OD Boost for high gain amp

Re: OD Boost for high gain amp

Vincent Vespa said:
Me neither, considering they cost half of that.

http://guitars.musiciansfriend.com/product/Ibanez-TS9-Tube-Screamer-Effects-Pedal?sku=150284
Click to expand...

You guys forget, since I live in Canada, dealers here feel the need to completely ignore exchange rates and instead of charging prices that reflect the US pricing plus the exchange rate difference, we get cornholed in the butt.

TS9s at local dealers go for no less than $155, some go up to $199.

hell, even the SD-1s go for like 50% more than they do in the US. around $60. Add federal and provincial harmonized F-me-in-the-arse taxes, and that brings it to like 75-85 bucks for what in the US would be a $40 pedal plus whatever taxes you guys pay.


that said, I really really like what I've heard of the SD-1, and the TS-9. I like how agressive the TS-9 is in the mids, but I also like how much thicker the SD-1 sounds. In both cases, I love the overall balance of clarity and aggression.

I think i'm just gonna have to do some hunting around, maybe try and nab a used one off Craigslist.
 
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Re: OD Boost for high gain amp

yeah man it blows. I was looking at prices for the Jet City JCA100...all over the states, the price is 720-750 or therabouts.

Most places around here: $950-999

I was so disturbed by this ripoffedness, I posted on Jet City's facebook asking if there's a different pricing strategy or something. A dealer from BC (west Canada) PM'd me, said that prices are higher in Canada because there is a different distributor who's raising prices, but that his music store in BC is selling them for $750.

So I'm just gonna order it from him, shipping will be free, I still get my $100 rebate, and I end up a helluva lot luckier than the shlubs buying from local dealers.
 
Re: OD Boost for high gain amp

I went through quite a few od boosts when I had my high gain amp. I was looking for something that was not only a vol boost but something that would take my gain over the top. I was looking for a real creamy saturation. Here are my favs in order.
1) subdecay liquid sunshine - this is a really nice smooth boost/treb boost/od. But it's super transparent so if your looking for a pedal with some mid hump it's not the one for you.
2) Timmy - same as above with a little more bottom end if you want it and a little less compresed.
3) Dano transparent TOD-1 v1 Timmy rip off but cheap with no w8.
4) Bad Monkey - more of a TS mid hump pedal. I thought the OD sounded cheap and fake but it was an amazing boost.

Hope this helps.
 
Re: OD Boost for high gain amp

bad-monkey.jpg
 
Re: OD Boost for high gain amp

ConvoysToNothingness said:
You guys forget, since I live in Canada, dealers here feel the need to completely ignore exchange rates and instead of charging prices that reflect the US pricing plus the exchange rate difference, we get cornholed in the butt.

TS9s at local dealers go for no less than $155, some go up to $199.

hell, even the SD-1s go for like 50% more than they do in the US. around $60. Add federal and provincial harmonized F-me-in-the-arse taxes, and that brings it to like 75-85 bucks for what in the US would be a $40 pedal plus whatever taxes you guys pay.


that said, I really really like what I've heard of the SD-1, and the TS-9. I like how agressive the TS-9 is in the mids, but I also like how much thicker the SD-1 sounds. In both cases, I love the overall balance of clarity and aggression.

I think i'm just gonna have to do some hunting around, maybe try and nab a used one off Craigslist.
Click to expand...

I got em both on my pedalboard, SD-1 for grit and TS-9 for smooth, I find both thick as a boost but the TS-9 a little thicker? Might be the mods I did but those are very slight.
If I need anything fancier I'll just build it myself to cut costs. Some pedal prices are rediculous! The taxes are high as well here in Holland, but thats what e-bay is for, isn't it?
 
Re: OD Boost for high gain amp

THe SD-1 with Level full and Gain off works so well at giving the amp a hifi, harmonically rich sustain. Even with the level all the way up there is no major volume boost at all.

The OD-3 on the other hand does the same amount of volume boost at just less than half way up. also the gain is way higher even when turned off. You have to be careful with the level know on this one or you might overload the pre-amp so much that it chokes the sound. (making things that should jump out actually duck under.)

The SD-1 sounds sweet and tubular while the OD-3 sounds more sterile and solid state. -to me anyways. But that might be a sound you're going for. I think with a plexi or older Marshall you might want more level and gain on tap (OD-3), but with anything more modern I think you'll get more use out of the SD-1.

Both will produce feedback easily if you're not careful with the gain knob.

I love to use the SD-1 with level on 10 and gain on 0 and leave it on all the time for my sound instead of just a boost for leads. But I play rhythm and sing and do guitar harmonies with the lead player so it suits my sound perfectly.

Good Luck.
 
Re: OD Boost for high gain amp

John E Rokker said:
THe SD-1 with Level full and Gain off works so well at giving the amp a hifi, harmonically rich sustain. Even with the level all the way up there is no major volume boost at all.

The OD-3 on the other hand does the same amount of volume boost at just less than half way up. also the gain is way higher even when turned off. You have to be careful with the level know on this one or you might overload the pre-amp so much that it chokes the sound. (making things that should jump out actually duck under.)

The SD-1 sounds sweet and tubular while the OD-3 sounds more sterile and solid state. -to me anyways. But that might be a sound you're going for. I think with a plexi or older Marshall you might want more level and gain on tap (OD-3), but with anything more modern I think you'll get more use out of the SD-1.

Both will produce feedback easily if you're not careful with the gain knob.

I love to use the SD-1 with level on 10 and gain on 0 and leave it on all the time for my sound instead of just a boost for leads. But I play rhythm and sing and do guitar harmonies with the lead player so it suits my sound perfectly.

Good Luck.
Click to expand...

Hey man, you actually answered the OP question, what the hell??? Why didn't you suggest a bunch of different overdrives that he didn't ask for or care about??? ;)

Cheers,

CJ
 
Re: OD Boost for high gain amp

i agree, the SD-1 has less volume on tap and it really clears up the bloated areas in a guitar tones. something with more volume on tap always makes it worse imo. even for a older low gain amp, pushing it that hard with alot of volume (od-3) just makes it hiss and worse. if the amp doesnt have the gain dont boost it more than say 20%.
 
Re: OD Boost for high gain amp

John, THANK YOU!!!

That's the kind of feedback i was hoping to get!

One last question, how usable is the tone sweep on the SD-1?

I know on the DS-1 it's piss poor, goes from flubby to mushy to hissy and sharp, and nothing usable anywhere, to my ears as well. But that's with the gain on the DS-1 around 2-3 o clock.

Is the SD-1 tone sweep more balanced and usable? will I be able to dial in a fairly flat sounding EQ curve and also a mid hump?

Thanks again!
 
Re: OD Boost for high gain amp

The tone knob is usable. But it only attenuates treble. The pedal itself has a mid hump to it. The Keeley modded version of the SD-1 is has more of a flat EQ curve and smoother highs. But the stock Boss has a mid hump to it since it is just a tubescreamer circuit with asymetrical clipping.
 
Re: OD Boost for high gain amp

I use an SD-1 and I love it. I haven't needed to look for another boost/OD so, I can't really compare but, I thought I'd chime in.
 
Re: OD Boost for high gain amp

Build a silicon transistor dallas rangemaster and tailor the input cap sound to the frequencies you want to boost. Probably cost you 15 bucks and 2 hours of your time.

Derek
 
Re: OD Boost for high gain amp

Bear me out, im addressing yr q indirectly. After I read analogman.com I went with the $35 TS7 because it had what Ts808 offers for $200- the coveted Texas instrument chip. No one believes me. I a/b' d w a maxon ... Same but tad quieter. Also, analogman website explains why the od1 and bad monkey are all the same circuits w slight differences. Also, the eq pedal boosting the gain may be the way to go as far as transparency or any pedal if you set it to do nothing but jack the volume hitting the tubes. Personally, I feel the right pickup does both rhythm and cuts thru for lead, but I just found that out last year. I spent previous 20 years kickin a pedal for boost. Btw, the JetCity head I tried was AWESOME.
 
Re: OD Boost for high gain amp

I read your post more carefully, I get what you're trying to do. Keep in mind, the mid hump comes from the hotter power tubes (aka master volume), so don't dial it in the fake way, or analog way. Tube amps don't so much get louder from 7 to 10 , they get more distorted with a juicy verve. So using a boost to get that verve may give you the tone u want, especially since chords tend to distort and leads tend to clean up. So IMO, u shdnt address what you want with an eq knob nor the gain part of an OD pedal. If I'm wrong so be it, but if u have a namebrand pkup u should be able to chug delicious real tube distortion then hit singing leads because the pickup grabs those highs for you. So if u think about ODs, the question should be how high am I gonna crank those tubes, how hard am I gonna hit the preamp tube for distortion , and how much mid hump do I want to tolerate from the character of the particular power tubes that come w the head. So take your time, try to borrow, or bring your gear into store and try out what works. More directly, if u like the the ts9, ck out the ts7, if u need more bass ck out BadMonky or Turbo, but I still think if crank your tubes enuf, like master up all the way then inch up the gain, then hit it with more output from a transparent pedal(again vol all the way , then inch up gain for volume) yr eq needs should be minor IF u have a good pkup. Btw, we are talkin metal, rite?
 
Re: OD Boost for high gain amp

ConvoysToNothingness said:
I'm gonna be getting a Jet City JCA100 head in the next couple of weeks, and I wanna get a boost pedal for solos in high gain mode.

Was thinking of getting a Boss SD-1 or an OD-3, but considering how i'll be using it (volume boost/mid-treble boost, and additional gain) which would be the better option? Pros/cons of each?
Click to expand...

Get the SD-1 and see if Stratdeluxer here on the forum is still modding them. FOr a few extra bucks he will make it sound unbelievable. Even stock I really prefer the sound of the SD-1. Does great as just a boost or can add boost and just a tiny bit more gain for some added fun.

That was the best pedal I had with my Marshall JCM 800.
 
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