Please recommend an overdrive pedal

Billy Murdoch · From: Glasgow, Scotland, U.K.

I am looking to add an o/d stomp box to my chain,mainly for use with six stringers.
I like mild to medium o/d I do'nt need to make my hair stand on end.
Any help appreciated
Thanks
Billy

Marc Jenkins · From: Victoria, British Columbia, Canada

The Fulltone OCD is really nice. It's got two settings: one's a bit Fender-ish, and one with a bit more gain and a Vox-like honk. Gain-wise, it starts off pretty tame but can deliver pretty big tones if desired. Best of all, it's extremely dynamic and touch-sensitive.

Fulltone OCD

Dennis Wallis · From: Arkansas

For the money an Ibanez Tube Screamer is hard to beat. A Tubeworks Pedal is VERY good too if you can find one. That's what I use with lead guitar. IT has a real tube in it. Might find one on Ebay.

David Doggett · Posted 7 Jun 2007 12:17 pm

On Dan Tyacks advice I got a Seymour Duncan Twin Tube box. It is a bit more expensive, but has by far the most natural and tube-amp-like overdrive of any box I have tried. It is really a type of preamp with real tubes in it. It has two channels, rhythm (a little tamer) and lead (a little wilder). You can get anything from a little crunch to a full scream.

sonbone · From: Waxahachie, TX

All of the suggestions so far have been excellent. Here's another good one, and really cheap. Danelectro D-2 FAB Overdrive. Cheap plastic housing and jacks, but pretty sturdy for what it is. Sounds really good in a Tube Screamer sort of way.

http://www.musicianshop.com/cgi/musicianshop-uk.cgi/pageeffectspedals/466870cc1d5f
_________________
Sonny Morris sjm227@hotmail.com

Stephen Gambrell · From: Over there

Behringer is making some pretty good stomp boxes, all of them around thirty bucks. Several Overdrive and distortion pedals.

Jim Sliff · From: Lawndale California, USA

Billy, to answer your question seriously I'd need much more information.

"Mild to medium overdrive" means nothing unless you know what basic tonal platform it's being used with. What guitar(s) will you be using (and is there anything unusual about pickups or wiring) and what amp(s)? Also, what style of music? An OD for modern country si going to be a different box than if you're playing Chicago Blues, or late-60's classic rock.

The guitar question tells us how much output your front end has, at least in a genral way; it also defines a few things about the tonal spectrum. The amp question is far more critical. Overdrive pedals (that are nott mis-named) do not work effectively unless they are used in conjunction with an amp that's already being pushed a bit, and specifically are meant for tube amps. In other words, an "overdrive" used with a Twin Reverb turned up to "2" or some solid-state amp is going to sound like junk in most cases. The idea with overdrives is to use the smallest (power-wise) amp you can, crank it up either into the distortion range or close to it, and use the OD pedal to make it "sing" and "breathe". If you have a high-powered, clean amp then you're probably in need of a distortion box, not an overdrive (and not a fuzz, which is a third relative).

Let us know what your rig consists of - then we can offer some educated suggestions based on what you have and where you want to go. Might be a good thing to know your budget as well - overdrives can range from $25 to $400; and you usually do get what you pay for.
_________________
No chops, but great tone
1930's/40's Rickenbacher/Rickenbacker 6&8 string lap steels
1921 Weissenborn Style 2; Hilo&Schireson hollownecks
Appalachian, Regal & Dobro squarenecks
1959 Fender 400 9+2 B6;1960's Fender 800 3+3+2; 1948 Fender Dual-8 Professional

Marc Jenkins · From: Victoria, British Columbia, Canada

Billy,

Jim is dead on, however, some clarification is needed. Most manufacturers use the term 'boost' (often prefixed by 'top' or 'treble') where Jim uses 'overdrive.' Therefore they will use 'overdrive' where Jim uses 'distortion.' There are then some iffy areas where distortion is concerned, as both classification systems use the term in slightly different ways. The more common distinction between the two lies in whether the distortion produced is relatively smooth (overdrive: think Tube Screamer, etc) or gritty (distortion: think ProCo Rat). A 'distortion' pedal will usually have a higher gain structure. I think there is no mistaking what a fuzz is!

For what it's worth, the OCD is the first gain pedal of any type that I've played with that sounds relatively good at any volume on a tube amp. I recently had to use it with a little solid state practice amp for rehearsal, however, and it sounded BAD. I though something was wrong with it, so I plugged in a couple alternatives. Not much better! So, as Jim says, the guitar/amp/effect COMBINATIONS are more important that just what pedal you choose.

Marc

Jim Sliff · From: Lawndale California, USA

Actually, Marc I was leaving the boost pedals completely out. "Clean boost" pedals ALSO need an amp driving hard, but will have a different sound than "overdrive", which will push things (to put it into VERY simple terms) into saturation. A "boost" provides no distortion unless it comes from the amp; an overdrive produces a very small amount of "*effective* distortion (often quite a lot of terrible sounding distortion when used wrong), by very slightly clipping the signal as it's also boosted. The combination of those two "ingredients" is what can get you that singing "woman" tone (there are many other variables invoplved - but the essential components are an amp pushing fairly hard, good control over pick attack, and the right overdrive for the amp/guitar combination.

It bears repeating though - naming a "good overdrive" is next to impossible when you don't know what amp's being used and at what volume level, at least. For example, if the amp was a ROland Jazz Chorus and the volume level was "I turn it up to 2 1/2" the answer would be "none"...and then a discussion of "distortion" pedals instead.
_________________
No chops, but great tone
1930's/40's Rickenbacher/Rickenbacker 6&8 string lap steels
1921 Weissenborn Style 2; Hilo&Schireson hollownecks
Appalachian, Regal & Dobro squarenecks
1959 Fender 400 9+2 B6;1960's Fender 800 3+3+2; 1948 Fender Dual-8 Professional

Billy Murdoch · From: Glasgow, Scotland, U.K.

Jim and Marc,
This is exactly the type of answer which makes thie Forum great.You are both so well informed and willing to share your knowlege with us, I thank you very much.
In my weekend gig I am constantly moving from Pedal steel to Strat,I do a quick disconnect/connect of the relevant cords and end up with Strat(standard pick ups)to Nash 112 Pre gain at 4-5 master at 6-8 and a pod xt in the effects loop using only delay and/or reverb.
I do have a Fender blues junior at home which I rarely take out of the bedroom.
I also have a Gretsch 6120 and a Country Gent both with filtertrons and a Tele with Delta tone pickups.
These guitars do not leave the house very often,but it would be nice if they could be considered.
With regard to my description of o/d I mean I do not want a high distortion like heavy metal,I am looking for something that is .....well,it is so difficult to explain since everyone has a different perception of what is "nice" I would say clean with a little drive or attitude.Please bear with me on this.
My price range is somewhere around $300 max.
I look forward to your replies and suggestions.
Billy

Billy Murdoch · From: Glasgow, Scotland, U.K.

click here
I hope tis link works,
This is the type of thing which confuses me,If you read the description it would appear that this unit gives instant overdriven/valve tone.
I welcome your comments
Billy

Marc Jenkins · From: Victoria, British Columbia, Canada

I'd suggest something with a tube if you are thinking of using with your N112; The DHA pedal sounds like it might work for you. If you are thinking of bringing out your Blues Jr, you've got lots of options. I've had great success with the OCD and/or a Tube Screamer between my Blues Jr and Gretsch w/Filtertrons.

Roman Sonnleitner · From: Vienna, Austria

Billy,

this one would be perfect for you:

http://www.award-session.com/jd10.html

I have tried numerous OD pedals, both with six stringers (mostly Teles) and lap steels, and I've never found a better OD for low gain overdrive tones.

-) Like Jim said, most OD pedals work best when placed in front of a tube amp that is already on the edge of overdriving (the Tube Screamer is a perfect example); few OD pedals work well with amps set to a completely clean sound...
...the JD10 does, it's like an exception to the rule! It sounds great in front of a cleaner than clean Fender The Twin, or a solid state Peavey amp, or even a Fender RocPro (one of the worst sounding guitar amps in history), but also with my slightly dirty sounding Carvin Vintage 16 or my Marshall JTM45-clone.
It is one of the VERY few OD pedals that doesn't sound buzzy or fizzy when doing low gain OD sounds in front of a clean amp.

-) Most OD pedals can do crunchy rhythm sounds or higher gain solo sounds quite well; few are really good at emulating a tube amp at the point where it changes from clean to overdriven...
...the JD10 does! It can sound just like a Fender tweed amp starting to break up.

-) It can do higher gain sounds too, but admittedly, tends to get mushy with those - there are better pedals for playing heavy metal, the JD10 feels most at home with low gain sounds, and adding a bit of "hair", for country, rockabilly, blues, etc.

-) It has a very effective 3-band EQ section, with plenty of bass on tap (you can almost make a Strat sound as fat as a Les Paul with that).

-) It has a line-out with a speaker-cab emulation - so, in a pinch, if your amp breaks down, you can hook it up directly to the PA system and still get acceptable sound.

-) It is good enough for Jerry Donahue...

-) It's not the smallest OD pedal in the world, but is built very sturdily.

-) It is priced very reasonably (esp. since you are located inside the UK) - quite a bit cheaper than most "boutique" pedals (the Fulltone Fulldrive 2 - which is also great - costs at least twice as much). It costs only very slightly more than the usual Boss or Ibanez pedals (which don't even come close soundwise); the only even cheaper pedal you should consider at all is the Digitech Bad Monkey, which is quite OK, too, but also far from the sound quality of the JD10.

BTW, I'm not paid by Award Session for my praising their product - but I'd sure like them to send me a couple more JD10s for my pedal board... Wink

David Spires · From: Millersport, OH

I use the Tubescreamer emulation on my POD XT more than anything, but I recently cut a cool track with a Fulldrive 2 pedal. I love it for 6 string guitar too, but I think it could really give me some cool tones to pull from on steel, once I get a little time to just monkey-around with it.

Good luck choosing!

David Spires
_________________
2021 MSA Legend XL 10&7; Asher Electro-Hawaiian Junior Lap Steel; '79 OMI Dobro 66 w/ Scheerhorn cone and setup; '64 Hand-wired Re-issue Fender Princeton Reverb

Mitch Druckman · From: Arizona, USA

Others have talked about the JD10 on this forum before and it seems like it's worth a listen. Is it available in the US? It seems odd that a Jerry Donahue model would only be available in the EU.

Roman Sonnleitner · From: Vienna, Austria

The Award-Session JD10 used to be distributed in the US by Morley (under their brand name), don't know about the current situation.

Craig A Davidson · From: Wisconsin Rapids, Wisconsin USA

I get great results with either a tube screamer or a rat pedal.

Jay Ganz · From: Out Behind The Barn

I've used a JD10 in the past. Not the greatest for a
truly natural overdrive. Also had Fulldrive II, Blackstone 2SV3, assorted "screamers" and other boutique stuff.
For clean boost all the way up to smooth saturated overdrive crunch, the best pedal I've tried is THIS.
Here's some Harmony Central reviews

Jim Sliff · From: Lawndale California, USA

The JD10 has been around for years. It seems to have a love/hate following. Personally, I think it sounds fizzy and artificial.

Billy, the biggest problem is you're trying to make a guitar sound like it's coming through a tube amp rig and a steel sound like clean steel with the same solid-state amp. Not that you can't do it, but one way or the other you are going to be compromising rather significantly.

To get the "overdriven" tone you want (and I think I have an idea what you mean) requires "creating" the waveform rather than pushing an amp that direction. That's the rub - it's going to sound somewhat "processed"...more likely a LOT "processed". And an overdrive in the real sense (that pushes an amp into saturation) is NOT what you want.

I've had good luck with the Dyna Red Distortion pedal - it's a very controllable distortion at the milder end, and that's what you're aiming for - that "edge" and a warm sustain, unless I'm off-base. Most "overdrives" will break up if you dial the gain up - but you increase noise and almost all of them have a horrendous mid-hump when used that way. You end up sounding like you're playing an bad SG on the bridge pickup through a really nasally Marshall.

I'd suggest dragging the tube amp out and working on setting it up for low-gain. There have been several threads recently and there are also multiple sites talking about how to do it.

But to do it right, you are really looking at two different amps. Even if you could get one to work, sorta, you'd have to change amp settings so drastically between songs it might just drive you nuts...plus we didn't even mention the speaker, which might preclude it working at all.
_________________
No chops, but great tone
1930's/40's Rickenbacher/Rickenbacker 6&8 string lap steels
1921 Weissenborn Style 2; Hilo&Schireson hollownecks
Appalachian, Regal & Dobro squarenecks
1959 Fender 400 9+2 B6;1960's Fender 800 3+3+2; 1948 Fender Dual-8 Professional

Roman Sonnleitner · From: Vienna, Austria

James Quackenbush · From: Pomona, New York, USA

The early Ibanez Soundtank series Tubescreamers ( the cheapo plastic ones )had some pretty good chips in them , and actually sound pretty good ....The Visual Sound pedals sound pretty good too...Jim

Brad Sarno · From: St. Louis, MO USA

Here's an interesting new pedal Wink

Coming soon....

Brad

Jim Sliff · From: Lawndale California, USA

Roman - yep, same pedal. It's been discussed extensively on the TDPRI and Fender Forums, with the same polar-opposite opinions. Seems that some hear it one way, some hear it another.

Brad - is that going to be a true overdrive (needing an amp driven fairly hard) or a distortion pedal?
_________________
No chops, but great tone
1930's/40's Rickenbacher/Rickenbacker 6&8 string lap steels
1921 Weissenborn Style 2; Hilo&Schireson hollownecks
Appalachian, Regal & Dobro squarenecks
1959 Fender 400 9+2 B6;1960's Fender 800 3+3+2; 1948 Fender Dual-8 Professional

Mitch Druckman · From: Arizona, USA

C'mon Brad, don't be shy. Give us an idea what the new pedal is all about. Is it voiced for steel guitar or what?

Marlin Smoot · From: Kansas

I use the Keeley modded BOSS Blues Driver 2 and the Mesa Boogie Bottle Rocket.
Really like the BB stomp box that Jay Ganz was talking about too.

The Mesa has 2 - 12ax7's and tone controls/gain-master and output knobs. They don't make them anymore, but you can find one for sale sometimes. A real overdrive pedal with tube tone you can control. Sounds good with a solid state amp too, really warms it up. Built like a tank.

So many pedals, so little time.
Good luck in your quest for tone.

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