Why do I need a distortion pedal if I already have a Tube Screamer?

[Halvorsenb]

I want to start this by saying I am not trying to start anything, just genuinely curious.

I have seen a simple setup of a tubescreamer (ts808) in front of a moderate gain amp like a marshall jcm 800 do anything from light bluesy breakup to full on high gain modern metal tones.

If that is the case, what can I not do with this simple setup that I can do with a distortion pedal like a Proco rat or Boss DS-1? I get that they sound different, but It seems like I can get any level of dirt I want with just the tubescreamer. Again genuinely trying to learn here.

Thanks,
Brandon

 

[MGW]

Re: Why do I need a distortion pedal if I already have a Tube Screamer?

I think you basically answered your own question.
They sound different.
Some of them sound way different but most of them are variations on a theme.

That being said .... you can't get ANY amount of gain you want with a TubeScreamer.
There are much higher levels of gain out there to be had.

 

[Mincer]

Re: Why do I need a distortion pedal if I already have a Tube Screamer?

Well, any TS-type of pedal will boost mids and take away bass, so a distortion pedal can even out the EQ as well as get more gritty distortion.

 

[Dave Locher]

Re: Why do I need a distortion pedal if I already have a Tube Screamer?

Some people (you, perhaps, as well as me) do not "need" a distortion pedal because we like the distortion our amp makes.
Other people like to get it from pedals into a clean or cleanish amp.
Some people like peanut butter and other people like coconut. That's just life.

 

[Chistopher]

Re: Why do I need a distortion pedal if I already have a Tube Screamer?

I find if you stack lower gain drives, you can get a bigger, bolder, more aggressive tone while at the same time using less gain. With two overdrives at low settings stacked into a clean-ish amp, you can get really heavy rythmn tones that are in reality only slightly more distorted than the very edge of breakup. That, and if you're into boosted midrange, it sounds worlds better with a stacked OD than a single pedal or using your amps controls.

 

[Aceman]

Re: Why do I need a distortion pedal if I already have a Tube Screamer?

So many reasons...many already said here.

Do you NEED one? That depends on what you are doing. Pantera does not happen with a stock JCM 800 and a TS9.
And for some, mids rock, for others, they are the enemy. Also, OD's are often much more responsive to guitar volume than dirt boxes. I'm an "on "10" guy so I don't care about that.

Dirt boxes are like Ice Cream: So many flavors and they are ALL awesome...

But you sir, are definitely on to some DEEP wisdom. If you know how to play the amp - set the knobs, there is quite a lot you can do with just an amp and an OD pedal.

 

[PFDarkside]

Re: Why do I need a distortion pedal if I already have a Tube Screamer?

Why do you need chicken when you have pork? Or beef? Or pizza? They all get you fed in different ways.

Adding pedals is always fun, but I think all guitarists should learn their basic setup, inside and out, and learn all the tones they can pull out of it before adding too much other stuff. As you’ve found, an amp, an overdrive and your guitar controls/playing style can do a whole lot more than just amp and amp + pedal.

That being said, I’m sure that adding a Rat or Fuzz would open up a lot of higher gain tonal options if you were interested in it.

 

[Silence Kid]

Re: Why do I need a distortion pedal if I already have a Tube Screamer?

To me - If you don’t care about cleans/have a separate clean channel and a dirty setting where you want more gain, use your tubescreamer.

If you have an amp that can’t get natural breakup at all, find whatever distortion fits best. It’s a generalization, but I don’t think overdrives (esp. the tube screamer) sound good into clean amps. There are many distortions designed to do that however. I also find there are more distortions that sound good into a dirty channel than overdrives that sound good to boost a clean amp, but that’s only my guideline.

 

[JB_From_Hell]

Re: Why do I need a distortion pedal if I already have a Tube Screamer?

Why do you need chicken when you have pork? Or beef? Or pizza? They all get you fed in different ways.

Great analogy, as you can put chicken, pork, and beef on pizza for some awesome flavors when you use the right amount of each.

 

[NegativeEase]

Re: Why do I need a distortion pedal if I already have a Tube Screamer?

Why so many Distortions?

Well, it's so we can feed the internet argument machine... which eventually devolves into a lightly veiled political disposition and then into pseudo objective philosophical banter, and ultimately into religious fervor and opinion that creates the needed internet magic fuel.
...from this we harness that energy by rectifying the internet nonsense wave into energetic nonsense pulses and then quantize that information to perform the essential backend work to keep the global internet systems online and healthy by supplying a consistent flow of newly energized particles birthed from anonymous hatred, egotistical displays of exposition and massive inferiority complexes.

You see, if their were only one overdrive or one opinion on overdrives, the internet would just die.

Your uninformed opinion and dogmatic devotion to purchase decisions made on a whim by your parents taking advice in Guitar Center at Christmas time matters.

Keep up the good work my friend... Stoke the fire that keeps us alive.

I kid I kid.

 

[Chistopher]

Re: Why do I need a distortion pedal if I already have a Tube Screamer?

Why so many Distortions?

Well, it's so we can feed the internet argument machine... which eventually devolves into a lightly veiled political disposition and then into pseudo objective philosophical banter, and ultimately into religious fervor and opinion that creates the needed internet magic fuel.

Fox News told me Bernie Sanders uses a Metal Zone.

 

[NegativeEase]

Re: Why do I need a distortion pedal if I already have a Tube Screamer?

Fox News told me Bernie Sanders uses a Metal Zone.

Good to see you are doing your part to keep the internet breathing...

but if Bernie uses a Metal Zone in the woods and no creature is there to hear it,..... did it really happen?

 

[Demanic]

Re: Why do I need a distortion pedal if I already have a Tube Screamer?

Such slander an calumny regarding the Metalzone.

Sent from my Alcatel_5044C using Tapatalk

 

[EDX]

Re: Why do I need a distortion pedal if I already have a Tube Screamer?

Make Metal Great Again and use a HM-2 clone into the drive channel of your amp for real TONE

 

[Chistopher]

Re: Why do I need a distortion pedal if I already have a Tube Screamer?

Make Metal Great Again and use a HM-2 clone into the drive channel of your amp for real TONE

I thought that the new thing was using your MT-2 as a preamp into the return of the effects loop. Much as a bill must pass through the House, the Senate, and finally to the Oval Office, quality tone must pass through a Tubescreamer, an MT-2, and finally into the power section of your amplifier.

 

[Dave Locher]

Re: Why do I need a distortion pedal if I already have a Tube Screamer?

This thread got weird. Me likey...

 

[eclecticsynergy]

Re: Why do I need a distortion pedal if I already have a Tube Screamer?

Many modern distortion designs are amplike enough in their volume knob interaction to deliver a broad range of drive tones, much more versatile than just full-on gain like the old school pedals. Or, you could just treat it as a lead channel.

Look at it this way: with a single channel amp and a TS, you have two textures available.
Add a great distortion box, and you have four. Do you need that? Probably not.
Might be cool and fun, though, right?

Plus, as Christopher has said upthread, having another drive stage will allow you to run your amp and your TS with less gain and improved definition, for bigger sound. More gain does not necessarily equal better tone.

There's a reason why a lot of players love - and are chasing - tones from an era before amps had a master volume control. IMO 90% of guitarists today are playing with more gain than they need at stage volume. That includes touring pros.

 

[Lovegun]

Re: Why do I need a distortion pedal if I already have a Tube Screamer?

There are few reasons more why you could use a distortion pedal. The pedal might give a certain tone that might not get from your amp and a Tubescreamer. I mean wise eq like Tubescreamer vs Soul Food and certain type of distortion. It might be easier when playing live to turn on the pedal than start tweaking the amp or pedal knobs. In some situations you can't crank the amp to get the tone because it might get too loud. One might play a Fender amp and need Marshall like tones. That's when a pedal is an easy solution.

 

[GuitarStv]

Re: Why do I need a distortion pedal if I already have a Tube Screamer?

Trick question. You don't need a distortion, you need a fuzz.

 

[Diego]

Re: Why do I need a distortion pedal if I already have a Tube Screamer?

Because they sound and respond differently. The distortion might be stiffer and have a faster attack, the overdrive might have more bloom to single notes. And maybe one of them cleans up better from the pot, who knows?

A TS9 and, say, a Boss DS1 will take your tone to completely different places. Kinda like asking why you'd need a Les Paul if you already have two pickups in a Telecaster.
Maybe you don't really need both of them, but it's good to have them.