Xotic SL & EP for Van Halen type tones?

PFDarkside

PFDarkside

of the Forum
I've been intrigued by the little Xotic pedals, everyone loves the EP and the SL seems to have its fans. So, if I was making a tidy little board for use with a small tube amp, would this combo put me in Van Halen tone territory along with the appropriately loaded superstrat guitar? Not necessarily trying to nail any specific tone, I'm more interested in a solid "Marshally" rock tone on a quick grab-and-go board.

I know there are quite a few EP users here and a few SL users, does anyone use both? Any reason why they wouldn't play nicely together?
 
Re: Xotic SL & EP for Van Halen type tones?

Add the SP compressor to the set , that is the only one I have currently but plan on getting the EP and SL. Eddie is a gain from the amp guy but you can get there with pedals and those 3 would most likely work.
 
Re: Xotic SL & EP for Van Halen type tones?

That will give you some of the pre amplifier-input boost that the echoplex gave EVH........but its a 1%er. Its not a marshall tone at all. You would still need a Marshall or a plexi pedal to get marshall tone.
 
Re: Xotic SL & EP for Van Halen type tones?

AlexR said:
That will give you some of the pre amplifier-input boost that the echoplex gave EVH........but its a 1%er. Its not a marshall tone at all. You would still need a Marshall or a plexi pedal to get marshall tone.
Click to expand...

I was under the impression that the SL Drive was a Super Lead type pedal? Is the purple plexi better at Marshall in a Box than the SL Drive? (I assume the benefit of the Belle Epoch is that you get the EP-3 style preamp and actually get some delay with it too. ;))

(Again, not trying to nail any specific tone, I've always thought that Van Halen I & II tone was a great base for a lot of hard rock. And... I have the Splawn for high volume, real deal hot rodded Marshall tones, looking for a smaller and quieter way to bring the Princeton into Marshall hard rock territory. :))
 
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Re: Xotic SL & EP for Van Halen type tones?

Do you have a link or more information? When I search for Mad Doctor I see a stutter tremolo. (You didn't mean the Mad Professor #1, did you? That looks like a cool pedal I'd like to try)
 
Re: Xotic SL & EP for Van Halen type tones?

Seems to me the SL and the EP would be a perfect combo. there's a few yt reviews that showcase them both I think. If you really want the hot rod marshall tone in a box there's plenty to choose from, but the best I've heard is the Wampler Pinnacle.
 
Re: Xotic SL & EP for Van Halen type tones?

Jim Burkard has a good demo on yootoob of the sl drive through his vintage SL vs. His SL by itself. Personally I think the SL sounds like ass comparitively, and even among many of its peers in pedaldom(it's muddy).

That said , I LOVE my EP booster. Its not a direct clone, but it's in the ballpark in a good way.

Grab a Bogner Blue for plexi and modded plexi tones
 
Re: Xotic SL & EP for Van Halen type tones?

PFDarkside said:
Do you have a link or more information? When I search for Mad Doctor I see a stutter tremolo. (You didn't mean the Mad Professor #1, did you? That looks like a cool pedal I'd like to try)
Click to expand...

Sorry - Mad Professor!
 
Re: Xotic SL & EP for Van Halen type tones?

Wampler Pinnacle gives you directly that brown sound. Don't need any further pedal.
 
Re: Xotic SL & EP for Van Halen type tones?

Ah, the EP boost was what I was primarily referring to....the SL could well do what you want....curse only reading half the OP!!

Also look at this one:

 
Re: Xotic SL & EP for Van Halen type tones?

I really like my SL drive, it's a really really cool pedal, but I've yet to find a setting that sounds 'brown'. On the SL settings theres a fundamental tightness, I'd say closer to something you'd hear from Iron Maiden or Judas Priest. I tend to use it more for the Eric Johnson or Gilmour-Esque side of things, with the tone rolled down and a big delay on it. On lower gain settings it's great at live Zep sounds and really most classic marshall tones.

But if theres one thing it doesn't really do, its the VH thing. It's just not squishy or brown enough, its a little too aggressive and tight, and when you change the settings to warm it up it gets fat and smooth, but it doesn't get Van Haleny.
 
Re: Xotic SL & EP for Van Halen type tones?

I'd steer away from the Exotic stuff for VH tones.

The previously mentioned Pinnacle is pure EVH in-a-box

but... the Rambler Marvel to me is even better than the Dirty Little Secret and would give VH tones for days.

The Badgerplex and Clinch FX preamps are great additions to something like the Marvel or Pinnacle, I don't think I'd put it before any of the below mentioned FX though.

A subtle delay with modulation would be the next thing to have, you're trying to simulate an Echoplex so any Echoplex simulator pedals will work... this is a subtle effect and should be not all-together audible.

Reverb should come from the amplifier ala a spring reverb, if you don't have that, an investment into a pedal that does a decent spring reverb would be good to have. Early on when I was doing the Line 6 stuff, I would add a plate reverb but I don't mess with it now, preferring to have a more dry VH sound.

Round it out with a decent phaser like the Whirlwind Orange and you're pretty much done.

As far as a compressor goes... you can use a BOSS CS-3 with the: output, tone and attack all dimed but the sustain on zero. This is using the pedal as an attack booster and will give you that "edge" that you need to have Eddie's clean articulate yet aggressive timbre.
 
Re: Xotic SL & EP for Van Halen type tones?

Outstanding info guys... Thanks. Definitely a lot of videos to checkout. I agree with the SL Drive vs real deal Marshall Super Lead, the amp sounds fuller and more three dimensional. Timmy, thanks for the description. Maybe not EVH, but still cool tones and I might still need to check it out. The Mad Professor 1 and Wampler Pinnacle both sound awesome. Being a little mini board, the built in plate verb on the 1 may be useful.

Either way, lots of cool stuff, lots of listening and in store demos forthcoming.

Zen, I've got a few phasers and analog delays I'll try with it first, then we'll go from there.
 
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Re: Xotic SL & EP for Van Halen type tones?

Bogner burnley does a great job with my ls paul, better then most out there, I did have the red before that. I heard the SL going into a real Marshall it didnt cut it for amp like.
 
Re: Xotic SL & EP for Van Halen type tones?

Said that the Pinnacle is EVH in a box, I think everybody should have a Xotic EP Booster in his/her pedalboard (it makes the sound simply beautifuler in a magic way) and, the Xotic SL nails the tones of a kranked Super Lead (Zeppelin, Hendrix, ...).
 
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