# What are you favourite under $150 used overdrive pedals?



## Guncho (Jun 16, 2015)

I'm on the hunt for a new sound and have been on a pedal buying spree. Trying to decide what to keep.

So far I've bought JHS 3 Series Overdrive, Boss SD-1, Fulltone OCD 1.4, EHX Soul Food, EHX Crayon, Ibanez Tubescreamer.

What are your favourite under $150 used OD pedals?

I like a cranked Marshall kind of sound. Angus Young.


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## gtone (Nov 1, 2009)

Pretty much any treble boost circuit I can get my mitts on. That or a Rat will do me pretty much every time (qualifies as a OD/boost if I keep the distortion below 9:00).

Have never found a straight OD I like - most are too smooth and I really dig a little square wave response instead.


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## Alex (Feb 11, 2006)

The Xotic BB Preamp Andy Timmons signature worked for me.


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## Grab n Go (May 1, 2013)

Xotic SL Drive should do the trick.


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## MetalTele79 (Jul 20, 2020)

For a Marshall sound I'd go for a Catalinbread Dirty Little Secret


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## SaucyJack (Mar 8, 2017)

I've been using a Danelectro CTO-1 Transparent Overdrive V1, the one they got sued for, since 2011. Very nice and can probably still be found.


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## EchoWD40 (Mar 16, 2007)

You can find Fulltone OCD's for around there.


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## Okay Player (May 24, 2020)

gtone said:


> Pretty much any treble boost circuit I can get my mitts on. That or a Rat will do me pretty much every time (qualifies as a OD/boost if I keep the distortion below 9:00).
> 
> Have never found a straight OD I like - most are too smooth and I really dig a little square wave response instead.


The RAT is the best gain pedal ever made. It's got something for everyone. 95 bucks new, $50-$75 used. I think the Lil RAT runs for less than $90 new.


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## JBFairthorne (Oct 11, 2014)

I’m currently enjoying my Plimsoul…but that might be slightly more than OD.


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## Mark Brown (Jan 4, 2022)

SaucyJack said:


> I've been using a Danelectro CTO-1 Transparent Overdrive V1, the one they got sued for, since 2011. Very nice and can probably still be found.


I still love my Danelectro Fab Tone and probably will until the day I die.


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## Guncho (Jun 16, 2015)

EchoWD40 said:


> You can find Fulltone OCD's for around there.


I did! I paid $95.


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## isoneedacoffee (Oct 31, 2014)

Guncho said:


> I'm on the hunt for a new sound and have been on a pedal buying spree. Trying to decide what to keep.
> 
> So far I've bought JHS 3 Series Overdrive, Boss SD-1, Fulltone OCD 1.4, EHX Soul Food, EHX Crayon, Ibanez Tubescreamer.
> 
> ...


For a Marshall in a box, I've tried a bunch, including the Dirty Little Secret III and Xotic SL Drive. But, the one I've kept is the RambleFX Marvel Drive (III). If you want a seventies Marshall, AC/DC, sound, it's there in spades. And that AC/DC sound of the 70s is my holy grail. The Marvel has a got a growl and percussive flavour that I had not found in any other pedal. I forget what I paid, but it was definitely about $150 used, so that's in the ballpark for you.


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## bzrkrage (Mar 20, 2011)

Catalinbread DLS.
A-mazing for Marshall in a box.


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## Always12AM (Sep 2, 2018)

I have been on a dirt spree as well. I wanted to start with a simple classic. This is just north of $150 at $165 new and it would be an unlikely to find used pedal. But what it is, is an MXR distortion + built in the same way that the original was. Very true gradual volume / gain knobs. You don’t have to place the volume at 2/10 in order to keep it from blowing the ass off of your amp.

You mentioned some pedals in familiar with that I’ve loved specifically the Crayon. Can’t go wrong with the others you’ve mentioned. I’d look at a Boss DS1, a Blues Breaker a fuzz face of some kind etc. the simple classics are nice to have as a reference point.

Many of these are buildable at a much more conservative price. What I like about kits and some of the aftermarket clones is that they often have some built in modifications that address some of the issues with the mass produced or original designs.


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## Xevyn (Jul 14, 2021)

Recently picked up a used Boss OD-3 (more as a collector's item) but I've been having so much fun with it that it hasn't left my board yet. It's tone seems to be somewhere in between my Greer Lightspeed and a Blues Driver. Stacks pretty well with other drives as well.


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## Budda (May 29, 2007)

If the ones you have listed arent doing it, im not sure its the pedals. The OCD worked for me.


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## megawattmike (Apr 28, 2011)

wampler pinnacle


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## Mooh (Mar 7, 2007)

Marshall Guv’nor and Jackhammer. Hardly elite or prestige pedals, but often a bargain.


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## SurfGreenTele (Jan 24, 2010)

The best OD ever to me is the Vick Audio Tree of Life. Just outstanding and low priced…so much clarity, very full, retains all juiciness of a Strat neck pickup, and takes nothing away from your core guitar/amp tone. Does Marshally like gain starting at around noon on the dial (up to fuzzy territory when cranked), and my favorite low gain tones ever below noon.


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## RBlakeney (Mar 12, 2017)

Guncho said:


> I'm on the hunt for a new sound and have been on a pedal buying spree. Trying to decide what to keep.
> 
> So far I've bought JHS 3 Series Overdrive, Boss SD-1, Fulltone OCD 1.4, EHX Soul Food, EHX Crayon, Ibanez Tubescreamer.
> 
> ...


I have a bearfoot dyna red hot that is a cranked Marshall Based pedal.
im not proactively selling it but, if you check out some demos and like it,feel free to pm me an offer shipped, and if you make that offer under $150 it will be under $150.


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## mhammer (Nov 30, 2007)

Never bought one, so I can't say. I have upwards of 40-50 of them, but they're all DIY, not purchased. So, no pricepoint to separate them into groups. And even if they're a copy of something under $150, chances are very good it's been modded, so not reflective of the commercial product.


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## Granny Gremlin (Jun 3, 2016)

Boss SD-2 Dual Overdrive in Lead mode (Crunch mode blows, at least with humbuckers; too loose). I know the SD-1 was mentioned by the OP but I really prefer this guy, like by a mile.

EHX Hot Wax. The Crayon was already mentioned but again this is way cooler. Adds a Hot Tubes to the Crayon and they stack so well. Still just 145 at L&M.


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## gtone (Nov 1, 2009)

Remember being a ton of hype around LovePedal's _Church of Tone_ (COT) pedal after it dropped. I bought a couple of different ones (1 & 2 knob variants) and really wanted to love them, but ultimately couldn't.

As mentioned in post #2, I don't care for smooth OD's and much prefer some grittier square-wave dirt action instead, so neither of the COTs were around more than a few wks.


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## Mikeroesoft (Jan 12, 2012)

gtone said:


> Remember being a ton of hype around LovePedal's _Church of Tone_ (COT) pedal after it dropped. I bought a couple of different ones (1 & 2 knob variants) and really wanted to love them, but ultimately couldn't.
> 
> As mentioned in post #2, I don't care for smooth OD's and much prefer some grittier square-wave dirt action instead, so neither of the COTs were around more than a few wks.


Funny, I came to this thread to say that my favourite by far under $150 is my hand wired Lovepedal COT.


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## MarkM (May 23, 2019)

Check out Radial pedals , picked a Hot British used for $100 and I think it great, full on Plexi!


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## Bigsby1967 (Feb 27, 2016)

It's been mentioned before but the biggest bang for the buck I'll second the Soul Food, usually found used for $80.
My favourite OD is an early gold/copper Cmatmods Butah.
I don't see them for sale often but they are worth a try. 
I paid $120 about 10 years ago. It's simple and every setting sounds great.
Many of the other boutique pedals I found myself tweaking them more often than playing them.
I've been through a ton in the last 10 years..
I've sold:
Cmatmods Signa Drive
OCD
Tim
Timmy
Klon KTR
Archer x2
Okko Diablo
Blues Driver -Shouldn't have sold, its a great pedal.
Hot Cake (Traded for my second Cmatmods Butah, Red version)
Soul Food x2
Kept:
Tube Screamer (bought as a 90s reissue, turns out it an original '82)
Early Copper Cmatmods Butah, I now have 2.
Still have a Soul Food, worth keeping around for the price.


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## EchoWD40 (Mar 16, 2007)

Guncho said:


> I did! I paid $95.


Whoops! Sorry I misread your post!


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## player99 (Sep 5, 2019)

mhammer said:


> Never bought one, so I can't say. I have upwards of 40-50 of them, but they're all DIY, not purchased. So, no pricepoint to separate them into groups. And even if they're a copy of something under $150, chances are very good it's been modded, so not reflective of the commercial product.


Tell us about your favourites...


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## Milkman (Feb 2, 2006)

I suspect I could get a decent OD tone out of most commercially available overdrive pedals including those listed in this thread.

I like the OCD.

I have less confidence in Tube Screamers. I presently have three of them but I've never been blown away by any of them.

The Voodoolabs Sparkle Drive Mod is one I've grown to like as well.


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## traynor_garnet (Feb 22, 2006)

Milkman said:


> I have less confidence in Tube Screamers. I presently have three of them but I've never been blown away by any of them.
> 
> The Voodoolabs Sparkle Drive Mod is one I've grown to like as well.


 Ummmmm . . . lol


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## Milkman (Feb 2, 2006)

traynor_garnet said:


> Ummmmm . . . lol


Care to elaborate on that? Clarify?


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## mhammer (Nov 30, 2007)

player99 said:


> Tell us about your favourites...


Okay. I like most things that use a 4049 inverter chip. That family includes the EHX Hot Tubes, Way Huge Red LLama, and the Craig Anderton Tube Sound Fuzz from which the others are derived. They provide a nice "grunt". I adapted the TSF (which is NOT a "fuzz", but in 1978 naming was not as specific as it is now) to something I called the Forty-Niner. gaussmarkov: diy fx » Forty-Niner

I am also proud of the Aefea Drive (Aefea = Almost Everything for Everybody Almost), which is a very simple circuit that provide a strikingly wide range of sounds and tonal flexibility for such a simple circuit. 1Sweetride liked his so much that he got me to build 3 more as Christmas presents for his friends. Aefea Drive by Mark Hammer The Aefea Drive - a simple one-chip diversion

The EHX Muff Fuzz is a silicon Fuzz Face at its heart, but with a fixed gain (rather than variable, like an actual FF) and a couple of diodes to add a bit of sizzle. These are cheap and can be easily modified to have more (and less) gain as well as a Tonecontrol. If you can find a Double Muff (which is two Muff Fuzzes in series) the possibilities are even greater.

I made myself a clone of the first-issue Boss OD-1 and I really like it as a general purpose overdrive. I added a 3-way toggle switch to mine, to provide either stock, more bass, or more bass and less treble.

Finally, last year I adapted the basic Bluesbreaker circuit (which the King of Tone and JHS Morning Glory did as well) that reminded me (which could be a distorted memory) of an old experience I had playing a HiWatt amp, so I decided to call it the Wattbreaker. I had built Bluesbreaker clones before and found them too shrill. This one adds more bottom, and also the option for more gain. A very "muscular" drive.

I think that's enough self-promotion for one day. I would add the Harmonic Percolator to the list, but a) not at all my design, and b) generally sells for a lot more than $150Cdn. But a really interesting overdrive.


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## DiscoStu (Mar 15, 2021)

Keeley Super Phat Mod (basically a modified BD-2). Very useable from "Barely There" to "Holy Cow" settings.


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## bzrkrage (Mar 20, 2011)

Milkman said:


> Care to elaborate on that? Clarify?


Oh, I think that @traynor_garnet was giggling cause the Voodoos Sparkle Drive Mod is based on a Tubescreamer (808 circuit)


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## Milkman (Feb 2, 2006)

bzrkrage said:


> Oh, I think that @traynor_garnet was giggling cause the Voodoos Sparkle Drive Mod is based on a Tubescreamer (808 circuit)


Ok, but it has a significant and notable improvement (blend). That's pretty impactful.

A comment might be more enlightening than an emoticon. Just my opinion of course.


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## Paul M (Mar 27, 2015)

Milkman said:


> The Voodoolabs Sparkle Drive Mod is one I've grown to like as well.


Is that where I left it?


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## Milkman (Feb 2, 2006)

Paul M said:


> Is that where I left it?


LOL, I see our respective gear collections / hoards as a shared pool. I guess you already know that.


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## Paul M (Mar 27, 2015)

Brunz said:


> I still love my Danelectro Fab Tone and probably will until the day I die.


The big footprint, or the more compact pedal?


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## traynor_garnet (Feb 22, 2006)

Milkman said:


> Ok, but it has a significant and notable improvement (blend). That's pretty impactful.
> 
> A comment might be more enlightening than an emoticon. Just my opinion of course.


Sorry, I truly wasn't trying to be snarky. I just thought it was kind of funny to read those two sentences back to back. The Sparkle Drive is a great pedal, and I too don't "love" tube screamers.

TG


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## Milkman (Feb 2, 2006)

traynor_garnet said:


> Sorry, I truly wasn't trying to be snarky. I just thought it was kind of funny to read those two sentences back to back. The Sparkle Drive is a great pedal, and I too don't "love" tube screamers.
> 
> TG


No problem and maybe I could be a little less easily triggered, LOL.

I'm not as familiar with the nuts and bolts of pedals and how they really work than many here and I learn much from these threads.

I thought you might have been wondering why I have three of a pedal I'm not nuts about. I bought a mini version just because it's a basic pedal that I know works. The other two I took in on trades knowing that it's such a well known pedal I would eventually be able to move them on to someone else.


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## MarkM (May 23, 2019)

@Milkman No one here will ever question why you have more than one of anything!


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## Milkman (Feb 2, 2006)

MarkM said:


> @Milkman No one here will ever question why you have more than one of anything!



Yeah I guess my place is a bit like the old roach motel.

Gear checks in, but it doesn't check out.


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## theroan (Oct 7, 2008)

Anything by Way Huge, particularly the Green Rhino
EHX Soul Food
Boss SD-1


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## Swervin55 (Oct 30, 2009)

I'm with @Milkman on the Voodoo Sparkle Mod. Yes, it is a tubescreamer but with a lot more versatility. Unfortunately, I bought mine new but still no regrets.


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## colchar (May 22, 2010)

JBFairthorne said:


> I’m currently enjoying my Plimsoul…but that might be slightly more than OD.


I am loving mine.


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## colchar (May 22, 2010)

Mooh said:


> Marshall Guv’nor and Jackhammer. Hardly elite or prestige pedals, but often a bargain.


Have you seen the prices for original Guv'nors?


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## Mooh (Mar 7, 2007)

colchar said:


> Have you seen the prices for original Guv'nors?


Yeah, the original Guv'nors are pretty pricey but the more recent ones can be found cheap. Never owned an original, as far as I can recall.


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## colchar (May 22, 2010)

Mooh said:


> Yeah, the original Guv'nors are pretty pricey but the more recent ones can be found cheap. Never owned an original, as far as I can recall.



I've never heard an original except on youtube. For someone like me, who just plays at home, the newer ones more than do the job.

The prices for some normal production pedals have gotten crazy. I had a Bad Monkey that I paid $40 for and managed to sell for $100. I've got another one, and figure I could get the same again if I were to sell it.


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## Festus McCorkindale (Dec 17, 2017)

If you want a super high quality and great sounding Nobels ODR-1 clone, try finding a used Visual Sound /Truetone Open Road pedal. I found one for $110 shipped on Reverb! I love it so much I bought a second one for my smaller pedalboard. I believe it is also one side of their double OD pedal called the VS/XO. I find the Truetone stuff is generally underrated.


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## Zebjo (Jun 9, 2021)

Guncho said:


> I'm on the hunt for a new sound and have been on a pedal buying spree. Trying to decide what to keep.
> 
> So far I've bought JHS 3 Series Overdrive, Boss SD-1, Fulltone OCD 1.4, EHX Soul Food, EHX Crayon, Ibanez Tubescreamer.
> 
> ...


Check out a Nobels ODR1. Great pedal, kind of a sleeper.


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## PTO (12 mo ago)

The Boss SD-1 is practically half of $150 _new_. I haven’t bought it because I would prefer a smoother OD, but it might be a candidate for this thread?


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## ondadl (Dec 13, 2012)

Plumes? Kelley Red Dirt Mini?


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