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Topic: What is your favorite distortion pedal? |
Kristen Bruno
From: Orlando, Florida, USA
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Posted 15 May 2019 8:22 am
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For those who occasionally use distortion for blues on PEDAL steel, what do you use? It seems like the distortions I use on slide guitar or lap steel guitar do not quite cut it for pedal steel. Not "earthy" enough.
Not really been happy with the distortions from some multi effects I have tried either. Maybe I am setting them wrong.
Any you folks have a go-to pedal or even multi effect pedal to give you a decent distortion on pedal steel?
Thanks
K _________________ "Technology has given us the ability to repeat all the mistakes we have learned from history, but much faster, deadlier and with much greater accuracy" - KAB |
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Greg Cutshaw
From: Corry, PA, USA
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Posted 15 May 2019 9:04 am
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I have the latest Ibanez Tube Screamer and so far it's not that great as it seems very grainy and raspy at the lighter distortion settings. I'm using it with the re-issue Sweetwater Princeton Reverb, 12" speaker. Have had the best luck with setting the amp volume low and setting the Screamer's gain to overdrive the amp's input stage.
Last edited by Greg Cutshaw on 15 May 2019 10:22 am; edited 1 time in total |
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Jack Hanson
From: San Luis Valley, USA
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Posted 15 May 2019 9:25 am
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I like both the Sarno Earth Drive and the Voo Doo Labs Sparkle Drive. Alot will depend on the guitar and amp you're using. |
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Tom Dillon
From: La Mesa, California, USA
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Posted 15 May 2019 11:12 am
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I use an original Hermida Audio Zendrive, before the volume pedal. It sounds perfect to me with every amp or pickup I've used it with. I also use a Sarno Solar Flare sometimes. Its' sound is in the same ballpark I think. |
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Richard Sinkler
From: aka: Rusty Strings -- Missoula, Montana
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Posted 15 May 2019 11:26 am
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My favorite that I have used is a Damage Control Liquid Blues pedal. Has 2 12ax7 tubes. But, it's footprint is about 3 of the normal Boss pedals.
_________________ Carter D10 8p/8k, Dekley S10 3p/4k C6 setup,Regal RD40 Dobro, Recording King Professional Dobro, NV400, NV112,Ibanez Gio guitar, Epiphone SG Special (open D slide guitar) . Playing for 54 years and still counting.
Last edited by Richard Sinkler on 22 May 2019 10:04 am; edited 1 time in total |
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K Maul
From: Hadley, NY/Hobe Sound, FL
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Posted 15 May 2019 12:22 pm
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X-otic effects BB Preamp with a compressor before it, both before the volume pedal. The BB has a very “organic†sound to me. I set it about 1/2 way or a little less on the gain, then boost the compressor to drive it more when I want it nasty. I don’t care much for the germanium “fuzz†type, but an earthy overdrive works for me.
I also have a Fulltone Plimsoul which is pretty good. _________________ KEVIN MAUL: Airline, Beard, Clinesmith, Donner, Evans, Excel, Fender, Fluger, GFI, Gibson, Hilton, Ibanez, Justice, K+K, Live Strings, MOYO, National, Oahu, Peterson, Quilter, Rickenbacher, Sho~Bud, Supro, TC, Ultimate, VHT, Williams, X-otic, Yamaha, ZKing. |
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Larry Petree
From: Bakersfield. Ca. USA
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Posted 15 May 2019 1:13 pm Distortion
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Through many years, I have tried several units. My favorite is the Goodrich Steel Driver III. A plus is that it has the Goodrich 7-A also built in the unit. |
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Jeff Mead
From: London, England
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George Kimery
From: Limestone, TN, USA
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Posted 15 May 2019 2:33 pm What is your favorite distortion pedal
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Bobbe Seymour was using a RAT in one of his lectures. Sounded good to me, so I bought one.I don't use distortion any more, so I sold t, but I did think it was a good unit. Liked it much better than the Boss Tone. |
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Brooks Montgomery
From: Idaho, USA
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Posted 15 May 2019 2:38 pm
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I have three different pedals, but I keep coming back to the Golden Cello. It just sounds the best with my 'Bud. _________________ A banjo, like a pet monkey, seems like a good idea at first. |
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Mike Bacciarini
From: Arizona
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Posted 15 May 2019 3:37 pm
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An Ibanez Tube Screamer Mini works for me. Usually a subtle amount is all I use. _________________ MCI Arlington S-10 3+5, George L E-66, BJS & Emmons bars, Fender Stage Lead II 100W 1x12, Fender Satellite SFX, custom FX rack, 1983 Dobro 60D, SX-8 lap steel, Martin D16GT, Ibanez AS73, 1978 Rickenbacker 4000 custom. |
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Len Amaral
From: Rehoboth,MA 02769
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Posted 15 May 2019 6:03 pm
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If you have a typical pedal steel amp with a 15 heavy duty speaker, IMO, you won’t find a distortion pedal that will give you that “Bad to the Bone†vibe
I have tried many distortion/overdrive pedals to no avail. If anyone has any suggestions I’ll always keep an open mind. _________________ I survived the sixties! |
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Jeff Mead
From: London, England
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Posted 15 May 2019 10:51 pm
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Without wanting to go off topic, one of the reasons I went for the Buzz Tone/Boss Tone is because it plugs into the guitar and therefore goes before the volume pedal.
With the more traditional floor pedals, are you still connecting so the distortion is before volume? If not, then as you swell the pedal, doesn't the sound get more distorted rather than stay the same in distortion level and get louder (which presumably is what we usually want?). |
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Tony Prior
From: Charlotte NC
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Posted 16 May 2019 12:37 am
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_________________ Emmons L-II , Fender Telecasters, B-Benders , Eastman Mandolin ,
Pro Tools 12 on WIN 7 !
jobless- but not homeless- now retired 9 years
CURRENT MUSIC TRACKS AT > https://tprior2241.wixsite.com/website |
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Joseph Carlson
From: Grass Valley, California, USA
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Posted 16 May 2019 8:11 am
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I'm constantly buying and selling pedals, but the only one I will never sell in my Sarno Earth Drive. Pretty much my favorite dirt pedal ever.
Take a look at the list of users on their site: http://www.sarnomusicsolutions.com/products/ed.html
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The Earth Drive is the ultimate boost/overdrive pedal, designed to retain your instrument's natural character while providing an organic, full-bodied, yet transparent sound. Use the Earth Drive as a clean boost to add warmth and smoothing, or turn up the drive knob and get a wide spectrum of overdrive harmonics and singing sustain. The Earth Drive has a huge range of boost control with its volume knob, while the tone knob helps you perfectly dial in the treble response. Whether you play bass, pedal-steel, electric piano, electric guitar, organ, whatever, the Earth Drive is quite possibly the most useful and versatile drive pedal you've ever heard. |
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Hugo Knef
From: Vallejo , California
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Posted 16 May 2019 9:41 am
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Earth Drive!! _________________ Williams S10 moyo mini Quilter TT12 |
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Fred
From: Amesbury, MA
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Posted 16 May 2019 11:14 am
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It’s not strictly a distortion pedal, but I always come back to the original Sans Amp |
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Paddy Long
From: Christchurch, New Zealand
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Posted 16 May 2019 4:11 pm
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Love my Sarno Earth Drive, it's the best of any I have tried by a long way ... very creamy but has some bite.
A very close second would be the Benado Steel Dream NutraDrive.. also very creamy ! _________________ 14'Zumsteel Hybrid D10 9+9
08'Zumsteel Hybrid D10 9+9
94' Franklin Stereo D10 9+8
Telonics, Peterson, Steelers Choice, Benado, Lexicon, Red Dirt Cases. |
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David Cook
From: Florida, USA
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Posted 16 May 2019 7:12 pm what is your favorite distortion pedal
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Can anyone tell me what the Sarno solar flare is similar too. Like the OCD or Rat? |
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Darvin Willhoite
From: Roxton, Tx. USA
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Posted 16 May 2019 7:27 pm
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Another vote for the ProCo Rat. I've had old ones and new ones and I couldn't tell any difference in sound, but some users swear the old ones are better. _________________ Darvin Willhoite
MSA Millennium, Legend, and Studio Pro, Reese's restored Universal Direction guitar, a restored MSA Classic SS, several amps, new and old, and a Kemper Powerhead that I am really liking. Also a Zum D10, a Mullen RP, and a restored Rose S10, named the "Blue Bird". Also, I have acquired and restored the plexiglass D10 MSA Classic that was built as a demo in the early '70s. I also have a '74 lacquer P/P, with wood necks, and a showroom condition Sho-Bud Super Pro. |
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Mike Perlowin
From: Los Angeles CA
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Posted 16 May 2019 7:55 pm
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I also use a Rat. I also have an old (70s) EHX Big Muff. Some day I'll A B them and see if maybe I like the Big Muff more. But for now the Rat is in my
Pac-a-seat, and the Big Muff is in a drawer. _________________ Please visit my web site and Soundcloud page and listen to the music posted there.
http://www.mikeperlowin.com http://soundcloud.com/mike-perlowin |
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Bob Watson
From: Champaign, Illinois, U.S.
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Posted 17 May 2019 2:00 am
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I think these two are classified as overdrive pedals, but the Hotone Bad Horse, a copy of a Klon pedal, and a Skyline Grass pedal, which is a Dumble style pedal, both work great for pedal steel. I've been using a Rat pedal on guitar for years but it just seemed too much for pedal steel. The Bad Horse puts a little edge on it and you get a mild distortion out of it when you turn the gain up all the way. The Grass pedal clips really well and reminds me of a LP through a Marshall stack type sound. I love the Bad Horse the best for 6 string cause I can use the Rat for more distortion, but the Grass pedal gets pretty much all of the distortion I would ever want to use on a pedal steel. |
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Steve Sycamore
From: Sweden
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Posted 17 May 2019 3:55 am
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The Wampler Dual Fusion produces just about every imaginable distortion tone including those with little gain or distortion. It does it in a way that keeps or even increases dynamics and touch sensitivity.
https://wamplerpedals.com/shop-wampler/tom-quayle-dual-fusion
I prefer version 1 that can probably be purchased used. |
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Darvin Willhoite
From: Roxton, Tx. USA
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Posted 17 May 2019 6:01 am
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The Zoom MS-100 and MS-50 stomp boxes have some pretty good models of the RAT pedal as well as many others. I haven't had a RAT for a few years, I just use the Zoom when I need that sound. _________________ Darvin Willhoite
MSA Millennium, Legend, and Studio Pro, Reese's restored Universal Direction guitar, a restored MSA Classic SS, several amps, new and old, and a Kemper Powerhead that I am really liking. Also a Zum D10, a Mullen RP, and a restored Rose S10, named the "Blue Bird". Also, I have acquired and restored the plexiglass D10 MSA Classic that was built as a demo in the early '70s. I also have a '74 lacquer P/P, with wood necks, and a showroom condition Sho-Bud Super Pro. |
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Randle Cole
From: California, USA
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Posted 17 May 2019 6:02 am over drive
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having gone thru many many pedals i have stayed with
1. sarno earth drive
2. menatone red snapper
3. vemuram jan ray
all three have their own voice |
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