What do you prefer: amp or pedal distortion?

[StillLearnin']

Re: What do you prefer: amp or pedal distortion?

Well, for me it's a no brainer. I only plug straight into an amp with maybe a wah or phaser in between occasionally and I only use tube amps. If I procure an amp and I don't like the way it sounds, I mod it.

 

[hanumanlangur]

Re: What do you prefer: amp or pedal distortion?

The equipment doesn't matter half as much as the person who dials them in. If you don't have an ear for tone, you're going to sound like crap no matter what equipment you play with. But if that's the case, it's best to go with a good amp, because you won't have to try as hard to get decent tones. Pedals make it easier to sound like crap because they're simpler and more flexible. If someone is good with their equipment, they can take a few cheap pedals and a cheap amp, and make them sound great. Others can never manage to sound very good even with boutique gear.

 

[Christopher Caruana]

Re: What do you prefer: amp or pedal distortion?

its all about true power tube distortion! thats what I like. The only thing I have in between my amp and my guitar in maybe a wah pedal.

 

[StillLearnin']

Re: What do you prefer: amp or pedal distortion?

The equipment doesn't matter half as much as the person who dials them in. If you don't have an ear for tone, you're going to sound like crap no matter what equipment you play with. But if that's the case, it's best to go with a good amp, because you won't have to try as hard to get decent tones. Pedals make it easier to sound like crap because they're simpler and more flexible. If someone is good with their equipment, they can take a few cheap pedals and a cheap amp, and make them sound great. Others can never manage to sound very good even with boutique gear.

Amen

 

[Jackson Distortion]

Re: What do you prefer: amp or pedal distortion?

I like amp distortion best because that's kinda why I bought it. I wanna use it based of it's built-in sounds. If the amp doesn't produce what I need, I'll buy a different one.

 

[B2D]

Re: What do you prefer: amp or pedal distortion?

My Bogner has me quite spoiled so I generally prefer that. Though playing with good pedals is a lot of fun and can yield good quick'n'dirty tones if you know how to use them right.

The big difference I find between amp distortion and pedal distortion is the low end detail. Using amp overdrive/distortion always seems to yield a more satisfying low end... this deep, rich, solid tone that plants your rhythm sounds on firm ground and gives you lead tones more authority.

With pedals, most of the time you'll find that they sound great by themselves... nice and tight and clear, but they don't have that low end. Then you get in a band scenario with them and your guitar sounds very thin, because that lack of extended low end that made your guitar sound all tight when you were in your bedroom now means you don't have any balls in a band situation.

To me, the mark of a good pedal is when it does have that low end, or at least doesn't filter out what's coming off the guitar.

 

[Gr8Scott]

Re: What do you prefer: amp or pedal distortion?

I think both can be great if properly done. Sometimes the combination between pedal and amp is great and sometimes it's crap. It all depends on individual preferences.

 

[B2D]

Re: What do you prefer: amp or pedal distortion?

I think both can be great if properly done. Sometimes the combination between pedal and amp is great and sometimes it's crap. It all depends on individual preferences.

Up until I had my Ecstasy, I always preferred amp + pedal, and used the pedal as a lead booster mostly.

I haven't found a pedal yet that really enhances the sound of the Ecstasy... it just seems to get in the way. The amp's built-in boost more than does the job on its own.

It's kind of a bummer seeing my OCD not get any use, but it does clear up my pedalboard, which is very cool.

Trust your ears and your fingers. Overdrive and distortion isn't just about sound, it's about feel as well.

 

[jeremy]

Re: What do you prefer: amp or pedal distortion?

very seldom do i use pedals on a gig. the amp always sounds better

 

[Markk]

Re: What do you prefer: amp or pedal distortion?

Right now I'm really loving the TwinTube Classic into the clean of my TSL601. Maybe I got lucky, but I seemed to have dialed in the sound I like very quickly. Still tweaking with the amp distortion, so it may only be a matter of time

 

[NecroPolo]

Re: What do you prefer: amp or pedal distortion?

Guitar + cable + amp for me. No pedal can produce the organic response and dynamics of a driven tube amp. I like my sound through pedals as well but as I grow older I simplify things more and more. Besides, why should I bother with excess gadgets? Tone is in the fingers



Anyway, the most effective tone solution is always in your hands. Not enough juice in the amp? Hells bells, beat the living s*** out of the guitar to drive the amp more

 

[alashredder]

Re: What do you prefer: amp or pedal distortion?

Not trying to start an argument, just a bit of healthy debate here....

What’s your take on fuzz pedals? No amp will ever sound like a good fuzz pedal, and without fuzz pedals you’d miss out on a heck of a lot of great tones ranging from Hendrix to Gilmour to Jack White. All totally different tones, all achieved through the use of fuzz. Fair enough Hendrix’s amp was overdriven to start with, but Gilmour’s certainly wasn’t. Are you saying Gilmour should have ditched the Big Muff and used a better amp for the Comfortably Numb solo?

I’ll stick by what I said, there’s no definite right or wrong, it’s entirely dependant on the tone you seek.

+1 Love the fuzz!

 

[Abyssous]

Re: What do you prefer: amp or pedal distortion?

I prefer a good fulltube amps distortion put through the right speaker. Are not all pedals cheaper replica's of the original amps/cabinets distortion sounds?

I just don't like most marshall and mesa distortions due to lower gain;
they sound like distortion but very bombastic and quite clean.

Offcaurse it could be my playability:friday:

 

[korovamilkdud]

Re: What do you prefer: amp or pedal distortion?

This thread makes me wish I had my old pedal-recorded songs. I went through this thing where I wrote a whole bunch of songs and recorded them, and I used a pedal (a good one mind you) for distortion/OD. Then I had to do a factory reset on my computer and I lost all of em. So when I went back and redid the better ones I used my amp's drive. You would be able to hear a difference, both played back to back. The pedal sounded fizzier, less detailed, less glassy, bit more harsh. That's comparing a great pedal to a "okay" amp. So at that point I knew I was going to have to move on.

 

[theodie]

Re: What do you prefer: amp or pedal distortion?

Not trying to start an argument, just a bit of healthy debate here....

What’s your take on fuzz pedals? No amp will ever sound like a good fuzz pedal, and without fuzz pedals you’d miss out on a heck of a lot of great tones ranging from Hendrix to Gilmour to Jack White. All totally different tones, all achieved through the use of fuzz. Fair enough Hendrix’s amp was overdriven to start with, but Gilmour’s certainly wasn’t. Are you saying Gilmour should have ditched the Big Muff and used a better amp for the Comfortably Numb solo?

I’ll stick by what I said, there’s no definite right or wrong, it’s entirely dependant on the tone you seek.

I have never had much experience with Fuzz pedals. Just not usually my kind of tone I am after. IMO this is probably one of those times where you are using a pedal to season to taste. Certainly those guys had good tone(besides that West VA vibrator/chainsaw tone Jack White has, yuck).

 

[bancika]

Re: What do you prefer: amp or pedal distortion?

Some players like Satriani, Vai and Yngwie get all their distortion from a pedal, but there are those like James Hetfield who swear by amp distortion.

Just wanna hear what you guys think!

and btw, this does not include using an overdrive to heat up a lightly distorted amp, im talking about getting ALL distortion from a pedal.

somebody probably mentioned before, but neither of players you mentioned get their distortion from pedals. They do use overdrives to push amps a bit more, but amps carry the main tone.

 

[FretFire]

Re: What do you prefer: amp or pedal distortion?

I'm pretty sure Satriani was known for running a DS-1 into a clean Marshall for his overdriven tones back in the day (late 80s-ish)

 

[alashredder]

Re: What do you prefer: amp or pedal distortion?

somebody probably mentioned before, but neither of players you mentioned get their distortion from pedals. They do use overdrives to push amps a bit more, but amps carry the main tone.

Satriani and Vai both have signature distortion pedals out and I hear they do use them in their rig.

 

[super rad stuff]

Re: What do you prefer: amp or pedal distortion?

satriani has stated in recent interview that he runs his new satchurator pedal straight into the clean channel of the jsx.

 

[guitarded]

Re: What do you prefer: amp or pedal distortion?

I prefer amp distortion enhanced by pedals when desired....

Some players like Satriani, Vai and Yngwie get all their distortion from a pedal, but there are those like James Hetfield who swear by amp distortion.

Just wanna hear what you guys think!

and btw, this does not include using an overdrive to heat up a lightly distorted amp, im talking about getting ALL distortion from a pedal.