# Fender Santa Ana Overdrive, anyone tried this?



## Milkman (Feb 2, 2006)

I just grabbed this today to get some gain in my signal chain (Tweed Deluxe 5E3 clone).

I have a Tube Screamer mini in the chain which is nice for mild od, but I wanted some more gain so I'll try this.

Has anyone plugged one in?

Your impressions?


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## Cups (Jan 5, 2010)

It’s getting great reviews (along with a lot of the new Fender line).
Great feature set too


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## Milkman (Feb 2, 2006)

Yeah so far the reviews all seem pretty positive. I just hope it gives me the amount of gain I'm looking for. I think the Tube Screamer mini PLUS this should be more than enough.

If not, maybe I;m looking for a fuzz.


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## jimmythegeek (Apr 17, 2012)

Between this, with its boost, and the TS Mini you should have a ton of gain on tap. If you do decide to go with fuzz, I find an Op Amp Muff stacks really nicely with the TS. It brings the mids that the Muff lacks and tightens up the bottom end a bit. The sustain is also angelic!


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## Milkman (Feb 2, 2006)

jimmythegeek said:


> Between this, with its boost, and the TS Mini you should have a ton of gain on tap. If you do decide to go with fuzz, I find an Op Amp Muff stacks really nicely with the TS. It brings the mids that the Muff lacks and tightens up the bottom end a bit. The sustain is also angelic!



That's encouraging thanks.

I'm not looking for a metal tone, just a singing sustainy hard rock lead tone.


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## Brian Johnston (Feb 24, 2019)

I suggest Main Fuzz, by Ananashead Effects (out of Spain). The preamp gain on that thing is bitchin'. It gives such great OD that is warm... makes leads sing. Superior to the Fender pedal (I've test driven a handful of them, and they sound good until next to something else, if you know what I mean).


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## jimmythegeek (Apr 17, 2012)

Milkman said:


> That's encouraging thanks.
> 
> I'm not looking for a metal tone, just a singing sustainy hard rock lead tone.


I wouldn't call it metal per se. I mean, it suits sludge metal if that's your thing but it's just a nice liquid lead tone with slightly wooly bass.


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## Wardo (Feb 5, 2010)

On sale at The Arts in Newmarket for $180 so I ordered one today since I wasn't going to buy anymore stuff this year.


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## mhammer (Nov 30, 2007)

The current Fender line has been well designed, and directed more at having a feature set that lets you accomplish a lot of useful things flexibly, rather than aiming for a unique or exotic tones. Nothing wrong at all with exotic/unique tones. That's just not their design philosophy, whether it comes to amps, guitars, or pedals.


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## Wardo (Feb 5, 2010)

I don't play at unique or exotic places so hopefully this will work out.


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## Milkman (Feb 2, 2006)

Well, I’m getting good tones from the Santa Ana and Tube Screamer combo.

But, now, I’m getting spoiled a bit.

A good friend who also frequents this site dropped by with a Voodoo Labs Sparkle Drive Mod pedal for me to use.

In just a few minutes of playing with it I can tell I like it a lot. The ability to blend clean and distorted signals really adds a nice clarity and keeps high gain settings from becoming mushy.


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## Budda (May 29, 2007)

Blend knobs rule and it's one of the things I loved about the fx8 and other digital options - mix and level are seperate. I would add that as a mod to nearly any future dirt pedal.


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## Paul M (Mar 27, 2015)

Milkman said:


> Well, I’m getting good tones from the Santa Ana and Tube Screamer combo.
> 
> But, now, I’m getting spoiled a bit.
> 
> ...


I still have an Ibanez TS10 Tube Screamer classic that I bought in the 80's. It was my attempt to get closer to SRV. It wasn't the pedals fault.....but I never got there. The pedal I wish I still had is a Yamaha OD10M-ii. All I remember is that I really liked it.

I liked the OD of the Sparkle Drive, and I really like the clean blend.


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## Wardo (Feb 5, 2010)

This is my current board. The philospher pig is coming out of there and I'm wondering what order to put the Fender in. Right now all the pedals except the tuner are in a separate loop and the default is a direct clean line to a Fender Deluxe which sounds fine by itself so I don't want the pedal buffers throwing their noise in there. The Fender pedal is supposed to be quiet and has a kill switch for its buffer so one option would be put it in the default line with the tuner which also has a switch for true bypass and leave the TS and the Ikon in the loop to fight it out between themselves as the two of them together lay down a pretty nasty sound anyway and that would let the Fender pedal work by itself.

They said this pedal shipped today so should have it next week and see what happens then.


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## Milkman (Feb 2, 2006)

Paul M said:


> I still have an Ibanez TS10 Tube Screamer classic that I bought in the 80's. It was my attempt to get closer to SRV. It wasn't the pedals fault.....but I never got there. The pedal I wish I still had is a Yamaha OD10M-ii. All I remember is that I really liked it.
> 
> I liked the OD of the Sparkle Drive, and I really like the clean blend.


The Sparkle Drive Mod is a beautiful sounding overdrive. Maybe it’s the blend function or maybe it’s the overall build quality, but it’s a super smooth sounding pedal.

I’d say it’s pretty transparent.

Of the three ODs sitting in front of me, the Voodoo Lab is my favourite so far.

I know I have a taste for the Fulltone OCD, but that one really adds its own flavour.


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## jimmythegeek (Apr 17, 2012)

Milkman said:


> The Sparkle Drive Mod is a beautiful sounding overdrive. Maybe it’s the blend function or maybe it’s the overall build quality, but it’s a super smooth sounding pedal.
> 
> I’d say it’s pretty transparent.
> 
> ...


What are the mods on the Sparkle Drive? The original is just a TS clone with a clean blend so I can't imagine that it sounded a million miles away from the TS Mini.


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## player99 (Sep 5, 2019)

If I had to guess I would think the mods are similar to the TS9DX Turbo Ibanez Tube Screamer. The Ibanex TS9 DX Turbo doesn't have a blend knob though. The extra settings change the focus of the mids from TS808 to relatively darker on the bottom end. I found it much better than my TS808.


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## Paul M (Mar 27, 2015)

jimmythegeek said:


> What are the mods on the Sparkle Drive? The original is just a TS clone with a clean blend so I can't imagine that it sounded a million miles away from the TS Mini.


This is the description from the L&M page:

In VINTAGE mode, you get the classic tube-style midrange grind that's great for blues or for boosting your solos. Mod 1 is the LEAD circuit with extra gain, a thick and juicy bottom end, and smooth highs that are perfect for single-note melodies. Mod 2 delivers punchy "mid cut" RHYTHM tones that are great for chunky rock power chords and funk. Mod 3 gives you the HIGH GAIN treatment with articulate highs and an aggressive bottom end.

I prefer the original voicing. It took me years, but I finally figured out *my* TubeScreamer sound requires the tone knob turned full CCW. The key to the Sparkle drive is the clean blend. I still want clarity in my tone.


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## keto (May 23, 2006)

I had one and liked it a lot, though it wasn’t quite what I was looking for at the time. It might have been part of my ‘best of 10 overdrives for high gain’ thread I did 6-7 years ago.


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## Milkman (Feb 2, 2006)

I’m enjoying Mod 1 and Vintage modes, but it has great sounds in any of the four settings.


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