# Recommend an overdrive



## marcos (Jan 13, 2009)

Ok, so got the YGM3 reissue and need something to make it sing at low volumes.I do have a EH Soul Food but its not to my liking .Anyone recommend me an overdrive, nothing metal or fuzzy but just a smooth overdriven sound.Oh and around 150.00 used or new.
Thanks


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## sulphur (Jun 2, 2011)

Barber Gain Changer.


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## NSStratguy (Jan 9, 2017)

marcos said:


> Ok, so got the YGM3 reissue and need something to make it sing at low volumes.I do have a EH Soul Food but its not to my liking .Anyone recommend me an overdrive, nothing metal or fuzzy but just a smooth overdriven sound.Oh and around 150.00 used or new.
> Thanks


Fulltone OCD and Ibanez Tube Screamer get my vote. Both amazing pedals. The best thing with either is they work really nice when gain stacking with a distortion.


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## sulphur (Jun 2, 2011)

The OCD is a good low gainer too, I agree.

I like the Barbershop too, but it may be out of budget, unless maybe used.


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## mister.zed (Jun 8, 2011)

Fulltone GT-500. Great low drive OD plus a distortion in one pedal. Each side has very useful EQ controls. Can find it new within your budget.


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## bigboki (Apr 16, 2015)

Wampler Euphoria (formerly known as Ecstasy - the circuit did not change - just the look /name of the pedal) - you have couple on Kijiji for really great price (150 to 165)
Very transparent, you can create many many different sounds with it - very versatile.


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## Vally (Aug 18, 2016)

A true tone VS-XO. $150 used


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## NSStratguy (Jan 9, 2017)

Forgot to mention a pedal I use as well which is an amazing pedal too. MXR Custom Badass 78 Distortion. Other amazing pedals is the JHS morning glory.

The Wampler mentioned earlier is a really nice pedal too.

There are so many options out there.


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## Chito (Feb 17, 2006)

I've got a few overdrive/distortion pedals. Thinking about it now, I've got a lot. LOL You can come over and check them out. There's certain ones I won't part with but most I'd probably let go. I can send you a list of the ones I have.


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## Adcandour (Apr 21, 2013)

Like I say every time...pick up your amp, grab your guitar, take it to the best shop in your area and try out everything they have. It's the ONLY WAY. 

I've saved myself hundreds, if not thousands, of dollars by doing this.

And then when gas strikes again...you take the winner you purchased back to the store and shootout with all the new pedals.


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## Budda (May 29, 2007)

OCD.


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## zdogma (Mar 21, 2006)

Chito said:


> I've got a few overdrive/distortion pedals. Thinking about it now, I've got a lot. LOL You can come over and check them out. There's certain ones I won't part with but most I'd probably let go. I can send you a list of the ones I have.


Lol, I have a few you can try as well.


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## Alex (Feb 11, 2006)

The Xotic SL drive is a good bang for the money,


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## amagras (Apr 22, 2015)

Another vote for the Tubescreamer, just make sure to get Maxon instead of Ibanez


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## Lord-Humongous (Jun 5, 2014)

Oh, there was a Goudie 808+ on Kijiji in Ottawa for $60 just the other day. He's a local pedal builder and his 808 is his version of a tube screamer. You can't go wrong with this pedal. You should see if it's still available. 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## marcos (Jan 13, 2009)

Wow !!! Thanks guys. Lots to chose from and will investigate some of them.


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## marcos (Jan 13, 2009)

Chito said:


> I've got a few overdrive/distortion pedals. Thinking about it now, I've got a lot. LOL You can come over and check them out. There's certain ones I won't part with but most I'd probably let go. I can send you a list of the ones I have.


Thanks buddy. Very nice of you. Let you know and would it be o.k. if i brought the YGM1 over also?


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## marcos (Jan 13, 2009)

Chito said:


> I've got a few overdrive/distortion pedals. Thinking about it now, I've got a lot. LOL You can come over and check them out. There's certain ones I won't part with but most I'd probably let go. I can send you a list of the ones I have.


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## JBFairthorne (Oct 11, 2014)

It's out of your price range but...the Holy Grail of Od's, for me, is the Earthquaker Palisades.


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## marcos (Jan 13, 2009)

JBFairthorne said:


> It's out of your price range but...the Holy Grail of Od's, for me, is the Earthquaker Palisades.


Yep, thats what i am looking for sound wise especially with the Tele and Strat. I dont have any humbucker equipp. guitars. Thanks


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## JBFairthorne (Oct 11, 2014)

If you can't find your sound with this one...you ain't tryin' hard enough.


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## Granny Gremlin (Jun 3, 2016)

adcandour said:


> Like I say every time...pick up your amp, grab your guitar, take it to the best shop in your area and try out everything they have. It's the ONLY WAY.


True, but it is a good idea to get some recommendations and then go scope thoie out online first in order to shortlist. Not everyone has a well stocked local store around either (even here in Toronto; there's some things you just can't try in store). You try what you can, and then compare to demo vids to see how close that matches your experience, then check the demo vids (ideally by the same people) of the ones you couldn't find in store knowing how the demo translates to your reality.



Budda said:


> OCD.


Second.

Boss SD-2 dual overdrive - lesser known sibling to the more popular SD-1 super overdrive, but I prefer it (kinda miss my old one). 2 voicings; crunch and lead vs a single middle of the road option.

Also, Pearl (yes, the drum company) OD-05 or clones (out of prod for at least a decade, so yeah, longshot, but the thing is awesome). Unique in a number of ways; asymetrical soft clipping diode arrangement and a midrange parametric EQ IN FRONT of the clipping section so you can voice the OD to your liking in a much more powerful way (most ODs have the tone controls, often just a top shelf or tilt, after the drive). If you're handy with an iron there are DIY projects.


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## Chito (Feb 17, 2006)

marcos said:


> Thanks buddy. Very nice of you. Let you know and would it be o.k. if i brought the YGM1 over also?


You can bring anything you want to bring, amp, cab, guitar... I'll message you tonight with the pedals I have. I don't have it here at work.


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## mhammer (Nov 30, 2007)

I too have a bunch you can try.

I will note that sometimes the difference between pleasant and harsh is not in the pedal, but in the amp's tone shaping. For instance, I see a 10pf cap in there that probably does nice things when playing clean, but yields a fizzy harshness when the amp is moved to overdrive territory (though it is not present in all schematics posted on-line). It is also the case that the volume and tone controls are situated a bit too early I the gain structure to be able to tame any harshness that the overdriven tubes provide.

But I'll bet the tremolo is pretty luscious.


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## marcos (Jan 13, 2009)

mhammer said:


> I too have a bunch you can try.
> 
> I will note that sometimes the difference between pleasant and harsh is not in the pedal, but in the amp's tone shaping. For instance, I see a 10pf cap in there that probably does nice things when playing clean, but yields a fizzy harshness when the amp is moved to overdrive territory (though it is not present in all schematics posted on-line). It is also the case that the volume and tone controls are situated a bit too early I the gain structure to be able to tame any harshness that the overdriven tubes provide.
> 
> But I'll bet the tremolo is pretty luscious.


Thank you Mark. The trem is very good, good enough to replace my VoodooLab trem. It really is a fine line when looking for the perfect overdriven sound that is not unpleasant to my ears. Playing country and a bit of rock i dont get to go nuts when i am gigging but need just that right amount of overdrive to make the difference. All previous amps that i have owned had a gain knob and i could dial in the right amount but the YGM does not but the cleans are to die for.Keep you posted.Thanks


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## Adcandour (Apr 21, 2013)

Granny Gremlin said:


> True, but it is a good idea to get some recommendations and then go scope thoie out online first in order to shortlist. Not everyone has a well stocked local store around either (even here in Toronto; there's some things you just can't try in store). You try what you can, and then compare to demo vids to see how close that matches your experience, then check the demo vids (ideally by the same people) of the ones you couldn't find in store knowing how the demo translates to your reality.


I agree that some may be limited due to what stores are around - I'm very fortunate to have Cosmo Music nearby - they carry a very broad selection of boutique pedals.

I really think that online demos don't cut it - especially when it comes to dirt. Most properly set-up demos are trying to sell the pedal, so they only say good things (so not to step on any toes and acquire more pedals and more reviews and more subscribers and more money).

The biggest factor is gear - the pedals just don't react the same through your rig - unless you have the exact same rig. Further, sometimes a pedal (or your amp) can't dial out the difference.

I'm probably a little more picky than the average guy, since I absolutely _hate_ keeping gear I won't use.

@marcos - do you have an example of the sound you're after? To make an amp sing at low volumes is a loaded request - could mean sustain, or high gain for that long creamy note, could also mean fuzz, etc.


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## Alex (Feb 11, 2006)

This seems to be an interesting unit. Too many switches/knobs for me but it is literally a toolbox in one. I suspect the pricing may be out of your budget.


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## Kerry Brown (Mar 31, 2014)

One trick I've learned that helps some tube amps achieve a nice crunch at low volumes. Crank the master volume, control the overall volume with your guitar volume, adjust the gain on the amp. You can also do the same with a drive pedal. Crank the pedal volume on full and control overall volume with the guitar volume. Note with most guitars this means the guitar volume will be down around one or two. You may need to adjust the EQ for more treble on the amp.


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## High/Deaf (Aug 19, 2009)

Probably not a single bigger topic than OD's. Classics like tubescreamer or klon types. Amps in a box for multiple Fender, Marshall, Vox, amps - and every boutique brand. Really, asking for OD recommendations is like asking for a food recommendation. Everyone just lists their favorite.

As @adcandour said, picking an OD may be specific to your rig. And your guitar. And your ears.

Now, as for my fave, Timmy. But that's because I like the sound of my amp and I'm not looking to modify it like a tubescream or amp-in-a-box will, only boost it. But I use all those others too. Vive la difference. We don't have to hunt for food anymore, so replace that old hunting urge with this new one.


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## sulphur (Jun 2, 2011)

Yes, drive pedals can be rig dependant.

I've found some work better with one of my amps than the others.
The Gain Changer though seemed to work with all of them.

I found it like the Timmy, as in not adding to the tone of the amp,
but to have a broader range of gain on tap.


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## mhammer (Nov 30, 2007)

marcos said:


> Thank you Mark. The trem is very good, good enough to replace my VoodooLab trem. It really is a fine line when looking for the perfect overdriven sound that is not unpleasant to my ears. Playing country and a bit of rock i dont get to go nuts when i am gigging but need just that right amount of overdrive to make the difference. All previous amps that i have owned had a gain knob and i could dial in the right amount but the YGM does not but the cleans are to die for.Keep you posted.Thanks


Looking at the design, the YGM3 seems designed specifically _for_ cleans, which tells me that your overdrive tone is going to need to come from the pedal, and not from the interaction of pedal and amp.
The requirement that imposes on the overdrive pedal is that it is going to need to have strong control over the highs, so that you can switch from a smooth vocal overdrive to a clean amp tone easily, without needing to stroll over to the amp and adjust anything.
A great many overdrive pedals are going to come up unsatisfying, because they are predicated on the assumption that you would be using them to push an almost breaking-up amp over the edge. The amp would have the highs already tamed a little, in response to a higher-gain setting, so the pedal would have some of its tone-shaping demands already taken care of. That's not an unreasonable assumption. It just isn't your particular situation.

For instance, that FET booster pedal you bought from me would not be an appropriate overdrive for that amp because it lacks enough control over top end. I suspect what you _don't_ want is any sort of unmodded Tube Screamer variant. It will simply be too shrill. It could certainly be modded to do what you need, but stock would likely be a bit of a disappointment. That's speculation on my part, though. Your ears are the customer.


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## bigboki (Apr 16, 2015)

Two videos that I have found of great help when I was looking for OD pedals:
The 3 Primary Uses For Overdrive Pedals
and
4 Steps To Choosing An Overdrive Pedal

I hope it helps

yours truly
Bojan


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## marcos (Jan 13, 2009)

mhammer said:


> Looking at the design, the YGM3 seems designed specifically _for_ cleans, which tells me that your overdrive tone is going to need to come from the pedal, and not from the interaction of pedal and amp.
> The requirement that imposes on the overdrive pedal is that it is going to need to have strong control over the highs, so that you can switch from a smooth vocal overdrive to a clean amp tone easily, without needing to stroll over to the amp and adjust anything.
> A great many overdrive pedals are going to come up unsatisfying, because they are predicated on the assumption that you would be using them to push an almost breaking-up amp over the edge. The amp would have the highs already tamed a little, in response to a higher-gain setting, so the pedal would have some of its tone-shaping demands already taken care of. That's not an unreasonable assumption. It just isn't your particular situation.
> 
> For instance, that FET booster pedal you bought from me would not be an appropriate overdrive for that amp because it lacks enough control over top end. I suspect what you _don't_ want is any sort of unmodded Tube Screamer variant. It will simply be too shrill. It could certainly be modded to do what you need, but stock would likely be a bit of a disappointment. That's speculation on my part, though. Your ears are the customer.


I actually understand some of what you are saying Mark.LOL Just kidding buddy. Good description of what to expect. Another example why this forum is such a joy to be on is having folks like yourself to help us with technical questions. I really do appreciate your input. Thanks


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## Granny Gremlin (Jun 3, 2016)

High/Deaf said:


> As @adcandour said, picking an OD may be specific to your rig. And your guitar. And your ears.


Yes, exactly - that is why I love the Pearl I mentioned above. You can tweak it's character to compliment or contrast that of your amp to taste.



mhammer said:


> Looking at the design, the YGM3 seems designed specifically _for_ cleans, which tells me that your overdrive tone is going to need to come from the pedal, and not from the interaction of pedal and amp.
> The requirement that imposes on the overdrive pedal is that it is going to need to have strong control over the highs, so that you can switch from a smooth vocal overdrive to a clean amp tone easily, without needing to stroll over to the amp and adjust anything.


Sorry, in my experience it does not work that way. You can push any tube guitar amp into overdrive with enough gain out front; there is always interaction, it's just the nature of that interaction that differs. The tone control on most any OD pedal will do. Amps (including the YGM3) also have tone controls that are more than adequate to deal with this. Also one on your guitar and other pedals, if applicable. 

That said, yes, some pedals may not be an ideal match to some rigs (not just the amp; also the speaker), and according to taste.



mhammer said:


> A great many overdrive pedals are going to come up unsatisfying, because they are predicated on the assumption that you would be using them to push an almost breaking-up amp over the edge. The amp would have the highs already tamed a little, in response to a higher-gain setting, so the pedal would have some of its tone-shaping demands already taken care of. That's not an unreasonable assumption. It just isn't your particular situation.


There is no such assumption. The golden age of OD pedals (boom in the number of product offerings) started at the same time as the introduction of solid state amps and continues today. That was the late 70s, which is exactly when the Tube Screamer and first Boss pedals came out.


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## mhammer (Nov 30, 2007)

Marcos likes the cleans from his amp. I'm assuming - rightly or wrongly - is that he loves the full-bandwidth sound and warmth. Many of the TS-9 derivatives lop off the bass, and adopt reciprocal tone controls (a choice between dull and characterless or shrill and piercing). More recent TS derivatives have allowed for more bass than the TS did (or at least dialing n the option of more bass), and address treble by _permitting _more of what was generated to pass, as opposed to boosting it as the TS/SD-1 control does. Sift through many of the boutique overdrives here - La Révolution Deux - and you'll see a lot of them use a treble-bleed control, rather than a treble-boost control as the TS does.

One most certainly CAN push any tube amp into breakup. The key question is whether the tonal quality of the breakup is pleasing without necessitating a stroll over to the amp to change the tone control settings. Forum member Bagpipe got himself a medium-power Ampeg amp several years back (EL84-powered, same as 6BQ5), and borrowed about a dozen booster/overdriving pedals from me covering broad range from clean to mild dirt to very dirty, had a very difficult time producing amp overdrive that he liked. I can't speak to how he set it up or what he was aiming for, but he eventually got rid of the amp _because _he couldn't nail a pleasing overdrive tone out of it.

That's not a slight against Bagpipe, Ampeg amps, EL84 tubes, or any sort of comment on my pedals. Rather, as much as all tubes can be pushed hard, not all amps are designed to anticipate that, and not all pedals are designed in anticipation of every amp design. The YGM3 has its volume control immediately after the 1st input stage, which means that unless you like your volume up high, you are NOT getting very much of your overdrive sound from any of the subsequent stages, including the power stage. The overdrive tone is going to come primarily from the pedal in this particular instance. If there was another preamp stage before the volume pot, then I'd likely agree with you, but not in this instance. It is designed for cleans, such that any overdrive pedal has to function almost like channel switching.


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## marcos (Jan 13, 2009)

Also as i mentioned, i will not be driving the amp volume at max in any shape or form. Played it last Saturday at a gig and at 3 on vol, it was enough and even had to roll back on guitar vol. some songs. This is why it is so difficult for me to get the right overdriven sound at low volumes. I mike my amp and our leader makes sure i dont get too loud to annoy our clients.

Oh, i use only single coils (Strat,Tele) so if i where to use a humbucker equipp. guitar, i am guessing i could get way more overdrive. I may be wrong.


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## Budda (May 29, 2007)

marcos said:


> ...so if i where to use a humbucker equipp. guitar, i am guessing i could get way more overdrive. I may be wrong.


I don't know if it's scientifically "more" or if it's the different tone of a 'bucker + the dirt. It will sound thicker for sure. Tele dirt (for example) just sits elsewhere in frequency.

Really, grab your guitar and amp and try out a bunch as was suggested. Make a list then start narrowing it down.

Strymon just introduced an overdrive by the way...


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## marcos (Jan 13, 2009)

Budda said:


> I don't know if it's scientifically "more" or if it's the different tone of a 'bucker + the dirt. It will sound thicker for sure. Tele dirt (for example) just sits elsewhere in frequency.
> 
> Really, grab your guitar and amp and try out a bunch as was suggested. Make a list then start narrowing it down.
> 
> Strymon just introduced an overdrive by the way...


Thanks Budda. I plan on doing just that. Heading out to one of our members here in Ottawa to try out a few.I have had 2 more offers from others to come and pick up the pedals and try them out. This is such a great forum to be on and thank you all.


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## Granny Gremlin (Jun 3, 2016)

mhammer said:


> Marcos likes the cleans from his amp. I'm assuming - rightly or wrongly - is that he loves the full-bandwidth sound and warmth. Many of the TS-9 derivatives lop off the bass.... More recent TS derivatives have allowed for more bass than the TS did (or at least dialing n the option of more bass).


All OD pedals do that via an input filter cap (all pedals have an input filter cap, just that usually set very low just to eliminate noise/rumble vs ODs and Dist boxes that roll off some signal ). The purpose is to keep the OD from being too loose which is a problem with bassy pickups or neck position and/or certain amps. The rolloff point varies from design to design and yes, this is one of the more common mods on TS derivatives (DIY or otherwise). The main difference between guitar and bass OD pedals is this filter point being moved or variable.



mhammer said:


> One most certainly CAN push any tube amp into breakup.


OK, what you said before seemed to be contrary to that. Sorry for misunderstanding.



mhammer said:


> as much as all tubes can be pushed hard, not all amps are designed to anticipate that


This is a non-issue; anticipating it is irrelevant. Not all amps are designed to drive the pre or power sections very hard, but you can always get around that with enough boost (but yeah, it may not always sound so great or to one's preference- you might have to drive the preamp too hard to get the power section to OD at all for example - in such cases you live without power tube drive or mod it). All irrelevant here I suppose; the issues being amp voicing vs pedal voicing (as regards being to one's liking) and wanting to maintain low volume.



mhammer said:


> The YGM3 has its volume control immediately after the 1st input stage, which means that unless you like your volume up high, you are NOT getting very much of your overdrive sound from any of the subsequent stages, including the power stage.


Yes; I can't believe they didn't put a master volume on the damn thing in this day and age. At least then you could drive the preamp if not the power section.

The long and short of it is that you will still get some tube harmonics at low volumes that will build on top of the pedal tone (vs a solid state amp without a dist effect built in that won't do that at all really). But even so, the idea would be for Marcos to set his amp for good cleans and get a pedal he likes the tone of (or that is versatile enough to be tweaked to his liking) that works underneath that clean tone. ... which makes me realise that nobody has suggested any actual tube driven OD pedals yet (not in budget I suppose, and besides most until recently sucked due to starved plate, but I have seen some cool DIY builds that use charge pumps to provide full plate voltage to the tubes; there are kits, or projects at least - PCB, source yer own parts, avail that are easily in budget; not for a beginner tho).


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## mhammer (Nov 30, 2007)

Granny Gremlin said:


> I can't believe they didn't put a master volume on the damn thing in this day and age. At least then you could drive the preamp if not the power section.


Well, it IS a reissue, and since it is a reissue of a 1973 amp, it is a reissue of an amp from an era when you either played squeaky clean or you turned on your fuzz. "Overdrive" was _around_ (I bought my Peavey Classic in 1973 largely _because _of its master volume control) but it was not common. IIRC the first Boogies started appearing outside of California in 1972.



> The long and short of it is that you will still get some tube harmonics at low volumes that will build on top of the pedal tone (vs a solid state amp without a dist effect built in that won't do that at all really). But even so, the idea would be for Marcos to set his amp for good cleans and get a pedal he likes the tone of (or that is versatile enough to be tweaked to his liking) that works underneath that clean tone. ... which makes me realise that nobody has suggested any actual tube driven OD pedals yet (not in budget I suppose, and besides most until recently sucked due to starved plate, but I have seen some cool DIY builds that use charge pumps to provide full plate voltage to the tubes; there are kits, or projects at least - PCB, source yer own parts, avail that are easily in budget; not for a beginner tho).


I'll let Marcos speak for himself, but my gut sense is that, as much as he'd love to have the chops, tools, and time, he'd be looking for somethng pre-built.


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## NSStratguy (Jan 9, 2017)

I tried another pedal today that I really liked by wampler called the paisley drive. It was really nice.

As far as just pushing the amp to an edge of breakup I have a Marshall BB2 blues breaker pedal that does this extremely well. 

Anyone try tone city pedals ? I was looking at them on YouTube and they are getting some pretty good reviews for a cheaper pedal.


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## marcos (Jan 13, 2009)

NSStratguy said:


> I tried another pedal today that I really liked by wampler called the paisley drive. It was really nice.
> 
> As far as just pushing the amp to an edge of breakup I have a Marshall BB2 blues breaker pedal that does this extremely well.
> 
> Anyone try tone city pedals ? I was looking at them on YouTube and they are getting some pretty good reviews for a cheaper pedal.


I had the Wampler and sold it two years ago. It was a great pedal. Have not tried the other two yet. Tahnks.


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## NSStratguy (Jan 9, 2017)

I know allot of us on here was saying OCD but if you want the OCD sound without spending the money you should try the Joyo ultimate Drive. I have one and did not realize how much it was like the OCD until I seen this.


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## mhammer (Nov 30, 2007)

It's actually EXACTLY an OCD, plus or minus whatever differences come from component tolerances.


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## amagras (Apr 22, 2015)

Is that allowed?


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## Budda (May 29, 2007)

amagras said:


> Is that allowed?


You can make a fake of pretty much anything in China.


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## amagras (Apr 22, 2015)

Budda said:


> You can make a fake of pretty much anything in China.


There's no law in China?? Or is it just different than ours?
Sorry OP, no intention to hijack


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## bigboki (Apr 16, 2015)

mhammer said:


> It's actually EXACTLY an OCD, plus or minus whatever differences come from component tolerances.


$37 at amazon.ca


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## NSStratguy (Jan 9, 2017)

I wonder if that is the case with their other pedals. It is funny because I always wanted an OCD and did not even realize I pretty much had a perfect clone until I found that video. I got it at a pawn shop for $20 and never really played around with it much.

They have some nice pedals on their site.

All I can say about my Joyo ultimate drive I have is that it is true bypass and really quiet.

Gotta love China.


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## Alex (Feb 11, 2006)

amagras said:


> There's no law in China?? Or is it just different than ours?
> Sorry OP, no intention to hijack


In general, they tend to be a little "loose" in respecting trademark/patent laws. I don't know if the pedal in question is an infringement or if Fulltone was granted a patent for its design. If Amazon is selling it, highly likely that there is no patent.


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## mhammer (Nov 30, 2007)

Forum member player99 gave me one of the Ultimate Drive pedals in compensation for a repair. I think he would agree with me that build quality was so-so. So, or some folks, the extra money for a Fulltone might be worthwhile insurance.

I decided to whip up a design for Marcos this evening, and got it mostly built. The objective was to have something that could provide a easonably hot output, medium gain, not too thin-sounding and a very warm top-end with some serious treble cut for those instances where one might want to go from a clean bright rhytm sound to a thicker lead sound that didn't come off too shrill because of the amp settings. I should be able to try it out tomorrow evening and determine if it is likely to meet his needs. If I think it might be in the ballpark, I'll box it up and Marcos is welcome to try it out.

Max gain of 104x down to 234hz (more bass than a TS-9, but TS max gain = 118x). Additional "push" (max gain = 154x) for content above 1060hz to give some bite. Like a TS some treble is rolled off as gain is increased to keep things smooth. Post-clipping gain-recovery stage of 5.6x. Treble-cut pot ranges from 15.4khz down to 690hz. Low noise op-amps.

I'm curious to hear it. Sometimes, my gut feel for tone-shaping works out exactly as planned, and sometimes it doesn't. Hopefully, it'll work out this time.


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## amagras (Apr 22, 2015)

Alex said:


> In general, they tend to be a little "loose" in respecting trademark/patent laws. I don't know if the pedal in question is an infringement or if Fulltone was granted a patent for its design. If Amazon is selling it, highly likely that there is no patent.


I was watching the reviews and they do sound very close, I'd dare to say that the Joyo sounds a little bit warmer and cleaner or at least louder but just a tiny almost imperceptible bit. For 36 dollars is a no brainer


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## greco (Jul 15, 2007)

@mhammer I remember you showing Andrei and I a pedal when we visited in the summer. IIRC, you built it from very few components, it was green in colour and had a 4 or 5 letter acronym for a name ( e.g, MADE ...*M*ark's *A*nalog *D*istortion *E*ffect). That was such a great,subtle pedal. Do you remember it?
I think you sent the schem to me, but I suspect that it was lost in the PM /Conversation transition.


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## marcos (Jan 13, 2009)

mhammer said:


> Forum member player99 gave me one of the Ultimate Drive pedals in compensation for a repair. I think he would agree with me that build quality was so-so. So, or some folks, the extra money for a Fulltone might be worthwhile insurance.
> 
> I decided to whip up a design for Marcos this evening, and got it mostly built. The objective was to have something that could provide a easonably hot output, medium gain, not too thin-sounding and a very warm top-end with some serious treble cut for those instances where one might want to go from a clean bright rhytm sound to a thicker lead sound that didn't come off too shrill because of the amp settings. I should be able to try it out tomorrow evening and determine if it is likely to meet his needs. If I think it might be in the ballpark, I'll box it up and Marcos is welcome to try it out.
> 
> ...


Thank you Mark.That is so kind of you. Will let you know this weekend as i am off to another forum members home to try out a few pedals.


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## mhammer (Nov 30, 2007)

greco said:


> @mhammer I remember you showing Andrei and I a pedal when we visited in the summer. IIRC, you built it from very few components, it was green in colour and had a 4 or 5 letter acronym for a name ( e.g, MADE ...*M*ark's *A*nalog *D*istortion *E*ffect). That was such a great,subtle pedal. Do you remember it?
> I think you sent the schem to me, but I suspect that it was lost in the PM /Conversation transition.


T'was yellow (so close in the spectrum!) and was the Aefea Drive (Almost Everything For Everybody...Almost). You can find a few demos of it here:


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## mhammer (Nov 30, 2007)

mhammer said:


> Forum member player99 gave me one of the Ultimate Drive pedals in compensation for a repair. I think he would agree with me that build quality was so-so. So, or some folks, the extra money for a Fulltone might be worthwhile insurance.
> 
> I decided to whip up a design for Marcos this evening, and got it mostly built. The objective was to have something that could provide a easonably hot output, medium gain, not too thin-sounding and a very warm top-end with some serious treble cut for those instances where one might want to go from a clean bright rhytm sound to a thicker lead sound that didn't come off too shrill because of the amp settings. I should be able to try it out tomorrow evening and determine if it is likely to meet his needs. If I think it might be in the ballpark, I'll box it up and Marcos is welcome to try it out.
> 
> ...


Finished it and fired it up, and the tone shaping had the intended effect. I cranked the treble up full on my amp and there is no impact on the tone of the overdrive. A person ought to theoretically be able to set the amp for a sparkling clean tone, hit the stompswitch and have a thick overdrive without any shrillness. It's also very loud; much louder than a Tube Screamer.

BUT, I'm not thrilled with the quality of the overdrive yet. I need to experiment with a bunch of different chips and see if anything improves it.


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## greco (Jul 15, 2007)

mhammer said:


> T'was yellow (so close in the spectrum!) and was the Aefea Drive (Almost Everything For Everybody...Almost). You can find a few demos of it here:


@mhammer ...Thanks for posting the videos. The Aefea Drive is a very user friendly (i.e., simple to to grasp) and impressive effects pedal IMHO.


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## mhammer (Nov 30, 2007)

Thanks for asking. I loaned it to one of the managers at work, and am waiting for him to return it


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## High/Deaf (Aug 19, 2009)

bigboki said:


> $37 at amazon.ca


Ordered one on Wednesday, they delivered it yesterday (which makes me wonder if there is any future in brick and mortar stores). Tried it, liked it. 

Very OCD but I can't directly compare them because I think my OCD was slightly abused by a run-amok Godlyke switchmode power supply (it seems to have lost quite a bit of level after the minor meltdown). It still sounds good - I've just got to crank the level up higher than I used to. And much higher than this new clone. So I don't think a direct comparo would add much to the discussion, but at <$40 including shipping, seemed like a no-brainer to me. And the rise of these Chinese brands makes me wonder about the future of boutique/name brand pedal builders.


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## Budda (May 29, 2007)

High/Deaf said:


> but at <$40 including shipping, seemed like a no-brainer to me. And the rise of these Chinese brands makes me wonder about the future of boutique/name brand pedal builders.


The guys who don't need reliability on the road, who also don't care about impressing people, will buy the Chinese copies. Everyone else will buy from established brands who make a good quality product.


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## High/Deaf (Aug 19, 2009)

Budda said:


> The guys who don't need reliability on the road, who also don't care about impressing people, will buy the Chinese copies. Everyone else will buy from established brands who make a good quality product.


With the exception of a used 'verb, this is my first foray into the Chinese pedal world. Well, except for my L6 stuff, I suppose. 

I've read good and bad about this group of equipment and decided $40 was a decent entry point. If it's a bust, that won't break me. And now I get to kick it around for a while and see what I think. The B-board it will go on won't be used for gigging, so no exposure to red faces and all that. Easily bypassable if I do have issues - and pedalboards can certainly present no end of issues.

I'm just wondering, if not for the mechanical pieces and primarily the footswitch, there's not much else to go wrong. But that's why I'm buying one - I don't know at this point where the failures will come from. I haven't even done an autopsy on it (rip it apart and look at the innards). There's a note on the bottom about 'removing screws and voiding warranty' but I just wanted to make sure it functioned first. I wonder if that note is to protect their 'borrowed' IP. LOL


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## marcos (Jan 13, 2009)

Well, after spending a great afternoon with Chito here in Ottawa, i came home with two pedals that i am gonna try out. He had a bunch, all laid out and ready to try out. The one that really has my attention so far is the Barber Gain Changer. It really does everything i want.
The other one is the OCD 4 witch really is also a great overdrive.
How can i say thank you to my friend Chito but just to tell everyone what a classy guy he is. Thanks buddy and we'll talk soon.


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## mhammer (Nov 30, 2007)

Budda said:


> The guys who don't need reliability on the road, who also don't care about impressing people, will buy the Chinese copies. Everyone else will buy from established brands who make a good quality product.


Sometimes, it's not so much the quality of the product as much as what happens next when trouble strikes. If one spends $150+ on a Full-tone pedal, there is some expectation of service. When you spend $30 on a Joyo pedal, it is essentially a consummable if it breaks down - you just buy another because there IS no repair service location.


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## mhammer (Nov 30, 2007)

marcos said:


> Well, after spending a great afternoon with Chito here in Ottawa, i came home with two pedals that i am gonna try out. He had a bunch, all laid out and ready to try out. The one that really has my attention so far is the Barber Gain Changer. It really does everything i want.
> The other one is the OCD 4 witch really is also a great overdrive.
> How can i say thank you to my friend Chito but just to tell everyone what a classy guy he is. Thanks buddy and we'll talk soon.


Dave Barber makes a decent product at a very fair price. He has always been pretty open about sharing information, and deserves your business.


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## zdogma (Mar 21, 2006)

marcos said:


> Well, after spending a great afternoon with Chito here in Ottawa, i came home with two pedals that i am gonna try out. He had a bunch, all laid out and ready to try out. The one that really has my attention so far is the Barber Gain Changer. It really does everything i want.
> The other one is the OCD 4 witch really is also a great overdrive.
> How can i say thank you to my friend Chito but just to tell everyone what a classy guy he is. Thanks buddy and we'll talk soon.


I always enjoy meeting up with Chito, I agree he's an exceptionally nice guy. He and Mark H. are are at pretty much every guitar related event in Ottawa and chatting with them is usually the highlight.


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## Chito (Feb 17, 2006)

marcos said:


> Well, after spending a great afternoon with Chito here in Ottawa, i came home with two pedals that i am gonna try out. He had a bunch, all laid out and ready to try out. The one that really has my attention so far is the Barber Gain Changer. It really does everything i want.
> The other one is the OCD 4 witch really is also a great overdrive.
> How can i say thank you to my friend Chito but just to tell everyone what a classy guy he is. Thanks buddy and we'll talk soon.


Thanks Marc! It was my pleasure. We could've gone on and on.  Next time I"ll invite a bass player and a singer. hahaha


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## marcos (Jan 13, 2009)

Chito said:


> Thanks Marc! It was my pleasure. We could've gone on and on.  Next time I"ll invite a bass player and a singer. hahaha


Sounds like the plan my friend.


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## Chitmo (Sep 2, 2013)

sulphur said:


> The OCD is a good low gainer too, I agree.
> 
> I like the Barbershop too, but it may be out of budget, unless maybe used.


He means that you should just buy them all.


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## sulphur (Jun 2, 2011)

Chitmo said:


> He means that you should just buy them all.


Just one of each.


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## zdogma (Mar 21, 2006)

marcos said:


> Sounds like the plan my friend.


HMM. Might be fun to rent a rehearsal space some time this winter and try some gear. As long as we keep it small, 4 or 5 it would be easy and fun.


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## corailz (May 1, 2008)

The Barber Gain Changer is likely made for single coils equiped guitars, but all the pedals suggested above are great. I am currently using a Gain Changer, an OCD and a Fairfield Barbershop on my board with my Traynor YRM-1 and i love them all. Only the Barbershop seem to lack of gain on some lower volume setup and sounds more like a clean boost that else, but i like this unit alot on higher settings and it does miracles into a Vox'ish amp!


Envoyé de mon iPhone en utilisant Tapatalk


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## Chito (Feb 17, 2006)

zdogma said:


> HMM. Might be fun to rent a rehearsal space some time this winter and try some gear. As long as we keep it small, 4 or 5 it would be easy and fun.


What gear did you want to try?


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## zdogma (Mar 21, 2006)

Chito said:


> What gear did you want to try?


No preference really. Its just fun to get together. Maybe bring one amp, a guitar and a board (maximum), and everyone gets to try a few new things. Spend a couple of hours. If Mark H. comes maybe limit him to 20 pedals or something....


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## Macki (Jun 14, 2010)

My vote is for the Source Audio LA Lady. You can actually buy any of their ODs/Fuzzes and they have all the same engines inside the box. Super versatile


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