OD and distortion pedals in front of high gains amps

[ShredmasterD]

whats your opinion, which pair with what amp best and are they really that helpful and why use them? i find an EQ very effective but also a treble booster has been good too. not so much with others like an 808 in my case, except in front of my sv20 plexi, which i would not call a high gain amp.

 

[budda]

Why use them? Because its the sound you wanted. .


Tubescreamer and anything. Boss sd-1 and jcm800’s.

 

[Werecow]

for me... 808 in front of 5150 III types, because it adds a little nastiness, and the 5153 is smooth sounding.
For Marshall types the opposite... Dirty Tree/TC clone, because it gives punch while sounding smoother.

 

[ShredmasterD]

Why use them? Because its the sound you wanted. .


Tubescreamer and anything. Boss sd-1 and jcm800’s.

just ordered an SD-1, that's what prompted me to post the question.

 

[TheBlackBard]

It depends on the mood I'm in. My Boss SD-1 in front of my Rockerverb definitely fucking smashes when I need it to be a tad tighter, but I can take it or leave it. I won't use a boost if I'm playing older stuff. Newer stuff, it depends.

 

[John]

Tough to go wrong with the good old Maxon OD808.

 

[ShredmasterD]

for me... 808 in front of 5150 III types, because it adds a little nastiness, and the 5153 is smooth sounding.
For Marshall types the opposite... Dirty Tree/TC clone, because it gives punch while sounding smoother.

maybe my maxon 808 is weak or something but it wasn't getting me there today. sounds great in front the marshall though. did very little, for me anyway, with the 6505. i see youtube vids saying this pairs best with this but not with that etc, so i floated the question see what people who aren't selling stuff for companies or monetizing videos have to say

 

[BabUShka]

My JVM I run mostly without boost. It happens that I add my Sweet Honey drive in front. Its very transparent and just adds slightly more gain and tighten the lows without coloring the tone.

I add my SD-1 when I play older stuff. Its like it adds some kind 80s vibe to the tone.

If I want gritty tone , the boss BD-2 is perfect for that.

I have a lot of different OD's. Its fun to experiment with them. They all get the job done. But in a different way. My Suhr Riot distortion also works great as a boost for amps that need more push than a OD can deliver.

 

[Shask]

just ordered an SD-1, that's what prompted me to post the question.

The SD-1 is a classic pedal that pretty much everyone should have.

 

[ShredmasterD]

The SD-1 is a classic pedal that pretty much everyone should have.

yep. its just one i never got. in the past mostly just used amp's preamp distortion . but as time goes on, tastes have changed.

 

[Shask]

maybe my maxon 808 is weak or something but it wasn't getting me there today. sounds great in front the marshall though. did very little, for me anyway, with the 6505. i see youtube vids saying this pairs best with this but not with that etc, so i floated the question see what people who aren't selling stuff for companies or monetizing videos have to say

It is good to have a couple different boosts from different "families" to try out. Matching an OD with an amp is like trying different sauces on your food. Some matches are awesome, and some you could throw in the trash, lol.

I probably have 40 different boost/OD pedals. I am always switching them up just for the fun of it.

 

[ShredmasterD]

It is good to have a couple different boosts from different "families" to try out. Matching an OD with an amp is like trying different sauces on your food. Some matches are awesome, and some you could throw in the trash, lol.

I probably have 40 different boost/OD pedals. I am always switching them up just for the fun of it.

thats where im at, mix and match. oddly, playing as long as i have, i only have a few od pedals. got to up my game some

 

[Shask]

yep. its just one i never got. in the past mostly just used amp's preamp distortion . but as time goes on, tastes have changed.

Boosts in front of high gain amps are mostly there to add a little compression to make it easier to play, cut the bass in some amount to tighten up the sound, push the mids in certain frequencies to make the sound tighter and more cutting, and various levels of highs to make it smoother or more ratty in the high end. Matching the pickup with the OD with the amp is a part of the experimentation.

For example, the SD-1 goes great with Marshall type amps. The frequencies each have compliment each other well.

 

[TheBlackBard]

I don't know what kind of music you play, but I can tell you this about the SD-1: I haven't experimented with very many OD pedals, and having found the Boss SD-1, I've found I don't really need to. For metal, it's like it adds a sledgehammer with an axehead to your tone, just fucking crushing. It sounded great with my 6505+ head, but I was getting bored of that tone, so I got a Rockerverb and... Rockerverb with a boost is just apeshit bonkers in all the best ways.

 

[Shask]

thats where im at, mix and match. oddly, playing as long as i have, i only have a few od pedals. got to up my game some

A lot of people buy the same "families" a lot, but it helps to try out different branches. The SD-1 / MXR M77 / Precision Drive / ETC family tends to be brighter and tighter, while the 808 / TS9 / ETC faily tends to be smoother. Then you have the Klon types, and the EQ-based types, like the Dirty Tree / Fortin Grind / TC Pre clones, ETC.... The various RAT clones can make good boost, or the Marshall Guvnor / Bluesbreaker types.

Usually a SD-1 and an 808 can cover a lot of ground, and you can fine tune from there with other pedals that are based on similar designs.

I build a lot of pedals for the fun it it, so I am always making OD pedals. Right now I have a Pearl OD-05 Parametric Overdrive clone I am about to finish.

 

[ShredmasterD]

I don't know what kind of music you play, but I can tell you this about the SD-1: I haven't experimented with very many OD pedals, and having found the Boss SD-1, I've found I don't really need to. For metal, it's like it adds a sledgehammer with an axehead to your tone, just fucking crushing. It sounded great with my 6505+ head, but I was getting bored of that tone, so I got a Rockerverb and... Rockerverb with a boost is just apeshit bonkers in all the best ways.

playing thrash, prog metal mostly. have a Recto and a 6505 and a synergy 50 watt head, 30 watt combo. was using amp distortion forever but never happy so im on an od pedal kick . have an 808 and a mxr wyld od. they weren't doing it so i ordered an sd1 eveyone seems to be about the sd1 and/or the 808 it seems so giving it a shot.

 

[TheBlackBard]

Dude, the SD-1 through that 6505 is going to crush. Do you live in a neighborhood? Do you have neighbors? Won't for much longer.

 

[Spinedriver]

A lot of people buy the same "families" a lot, but it helps to try out different branches. The SD-1 / MXR M77 / Precision Drive / ETC family tends to be brighter and tighter, while the 808 / TS9 / ETC faily tends to be smoother. Then you have the Klon types, and the EQ-based types, like the Dirty Tree / Fortin Grind / TC Pre clones, ETC.... The various RAT clones can make good boost, or the Marshall Guvnor / Bluesbreaker types.

Usually a SD-1 and an 808 can cover a lot of ground, and you can fine tune from there with other pedals that are based on similar designs.

I build a lot of pedals for the fun it it, so I am always making OD pedals. Right now I have a Pearl OD-05 Parametric Overdrive clone I am about to finish.

That's the one thing I love about having the HX Fx board. There are over a dozen really good ods in there that you can just swap in & out depending on which amp or even guitar you are using.
Just this week I picked up a Duellist clone off Amazon and it sounds amazing as a boost. And that's the cool thing about boosting an amp, you don't need the $200-$300 'boutique' pedals to do it. Even the $40 Joyo pedals can do the job quite nicely.

 

[Shask]

That's the one thing I love about having the HX Fx board. There are over a dozen really good ods in there that you can just swap in & out depending on which amp or even guitar you are using.
Just this week I picked up a Duellist clone off Amazon and it sounds amazing as a boost. And that's the cool thing about boosting an amp, you don't need the $200-$300 'boutique' pedals to do it. Even the $40 Joyo pedals can do the job quite nicely.

I havent tried the HX FX, but usually the issue I have with digital OD pedals is they can sound good, but usually feel off. They feel more flat and dont have that kind of chug breathing feel to them like an analog pedal does.

However, I am picky. I have gotten to where I am not sure if I even like OD pedals without input and output buffers, lol.

 

[LCW]

Nothing wrong with boosting if that’s your thing. Some amps benefit immensely (dual recs for example). Some amps need them (JCM 800, although not considered a “high gain” amp).

My issue is that they make everyone sound the same. They sort of remove some of the character of some amps because they’re sculpting the frequencies out.