need a Good Distortion for Not Much $$$

There has got to be something wrong if you cant get a saturated sound out of your line 6.
Try unplugging everything else and tweak the models. Modelling amps work best just by plugging straight in. Plus it has onboard effects so plugging the boss unit into your loop is redundant.
If that wont do it for you then there is definitely a problem somewhere along the signal chain.

Modulation effects in the ME-33 work very nicely through the effects loop. Wahs, dist/OD effects don't. Also, plugged straight in, with amp distortion, delay effects go nuts.

Again, the tone of the amp is great. It's the amp model I'm using. It models a Marshall Plexi 100 watt with a cabinet model with Celestion Vintage 30s. Even with the gain all the way up, you don't get a really good saturation distortion. It needs help from a pedal.


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[Aceman]

Re: Need a Good Distortion for Not Much $$$

Butch, I'm going to say this out of love;

The problem is you. If between that amp and that Boss OD you can't get your dirt noise - the problem is in your head. You must have 60 different dirt tones, a ton of EQ options and more.

I get it if you are looking for "that Sound" but then you will need to drop the cheap requirement.

I can't imagine there isn't a filthy nasty sound I couldn't generate with that. Maybe you'll need to take some time, maybe read the manual, I don't know….but that is more processing power than Rush, Vai, and any 5 80's metal bands had in their rack of doom setups. There isn't a cheap pedal out there that will do anywhere near one one hundredth of what those two boards together can.

Hate if you want - but your post just screams at me "The problem is NOT the amp/effects"

 

[Butch Snyder]

Re: Need a Good Distortion for Not Much $$$

Butch, I'm going to say this out of love;

The problem is you. If between that amp and that Boss OD you can't get your dirt noise - the problem is in your head. You must have 60 different dirt tones, a ton of EQ options and more.

I get it if you are looking for "that Sound" but then you will need to drop the cheap requirement.

I can't imagine there isn't a filthy nasty sound I couldn't generate with that. Maybe you'll need to take some time, maybe read the manual, I don't know….but that is more processing power than Rush, Vai, and any 5 80's metal bands had in their rack of doom setups. There isn't a cheap pedal out there that will do anywhere near one one hundredth of what those two boards together can.

Hate if you want - but your post just screams at me "The problem is NOT the amp/effects"

You know what? You're exactly right. It's me. There is a tone of great tones from that amp. It's what I'm trying to drag out of it that's not working. You're also right in that if I bought a Fender Deluxe Reverb, Twin Reverb, AC-30, Marshall Blues Breaker, Plexi, Mesa, etc.... I could put a great pedal board in front and we'd be done. I don't have that kind disposable income to lay down; I have chosen to make what I have work and it works very well. I've been doing this a pretty long time and know how to get could tone and performance out of my gear. I know the amp's owner's manual inside and out. I've had it for over 10 years. Honestly, the Soldano amp model is great tone. Does it sound like a SLO100? No, but it sounds very good.

I will continue on this quest and sincerely appreciate all the comments and feedback given. It means a lot.

 

[jeffrey.m.dooley]

Re: Need a Good Distortion for Not Much $$$

I sell a number of different pedals, ProCo, Joyo Ironman, MXR, all priced very well. www.guitargearnmore.com

I hope you find what you are looking for

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[BadBen]

Re: Need a Good Distortion for Not Much $$$

I just picked up a Boss BC-2 Combo Drive off eBay for $40 shipped. Crazy good tone. Full, great cleans and you can dial in killer gain. I'm stacking a Bad Monkey that I've had for a while in front of it too, but it's a whole new ball game now.

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