OD808 vs SD1 vs Soul Food (as boost)

[Guitarjon]

Hey all!

I was playing through my Marshall JCM 800 Studio SC20H and I wanted to compare some boost pedals since the amp really benefits from a good boost to bring in more gain. I wanted to keep it simple and straightforward so I'm just doing a rock riff and one setting for each pedal. The goal is just to make this amp have more gain and tighten up the low-end a bit.

The pedals that I compare are the Maxon OD808, the Boss SD-1 Super Overdrive and the Electro Harmonix Soul Food. They each do their own thing. The Maxon has that well-known mid hump that makes it instantly recognizable, the SD-1 seems to have a more open and clear sound which I really like and the EHX seems to sound the most transparent and it lets more low-end through.

In hindsight for this comparison I think I prefer the SD-1 this time but of course all the pedals and the amp could be tweaked further. Would love to know your thoughts!

 

[Demiurge]

I have an SD-1 and was interested in the Soul Food, so this was very informative. The transparency of the Soul Food really doesn't do much for me, I guess- I really prefer the coloring and "clank" that SD-1 adds.

 

[Guitarjon]

I have an SD-1 and was interested in the Soul Food, so this was very informative. The transparency of the Soul Food really doesn't do much for me, I guess- I really prefer the coloring and "clank" that SD-1 adds.

The Soul Food is very nice but I also preferred the SD1 in this case. The soul food is great if you either don't want to change the characteristics of your amp much while boosting, or for making it brighter. It's also good for making very clean channels a little bit more broken up.

 

[lewis]

That SD-1 & Marshall Combo is amazing.
Sounds incredible. 100% prefer the SD1

 

[TheWarAgainstTime]

You really can't go wrong with an 808 in general, but the voicing of the SD-1 makes it a great pairing with the 800

It's been a while since I owned a Soul Food, but I mostly like to use Klon-style pedals to add grit and a bit of brightness to a clean or semi-clean tone. It's a cool sound in front of a high gain amp for lead work too, but it's not my thing for boosting in a heavy rhythm situation.

 

[vilk]

The SD-1 really helps cut when you're in a full band setting, but I feel like it takes away too much meat when you're all by your lonesome. The 808 sounded a little fuller. But then again, unless your Dylan Carlson, why would it matter how you sound by yourself with just a guitar lol

 

[Guitarjon]

That SD-1 & Marshall Combo is amazing.
Sounds incredible. 100% prefer the SD1

Yeah, I'm glad I figured that out! I guess I have been living under a rock haha. To be fair: for a long time I've been trying to avoid boost pedals because I usually prefer the pure tone of an amp. With this JCM 800 however it makes a lot of sense to use a boost and the SD-1 is a winner indeed.

You really can't go wrong with an 808 in general, but the voicing of the SD-1 makes it a great pairing with the 800

It's been a while since I owned a Soul Food, but I mostly like to use Klon-style pedals to add grit and a bit of brightness to a clean or semi-clean tone. It's a cool sound in front of a high gain amp for lead work too, but it's not my thing for boosting in a heavy rhythm situation.

Yeah that's definitely what the Soul Food is good at. When you have an amp with a super clean channel with a lot of headroom the SF can give it some nice subtle overdrive and it does actually sound as if it's the amp that's going into overdrive. That's what I love it for the most.

The SD-1 really helps cut when you're in a full band setting, but I feel like it takes away too much meat when you're all by your lonesome. The 808 sounded a little fuller. But then again, unless your Dylan Carlson, why would it matter how you sound by yourself with just a guitar lol

Haha, I have no idea who Dylan Carlson is. Should I look it up?

 

[vilk]

Haha, I have no idea who Dylan Carlson is. Should I look it up?

He's the guy behind the band Earth, but he also has solo albums that are just electric guitar and not a full band. I'm a big fan, but it's definitely not for everyone. It's very monotonous, minimalist, atmospheric music. There's some studio magic on the recordings, but when he plays them live it's literally just the dude and his git.

 

[Guitarjon]

He's the guy behind the band Earth, but he also has solo albums that are just electric guitar and not a full band. I'm a big fan, but it's definitely not for everyone. It's very monotonous, minimalist, atmospheric music.

I see! Thanks! I'll definitely take a listen!

 

[Spinedriver]

I have proabably close to a dozen od pedals and I know some are 'ts' based & a couple are 'sd-1' based but most of them I really have no idea. I agree though that with some amps, the sd-1 works better and with others, the ts based pedal is the preferred way to go.

I was thinking for the longest time about picking up a Soul Food pedal but for an extra $40, I picked up a Hot Wax pedal and I've been getting some pretty decent results. I tend to perfer od pedals with bass in addition to treble because it gives that extra little bit of control over the tone shaping. Even more, the Hot Wax also has a "blend" knob so if the od effect is 'too much', you can dial a bit of it out. Very much worth trying if you have access to one.

 

[Guitarjon]

I have proabably close to a dozen od pedals and I know some are 'ts' based & a couple are 'sd-1' based but most of them I really have no idea. I agree though that with some amps, the sd-1 works better and with others, the ts based pedal is the preferred way to go.

I was thinking for the longest time about picking up a Soul Food pedal but for an extra $40, I picked up a Hot Wax pedal and I've been getting some pretty decent results. I tend to perfer od pedals with bass in addition to treble because it gives that extra little bit of control over the tone shaping. Even more, the Hot Wax also has a "blend" knob so if the od effect is 'too much', you can dial a bit of it out. Very much worth trying if you have access to one.

Cool! I have never heard of the Hot Wax but it's worth looking into! The Soul Food is great though. Like you said, it doesn't take away the low-end but you can add treble. You can also dial it in to sound the same as when it's turned off, so transparent.

 

[Spinedriver]

Cool! I have never heard of the Hot Wax but it's worth looking into! The Soul Food is great though. Like you said, it doesn't take away the low-end but you can add treble. You can also dial it in to sound the same as when it's turned off, so transparent.

The Hot Wax is basically their "Hot Tubes" and "Crayon" od pedals in one box. They share the tone & blend controls but each have their own level & drive knobs and can be run one at a time or together but you can't change which comes first in the signal chain (like you can witht the Fulltone pedals).

 

[KnightBrolaire]

I think I'd pick the soul food personally. I like boosts that don't overly color the sound of the amp.