Soda Jerk Posted January 5, 2009 Report Share Posted January 5, 2009 Best thing you can get for under 50 is a Marshall Guv'nor. Chunky overdrive with loads of crunch and warmth. It won't chuggachugga along to a Pantera riff or something, but it'll break up nicely without being too thin. When ran side-by-side to a Tubescreamer, I actually preferred the Guv'nor. It's a little bit more versatile in terms of EQ and has a bit more character at low gain settings, in my opinion.Save up for a valve amp though, because you can't replicate that sound with any pedal. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Surfer_Rosa Posted January 5, 2009 Report Share Posted January 5, 2009 Yeah, the Guv'nor I used to have had a nice thick sound in my opinion, just kind of a classic Marshall-y sound. Sold mine on here not too long ago, but you could get a new one for not a lot more than a DS-1, and it's much better sounding in my opinion. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Soda Jerk Posted January 5, 2009 Report Share Posted January 5, 2009 Never been impressed with a Boss OD or Distortion. Not a fan of Boss pedals in general. The Marshall range is cheap as hell, built like tanks and whilst the selection isn't as extensive, the models on offer tend to be much better than their Boss equivelant. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alkaline Posted January 5, 2009 Report Share Posted January 5, 2009 Never been impressed with a Boss OD or Distortion. Not a fan of Boss pedals in general. The Marshall range is cheap as hell, built like tanks and whilst the selection isn't as extensive, the models on offer tend to be much better than their Boss equivelant.Totally agree with the Marshall over Boss school of thought for Distortion/Overdrive pedals. I have never been impressed with Boss pedals for that sort of thing. I do, however, think that their Chromatic Tuner is the best on the market at that sort of price and their Digital Delays are good for the money too. My Jackhammer needs a running repair though. One of my hooves kicked off the switch Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TR!ΔNGL€ T€€TH Posted January 5, 2009 Report Share Posted January 5, 2009 Boss pedals I think are quite dull and generic sounding, which I don't think is a good quality for something like a distortion pedal. Great for something like a compressor though.Electro Harmonix is a big sounding distortion pedal with more gain than you can shake a stick at, until it breaks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeid Posted January 5, 2009 Report Share Posted January 5, 2009 I would advise against the Line6 Amp. They are ok, but if you're seriously thinking about an amp head you'd be better looking at a 2nd hand valve amp.I said that on the first page... a new amp is probably the best way tbh. are you kidding? or have you got an out of spec rat? the rat, i've owned two through the years, is the thinnest fizziest sounding distortion i've ever used.I've had two Rats in my time, my housemate has a Rat... I've never EVER heard anyone call it a fizzy pedal, I'd never played it and thought it sounded fizzy. Perhaps your Rat is out of spec... you do realise that the filter control works in the opposite direction than most tone controls, ie; it adds bottom when you turn the filter clockwise. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alkaline Posted January 5, 2009 Report Share Posted January 5, 2009 I said that on the first page... a new amp is probably the best way tbh. Nothing wrong with reiterating a point. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Huw Posted January 5, 2009 Report Share Posted January 5, 2009 you do realise that the filter control works in the opposite direction than most tone controls, ie; it adds bottom when you turn the filter clockwise.i said that on the second page... 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Strat Harry Posted January 5, 2009 Report Share Posted January 5, 2009 I've had two Rats in my time, my housemate has a Rat... I've never EVER heard anyone call it a fizzy pedal, I'd never played it and thought it sounded fizzy. Perhaps your Rat is out of spec... .well youve read it once, bet it wont be the last, however in your defence to me most marshalls (except the some of the hand wired stuff) are fizzy... perhaps this is an issue of subjectivity... where does a marshall stand in your fizzy scale? of all the distortion/ overdrive pedals i own/use i can positively say that any rat i have ever used has been perceived by me as the least meatiest, most fizziest distortion pedal i have used.... on the other hand a little bit of time spent with an arm full of pedals, a function generator and an audio spectrum analyser would probably help put this to bed, but i really couldn't be arsed...you do realise that the filter control works in the opposite direction than most tone controls, ie; it adds bottom when you turn the filter clockwise.yeah, thanks for that.somebody else quoted zappa on the boards a while back: writing about tone is like dancing about architecture. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeid Posted January 6, 2009 Report Share Posted January 6, 2009 Nothing wrong with reiterating a point.Not at all i said that on the second page... Well done...well youve read it once, bet it wont be the last, however in your defence to me most marshalls (except the some of the hand wired stuff) are fizzy... perhaps this is an issue of subjectivity... where does a marshall stand in your fizzy scale? of all the distortion/ overdrive pedals i own/use i can positively say that any rat i have ever used has been perceived by me as the least meatiest, most fizziest distortion pedal i have used.... on the other hand a little bit of time spent with an arm full of pedals, a function generator and an audio spectrum analyser would probably help put this to bed, but i really couldn't be arsed...yeah, thanks for that.somebody else quoted zappa on the boards a while back: writing about tone is like dancing about architecture.Some Marshalls are fizzy, definitely not meaty though.You used a DS-1? I thought that thing was horrible Writing about tone... perhaps we should close this thread Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kaizen Posted January 6, 2009 Author Report Share Posted January 6, 2009 How much would a half decent valve head be costing me though? Im seriously doubting being able to afford one any time soon, and a do need a giggable amp. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alkaline Posted January 6, 2009 Report Share Posted January 6, 2009 How much would a half decent valve head be costing me though? Im seriously doubting being able to afford one any time soon, and a do need a giggable amp.How much are you looking at paying for Paul-Shands Line6? You can get more than useable 2nd Head Valve heads for around the 200-250 mark. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Soda Jerk Posted January 6, 2009 Report Share Posted January 6, 2009 You can usually pickup second hand Laneys or JCM900/2000 on ebay or whatever for around 250-300. They aren't the "best" but they'll do a fine job and will sound an astronomical amount better than a Line6, which will only do a fine job at making your guitar sound like a computer. It really is just like a big, overpriced toy. It has no dynamics of a real guitar sound and will not be that worthy of gigging, ever.Modern Marshalls are accused of being fizzy. I've had mine (JCM2000) modded for a bit more warmth on the OD channel, but even before that, I managed to get a cracking, chunky overdrive tone out of it by turning down the treble and upping the bass. It just sounded strange switching from clean to OD, as the OD is very treble heavy, and the clean isn't, and there's only one EQ for both channels. The modification evened it out nicely.If you use alot of clean, I'd avoid the JCM900. The clean is very dark and scratchy. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kieran_imray Posted January 6, 2009 Report Share Posted January 6, 2009 Avoiding JCM 900's is seconded, I'm fairly sure they are regarded as one of the worst all valve amps Jim Marshall has ever put his name to. I'd go for a DSL50 from the JCM 2000 range. They can be a bit buzzy and fizzy, but imo that's only an issue if you are playing stuff that isn't hard rock or metal. Only problem with buying a head is that you would obviously need a cab to run it through, which would probably add an extra couple of hundred to the price. If that is an issue I would look into a JCM2000 DSL 401 combo. I've also heard good things about the Laney LC30 combo, not heard one in person, but might be worth a look.On the topic of distortion pedals, I'd say avoid Boss, try an Ibanez Tube Screamer or, if you want to invest serious money, a Tonebone. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lame Guitarist Posted January 6, 2009 Report Share Posted January 6, 2009 On the topic of distortion pedals, I'd say avoid Boss, try an Ibanez Tube Screamer or, if you want to invest serious money, a Tonebone. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kieran_imray Posted January 6, 2009 Report Share Posted January 6, 2009 I think Bill only had his vintage tube screamer with him for added distortion to his Marshall plexi when I saw Liars Dice on Friday, he had an MXR EQ for a boost aswell, but I didn't notice him using it. Infact, I don't think I've seen him use any boss pedal except a TU-2 tuner for a while now. I think Jamie may use a DS-1 or something with FUBAR, not too sure though, some boss distortion anyway. iirc it sounded not bad but not as nice as a tube screamer. I've just never been massively impressed with boss distortions. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alkaline Posted January 6, 2009 Report Share Posted January 6, 2009 or buy yourself a tubescreamer ts9DX (four mode version) and i will give you a set of instructions for parts to change out (its complex but worth it) and i guarantee you will love it.How much do you charge for doing that out of interest? Or how easy is it to do yourself? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lame Guitarist Posted January 6, 2009 Report Share Posted January 6, 2009 How much do you charge for doing that out of interest? Or how easy is it to do yourself?its easy to do if your comfortable with soldering. theres a lot of different things that can be done with it. the best one is drilling a new switch in the middle of the pedal and making it true bypass and then booting a boost switch in and changing components for a better sound.i could make up an instruction sheet for it and tell you where to get the parts. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alkaline Posted January 6, 2009 Report Share Posted January 6, 2009 its easy to do if your comfortable with soldering. theres a lot of different things that can be done with it. the best one is drilling a new switch in the middle of the pedal and making it true bypass and then booting a boost switch in and changing components for a better sound.i could make up an instruction sheet for it and tell you where to get the parts.That would be pretty cool if you wouldn't mind doing so. What other things can be done to it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Huw Posted January 6, 2009 Report Share Posted January 6, 2009 if you are spending over a 100 on a pedal try xotic effects bb preamp (really good overdrive pedal with true bypass)i really like the simplicity of those pedals... very tempting. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lame Guitarist Posted January 6, 2009 Report Share Posted January 6, 2009 i really like the simplicity of those pedals... very tempting.havent tried the other ones but the bb preamp is really good. doesnt colour your tone and has plenty of gain if needed. would recommend that one. i got mine from sounds great music and it was about 130 or something. did the research on it before so thought it was a worthwhile purchase Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lame Guitarist Posted January 6, 2009 Report Share Posted January 6, 2009 That would be pretty cool if you wouldn't mind doing so. What other things can be done to it?no probs. i will let you know when i have put it together. it can be modded for a lot of bass on it as well but i thinks its a bit overpowering. i just like the true bypass mod and the boost mod - i think i have a lot of the stuff similar to the one that keeley did on it written down somewhere. his one was pretty good. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alkaline Posted January 6, 2009 Report Share Posted January 6, 2009 no probs. i will let you know when i have put it together. it can be modded for a lot of bass on it as well but i thinks its a bit overpowering. i just like the true bypass mod and the boost mod - i think i have a lot of the stuff similar to the one that keeley did on it written down somewhere. his one was pretty good.Cheers, that would be great. I'd be interested in all the mods. Thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeid Posted January 6, 2009 Report Share Posted January 6, 2009 A DSL50 can be had for around 300... well worth it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Strat Harry Posted January 6, 2009 Report Share Posted January 6, 2009 You used a DS-1? I thought that thing was horrible who used a DS-1? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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