Guitarists! Please share your history of overdrive/distortion stomp boxes and your current favorites. I still haven't found that sound and I've used an Ibanez TS-10, Jim Dunlop Fuzz, Ibanez Fuzz/wah, Fuzz Face reissue, two different Boss Ds-1's, an Austin Gold and Boss Blues Driver. I've tested tons more. Right now I use a Boss DS-2 Turbo Distortion (which I love for mildly overdriven sounds but not for screaming lead work) and a COUGHibanez ts-5 soundtankCOUGH because well, it sucks least. I'm thinking of testing the new tS808 reissues and the ProCo Rat one of these days...
Anyway, please fire away, enlighten me!

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[This message was edited Thu Jul 22 1:03:01 2004 by hectim]

http://www.roger-mayer.co...ockets.htm
http://www.roger-mayer.co...o_vibe.htm(like the rotovibe but more varied)
and a a dunlop crybaby wah

Hectim - what amp are you using? That is very critical to the distortion in a lot of cases - with Tube Driver - type boxes especially. If you're running them into a super clean amp like a Roland jc120, it'll sound like ass.

I've been using a tube screamer, one sort or another, for years.

The last one I got was a Maxon OD-808... Maxon was the company that MADE the tube screamers, and Ibanez just put their logo on the box. This thing is true to the original, supposedly.

I will say that it's the best box I've used for live distortion - bluesy/hendrix kind of feel. And I also got the Boss Turbo Distortion, (D2?) on the recommendation of this forum. I like it, don't like the boosted/turboed tone, but the basic distortion is pretty damn good.

Also use the Crybaby Wah.

I run them into my Fender Deluxe Reverb.

I think the Fulltone stuff is the most organic I have heard. Most pedals sound like stomps to me, the Fulltone stuff seems to become more a part of the amp. The line 6 stuff is by far the best bang for the buck and is very much worth checking out. I use old tube heads and I boost with a clean boost ( The Seymour Duncan) it drives the amp w/o added color.

What do you want the pedal to do for you? That will be a big i help in regards to which way to go.

Hectim i think ur still looking 4 that Blue angel Distortion, LIke me

Kevlar said:

Do you use your Line6 amp live in a bar? I checked them out a few years ago and they just lacked any solid volume... like, the louder you cranked them, the less presence they had... but hey, this is like 4 years ago now.

otan said:

The new stuff is very cool, the Flextone III stuff is extremely versatile. They are well worth plugging into, esp the Plexi it sounds extremely good. The 1st generation is not worth messing with at all.

I was more talking about the stomps they make. The have a Distortion stomp that has all the classic pedals ( not an amp modeler) and it is very cool. I have the Modulation box and use it live and in the studio all the time...

I use a Fender Princeton, which is a solid state (transistor) amp. The point is, for 80 percent of a set with my band, I play with a clean or almost clean tone and I'm really happy with my clean jazz and funk sounds this way. However, in a couple of covers we do(stuff by Rufus, some Mother's Finest), I need a nice warm distortion/overdrive sound. But without having to lug an extra amp around... (I can hardly fiot this one onto the little stages we perform) Now I can get a fine Prince SOTT-type sound with a Boss distortion and compressor, some long delay... but that sounds really out of place with the jazzy/JB's sound my band has. But overdrive - style pedals don't give me that sustain and response to hammer-ons. Sigh. I suppose I'm looking for something like you hear on later period Funkadelic, Mike Hampton's tone. Full and singing but not over the top. Yeah, I know. It's probably a tube Marshall head. Or Dave Gilmour on Another brick in the wall, all that sustain, a little grit but no metal-style umph. I tested the Ibanez ts-808 reissue last night but that doesn't work with my amp. Boss OD-3 neither. Hell, I've tried all Boss pedals short of Metal Zone (and I'm seriously considering trying THAT)

Honestly, live i've never been quite satisfied with any boxes. To my ears they just don't sound right. I used a Marshall Blues Breaker for a bit and it just barely sounded OK.

Using Boogie amps exclusively for so long i've never really felt the need for any OD/distortion pedals.

Gimme a cranked Princeton any day.

tA

Tribal Disorder

http://www.soundclick.com...rmusic.htm