Bored with overdrive pedals???

[johnrambo]

I'm over it. I feel like i've been constantly trying out different overdrive pedals for a while now and not finding anything that i really like. i've tried quite a few and i'm always real happy at the beginning because it sounds new but eventually i'm just bored of it. Honestly i think i prefer a clean sound or an all out distorted or fuzzed sound. Anybody else ever come to this conclusion or am I going crazy?

[Keith SIO]

Just get a Mule.

[johnrambo]

i wouldn't mind trying out a mule but i feel i'd come to the same conclusion. there was supposed to be a tonefactor tourbox going around here but that seems to have gone under or at least i haven't heard anything recently.

[Funky Chowder]

It goes in waves for me. I don't get to have my amp cranking in my apartment, which is when some ODs really sound great. Depending on the level my amps are working at, I find that I have to adjust my settings (pedal, amp EQ, pickups, etc) constantly to find interesting sounds.

At a certain point, I think you get to a point where new pedals aren't so much a huge leap forward, but are perhaps lateral steps in getting different tones.

That said, I can always dig a nice clean or acoustic sound. That's not always the case with OD/distortion/fuzz, but when I go back to dirt, it's a beautiful thing.

[bowlingshirt]

Honestly i think i prefer a clean sound or an all out distorted or fuzzed sound.

Sounds like you answered your own question. You just don't like overdrive, so why bother

[Fenderson]

yeh

[melx]

I've never used an overdrive pedal, slight crunch on the amp, distortion/fuzz in a pedal, maybe i'm missing out........

[gambit]

i've only just started getting into testing out overdrive pedals recently after about 10 years of playing.. my conclusion? they are pretty {censored}ing boring as far as effects pedal go...

i think overdrives are more for people who 'play' rather than people who like making sounds/noises. i'd sooner have multiple delays, phasers and auto-sweeping filters at my feet than half a dozen tubescreamer clones. but then, i can't play for {censored}

[Funky Chowder]

I've never used an overdrive pedal, slight crunch on the amp, distortion/fuzz in a pedal, maybe i'm missing out........

 

 

Perhaps, or maybe that's just your preference. What amp are you driving?

[Dr.Picklebottom]

I'm over it. I feel like i've been constantly trying out different overdrive pedals for a while now and not finding anything that i really like. i've tried quite a few and i'm always real happy at the beginning because it sounds new but eventually i'm just bored of it. Honestly i think i prefer a clean sound or an all out distorted or fuzzed sound. Anybody else ever come to this conclusion or am I going crazy?

what kind of music do you play that prefer clean tone to OD/ dist/ fuzz?

theres only so much i like clean for and rockin' out sucks running clean. {censored}, even a lot of blues stuff sounds better with gain.

[Fender&EHX4ever]

What amp are you using?

As much as I like using some overdrive/distortion/fuzz pedals, I accomplish my favorite overdrive sound by running through my EHX Tube Blackfinger > EHX Graphic Equalizer > 1968 Fender Vibro Champ. Has anyone else thought that by the time you purchase a Hermida or Klon or whatever, you could've afforded a great tube amp with a great natural overdrive?

[melx]

Perhaps, or maybe that's just your preference. What amp are you driving?

 

 

at the moment, an old marshall VS (but not for long), before that a Randall 2x12 SS, before that a yamaha thing. I'm going to buy a Laney VC30 in a month or two, so I might try an overdrive with that. It will be my first all tube amp and i'm pretty exited:)

[Funky Chowder]

at the moment, an old marshall VS (but not for long), before that a Randall 2x12 SS, before that a yamaha thing. I'm going to buy a Laney VC30 in a month or two, so I might try an overdrive with that. It will be my first all tube amp and i'm pretty exited:)

Ah, Laneys are excellent amps, from what I hear. Congrates!

I would say that overdrives definitely earn their bread and butter through tube amps. While I got them to work with, say, my Peavey Bandit or solid-state Crate, they really came to life with amps that have the tubes cooking.

I'd say revisiting OD's may be in order with the new amp. Then again, I hear that the Laneys have great gain as it is, so you may find that you won't need any other dirt.

[melx]

Ah, Laneys are excellent amps, from what I hear. Congrates! I would say that overdrives definitely earn their bread and butter through tube amps. While I got them to work with, say, my Peavey Bandit or solid-state Crate, they really came to life with amps that have the tubes cooking. I'd say revisiting OD's may be in order with the new amp. Then again, I hear that the Laneys have great gain as it is, so you may find that you won't need any other dirt.

yeah, thanks....I'm gonna get the matching extention cab the month after too. to be honest i'm looking forward to trying all my pedals through it, because i'm sure it will make quite a bit of difference to their tone......yup well looking forward to my New Amp Day, about six weeks I hope...just one of the benifits of giving up smoking:thu:

[johnrambo]

what kind of music do you play that prefer clean tone to OD/ dist/ fuzz? theres only so much i like clean for and rockin' out sucks running clean. {censored}, even a lot of blues stuff sounds better with gain.

i try to play a variety of stuff but lately a lot of spacey bluesy type stuff, somewhat "floydian" i guess. i like to loop a few layers together. i usually fingerpick some simple melody with some texture (phaser or tremolo) and then lay some lead stuff overtop (usually with a fuzz and a little delay). i'm not really sure the best way to describe it. maybe if i played a little more rocking stuff as you said i'd use one more but i just don't right now.

[johnrambo]

What amp are you using? As much as I like using some overdrive/distortion/fuzz pedals, I accomplish my favorite overdrive sound by running through my EHX Tube Blackfinger > EHX Graphic Equalizer > 1968 Fender Vibro Champ. Has anyone else thought that by the time you purchase a Hermida or Klon or whatever, you could've afforded a great tube amp with a great natural overdrive?

 

 

right now a blues junior which i'm hoping to replace in the near future with a DRRI or a Vibrolux or something. the bj is alright for playing at home but when playing with my friends its not enough, especially if i want to play clean.

[EvilSoup]

You should try out a Tube Zone.

It has multiple gain stages so you can smoothly go from complete clean to a great distortion tone. Then get a boost pedal behind it for extra gain. I use a VT card from my ZIM.

I then use the TAR+ card for more hotrodded overdrive sounds.

Also...

...MAYO FOR DESTRUCTION! :phil:

[tenoken]

Blues Driver with Monte Allums mod. Total spent =

 

As natural sounding as anything you'll ever use, as the volume knob controls the amount of grit--which is incredibly smooth BTW. It also packs plenty of bite if you need it.

[johnrambo]

i'm not really intersted in overdrive pedal suggestions. that wasn't my point.

[EvilSoup]

i'm not really intersted in overdrive pedal suggestions. that wasn't my point.

Well, I don't really like that light overdrive stuff either. I don't use my VT card by itself anymore. It seems a bit buzzy. Thats why I like pedals that sound like distortion pedals but can clean up like an overdrive.

Just letting you know theres hope.

[Fender&EHX4ever]

right now a blues junior which i'm hoping to replace in the near future with a DRRI or a Vibrolux or something. the bj is alright for playing at home but when playing with my friends its not enough, especially if i want to play clean.

 

 

If you like the overdrive tone of the blues junior, I recommend holding on to it to use for that purpose, and then buy another amp with more wattage to get your clean tones. Then, you can use an A/B/Y box to switch between your clean and dirty tones.