Overdrive advice?

[FretFire]

Re: Overdrive advice?

One nice thing about the Hermida stuff, if for some reason you don't like it you could list it for sale here or at thegearpage.net and make your money back, they hold their value well used. In fact you might check the effects emporioum over at TGP for a used one, you might save a couple bucks.

 

[FenderStratRock3]

Re: Overdrive advice?

Thanks for the heads up on the selling at TGP. I've been snooping around there lately, but that seems like a great place to pick a pedal up.

 

[CapoFirstFret]

Re: Overdrive advice?

Don't forget Alf is supposedly going to release a Mos/Zen 2-in-1 pedal in the near future. That'd be a killer box!

It's just the waiting for one that is a killer. I'm modeling my new rig slightly after Brad Paisley's rig....paisley telecaster, fralin pickups, dr. z amp...and I just found it he also uses a Hermida Zendrive...so now I have to have one

 

[The Golden Boy]

Re: Overdrive advice?

I've been thinking about getting one of these instead of a TS9 when I replace my stuff...how well does it compare?

This is my theory of the DD vs the TS series.

The idea of the TS series is to "emulate" a tube overdrive. If you look at it like that it fails miserably. Even if you just use it as a solo boost or whatever, there's no dynamic on it- even with the gain pulled all the way back, it compresses your tone. I can't speak on the mods that many people have done- but it seems to me, that's just one of the limitations of the circuit. The Direct Drive is much more dynamic. In other words, it allows you to "dig in" and have it get "gain-ier" based on your attack.

I originally got the DD to be the overdrive on my old Showman head. Try overdriving a Blackface Showman without an attenuator or an overdrive box...
It didn't do a convincing all around overdrive sound for that. HOWEVER, I found it gave a much more "real" sound when I used it as my solo boost thing.

Overall, it didn't do what I originally wanted it to do. It did, however, absolutely CRUSH the other pedals I had been using as solo/gain boosts. (that would be an MIJ DS-1, an MIJ SD-1 and an Ibanez TS-9 DX)

 

[LesStrat]

Re: Overdrive advice?

I'd like to get my hands (or is that feet?) on a Tube Driver.

 

[CapoFirstFret]

Re: Overdrive advice?

I'd like to get my hands (or is that feet?) on a Tube Driver.

I know a guy in nashville that had one...we used it to record some tracks a while back...KILLER pedal, just not my tone

 

[FretFire]

Re: Overdrive advice?

It's just the waiting for one that is a killer. I'm modeling my new rig slightly after Brad Paisley's rig....paisley telecaster, fralin pickups, dr. z amp...and I just found it he also uses a Hermida Zendrive...so now I have to have one

True, but one great thing about Alf is apparently you can call him or email him and ask him about building you a one-off and have him OK it if he has the time (and you have the $$$ of course). You could probably call up and ask him about a Mos/Zen box, though I'm not sure what he'd say if they really are in development for production right now.

 

[PUCKBOY99]

Re: Overdrive advice?

Alf actually lives about 45 minutes south of me.....he told me to bring anything I wanted down to him to run his pedals through so I 'd know if they worked for me.

Also, he gives a grace period/no questions asked money back guarantee.....you don't like it, send it back!

What more can you ask for? PLUS...like Fretfire said, they hold their value & get snatched up quickly on The Gear Page.