# Anyone NOT use overdrives?



## Gene Machine (Sep 22, 2007)

Recently I've stopped using an overdrive/distortion pedal, except maybe a boost. I just set my amp to a little bit dirty (AC15) and use my volume knob on my Gretsch 5420. if I need a little bump, like going to 11, I kick on the clean boost. I have a slapback and a tuner. that's it. 

Anyone else just use amp distortion or go clean?


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## Mark Brown (Jan 4, 2022)

I never almost never use distortion and over drive. I am a fan of just clean sounds. That being said, the amp distortion and over drive have started calling my name. Built a little champ that I love playing with the tubes cooking, that opened my eyes a bit. Then I built a failed attempt at a Formula 5 which for all intents and purposes mimics the tweed sound..... cranked. So, slowly but surely I am coming around. For most of the time, it is just clean and some reverb. Who knows, someday I might just get me one of them fancy Wah pedals


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## FatStrat2 (Apr 7, 2021)

I played amp distortion for a few decades: Marshall, Fender, Lab Series. I always disliked distortion pedals because i played mid to high volume. At paint peeling sound levels, they always sounded fuzzy, compressed, undefined and fake to me.

But now that those live jam days are behind me, I find more sophisticated, modern day distortion pedals are indispensable for lower volume playing coupled w/ a touch of amp grind. And they're easy to swap out and get a totally different crunch & groove for just a few bucks. That's why I have over 2 dozen of them (but no overdrives, just distortion).


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## Wardo (Feb 5, 2010)

I have some pedals but mostly I use a short cable into a Fender 57 Custom Deluxe or a 57 Custom Champ.


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## Sneaky (Feb 14, 2006)

I like fuzz pedals more these days. They react better to picking dynamics and the volume knob. I still have an OD on my board but don’t use it as much as I used to.


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## BMW-KTM (Apr 7, 2015)

I only overdrives pretty much exclusively. KOT lookalikes, Timmys, Klones, etc. KOTs mostly, for their more even response but others as well. As a blues and classic rock guy I have have found only a limited use for fuzz and almost zero use for distortion. A Rat type has limited appeal but a DS-1 type is of no use to me at all. Most distortion f/x are my enemy. Distortion is simply not how eye roll. They just don't sound normal to me.


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## Mooh (Mar 7, 2007)

More often clean or clean-ish than dirty, but sometimes I just gotta crank it dirty to suit my mood. The Laney SuperCub has a nice boost channel which I've been enjoying and it's dead simple to dial in. Otherwise I'm happy clean with a hint of reverb.


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## player99 (Sep 5, 2019)

Less is not more, overdrive is more.


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## Brian Johnston (Feb 24, 2019)

I recently purchased a Rivera Venus Recording amp. When you kick in the Boost, it acts just like an overdrive and give me everything I want (on that amp). I do use a Tilt overdrive with it, but I only engage the boost/tilt side of the pedal, as it has a bass cut feature, which really makes high-gain tight.


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## Parabola (Oct 22, 2021)

The amps I typically bought over the years we’re not really great amps, in the last few years, I’ve bought some great amps and gotten some in trades, and I’ve kind of learned to appreciate them almost as an instrument in their own right. So that has sort of reshaped the way I look at and use pedals.

I’m not a purest, but these days I’m challenging myself to using a small signal chain, guitar to amp with maybe 2-3 pedals, rotating different pedals to play with the tones.

I’m letting the amp provide the bulk of the OD/Distortion, but I’m learning to use my drives/dist and fuzz pedals to add to the sound. I used to be an everything on 10 guy, and I’m finding that a little goes a long way.


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## zztomato (Nov 19, 2010)

I use fuzz more these days and also play clean a lot. I find that very few OD pedals can escape that fizzy fake grind. I do have 3 that work for my ears though. 
I went another direction for amp-like grind. I have a couple of Kingsley pedals that are great at giving me amp breakup at low volumes. I can then run an OD before them for additional saturation. The Kingsleys have kept me from going down the modeling rabbit hole. I can get a real cranked plexi sound at volume you can talk over.


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## Rollin Hand (Jul 12, 2012)

All my amps have a gain channel or at least the option of using preamp gain. Why would I need a pedal?

I have a Joyo Calfornia and an Us Dream, but they never get used.

And the modelers have their own gain options as well.


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## b-nads (Apr 9, 2010)

I have a Boiling Point on my board that I barely ever use. My amp is a two channel, and I like using the dirty channel and the volume knob on my guitar to control drive.


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## guitarman2 (Aug 25, 2006)

I'm about as far away from using OD pedals as I've ever been (which isn't much away from) yet I have more OD gain pedals on my board than I ever have. I mostly use my Mesa Fillmore 50 channel 2 set up for mid gain. I have a Kingsley Page for giving some hair to the clean channel if I'm in a situation where I can't get the clean channel with an edge of break up. I also have a Kingsley Harlot which becomes my main over drive for the occasional time when I'm using my 67 Fender Pro reverb. I will also use a Waza blues driver as a boost on the clean channel of my Fillmore. 
Theoretically I could get by with just the gain channel of my Fillmore.


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## Guncho (Jun 16, 2015)

I used to be very anti preamp gain but it sounds good to me now when I need to play at bedroom volumes.


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## BlueRocker (Jan 5, 2020)

I have two on my board plus a clean boost. But honestly, I spend most of my time playing through my battery operated acoustic amp because it's convenient to move around while noodling on the couch.


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## Doug Gifford (Jun 8, 2019)

I plug straight into my Deluxe Reverb.


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## nonreverb (Sep 19, 2006)

All depends on the style of music I'm playing.


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## Prowse199 (Jun 21, 2020)

b-nads said:


> I have a Boiling Point on my board that I barely ever use. My amp is a two channel, and I like using the dirty channel and the volume knob on my guitar to control drive.


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## Ronniedblues (Jan 29, 2021)

Doug Gifford said:


> I plug straight into my Deluxe Reverb.


Me too, straight into a Deluxe or pro jr and use guitar volume for “dirt”


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## DavidP (Mar 7, 2006)

Two words: Bad Bob!!
For those unfamiliar -- https://www.analogman.com/badbob.htm
I have a now-decades-old original built by Robbie!
It sounds stellar through my 5E3 and SFDR.


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## Grab n Go (May 1, 2013)

I picked up a Little Lehle A/B box this year and it's been fun mixing different amp combinations without using dirt pedals. (The Lehle is awesome. No noise or weirdness.)








If I'm practicing, I usually play clean. But I'll also practice with gain once in a while to make sure I can still keep it together.

My go-to for clean is the Quilter. I'll pair it with one of the others for different kinds of dirt.


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## Rickenbacker198 (Jan 10, 2017)

Never really liked the sound - feel of an overdrive.
Amp breakup on the other hand.


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## BlackCharvel87 (3 mo ago)

i mostly depend on my 5150iii head these days for overdriven sounds. i use my OCD as a mid boost when i am tracking drop A metal songs and want a little more of that mid pick attack sound. 
i used to use a lot of OD when i just had my vibroverb amp; super clean, so i needed OD pedals to get that sound.


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## ToneHound (3 mo ago)

Straight in. But sometimes I'll use a line driver/boost for that extra gnarliness...


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## AlexOT (10 mo ago)

For guitar I enjoy fuzz, I can get great overdriven definition in chords if I roll down volume on most of my fuzzy options. I have an Boss ODB3 (bass overdrive) for 25 years, but it is far from an od, it's a great great noise box, destroyer of cleans, gives me sludgy doom results on guitar.

I practice 50% of the time unplugged now and my hearing is at similair percentages, so I am worrying less and less about tone, pedal definitions and signal chains. I had my fun destroying ears for years 😅


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## laristotle (Aug 29, 2019)

straight in here too.


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## mrmatt1972 (Apr 3, 2008)

I have 4 flavours of mild to mid gain overdrive in my board. They stack well when I want more RAWK but I usually just have a little hair so when I dig in I can get some emotion out of the amp. I do play clean a lot too though, but I don’t see a reason to limit my options.


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## BGood (Feb 20, 2015)

Amp gain for the most, but still I have mild OD pedals for when my ears don't agree with the tone I'm hearing that day.


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## Milkman (Feb 2, 2006)

I use what is convenient and I always manage to get tones I can live with.


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## BootScoot (1 mo ago)

Do tape saturation effects (like those in the Deco and Generation Loss) and count as overdrives?


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## Guncho (Jun 16, 2015)

BootScoot said:


> Do tape saturation effects (like those in the Deco and Generation Loss) and count as overdrives?


No.


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## Okay Player (May 24, 2020)

Gene Machine said:


> Anyone else just use amp distortion or go clean?


I'm not a communist. So, no.


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## BootScoot (1 mo ago)

Guncho said:


> No.


Figured it might qualify as it’s the sound of tape being pushed past the point of clean signal reproduction. But I guess that’s only a semantic connection. Ain’t no tape in an amp.


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## marcos (Jan 13, 2009)

Got an Angry Charlie a few weeks ago and really enjoy it. I use my volume control to get more dirt when needed. Only use it once in a while for solos.


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## Chito (Feb 17, 2006)

I don't use an overdrive in this band because I only play clean and hardly do any solos.


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## Okay Player (May 24, 2020)

Chito said:


> I don't use an overdrive in this band because I got a fuzz


Fixed that for you.


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## Gene Machine (Sep 22, 2007)

BootScoot said:


> Figured it might qualify as it’s the sound of tape being pushed past the point of clean signal reproduction. But I guess that’s only a semantic connection. Ain’t no tape in an amp.


I've heard that Ritchie Blackmore used to use an Akai tape player as a pre amp in the old days. Also, Angus supposedly had a wireless unit that had a great pre-amp that was part of the Back in Black era tone.

so are pre-amps overdrives? maybe? I've known people to use Klon type pedals as an always on pedal.


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## zontar (Oct 25, 2007)

I have four distortion pedals I have acquired over the years (Only had to pay for 1--the others were gifts or prizes.)
If I want to use amp overdrive/distortion I use my Orange Micro Terror.

I like both & like variety--so I leave myself that option

But I'm not going to tell someone to not use pedals or to use them.

You gotta go with what gets you the sound you want/can use.


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## Thunderboy1975 (Sep 12, 2013)

Really enjoying a OCD i purchased recently from california but im finding it'll get away on me and feedback into oscillation when i go for a full step bend at the 19tn. I like the Prince like distortion though and it can seriously chug too.


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## soldierscry (Jan 20, 2008)

I have always been a fan of dirt pedals mainly due to not being able to find an amp that I was happy with both the clean and overdrive channels. So far I have only found 2 amps that have satisfied my tastes for clean/OD sounds and both were Mesa's. The Mesa Electra Dyne was one of my favorites but the shared eq between the channels made it challenging to stick with one setting but I was able to find some decent middle ground but as with most gear GAS got the best of me and I continued my hunt. Now I'm using a Mesa Single Rectifier 50 and I'm very pleased with the results I'm getting going straight in although I find adding the Friedman Sir compre in front helps with taming the high-end fizz and low-end boom. I may look into some mods for it to achieve this without the need for the pedal.


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## MarkM (May 23, 2019)

In the 80’s my Marshall blew up and died, the repair guy told me it wasn’t worth fixing. I tried a couple Peavey Heads and finally fell in love with a Peavey Triumph 60 through my Marshall 4x12. Three glorious channels, no need for OD pedals.

My buddy’s autistic son knocked it off the cab by accident in a moment and it did not make it! This kid loved me and still does so I can’t even feel sorry for myself. I do not play in bands anymore so I have no need for this amp, if I had a chance to buy one I would.


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## Mark Brown (Jan 4, 2022)

MarkM said:


> In the 80’s my Marshall blew up and died, the repair guy told me it wasn’t worth fixing. I tried a couple Peavey Heads and finally fell in love with a Peavey Triumph 60 through my Marshall 4x12. Three glorious channels, no need for OD pedals.
> 
> My buddy’s autistic son knocked it off the cab by accident in a moment and it did not make it! This kid loved me and still does so I can’t even feel sorry for myself. I do not play in bands anymore so I have no need for this amp, if I had a chance to buy one I would.


If you still have the amp, fix the amp?

Man make, man break.....man fix?

I'm sure you looked into it so I'm probably off my rocker but I hate to think it cannot be repaired.


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## MarkM (May 23, 2019)

Mark Brown said:


> If you still have the amp, fix the amp?
> 
> Man make, man break.....man fix?
> 
> I'm sure you looked into it so I'm probably off my rocker but I hate to think it cannot be repaired.


The boards were smashed, I do not have that amp anymore. This was late 90’s.

The Marshall I was horn swaggled!


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## _Azrael (Nov 27, 2017)

One of the reasons I play Mesa is so that I don't need an OD.


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## allthumbs56 (Jul 24, 2006)

Back in about 73' before we had a lot of pedals I'd use this GBX to drive my Silvertone 1484. The gold box on the riser was an Echolette (?) tape delay that I'd rented for that gig.


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