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which dirt pedals for EF86 pentode front-end amps?


aeon

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so, if you have any of the various amps that have an EF86 front-end from Vox, Matchless, Bad Cat, Top Hat, and so on...

 

what are your favorite pedals to work with these amps when turned up to their sweet-spot where the magic happens? :thu::love::D

 

boosters?

 

overdrives?

 

fuzz?

 

is the EF86 pedal-friendly?

 

 

wondering,

Ian

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My Matchless Clubman has been a little picky about pedals. I definitely didn't like the Voodoo Labs Sparkle Drive in front. Keeley Comp as a boost was OK.

 

I've been really happy with the Barber LTD Silver overdrive (flatter freq response than the mid-humped "Black" version). It really doesn't mess with the tonal qualities of the amp too much, just adds some gain.

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The SD2in1 and my Victoria are a match made in heaven. I tried the FD2 and tonebone classic and wasn't impressed. That being said I love both of those pedals through a twin.

As far as fuzz is concerned, I've tried the BYOC Fuzz Face, Fuzz Factory, Hot Silicon and Deluxe Big Muff (bad news) and nothing's really grabbed me.

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Originally posted by aeon

so, if you have any of the various amps that have an
EF86 front-end
from Vox, Matchless, Bad Cat, Top Hat, and so on...


what are your favorite pedals to work with these amps when turned up to their sweet-spot where the magic happens?
:thu::love::D

boosters?


overdrives?


fuzz?


is the EF86 pedal-friendly?



wondering,

Ian

 

My Dr Z Z28 liked almost everything. And my Valvetech Hayseed 15's EF86 channel does too. I've had great results with the following boost/od/distortions: zvex super duper/subdegay liquid sunshine/catalinhead scod.

 

I think the magic happens because the ef86 doesn't compress overly easy, but get's some really sweet grit going. Additional pedal distortion and/or boost is the icing on the cake.

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I've gotten pretty nice results from a Digitech Bad Monkey used as a clean boost -- level up, gain down. For some reason, this pedal doesn't sound very impressive with my other amp (12AX7/6L6GC). But it sounds great with my EF86/EL84 amp.

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My KT-45 has an EF86 front end, which I love for a lot of reasons, but relating to this subject, I take two different approaches: Boost OD and Unity OD.

 

Like most Dr Z amps, the KT is about the poweramp distortion, so the preamp has a lot of headroom, and the power tubes seem to distort first...a sort of "bark" when you pick harder. Very much like a Hiwatt in that regard, which I gather was the good Dr.'s intention. The clean tone at about half volume is just {censored}in' gorgeous, so that's what I base everything else on.

 

The EF86 has such high headroom that it really does a great job of reproducing/amplifying, cleanly, the tone of a guitar, or fuzz or whatever, without distorting/saturating too soon itself.

 

So, to get to the point, I have fuzzes, which I think sound best into a clean amp. I have a Blackstone Mosfet OD, which is a "Marshall in a box" meant for clean amps, that I run at unity or slightly under, so the OD is happening in the pedal, and the EF86 is just sucking it in.

 

For the push, I have a tubescreamer and a compressor, and they do what you all know they do, as well as a modded DS-1 for when the balls come out. That stuff seems to shoot right through the pre-amp and all I hear is EL34s...but there are only 4 tubes in this amp...it's a pretty cool circuit.

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Originally posted by Corso2

My KT-45 has an EF86 front end, which I love for a lot of reasons, but relating to this subject, I take two different approaches: Boost OD and Unity OD.


Like most Dr Z amps, the KT is about the poweramp distortion, so the preamp has a lot of headroom, and the power tubes seem to distort first...a sort of "bark" when you pick harder. Very much like a Hiwatt in that regard, which I gather was the good Dr.'s intention. The clean tone at about half volume is just {censored}in' gorgeous, so that's what I base everything else on.


The EF86 has such high headroom that it really does a great job of reproducing/amplifying, cleanly, the tone of a guitar, or fuzz or whatever, without distorting/saturating too soon itself.


So, to get to the point, I have fuzzes, which I think sound best into a clean amp. I have a Blackstone Mosfet OD, which is a "Marshall in a box" meant for clean amps, that I run at unity or slightly under, so the OD is happening in the pedal, and the EF86 is just sucking it in.


For the push, I have a tubescreamer and a compressor, and they do what you all know they do, as well as a modded DS-1 for when the balls come out. That stuff seems to shoot right through the pre-amp and all I hear is EL34s...but there are only 4 tubes in this amp...it's a pretty cool circuit.

 

 

This very true for the Dr Z design.

 

The vox/matchless/hayseed design on the other hand uses the EF86 for distortion.

 

Same tube, different approaches. Both work well. The vox design is more prone to ef86 noise than the Dr Z design though.

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Originally posted by Idlewilde

These are truely the bomb. I just went threw this phase with my Valvetech.


Divided by 13 Lift

Analogman Beano

Klon

Eternity

Tube Zone

 

 

I had an Analogman Sunface once that I wish I still had, I think it would kill with the hayseed ef86 channel. Even better...THE SUNLION. Oh baby.

 

taco

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Originally posted by papa taco



I had an Analogman Sunface once that I wish I still had, I think it would kill with the hayseed ef86 channel. Even better...THE SUNLION. Oh baby.


taco

 

 

I agree. The Beano sounds great with it. I really like the Lift with it the best. I think fred made that pedal with Vox type amps in mind.

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