Distortion pedals

[Bloody_Inferno]

Been using Free The Tone Heat Blaster and Quad Arrow.

The Heat Blaster is more that classic British Marshall tone that's great for leads, while the Quad Arrow for more modern sounds. Been using the former for my country/rock sessions where the blue and red channels of my 5153 50 is too much overkill.


Also for lulz, anyone here who's willing to raise the bar on upper tier corksniffery, check out the Barbarossa Gargoyle.

Yeah, you read the price right. That's Klon levels of insanity right there.

 

[ArtDecade]

I vastly prefer the gain in my Mesa, so I typically use a dirt box to get something I can't get from the amp. I like the Throne Torcher for those Buzzsaw Swedish moments and I might use the MT-2 for a boost here and there. Other than that, I can't gel with most dirt boxes because they sit on the tone, rather than mesh with it.

 

[Darren James]

I've owned many dist/od pedals over the years. I almost always prefer the amps distortion and boast it if need be. I recently bought a Simble overdrive by mad professor and boost it with a tube screamer. I use a dual rec clean channel for my amp and man I can't get enough of it. It may not be full sh*t kick to the face metal tone but it sounds so good. I also own a J Rocket archon and the thing is so smooth sounding and acts great as a boost as well. I like to have a variety, it can keep things interesting.

 

[HeHasTheJazzHands]

Yeah, you read the price right. That's Klon levels of insanity right there.

Why is it that the more boutique a pedal is, the more plain and stripped-down it looks?

 

[wakjob]

I've owned many dist/od pedals over the years. I almost always prefer the amps distortion and boast it if need be. I recently bought a Simble overdrive by mad professor and boost it with a tube screamer. I use a dual rec clean channel for my amp and man I can't get enough of it. It may not be full sh*t kick to the face metal tone but it sounds so good. I also own a J Rocket archon and the thing is so smooth sounding and acts great as a boost as well. I like to have a variety, it can keep things interesting.

Ah, another Dumble-esq pedal. Right up my alley!

Videos sound great, wonder how it compares to a Zendrive?

 

[Spinedriver]

Why is it that the more boutique a pedal is, the more plain and stripped-down it looks?

For some reason, when it comes to "boutique/handmade" pedals, the less features they have, the more they tend to cost.

 

[Spinedriver]

I've owned many dist/od pedals over the years. I almost always prefer the amps distortion and boast it if need be. I recently bought a Simble overdrive by mad professor and boost it with a tube screamer. I use a dual rec clean channel for my amp and man I can't get enough of it. It may not be full sh*t kick to the face metal tone but it sounds so good. I also own a J Rocket archon and the thing is so smooth sounding and acts great as a boost as well. I like to have a variety, it can keep things interesting.

There's no doubt that amp distortion is WAY better than a pedal but there are times when using your main amp isn't viable (ie: jamming/playing through someone else's amp), so having a great sounding pedal is cool to have as a sort of 'backup'.

 

[ArtDecade]

For some reason, when it comes to "boutique/handmade" pedals, the less features they have, the more they tend to cost.

Its easier to hear with your wallet when there are less controls on the pedal.

 

[Spinedriver]

Its easier to hear with your wallet when there are less controls on the pedal.

I agree to a certain extent. The less elements there are to it, the easier it should be to decide if you want it or not. For me though, if I'm shelling out upwards of $300 for a pedal, I'd really like a bit of versatility to it. Granted a $200 od pedal will more than likely sound better than a $50 pedal but is it $150 better ? That's where extras like switchable boost, bass & mid controls, etc.. help justify the price tag.

In the end, some people just really dig "bare bones" no matter what the price. Locally. I can get an EVH 5150 III 50w head for $1,350. On the other hand a friend of mine has started selling a 20w hand wired amp that has 1 volume knob, 2 tone knobs & no fx loop for $1,800. For me, it's kind of a no-brainer but for guys that want an authentic 60's sound, they'd probably me more likely to go for the hand made one.

 

[Bloody_Inferno]

They should have at least put a gargoyle pic on it. At least the Klons have centaurs.

 

[Darren James]

I agree spinedriver, there's something about the Simble that just makes it special as well. As for the zendrive, when I watched the video comparison, I liked the tone of the Simble better and that's why I went ahead and bought it.