Rich_S
HomeGrownToneBrewologist
Day-um! Boss makes a lot of distortion-generating stompboxes. OD this, DS that, SD sumthin else.
For years, I've used a GE-7 graphic for my overdrive/lead boost sound. It's set up with a modest over all gain, but with a big, wide mid-hump. Driving the front end of a crunchy Marshall (single channel JCM800 back then, DIY 18 Watter these days) just sounds better to me than the few distortion/overdrive/fuzz boxes I've tried.
I've also had a Rat kicking around since the early 80's. I like it, though I haven't compared it to many others. (I remember trying a Tube Screamer for a few days about 25 years ago: ho-hum.) I like how the Rat is versatile; it's tone control lets it emulate a smoother tube-overdrive kind of sound, but if you crank it up, it goes fizzy like a fuzz box. Overall, I like the way the Rat seems to add overtones and feedback all on it own - like the rig is about to go out of control at any second.
But, the Rat never made it onto my pedalboard, because I always just liked the GE-7 a little bit better for doing "my" sound (as opposed to the Rat's variety of sounds.)
Final point of reference: I owned an MXR Distortion+ back in the mid-70's. I was young and stupid, didn't know squat about "tone", and don't really remember what it was like. However, I've been listening to some live Police lately, and don't really dig Andy Summers' tone with his Distortion+. It's too... what... shrill? Lacking in oomph?
Here's my dilemma - I'm thinking about picking up a silverface Champ as a quieter-but-still-cleaner alternative to my Marshall. I'll mostly use it in church, where the music is (let's face it) more folky/countryish than my usual Police/Pretenders new-wavey Brit-pop. I want to use my same pedalboard with both amps, but I KNOW the GE-7 isn't going to work the same with the Champ as it does with a Marshall. With a clean amp, the GE-7 is going to give too much volume boost, and then get farty. Yuck.
So, I figured I'd just put the Rat on my board instead of the GE-7. I think it'll work well with the Champ, and it's always been a close second to the GE-7 with a Marshall. But have you seen my pedalboard?
Now you have. Bomb-proof, yes, but not very flexible. Life would be so much easier if I could find a Boss pedal I liked instead of the Rat. It would be a simple bolt-in replacement. But as I said, "Day-um! Boss makes a lot of distortion-generating stompboxes." Where to begin? So, bro's, help me narrow it down. What Boss boxes are kinda close to a Rat? Ruder than a TS, fatter than a Distortion+, but nowhere near nu-metal.
Have at it.
For years, I've used a GE-7 graphic for my overdrive/lead boost sound. It's set up with a modest over all gain, but with a big, wide mid-hump. Driving the front end of a crunchy Marshall (single channel JCM800 back then, DIY 18 Watter these days) just sounds better to me than the few distortion/overdrive/fuzz boxes I've tried.
I've also had a Rat kicking around since the early 80's. I like it, though I haven't compared it to many others. (I remember trying a Tube Screamer for a few days about 25 years ago: ho-hum.) I like how the Rat is versatile; it's tone control lets it emulate a smoother tube-overdrive kind of sound, but if you crank it up, it goes fizzy like a fuzz box. Overall, I like the way the Rat seems to add overtones and feedback all on it own - like the rig is about to go out of control at any second.
But, the Rat never made it onto my pedalboard, because I always just liked the GE-7 a little bit better for doing "my" sound (as opposed to the Rat's variety of sounds.)
Final point of reference: I owned an MXR Distortion+ back in the mid-70's. I was young and stupid, didn't know squat about "tone", and don't really remember what it was like. However, I've been listening to some live Police lately, and don't really dig Andy Summers' tone with his Distortion+. It's too... what... shrill? Lacking in oomph?
Here's my dilemma - I'm thinking about picking up a silverface Champ as a quieter-but-still-cleaner alternative to my Marshall. I'll mostly use it in church, where the music is (let's face it) more folky/countryish than my usual Police/Pretenders new-wavey Brit-pop. I want to use my same pedalboard with both amps, but I KNOW the GE-7 isn't going to work the same with the Champ as it does with a Marshall. With a clean amp, the GE-7 is going to give too much volume boost, and then get farty. Yuck.
So, I figured I'd just put the Rat on my board instead of the GE-7. I think it'll work well with the Champ, and it's always been a close second to the GE-7 with a Marshall. But have you seen my pedalboard?
Now you have. Bomb-proof, yes, but not very flexible. Life would be so much easier if I could find a Boss pedal I liked instead of the Rat. It would be a simple bolt-in replacement. But as I said, "Day-um! Boss makes a lot of distortion-generating stompboxes." Where to begin? So, bro's, help me narrow it down. What Boss boxes are kinda close to a Rat? Ruder than a TS, fatter than a Distortion+, but nowhere near nu-metal.
Have at it.
nder:
It has Verb and channel switch for gain.
