Re: The War of Maxons, OD9 Vs VOP9 DECIDE!
Great just got the od9 going to try and sell it now (anybody want an od9 prettymuch
Only played on one time brand new before trying to be sold for a vop9 im good with anything above $80 bucks with box and all) so the vop9 has more gain thats a surprise.
The OD9 is a modified OD808 (Maxon's original version of an Ibanez TS808). It barely has more gain than an TS808 and sounds a little more compressed, and has a little more low mids. The TS808 has an upper mid hump. Overall they are very similar.
The OD820 or VOP9 (same thing), has nearly twice the gain of an OD9. It has a more balanced midrange, more bass, and more headroom on the 18v setting. On the 9v setting it still has those kinds of qualities but slightly less headroom.
When I use an OD9 on an amp, I have to turn the mids down on the amp or I get this kind of compressed thing happening when I sustain a note on the D and A strings. The VOP9 isn't as bad, but it still adds some midrange but in a special way.
You can take an amp like a Marshall or like my Rivera where it has a lot of mids but boost it with the VOP9 and it sounds a little thicker and warmer. I use the 18v setting because it remains relatively transparent. I don't keep the gain at 0, tone at 12:00 and volume at 12:00 on my VOP9 then I back the gain off my amp a little so it doesn't get too distorted. That gives me my lead tone.
Anyway the OD820 costs about twice as much as the OD9 but it's worth it. I'm not knocking the OD9. It's a great great pedal, but I personally like having just a little more overdrive available in case I need it and at 18v it gives a lot of headroom and less compression so it works great for me. It depends a lot on the type of amps and pickups you use too. Maybe the OD9 is a better choice for you.
