Am I the only metal guy who doesn't use an overdrive pedal?

[aheadofmetal]

I have owned tons of overdrive pedals over the years. Mainly to increase my pick attack and "tighten" the low end. Recently I have come to the amazing realization that I strongly dislike overdrive pedals for a few reasons:

Everyone uses them and most metal tones sound the same nowadays. (Peavey 6505 Maxon 808 EMG pickups).

Using EQ pedal as a boost is way more effective way of shaping your attack. It gives you way more control over the guitar and how much "boost" you are adding and on what frequency. Plus, it gives you a way more organic sound because you are not adding a diode between the guitar and preamp and essentially high-passing your guitar before the amp (although you could do this with eq if you wanted to). If you want to keep an organic sound but still like having a boost, I strongly recommend this.

Let me know your thoughts....

 

[Fretless]

Lots of people don't. They just don't talk about it because there's not much to say other than, "Hey! I don't use an overdrive pedal".

 

[Riley]

Using an eq as a boost is not that unheard of...Whether it sounds or works "better" is subjective.

 

[Grindspine]

I have an old DOD Corrosion pedal that I have tried to use as an overdrive so many times. I always find that it adds something to the tone that is just harsh. I keep it just for those days when I want abrasive, industrial sounds.

Most of the time I just go direct to amp nowadays. I do keep a Dunlop Q-zone pedal between the guitar & Triaxis for when I feel I need any type of boost though. I feel like it gives me a less junky tone than an overdrive pedal would. I have toyed with the idea of even dropping down to just a plain EQ pedal or a booster/line driver pedal.

 

[TedEH]

I've seen people on this site say they don't use a boost of any kind, but it's going to depend very heavily on the rest of the gear you're using. Some amps are just tight and heavy to begin with.

If you're like me, and bought an amp that's "not very metal" on it's own, the boost is necessary. I recently switched from using a TS9 to a Spark Booster since I never use the "gain" on a tube screamer anyway.

Everyone uses them and most metal tones sound the same nowadays.

I don't think this is the fault of the 6505/EMG/Boost club- cause let's face it, that sound has been around for a long time, and there's a fair amount of room to maneuver within that template.

I honestly think that all the PODs and AxeFx setups all sound much more alike than any two tube amp tones.

 

[protest]

I was using a boost, and then I switched to an MXR 10 band as a boost, and then back to a boost. I found the MXR CBM OD works a lot better with my amp for what I want than the EQ did.

 

[TRENCHLORD]

I use both (one at a time), depending on what other stuff I'm using and sometimes just for the sake of shaking things up.
Actually it's between od808, od9+, and mxr6. I can happily roll with any one of them, it just changes the amp's settings.

 

[troyguitar]

I don't use any pedals for metal tones. (Though my Mesa has the graphic EQ after the preamp section which I do use)

I do use an overdrive pedal in front of a clean amp as an actual overdrive pedal, i.e. for rock/fusion/blues tones.

 

[celticelk]

Everyone uses them and most metal tones sound the same nowadays. (Peavey 6505 Maxon 808 EMG pickups).

This might possibly be true for one or two subgenres of metal, but unless you're also trying to argue that (for example) doom isn't a type of metal, this is obviously untrue in the general case.

 

[rectifryer]

I use comp/eq/OD with very small changes from noon with no actual overdrive engaged. The largest cut I make is everything below 40 hz. I actually like keeping some of the 60hz+ around.

Using an OD alone does still sound nice, but I don't think it sounds as heavy as other methods. It just sounds slightly more focused than straight into the amp.

 

[aheadofmetal]

I have toyed with the idea of even dropping down to just a plain EQ pedal or a booster/line driver pedal.

How did you like the qzone? Any benefits over just plain graphic eq? Do you have any experience with a plain volume booster or a good model?

 

[aheadofmetal]

If you're like me, and bought an amp that's "not very metal" on it's own, the boost is necessary. I recently switched from using a TS9 to a Spark Booster since I never use the "gain" on a tube screamer anyway.

I don't think this is the fault of the 6505/EMG/Boost club- cause let's face it, that sound has been around for a long time, and there's a fair amount of room to maneuver within that template.

I honestly think that all the PODs and AxeFx setups all sound much more alike than any two tube amp tones.

I hear where you are coming from. I used to use EQ and an OD-1 on the crunch channel of my jcm 2000 which surprisingly sounded pretty awesome for tight thrash riffs, but I think my taste has changed.

I cant agree more with your second comment. I think its funny that AxeFx gives you control over everything. Even "air frequency" or whatever but most tones I hear sound similar. Those aren't for me at all.

 

[aheadofmetal]

This might possibly be true for one or two subgenres of metal, but unless you're also trying to argue that (for example) doom isn't a type of metal, this is obviously untrue in the general case.

I was just being inflammatory to get some discussion going.

 

[aheadofmetal]

I use comp/eq/OD with very small changes from noon with no actual overdrive engaged. The largest cut I make is everything below 40 hz. I actually like keeping some of the 60hz+ around.

Using an OD alone does still sound nice, but I don't think it sounds as heavy as other methods. It just sounds slightly more focused than straight into the amp.

You actually hit my point more clearly. When I am mixing I find that I actually like having some of the sub bass still in the guitars. And while I do see the value of overdrive pedals. I have done AB comparisons with different boosts and found that the EQ actually sounds better with my current setup.

 

[All_¥our_Bass]

I also use an eq instead of a TS/Overdrive as a boost.
(I also use a second eq pedal AFTER distortion for even more shaping, it's such a wonderfully controllable setup that I've only rarely heard of. I wish it was more well known)

ODs add this twang which is fine for a warm clean, which is fine on it's own but when I put distortion on top of that, it sounds wrong to me.
Even with the gain and volume very low, and the tone knob in a neutral position I can still hear the distinct TS style of clipping in my high gain tone.
It just doesn't gel with the gear I use and the sound I want.

However, I've heard plenty of recordings here that sound great with a TS/OD setup.

 

[aheadofmetal]

I also use an eq instead of a TS/Overdrive as a boost.
(I also use a second eq pedal AFTER distortion for even more shaping, it's such a wonderfully controllable setup that I've only rarely heard of. I wish it was more well known)

ODs add this twang which is fine for a warm clean, which is fine on it's own but when I put distortion on top of that, it sounds wrong to me.
Even with the gain and volume very low, and the tone knob in a neutral position I can still hear the distinct TS style of clipping in my high gain tone.
It just doesn't gel with the gear I use and the sound I want.

However, I've heard plenty of recordings here that sound great with a TS/OD setup.

How do you set the EQ after the amp?

 

[TheWarAgainstTime]

I almost always use an overdrive in my setup, but then again I play metalcore/post hardcore so I sorta fall into the "every metal" category

However, once I got my EVH, I found that the boost wasn't quite as necessary since the preamp section is so tight already. I still use an OD with my main setup, but for a while I never felt the need to bring anything more than a noise suppressor and a tuner along with the head when I'd go to practices I've also recently started working with a couple of friends on a more hardcore type of project, with which I very seldom use my OD.

TL;DR it depends on the amp I'm using and the sound I want.

 

[aheadofmetal]

TL;DR it depends on the amp I'm using and the sound I want.

I can't stress that enough. It is all subjective to the sound you are after. Hell I still have a metalzone pedal just in case I feel like covering a Dissection song one day....

 

[cGoEcYk]

Both of my amps (Rectoverb and Ibanez Thermion) sound better with one when shooting for more modern tones. If I am tracking the Recto sometimes I'll do one side with a boost and one without. Some amps really dont need a boost or it doesnt do much. Kranks dont need no boost.

My old guitarist recorded our last album (prog metal/post metal genre) with a passive guitar (Ibanez SA-series), no boost, Ibanez Thermion and a Marshall cab loaded with GT-75's. It came out alright in the end but I felt like guitars were barely aggressive enough. He totally could have used a boost with those passive pups! Some guitarists are more like plug+play guys. He used a Marshall MG on the album before... painful to listen to.

 

[aheadofmetal]

Both of my amps (Rectoverb and Ibanez Thermion) sound better with one when shooting for more modern tones. If I am tracking the Recto sometimes I'll do one side with a boost and one without. Some amps really dont need a boost or it doesnt do much. Kranks dont need a boost.

My old guitarist recorded our last album with a passive guitar (Ibanez SA-series), no boost, Ibanez Thermion and a Marshall cab loaded with GT-75's. It came out alright in the end but I felt like guitars were barely aggressive enough. He totally could have used a boost with those passive pups! Some guitarists are more like plug+play guys. He used a Marshall MG on the album before... painful to listen to.

I might try one side with an OD and one with EQ