# whats a good overdrive pedal



## copperhead (May 24, 2006)

along with my blues junior i already have boss blues driver its ok . i think it sounds better with my tele than my strat . maybe i will need a tubescreamer for the srv sound, but is there a good od pedal a bit more versatile ? i hear alot of people liking fultone ocd


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## bagpipe (Sep 19, 2006)

Hmmmm. This type of thread usually results in everyone just listing their favourite overdrive/distortion pedal. I'll start: Fulltone OCD.


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## nitehawk55 (Sep 19, 2007)

It depends what sounds you want it for but a new kid on the block is the Arteffect Zenith . Do a Google and You Tube search for info and demo's . My feeling is this one covers it all pretty well but has not got into the spotlight yet as it is a very competative market . 

BTW , I will sell one of 2 that I have .

Yes , everyone will list a favourite :banana:


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## Hitman (Nov 20, 2008)

So my favorite is...  

I use a Boss OS-2, I like the way the OD and the Dist can be blended, makes it a very versatile pedal. And Boss is reliable, important thing for me.


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## keithb7 (Dec 28, 2006)

*Electro Harmonix*

Right now I am really enjoying dialing in many different sounds from my combination: Nano Muff Drive and LBP-1. Wow, I am still finding new sounds.
A great combination.


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## aC2rs (Jul 9, 2007)

I have an Ibanez Tube King. I get a lot of different tones from it and great sound even at low volumes. I also have an Ibanez Super Tube and a Danelectro Fab Tone but the Tube King is a much better peddle especially in to my YCV40


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## greco (Jul 15, 2007)

I hear lots of folks saying good things about the "Bad Monkey" (by Digitech)

...never owned myself...just throwing this in to add to the confusuion..LOL

Dave


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## keto (May 23, 2006)

greco said:


> I hear lots of folks saying good things about the "Bad Monkey" (by Digitech)
> 
> ...never owned myself...just throwing this in to add to the confusuion..LOL
> 
> Dave


For a cheap solution it's pretty good. Separate bass and treble (along with gain and volume) make it a little more versatile than a garden variety tubescreamer.

Where it works best for me is chaining it and running it into another pedal, mostly my Marshall Jackhammer.


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## Budda (May 29, 2007)

i love my modified ibanez TS-7 myself.


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## salv (Sep 24, 2008)

I've tried alot of different cheaper overdrive pedals since i don't like spending alot on my effects and the best solution I came up with was the following. I got a Ibanez TS-5 for free and had Greg over at SolidgoldFX mod it to TS808 spec and he also fixed the footswitch which was really unreliable. This thing is unbelievable now and cost me i think $30 in total.


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## copperhead (May 24, 2006)

i was thinking o grabbing a stock ts7 .very cheap . i only heard good things


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## Rwinder (Oct 20, 2008)

It really depends on what sound you are going for as was stated above...

yes a tubescreamer will do SRV, but so will a fulldrive... 

If you like your blues driver i would suggest getting a keeley mod... the BD-2 has a flatter freq response than a TS so it depends what you need. I really like mine keeley BD-2... 

the OCD is quite popular, you might like it. 

I would suggest buying a few different pedals used and then sell off the ones you don't like and then do a shoot out with the ones you do like and find your favorites.


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## devnulljp (Mar 18, 2008)

I don't think the OCD is what you want for SRV though. It's quite Marshall-ish.
on a budget, the TS7 or modded TS5 will get you there. A Fulldrive 2 will be better than any of those though. Some of the Barber effects ar eworth looking at. But I'd just go get a Goudie 808 and be done with it if I were you. Best bang for buck, and great gear.


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## loves_guitar (Nov 5, 2008)

Grab a soldering iron and start building your own! Then you can mod it to the sound you want. 
There is General Guitar Gadgets and Build Your Own Clone. Both websites well worth checking out.


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## Ripper (Jul 1, 2006)

Voodoo labs sparkle drive, bad monkey, modded SD-1 and the Ibanez tubescreamer family are all good.


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## Mooh (Mar 7, 2007)

After probably dozens of others over the years, I've sort of settled on a Seymour Duncan Lava Box most of the time. With or without the amp distortion (YCV50blue) it's divine. Guitars/pickups always make a difference to me and I usually use a Tele or Strat into this combination. A Marshall Guv'nor works well with humbuckers into this amp. Nothing fancy, just reliable gear doing a good job.

Peace, Mooh.


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## Guest (Dec 8, 2008)

I know guys who have been playing since birth who can't answer that question.
Go to e-bay and buy second hand to save cash cause you need to curl up with a lot of different ones before the right one comes along, sound familiar.


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## Ti-Ron (Mar 21, 2007)

I think konaseone is right! I have tried a lot of them since 2 or 3 years! Boss OD-3 BD-2, Fulltone OCD, Radial Classic, Route 66 etc and I end up with the GoudieFX 808+ but it's really a matter of taste! All on you! You'll see, after getting one you won't be able to stop to try some new one!


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## Greenbacker (Mar 29, 2007)

I guess the most important thing is to talk about your rig/style/gain range/inspirations/budget.

The OCD is great but it has this scooped thing going on. A nice pedal with a good gain range (sounds great with an 18v adapter!) but maybe not so great for a solo boost due to the EQ curve. YMMV.

The Keeley BD-2 (and the Tim/Timmy, from what I hear) is a great one too with a nice even response and the harshness is gone from the original design. 

One of my all-time faves is the Xotic AC booster which is a nice OD in the 808 family but there's something sweeter about it. It is a lot more open and has the individual bass/treble knobs too so you can really tailor your sound for yourself. It works well as a solo boost an has a lot of volume on tap. I use it more as a preamp though. I leave it on pretty much all of the time and use other pedals (EQ, ODs, Fuzz) into it.

Your journey can be as long as you want it to be. Let us know the types of sounds/uses you had in mind and maybe one of us could help out!


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## Teleplucker (Feb 5, 2006)

I like the BD-2. I've modded mine and it's one of my favorites. I don't turn the gain/drive up very high though.

You won't get SRV out of it. I've got a TS-9 RI for that tone. It's modded too (and harder to work on than Boss pedals).


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## copperhead (May 24, 2006)

i ordered the h20 mod for my bd2 its on the way .that will be a start ...theres some good reviews im not sure how it compares to the keeley phat mod


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## JHarasym (Mar 27, 2007)

My favourites are :
Zendrive
Barber Super Sport
Mesa Boogie V-Twin pedal


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## Archer (Aug 29, 2006)

My 2 fav overdrives are the HBE Powerscreamer and the Xotic AC Booster.

I have about 50 pedals in boxes...many of those are drives of one sort or another (including an original TS808...which is completely mediocre IMO) but the PS and AC are the best of the lot in my opinion.


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## hollowbody (Jan 15, 2008)

I have a BD2 sitting around that I keep meaning to get modded, because I honestly can't stand the way it sounds out of the box. Right now, my go-to drive pedal is my Fulltone FD-2, though I would like to get my hands on an AC Booster at some point.


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## Big White Tele (Feb 10, 2007)

The best.......CJOD.


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## LowWatt (Jun 27, 2007)

If you have $1k ...and more money than...


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## Teleplucker (Feb 5, 2006)

hollowbody said:


> I have a BD2 sitting around that I keep meaning to get modded, because I honestly can't stand the way it sounds out of the box. Right now, my go-to drive pedal is my Fulltone FD-2, though I would like to get my hands on an AC Booster at some point.


I'd try the Brent Mason mod, if I had another BD-2 to work with.

http://www.premierguitar.com/Magazine/Issue/2008/Nov/Boss_BD_2_Mods.aspx

It's similar to my homebrew BD-2 mod, but with far less changes. The keys seem to be the tone control mods and switching in LEDs for the stock diodes.


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