Musician Gear & Tech Discussion

It's best use is placed infront of a tube amp on the edge of break up set like this:



Volume up between 50% to 100%, tone at noon and Drive at ZERO or just a hair above. I run all of my OD pedals this way. I use Tube Screamer type pedals with USA voiced amps like Fenders and the SD-1 when pushing a Marshall. On occasion I will change it up but mid heavey amps like Marshalls seem to favor the SD-1 and mid scouped amps like Fenders seem to prefer mid humped pedals like Tube Screamers.

Ya learn something new every minute here..all you have to do is try.

It's best use is placed infront of a tube amp on the edge of break up set like this:



Volume up between 50% to 100%, tone at noon and Drive at ZERO or just a hair above. I run all of my OD pedals this way. I use Tube Screamer type pedals with USA voiced amps like Fenders and the SD-1 when pushing a Marshall. On occasion I will change it up but mid heavey amps like Marshalls seem to favor the SD-1 and mid scouped amps like Fenders seem to prefer mid humped pedals like Tube Screamers.

Well now, I'll have to dig around in my junk and see if I can find it.
With the uncertainty of the family issues this week I don't know if I will even get our gear out of the trailer.
But it's nice to have a starting point when I do.

I missed this somehow, but was going to say use it as an overdrive. That sounds close to what you're doing.

I don't have any problems with volume and tone from my Super Reverb, it sounds great at any volume, but I slightly modded the POS Boss SD 1 (orange distortion pedal that's basically crap and I'm not sure that's the right model number either, it may be DS 1) and it works fairly well as an overdrive, but I think I need to look into it and mod it a bit more, it's still a bit too dirty for an overdrive but works. and it still does a decent distortion too if I crank the gain. As an overdrive I set it very similar to what these pictures show, just a hair of gain and tweak the tone and level to get what I want.

Usually I run a Marshall Bluesbreaker overdrive, and I love it. The Ibanez SD 1 is my distortion pedal, one of the best I've ever heard. The Bluesbeaker gives it just a bit of raunch, and brings out the overtones really well. I can't get the Boss to do as well, but it's not bad as an overdrive...

I've only used the pedal referred to here a couple of times, but was never impressed with it...If I ever see one I'll have to pick it up and tinker a little...

I use a Tube Screamer in front of my Mesa Triple, and lately have had the drive set around a quarter, eq around 1 oclock, and the level all the way up, it makes my amp sound great, in fact the last gig I pretty much just left it on most of the night. WOund up using my volume control on the guitar most of the night to control the amount of distortion, works great for me. It kinda takes the spikey feel of this amp away without haveing to kill it with the eq section of the amp. Just some hot sauce I guess!

I had an SD one time years ago I was using a Fender Concert and then a JCM 800 combo with it, but I was turning the gain up too high in those days.

been lurching on this thread for a bit...

just thought some of you might find it interesting/ironic that the sd-1 is an almost identical clone of the ts808.

I think the buffering might be slightly dif and the sd-1 employs 3 diodes in asym compared to two in sym, and maybe a few cap differences here and there but they are essentially the same - right down to the 4558 chip.

With the gain down it is for the most part 'a clean boost w a tone control'.

SRV (yes perhaps I'm a fanboy) def got a great tone putting one in front of a pair of tube amps.

been lurching on this thread for a bit...

just thought some of you might find it interesting/ironic that the sd-1 is an almost identical clone of the ts808.

I think the buffering might be slightly dif and the sd-1 employs 3 diodes in asym compared to two in sym, and maybe a few cap differences here and there but they are essentially the same - right down to the 4558 chip.

With the gain down it is for the most part 'a clean boost w a tone control'.

SRV (yes perhaps I'm a fanboy) def got a great tone putting one in front of a pair of tube amps.

Thanks for the info Mike I ALWAYS find your posts informative! What do you think of the BB Preamp made by Xotic effects?

"there are no new stories... just dif ways of telling them".

xotic makes some really nice stuff from what I've heard, but I honestly haven't played one.

I've read that it is an op amp based clip stage and an active eq. Not unlike a tubescreamer to one degree or another.

two band eq vs 1
true bypass - a bit more transparent when bypassed.
Not sure what chip the originals use but there are many 'clones' out there that use the 4558.
With the caliber of parts that xotic uses (I would guess) it is probably an improvement even if on some level a clone (I am in no way implying it is).

as with many things an extra 2% performance will cost you 50% more and to some that is huge, to others it's marginal.

just 2 cents

Mike you know way more about the inner workings of pedals, but that TS the way Ive been setting it up lately really takes the amp spikeyness out of my sound, and I like it.

Ive got this old Rocktron Black Jack Pedal that is a booster and distortion, Ive loaded it back on my board and on distortion it gets a darn good sound on my clean channel on my mesa. Gets little over the top on my two gain channels on my amp, it will work but just goes a little too far.

I also have been playing with an old Boss C-2 compression pedal, Im using it for clean tones, mainly to boost the level on my clean to match my distortion levels, and it really takes the bite out of my clean channel.

I'm a big fan of the ts/sd, in fact I even like it at low vol AND with green eggs and ham.

wasn't implying the ts/sd was the same as all boosters... def got it's own little flavor. more of a dirty boost with the gain down.

I had a vintage cs2. great comp. a bit noisy at hi sustain settings but like you, I really liked it for 'spank'. Sold it off for the money, and because I thought it might be redundant on my setup... but i miss it sometimes.

I missed this somehow, but was going to say use it as an overdrive. That sounds close to what you're doing.

I don't have any problems with volume and tone from my Super Reverb, it sounds great at any volume, but I slightly modded the POS Boss SD 1 (orange distortion pedal that's basically crap and I'm not sure that's the right model number either, it may be DS 1) and it works fairly well as an overdrive, but I think I need to look into it and mod it a bit more, it's still a bit too dirty for an overdrive but works. and it still does a decent distortion too if I crank the gain. As an overdrive I set it very similar to what these pictures show, just a hair of gain and tweak the tone and level to get what I want.

Usually I run a Marshall Bluesbreaker overdrive, and I love it. The Ibanez SD 1 is my distortion pedal, one of the best I've ever heard. The Bluesbeaker gives it just a bit of raunch, and brings out the overtones really well. I can't get the Boss to do as well, but it's not bad as an overdrive...

I've only used the pedal referred to here a couple of times, but was never impressed with it...If I ever see one I'll have to pick it up and tinker a little...

That sounds like the DS-1. They are pretty bad stock but can be fantastic with the right mods.

Go here for very simple, inexpensive mod kits.
http://www.monteallums.com/pedal_mods.html

He has them for a wide range of Boss pedals as well as other brands. They are dead simple and come with step by step instructions with color pictures. They can turn a terrible pedal into a boutique masterpiece. I used one on a Metal Zone which was good for nothing but a doorstop and did this to it:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ziY5LJzq9Ig

It's actually usable now.

I took a modded SD1 to Guitar Center yesterday hoping to trade it towards a used BD2 they had. I was expecting to get $20. The guy at the store went nuts over it and said he would be able to sell it for $100 so he gave me a $50 credit which made the trade an even swap. I'm so glad I did too because my Egnator LOVES the BD2. I'm getting the best tone ever out of that amp now. I should have picked one up years ago.

I missed this somehow, but was going to say use it as an overdrive. That sounds close to what you're doing.

I don't have any problems with volume and tone from my Super Reverb, it sounds great at any volume, but I slightly modded the POS Boss SD 1 (orange distortion pedal that's basically crap and I'm not sure that's the right model number either, it may be DS 1) and it works fairly well as an overdrive, but I think I need to look into it and mod it a bit more, it's still a bit too dirty for an overdrive but works. and it still does a decent distortion too if I crank the gain. As an overdrive I set it very similar to what these pictures show, just a hair of gain and tweak the tone and level to get what I want.

Usually I run a Marshall Bluesbreaker overdrive, and I love it. The Ibanez SD 1 is my distortion pedal, one of the best I've ever heard. The Bluesbeaker gives it just a bit of raunch, and brings out the overtones really well. I can't get the Boss to do as well, but it's not bad as an overdrive...

I've only used the pedal referred to here a couple of times, but was never impressed with it...If I ever see one I'll have to pick it up and tinker a little...

That sounds like the DS-1. They are pretty bad stock but can be fantastic with the right mods.

Go here for very simple, inexpensive mod kits.
http://www.monteallums.com/pedal_mods.html

He has them for a wide range of Boss pedals as well as other brands. They are dead simple and come with step by step instructions with color pictures. They can turn a terrible pedal into a boutique masterpiece. I used one on a Metal Zone which was good for nothing but a doorstop and did this to it:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ziY5LJzq9Ig

It's actually usable now.

I took a modded SD1 to Guitar Center yesterday hoping to trade it towards a used BD2 they had. I was expecting to get $20. The guy at the store went nuts over it and said he would be able to sell it for $100 so he gave me a $50 credit which made the trade an even swap. I'm so glad I did too because my Egnator LOVES the BD2. I'm getting the best tone ever out of that amp now. I should have picked one up years ago.

Which Egnater did you get? Those amps sound GREAT! One of these days I want to get one! It would be hard to justify to my wife as I just got the Carvin V3M

Which Egnater did you get? Those amps sound GREAT! One of these days I want to get one! It would be hard to justify to my wife as I just got the Carvin V3M

I bought a Tweaker 15 head off of a guy on Craigslist for $300. I've been wanting to downsize. It is every bit as good as the hype. It's Fender, Vox and Marhall tones are outstanding. I will post some clips when I get a chance to record some. I'm runnig an SCN loaded Ash Deluxe Strat & Burstbucker loaded Les Paul Standard > SD1 > BD2 > Tweaker > alnico loaded 212 cab. With the Strat I run with the BD2 on and roll down my guitar's volume for spanky clean, roll up for shimmering drive and kick in the SD1 for leads & heavier tones. With the Lester I just use the BD2 and ride the guitar's volume control.

My wife thought I was nuts too and gave me the eye when I walked in with it but It worked out so well that I'm putting my Vintage Modern half stack up on CL this weekend and will walk away $1000 + to the good so who's crazy now?

Is that head loud enough to play in a band that mics. the amp cabs?

Absolutey, I was suprised how loud it gets. I would say unless you are playing with a really loud drummer there are times when it is loud enough to gig with on it's own depending on the cab you use with it. 15 tube watts is pretty damn loud. You could always reamp it too when you need more. I sometimes use an attenuator's line out, power amp and spare cab for reamping my little vintage tube amps, the same woud work fine here if you already have the gear and don't want to deal with a PITA sound guy.