# Strymon's new Dirt Pedal the Riverside



## mister.zed (Jun 8, 2011)

Strymon, perhaps best known for time-based effects like delay and reverb have just released a dirt pedal. 

I'm posting this even before I've had a chance to listen to the demo.


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## mister.zed (Jun 8, 2011)

Analog and digital, together. Let the discussion begin...


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## Chitmo (Sep 2, 2013)

It's not their first crack at a dirt pedal. They made the under the damage control label and they didn't do so well. 

Damage Control Liquid Blues Dual Tube Overdrive Pedal


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## mister.zed (Jun 8, 2011)

True. But it is under the Strymon name. And that last one was all analog I presume.


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## davetcan (Feb 27, 2006)

Chitmo said:


> It's not their first crack at a dirt pedal. They made the under the damage control label and they didn't do so well.
> 
> Damage Control Liquid Blues Dual Tube Overdrive Pedal


I thought this was the first one, could be wrong though. I had one back in 2006 or so. A pretty decent pedal with a built in compressor. Worked better as a direct in for recording than in front of an amp.


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## vadsy (Dec 2, 2010)

What's the street price gonna be?


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## Guest (Oct 22, 2016)

$299 USD + shipping x 3% exchange fee x 13% HST

$299 USD= $398.76
$30 USD shipping (appox.)= $40.01

Subtotal= $438.77 x 3% exchange fee= $13.16= $451.93

$451.93 x 13% HST= $58.75 HST

TOTAL COST OF OD PEDAL=

*$510.68**

*there may be more charges (brokerage fees) depending on how it is shipped


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## mister.zed (Jun 8, 2011)

I think it's both brilliant and a marketing no-brainer. Here's why:

They're Strymon so of course it has to be digital - that's their strength.

But digital dirt is a non-starter for so many people. 

So they add an analog input stage - which acts like a mitigating factor, a gateway-drug if you like, to their digital dirt pedal. It grabs people for just long enough to give the pedal a chance. And if they give it a fair shake and like it they just might buy it. 

Mission accomplished and perhaps a person converted.


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## Adcandour (Apr 21, 2013)

Well, I really like the low gain samples. I'll definitely be trying one when I see it. 

I'm currently all good for dirt, but versatility in the low gain arena is tough to come by and my board could use it.


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## mister.zed (Jun 8, 2011)

Also, I wouldn't consider Damage Control and Strymon the same company. They changed names, they changed focus and they have a ton more capital now.


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## Budda (May 29, 2007)

I got a text from my bandmate that was basically this:

"Strymon has a dirt pedal. We're in big big trouble".

My reply was: "You're in trouble - I've had the same dirt pedal for two years."


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## mister.zed (Jun 8, 2011)

adcandour said:


> but versatility in the low gain arena is tough to come by and my board could use it


I agree. It can be tough to get a lot of different low gain flavours. You just made me want it more.


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## sulphur (Jun 2, 2011)

adcandour said:


> Well, I really like the low gain samples. I'll definitely be trying one when I see it.
> 
> I'm currently all good for dirt, but versatility in the low gain arena is tough to come by and my board could use it.


Get a Gain Changer, Barbershop, or OCD for low gain.
You could almost get all three for that price.

I may check out one of these Strymon used down the road.


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## Guest (Oct 23, 2016)

I thought the vids made it suck. Count me out.


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## Adcandour (Apr 21, 2013)

sulphur said:


> Get a Gain Changer, Barbershop, or OCD for low gain.
> You could almost get all three for that price.
> 
> I may check out one of these Strymon used down the road.


Those pedals have too much gain for what I need. I'm looking for something that is _really_ low gain, but with a lot of useable settings. It's not easy to come by.

I can get the sound out of a strat, treble booster, into a JTM style amp, but I want it in a pedal, so I can use it in other guitars. It's not urgent, but its something I've been keeping an eye out for for a while.


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## Chitmo (Sep 2, 2013)

adcandour said:


> Those pedals have too much gain for what I need. I'm looking for something that is _really_ low gain, but with a lot of useable settings. It's not easy to come by.
> 
> I can get the sound out of a strat, treble booster, into a JTM style amp, but I want it in a pedal, so I can use it in other guitars. It's not urgent, but its something I've been keeping an eye out for for a while.


Too low gain, don't you use a facemelter, melt a face red (auto-correct made that one) or a Megalith thing.


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## Adcandour (Apr 21, 2013)

Chitmo said:


> Too low gain, don't you use a facemelter, melt a face red (auto-correct made that one) or a Megalith thing.


I do. It's always on my board. It's perfect for anything brown sound to the heaviest of metal. I have a Distortion + for classic rock and now I need a low gain for a greasy blues tone.

I went to Cosmo Music with my guitar and amp and had a shootout between about 8 supposed low gain pedals versus my 1975 Distortion + and it outdid them all, but none of them do the low gain thing well enough.


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## mister.zed (Jun 8, 2011)




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## Budda (May 29, 2007)

adcandour said:


> Those pedals have too much gain for what I need. I'm looking for something that is _really_ low gain, but with a lot of useable settings. It's not easy to come by.
> 
> I can get the sound out of a strat, treble booster, into a JTM style amp, but I want it in a pedal, so I can use it in other guitars. It's not urgent, but its something I've been keeping an eye out for for a while.


So a modded ehx soul food?


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## Adcandour (Apr 21, 2013)

Budda said:


> So a modded ehx soul food?


Do you know what the mods do? I just bought a soul food, returned it the following day. It sounded good through a bassbreaker, but not my rig.

My mxr d+ did a lot of what the soul food did but better, so I sent it back.


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## davetcan (Feb 27, 2006)

adcandour said:


> Those pedals have too much gain for what I need. I'm looking for something that is _really_ low gain, but with a lot of useable settings. It's not easy to come by.
> 
> I can get the sound out of a strat, treble booster, into a JTM style amp, but I want it in a pedal, so I can use it in other guitars. It's not urgent, but its something I've been keeping an eye out for for a while.


Find a used Horus pedal, thank me later. If you don't like it I'll buy it from you.






I haven't tried his new ID pedal but looks like it continues the tradition.


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## Chitmo (Sep 2, 2013)

Duplicate


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## Adcandour (Apr 21, 2013)

davetcan said:


> Find a used Horus pedal, thank me later. If you don't like it I'll buy it from you.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Couldn't find one for sale, but they seem reasonably priced. The thing is with all the videos (it seems), is that the special part of the pedal comes out with a strat (or single coil pickups rather). It does sound good with Pete's LP though. Justnick and gearmandude don't make it sound as nice.

If you recall hearing my microcube on it's bluesy greasy tone - that's what I'm looking for. I can't get that sound from bigger microcubes or any pedal it seems. I need the dynamics as well. That setting is so nice and expressive for noodling, but I want it mobile.


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## Adcandour (Apr 21, 2013)

mister.zed said:


>


Looks like a nice drive.


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## davetcan (Feb 27, 2006)

adcandour said:


> Couldn't find one for sale, but they seem reasonably priced. The thing is with all the videos (it seems), is that the special part of the pedal comes out with a strat (or single coil pickups rather). It does sound good with Pete's LP though. Justnick and gearmandude don't make it sound as nice.
> 
> If you recall hearing my microcube on it's bluesy greasy tone - that's what I'm looking for. I can't get that sound from bigger microcubes or any pedal it seems. I need the dynamics as well. That setting is so nice and expressive for noodling, but I want it mobile.


Maybe you could post a clip?


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## High/Deaf (Aug 19, 2009)

adcandour said:


> Those pedals have too much gain for what I need. I'm looking for something that is _really_ low gain, but with a lot of useable settings. It's not easy to come by.
> 
> I can get the sound out of a strat, treble booster, into a JTM style amp, but I want it in a pedal, so I can use it in other guitars. It's not urgent, but its something I've been keeping an eye out for for a while.


I think a Timmy is perfect for this. It can go from transparent boost to low gain and beyond. But you have to use the tone controls as explained in the manual. They are cut controls (treble is pre-boost and bass is post-boost) and requires a rethink in the knob-turning department.

That said, this pedal in the OP is a cure looking for a disease in my world. I've got a half dozen solutions for this problem, all analog and anywhere from 1/2 to 1/5 the price.


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## JBFairthorne (Oct 11, 2014)

$400 plus for a dirt pedal? I'll pass.

I've been GASSING for an Earthquaker Palisades which is infinitely more versatile...and I STILL can't wrap my head around spending nearly $400 for a new one. I NEVER see them pop up used...sigh.


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## Adcandour (Apr 21, 2013)

davetcan said:


> Maybe you could post a clip?


I will try to. 

I actually got the tone with treble booster that's tweaking the amps gain (the morrato has a switch at the back that does something and I've switched it over for the first time in a while). The pedal has a dying battery too. I've been playing for about an hour in tonal heaven.

The thing is this: the dirt has to come from a pedal, so when I use modulation it doesn't sound bad (be quiet @Budda). It's a bit frustrating, because it's fantastic and perfect. I'll try to record it, but it'll be difficult to get it, I think.


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## Adcandour (Apr 21, 2013)

High/Deaf said:


> I think a Timmy is perfect for this. It can go from transparent boost to low gain and beyond. But you have to use the tone controls as explained in the manual. They are cut controls (treble is pre-boost and bass is post-boost) and requires a rethink in the knob-turning department.
> 
> That said, this pedal in the OP is a cure looking for a disease in my world. I've got a half dozen solutions for this problem, all analog and anywhere from 1/2 to 1/5 the price.


Ha, I used to own one before I knew what tone I was after. Shitty.


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## mhammer (Nov 30, 2007)

Strymon expanding into dirt pedals is a bit like when Corel decided Wordperfect and Draw weren't capturing enough of the market and branched out into children's software. Because you know there _just_ wasn't enough children's software around in the late 90's.


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## sulphur (Jun 2, 2011)

JBFairthorne said:


> $400 plus for a dirt pedal? I'll pass.
> 
> I've been GASSING for an Earthquaker Palisades which is infinitely more versatile...and I STILL can't wrap my head around spending nearly $400 for a new one. I NEVER see them pop up used...sigh.


There was one a couple of weeks ago for $235...FS: - EQD, OBNE, RE-20


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## Guest (Oct 24, 2016)

After many years of getting sucked in to a bunch of different drive pedals and then getting them and trying them and they all sort of sound the same, I am glad to be out of this loop...


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## Budda (May 29, 2007)

Player99 said:


> After many years of getting sucked in to a bunch of different drive pedals and then getting them and trying them and they all sort of sound the same, I am glad to be out of this loop...


Generally its not that the pedals sound the same, its that a player dials in their own tone regardless of gear.

This is why pete thorn and ola englund gear videos arent necessarily super helpful - those guys sound like themselves no matter the rig. There are definite differencez between guitars, pedals and amps but the core "pete/ola" tones are there.

If I see one of these I will try it out. More interested in their new power supply coming out.


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## mario (Feb 18, 2006)

davetcan said:


> Find a used Horus pedal, thank me later. If you don't like it I'll buy it from you.
> 
> 
> 
> ...



…….and if Dave does not want to buy it I will. I stupidly sold a Horus off. Really regret it.


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## davetcan (Feb 27, 2006)

mario said:


> …….and if Dave does not want to buy it I will. I stupidly sold a Horus off. Really regret it.


Wonder if it was mine, LOL. 

A truly bad decision and If I can't find another I'm very tempted to try out his new "id" pedal.


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## mario (Feb 18, 2006)

davetcan said:


> Wonder if it was mine, LOL.
> 
> A truly bad decision and If I can't find another I'm very tempted to try out his new "id" pedal.



Yes indeed it was your's. The "id" look's and sound's very tempting.


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## Budda (May 29, 2007)

Also, re: Balking over price:

You essentially get two dirt pedals for the price. And I know a lot of guys who dont bat eyelashes at $200 dirt pedals


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## AndySertin (Oct 17, 2016)

I'm seeing anything "special" enough to drop my existing drives. Wait and see perhaps.....


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