Thinking about getting a new dirt pedal.

[O.G.T.V.]

I'm using a Fender Princeton 650 (Solid State amp) and actually using a Boss MT-2 as a dirt pedal. I used to use a Boss OS-2, but replaced it for the MT-2 as a I needed something ''heavier/gainier''. I actually have both pedals, but I do really want a change. I feel that Boss Pedals are kinda fake digital sounding or weak (no good at big shows a la Boss MT-2 Metal Zone) and my playing style is now more like ''hard rock''.

 

I'd been checking around the Radial London Bones pedal & the Visual Sound V2 Series V2JH Jekyll and Hyde pedal as candidates for my new dirt pedal. (This are the links to both pedals.) But I still haven't made my decision and there are not good stores in my island, to try out pedals other than BOSS.

 

http://guitars.musiciansfriend.com/product/Radial-Engineering-Bones-R8007105-London-Distortion-Guitar-Effects-Pedal?sku=620001

 

http://guitars.musiciansfriend.com/product/Visual-Sound-V2-Series-V2JH-Jekyll-and-Hyde-Overdrive-and-Distortion-Guitar-Multi-Effects-Pedal?sku=150481

 

Has any of you have any experience with the pedals I linked here before? Which are their pros and cons? Or should I again...dish the pedals, keep saving for a good guitar tube amp? Keeping it real, I need something lightweight (tube amps are heavy) and I dig my amp clean's & weight.

Any other suggestions? Again. I always appreciate all the help.

[mrweems]

id get a new amp..

[goaway]

definitely get a new amp before investing in a dirt pedal.

[redprince]

The J&H is liked by many, though not my cup of tea...not a fan of Visual Sound...H20 =

[Poltergeist]

amp first. something with tubes.

[Wide]

I'd sell the amp and buy a Peavey Classic 30. It won't do high gain on it's own but takes pedals really well. Those Boss pedals will sound good through it.

[mrweems]

and on a side note.

 

I really like the jekyl and hyde.

 

But there are better options out there. And seriously.. New amp son.

[BillBrasky]

Lovepedal Purple Plexi

MI Audio Crunch Box

[joeyowen]

i have a love hate with my J&H most of the time its love but sometimes i just cannot connect with it

 

would still recommend though

[Dr.Picklebottom]

im trying to be helpful and not demand you replace your amp but...

solid state amps are not very predictable in terms of what dirt pedal will sound good with them. youd be best off buying from a shop like guitar center (with a libral return policy), trying the pedal with your amp at home, and return it if it doesnt sound right.

[Agreed]

Going against the grain here - I think your amp plus a good pedal will give you a sound that makes you very happy. Spending ~$125 on a pedal isn't going to hurt your long-term goal of getting a different amp (if indeed you decide that you must do so). Of the ones you mentioned, well, I know the Radial ToneBone Hot British (from which the London Bones is derived, as I recall) is an excellent pedal, extremely versatile and cleverly designed, so I'm sure the London Bones would sound great too. Here's a clip demonstrating some sounds the Hot British can get. The adjustments on it are highly interactive, but to demonstrate the versatility I maxed the treble and it remains maxed for every sound in this clip. If it can do all this with the treble maxed, imagine what it can do when you start fiddling with more knobs.

 

 

That's into a Fender Twin's clean channel; your Princeton should have a pretty similar overall sonic profile so you can expect similar enough results I think. And that's with the Treble knob, which has a huge impact on the sound in conjunction with the other adjustments, dimed out the whole time. Listen to all the different kinds of sounds I get using other adjustments, and then think of the range of tones available if you didn't limit yourself like that.

 

Technical note - the Radial Tonebone Hot British (and the other tube pedals they have) use the tube in a starved plate configuration, as a soft clipper. They have diodes, a JMP-1-like configuration, which provide the majority of their actual clipping. The tube is used to soften it up and give it a bit more of a tube-like response, emulate a bit of sag... So turning it from the bigger tube-bearing pedal into a solid state pedal for less money probably just meant using another method to tame the harsher diode clipping. I haven't cracked one open or read anyone who has, but there are a few different ways to do it, and the engineers at Radial are smart people.

[melx]

Go and buy used rat, all will be well....I promise.

[O.G.T.V.]

Thank you all for your reviews. I checked every pedal and I liked a couple of them. Sadly (for good or bad), I need something high gainer with goods control (for not so RAW tone). So that means I may need a new amp. I'd been always thinking of a 2x12 combo or 2x12 cab/head combination. What do you people recommend me, for a budget no higher than $1,400 (that includes shipping & handling). Please no Peavey Valvekings! I dislike that amp! Sounds mega-compressed to my ears.

[humancertainty]

I just scored a Keeley-modded Blues Driver. It just replaced my MI Audio Crunch Box on my board. High gain and not raw.

As far as your amp question, I'd look into a an Ampeg VT22/V4 and a cab. You could also find a 50 or 100 watt Marshall SLP reissue and a cab for under $1400.

[Parah Salin]

This isn't the place for high gain amp advice.

[O.G.T.V.]

This isn't the place for high gain amp advice.

 

 

If somebody wants to follow my thread here*

 

http://acapella.harmony-central.com/showthread.php?p=39664507#post39664507