Tube vs. Analog OD's Through Tube Heads

[darwins_ghost]

I am thinking of getting a tube powered overdrive pedal. I do alot of classic rock but my amps already cover that pretty well. I play heavy stuff through a Crate BV60 which has a fair amount of distortion. I am wanting to get a heavier tone like Zakk Wyldes redorded stuff, not his live stuff because his tone really sucks live. Any suggestions?

I already have a Wylde OD, but I use it for mostly classic rock because set at high levels it sounds thinner than my amps regular distortion, plus it's noisy as hell when it's engaged.

 

[Christobevii3]

Re: Tube vs. Analog OD's Through Tube Heads

What amp do you have? Maybe a specific zakk wydle song, things change from his different albums.

 

[darwins_ghost]

Re: Tube vs. Analog OD's Through Tube Heads

I'm using a Crate Blue Voodoo 60 right now. I am looking more towards the No More Tears (original) tone and the earlier BLS.

 

[Christobevii3]

Re: Tube vs. Analog OD's Through Tube Heads

I don't know the earlier BLS stuff but no more tears is ok. Can the gain on the blue voodoo not get to that territory? I believe he used a flanger or chorus on that song too, err might be a phaser now that i'm listening to it again (also gives some thickness to the sound).

The thickness of the sound comes from cranking up the tube amp loud enough to push the tubes into distortion. Might try playing with the eq on the amp some, pickups possibly, and guitar speakers also effect sound too. But yeah I'd learn how to use the eq first. Throwing a pedal onto the wrong eq still won't fix that.

As for the overdrive, he only uses it for solos i believe.

 

[darwins_ghost]

Re: Tube vs. Analog OD's Through Tube Heads

I'd like a pedal I can use on my clean channel to acheive such heavy distortion.

 

[JB_From_Hell]

Re: Tube vs. Analog OD's Through Tube Heads

What about something like the Soldano GTO or Mesa V-Twin?

 

[devastone]

Re: Tube vs. Analog OD's Through Tube Heads

ZW uses an OD, SD-1 or MXR ZW, to push his already cranking tube amp over the top. Lots of guys do this, from Vai to Lynch. You crank the level, not the gain, the gain on the pedal should be less than halfway.

For that tone from a pedal, I'd probably look at a Radial Hot British or Plexitube.

 

[darwins_ghost]

Re: Tube vs. Analog OD's Through Tube Heads

The reason I like to run through a clean channel is because I have yet to find an amp that sounds good switching in the middle of a sone to a clean or distorted channel. It always sounds like 2 different amps, where with pedals through the clean channel, It seams to preserve the original sound more.
(If that makes any sense)

 

[suislidE03]

Re: Tube vs. Analog OD's Through Tube Heads

I had a hot british before. Be careful with those, they may do the ZW thing, but its more of a botique sounding distortion. Not rip your head off.. Plus the amount of distortion from the pedal isnt enough to be honest. Think megadeth from the world needs a hero or so far so good so what. That it can do, ZW i dont think so.. just doesnt have the balls.

 

[PFDarkside]

Re: Tube vs. Analog OD's Through Tube Heads

+1 to Devastone, he's always had an OD pushing the front end of a cranked JCM800. A few other interesting details of his tone chain include EMGs (I'm sure you knew that) 6550 output tubes (definately a different style than the stock EL34's of a Marshall), and the incredibly high power handling EV speakers in the cab (300W each).

If you boil that down it means he's really hitting the preamp tubes hard (EMG + OD) and he uses power tubes and speakers that impart little distortion of their own. (I would assume that's where the huge chunk/thump comes from) Also, it sounds like he uses the MXR Stereo Chorus a lot on the Ozzy stuff.

Sorry I don't have a solution for you to plug into your clean channel, I do agree with you though, when I use the ZW-44 into my "brit" channel it sound nothing like No More Tears, I end up using more preamp gain by itself to get in that territory.

 

[aleclee]

Re: Tube vs. Analog OD's Through Tube Heads

The thickness of the sound comes from cranking up the tube amp loud enough to push the tubes into distortion.

Not to mention double or triple tracking the parts. Trying to emulate a recorded guitar sound with a single guitar can be a losing proposition.

 

[some_dude]

Re: Tube vs. Analog OD's Through Tube Heads

If you boil that down it means he's really hitting the preamp tubes hard (EMG + OD) and he uses power tubes and speakers that impart little distortion of their own. (I would assume that's where the huge chunk/thump comes from)

+1.

Zakk's tone is almost all preamp gain with very little power tube breakup. If I remember correctly he only dials his master volume up to 6 or something like that. That said, not driving the piss out of your power tubes means you'll have a much more dynamic palm mute.... the trick is finding the right balance between getting maximum volume out the speakers without going too high and getting too much power tube compression.

 

[darwins_ghost]

Re: Tube vs. Analog OD's Through Tube Heads

The amp I am using now has 6L6 power tubes, can I change them out to 6550's? Also I'm using 12Ax7 preamp tubes, does that make a huge difference?

 

[darwins_ghost]

Re: Tube vs. Analog OD's Through Tube Heads

Also, for some reason I can get a better NMT tone from my standard with a Duncan Distortion than I can with my Studio with the EMG Wylde set.


Go figure.......

 

[rashayritto]

Re: Tube vs. Analog OD's Through Tube Heads

www.thetubestore.com

they will tell you what tubes you can substitute for 6l6 and they have good prices. just tell them what amp the tubes are for when you order and they'll handle the rest.

 

[guitfiddle]

Re: Tube vs. Analog OD's Through Tube Heads

Rebias for 6550 tubes...the amp can probably take it, but if the tubes are biased too hot, you can blow out tubes, and take your output transformer with them.

 

[drew_half_empty]

Re: Tube vs. Analog OD's Through Tube Heads

The reason I like to run through a clean channel is because I have yet to find an amp that sounds good switching in the middle of a sone to a clean or distorted channel. It always sounds like 2 different amps, where with pedals through the clean channel, It seams to preserve the original sound more.
(If that makes any sense)

are you talking about amps with independant eq's for each channels, or?

because if you are, and you're trying to go from fender cleans to zakk distortion, of course it's gonna sound like 2 different amps, you're trying to sound like 2 different amps

if you dial them right, any amp can sound the same on both channels only clean or distorted