TS pushing a tube amp all in a box?

[Mukobi]

Hello,

I've been interested in getting a Tube Screamer, a TS clone, or some other similar pedal for playing blues. I have an MI Audio Crunch Box (Marshall in a box), but it is generally a bit too gainy to do get creamy singing blues tones.

Because I want to find a blue pedal, of course I found my way to the Tube Screamer direction. Most people say that TS and other overdrive pedals like them work their best with the pedal gain low and their output volume high in order to push the power tubes of a tube amp that they are going in to. Unfortunately, my amp is a Hot Rod Deluxe which I am not lucky enough to be able to turn up until it naturally distorts (and the gain channel on that amp sucks, at least in my experience with it).

My question is does there exist some pedal which kind of achieves that great sound of a Tube Screamer pushing the output valves of a tube amp that would sound good going into an amp that is pretty clean? I was thinking maybe the Lovepedal Super 6 with TS or boost pedal before it would be great, as I really like the Stevie Ray Vaughan sounds that this setup achieves, but I can only really afford $100 for a new pedal right now. Maybe a TS with volume set high into another TS with volume set low could achieve what I'm looking for, or maybe I should look at something with asymmetrical clipping like the Boss SD-1 or Fulltone Fulldrive because amps have asymmetrical clipping. Do you guys know of anything that could achieve what I'm looking for?

Thanks!

 

[Lampy H]

Re: TS pushing a tube amp all in a box?

The Wampler Plexi-Drive Deluxe.

 

[Mukobi]

Re: TS pushing a tube amp all in a box?

The Wampler Plexi-Drive Deluxe.

If I understand it correctly, the Plexi Deluxe is a TS circuit into a Marshall in a box. Do you think I could get something similar by just buying a Tube Screamer and putting it into my MI Audio Crunch Box which is also a Marshall in a box?

 

[Chickenwings]

Re: TS pushing a tube amp all in a box?

hot rods CAN sound really great without pedals even at low volume...if they are set up right.
You need a nice set of tubes. Tung sols are excellent for a sweet chime, but pretty much any modern manufacturer whether it be Electro Harmonix, Mullard or JJ are an upgrade from the rebadged sovetk 12ax7WBs (one of the cheapest tubes that sovtek make) that are in the amp. If you dont want to spend too much, just swap out the preamp tubes and get the power tubes biased a little warm. They are often biased too cold from the factory which lead to the thin and cold dirty sound people complain about. This is all assuming that your tubes are still new. If they are old, it more than likely time for a full new set and a rebias.
The other thing that can make hot rods really great is a speaker swap. For this i highly recommend the eminence texas heat. It is thick but balanced and with its 150watt rating it never flabs out. The other great thing about it is that the big coil is driven by a comparatively small magnet, so it is neither too bright, nor too efficient, taming the often too bright, loud and thin tone of hot rods, and allowing you to turn up a little more, gaining a thicker sound from pushing the power tubes a little harder.
Anyways, if at the very least your tubes are all in good condition and biased right, you should be able to use all 3 gain stages on a hot rod.
If that is all good, then just a simple run of the mill overdrive in pretty much any flavour of green, dirty yellow or any shade of booteek can be more than enough to get your singing, stinging, stevie ray blues tones on.

 

[Little Pigbacon]

Re: TS pushing a tube amp all in a box?

For this kind of playing, I've been using a DOD 250 overdrive/preamp into a Boss FBM-1. Or into my PlexiTone at a low gain setting. Either way, the 250 has become my tubs creamer flavored pedal.

 

[devastone]

Re: TS pushing a tube amp all in a box?

If I understand it correctly, the Plexi Deluxe is a TS circuit into a Marshall in a box. Do you think I could get something similar by just buying a Tube Screamer and putting it into my MI Audio Crunch Box which is also a Marshall in a box?

Yes, that should work great and gives you the option of having the TS on or off, so kinda like 3 channels.

For this kind of playing, I've been using a DOD 250 overdrive/preamp into a Boss FBM-1. Or into my PlexiTone at a low gain setting. Either way, the 250 has become my tubs creamer flavored pedal.

The DOD OD is basically a Distortion +, not really like a TS at all.

 

[Little Pigbacon]

Re: TS pushing a tube amp all in a box?

The DOD OD is basically a Distortion +, not really like a TS at all.

Really? I get some TS behavior out of it when I run it into other dirt pedals. I could never get the Distortion+ reissue to sound like much of anything.

 

[devastone]

Re: TS pushing a tube amp all in a box?

Yep, almost identical circuits, just a few resistor and capacitor differences.

 

[Little Pigbacon]

Re: TS pushing a tube amp all in a box?

It sounds like they made the right changes. The DOD is the most useful overdrive on my board.

 

[PFDarkside]

Re: TS pushing a tube amp all in a box?

If I understand it correctly, the Plexi Deluxe is a TS circuit into a Marshall in a box. Do you think I could get something similar by just buying a Tube Screamer and putting it into my MI Audio Crunch Box which is also a Marshall in a box?

Yes, that should work great and gives you the option of having the TS on or off, so kinda like 3 channels.

One negative to the Plexi-Drive Deluxe IMO, is that the gain and tone are preset. So while you CAN use the boost side independently, it might not be setup the way you'd want it to be. A separate Tube Screamer type is more useful. I use a Wampler Pinnacle boosted by a Fulldrive 2, it works fantastically.

 

[Gearjoneser]

Re: TS pushing a tube amp all in a box?

Yeah. The MI Audio Blues Boy Deluxe.
Or, Blues Pro, if you want to stay with MI.

Otherwise, get a Fulltone Fulldrive II.

 

[El Dunco]

Re: TS pushing a tube amp all in a box?

The Kollmanation does exactly that. It has two sides, a high gain distortion and a low gain overdrive designed to be a lot clearer sounding than the TS. You can switch between the two or one into the other in any configuration you like. I'm GASing for one.

 

[Mukobi]

Re: TS pushing a tube amp all in a box?

Yeah. The MI Audio Blues Boy Deluxe.
Or, Blues Pro, if you want to stay with MI.

Otherwise, get a Fulltone Fulldrive II.

I'm not an MI fanboy, so I don't need to stay just with them.

Why do people recommend the Fulltone Fulldrive and say it has more versatility than the Visual Sound Double Trouble? Sure it has more switches, but the reviews I have read says that it only sounds its best on comp-cut in standard mode. The Double Trouble on the other hand has individual gain, volume, tone, and bass boost controls for each side while the Fulldrive only has gain, volume, and tone for the OD and only a volume control for the boost. Adding in the fact that the Double Trouble has an internal noise gate, it seems like a lot more and a lot better pedal than the Fulldrive, no?

 

[Gearjoneser]

Re: TS pushing a tube amp all in a box?

The Visual Sound Double Trouble is probably one of the most underrated pedals. I don't think you'd be disappointed with one.

 

[Lewguitar]

Re: TS pushing a tube amp all in a box?

The Mad Professor Simble is the pedal I use when I have to play my Deluxe Reverb or Princeton Reverb at extremely low volumes but I still want to sound like I'm wailing.

I bought it specifically to play at Unity...the church I sometimes play at.

One of the best pedals I've ever used for making a Fender amp sound like a big Dumble.

 

[Little Pigbacon]

Re: TS pushing a tube amp all in a box?

For this kind of playing, I've been using a DOD 250 overdrive/preamp into a Boss FBM-1. Or into my PlexiTone at a low gain setting. Either way, the 250 has become my tubs creamer flavored pedal.

LOL. Now I guess that'll have to be my new Maxon OD-9. It's one thing to pull the occasional sound out of an overdrive cascaded into another pedal; it's another to compare them side-by-side into a clean amp. ROFLCOPTER.

 

[Condemned soul]

Re: TS pushing a tube amp all in a box?

To the ordinal poster,

This is poorly written so please bare with me. First off, the Double Trouble is an excellent pedal. But have you tried the new Truetone pedals. I’ve got a v2 and V3 H20 which are nice delay pedals. However, you ask about the gain pedals.

Had a Jekyll and Hyde V3 and traded it for a VS-XO dual OD pedal. This is a very useable double sided OD pedal and I like the voicing on both sides. They are all excellent pedals and here is a brief demo of them:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OTysq6gp2U4

As for the Fulldrive 2, I have had one for several years. It is staying. True it does not have many controls. However, considering your statement, 'but the reviews I have read says that it only sounds its best on comp-cut in standard mode,' I have to ask, have you ever spent any time really playing and using this pedal?

You mention the Comp Cut mode. This position turns in the FD2 into one mostly massive boost pedal. If I want to drop some mids – then I switch over to the FM – flat mids. The Vintage or FM and the Mosfet combo works well for me.

If you want a good set up, run a FD2 into an OCD. There are some fantastic sounds with this set up. By itself, the FD2 plays nicely with all three of my amps.

Really prefer the VS-XO over the Double Trouble. Is the Double Trouble a better value than the FD2. That is up to you. They are designed for different jobs. The FD2 will give a good base tone and push it.

 

[Mukobi]

Re: TS pushing a tube amp all in a box?

I ended up buying a Double Trouble for $60 shipped. I was really interested in the VS-XO until I realized no one was selling it for less that twice the price of a Double Trouble.

 

[vegetablejoe]

Re: TS pushing a tube amp all in a box?

I've had the Double Trouble; its got a TS-type tone. That's it. A dual TS is more of the same mid-hump.

Whereas the VS-XO has two differently-voiced channels; and stacked gives a third... This is the one I use most of the time.

 

[Chickenwings]

Re: TS pushing a tube amp all in a box?

Vs XO is supposed to be like a nobels odr1 yeah?
I think i need one.