Question:
Boss SD-1
Jekyll & Hyde
Fulltone Fulldrive 2
Ibanez Tube Scremer
Pro Co Vintange Rat Distortion
Which of these pedals should I get or should I get a combination of these pedals for different parts of songs (For example, I use one distortion pedal for chorus but when solo arrives I turn on another to get some other boosting sound)?
The amp I'm planning to get is either a Vox AC30, Line 6 Spider II, or Peavey Valveking...
I play music styles such as Relient K, All American Rejects, Chris Tomlin and P&W. No blues, jazz, funk b/c I don't know how to play these styels...
Or Do you advise me to get some other distortion pedals?!? (According to people, these pedals are studs!)
Answer:
Originally Posted by epicenter Boss SD-1
Jekyll & Hyde
Fulltone Fulldrive 2
Ibanez Tube Scremer
Pro Co Vintange Rat Distortion
Which of these pedals should I get or should I get a combination of these pedals for different parts of songs (For example, I use one distortion pedal for chorus but when solo arrives I turn on another to get some other boosting sound)?
The amp I'm planning to get is either a Vox AC30, Line 6 Spider II, or Peavey Valveking...
I play music styles such as Relient K, All American Rejects, Chris Tomlin and P&W. No blues, jazz, funk b/c I don't know how to play these styels...
Or Do you advise me to get some other distortion pedals?!? (According to people, these pedals are studs!)
Well, getting the Spider II or the Valveking would make it somewhat pointless to get an Overdrive/Distortion pedal, as the amp distortion on those would, in most cases, sound better than the pedal. I think the Vox is only one channel (someone correct me if I'm wrong), and could benifit from a pedal.
That said, I have a three channel amp and still use my BOSS SD-1. It gives me a nice tone when I need something different than what my amp can provide, and I can get some nice sounds out of it.
I would say, first, get the amp, see how you like it, and then determine if you're going to need the pedals or not. Never buy a pedal just because you think you need it. KNOW you need it first.
IF you decide you do need one, my plug's for the SD-1 first and Tube Screamer second. I've used them, I like them, 'nuff said.
Answer:
About the amps... I'd take the Valveking, or even better, the AC30 over the Spider II anyday.
Answer:
Dont buy a pedal for an amp you dont have. That just doesnt make sense. It's gonna be alot easier for us to help you if you give us your current rig.. on those standing alone? I'd say go with the FD2. All of your options are pretty different, but the Fulldrive DOES have the built in boost and whatnot.
Answer:
I have a J&H and I love it. Everybody I've ever talked to loves it too. Good, quality pedal.
Answer:
Do not purchase a fulldrive unless running it through a tube amp, otherwise its just not going to work. serious i own one and through my solid state amps its a no, but through the vox its a yes. Even Mike Fuller does not recommend it with solid state amps.
Answer:
after buying an amp, then check out the Tubescreamer... they're amazing...
Answer:
Having owned all of the above (except for the SD-1, but I had a Boss OS-2, which supposedly combines the DS-1 and the SD-1 and lets you blend them), I would say:
(1) Get the amp first. Get a good feel for the distortion you can get from the amp by itself
(2) Do what I did--pick up each of the pedals used (Ebay is your friend!) and try them all out. It's hard to say that one is "better" than the other, it's all about your personal taste and what works best with your amp. Some of the differences are going to be pretty subtle, so you will need to try each of them out with your amp, for a while, to get the feel.
(3) Resell the ones you don't like as much. If you buy them used to start with, and you shop around, you should always be able to get back what you paid for them. All of the pedals you listed hold their resale value as long as you buy used and buy smart.
For my taste and amp (Crate Palomino V16 (tube)), my favorites were the Fulldrive 2 and the Boss BD-2 Blues Driver (I would add this to your list as well, go read the reviews at Harmony Central). I liked the BD-2 better than the SD-1 for the "Boss overdrive" thing.
Answer:
My only suggestion is this. Don't get the Boss DS-1. I own it, and though it is built like a tank, its sound quality isn't that good. Stock it sounds to harsh. If you were going mod it, then you could consider it. But I would look into the other pedals. I am in fact am looking into purchasing the J&H.
Answer:
I'd go for a RAT and an AC-30...or at least the Valve King.
The full drive is just a modded (and over-priced) tube screamer clone, as is the Jekyll Side of the J&H. The tube screamer itself is, IMO, over rated, as it really eats up the tone of your amp, and if you get a mid heavy amp like the AC-30 the last thing you want is a heavy mid boost. The RAT is pretty transparent as far as EQ goes, with just a slight low boost that you might like.
As far as other distortions go, my suggestions would be the Distortion +, the Guyatone PS-102 (if you can find one), and even the Danelectro Fabtone for the more punky sounds.
The RAT, D+, and Guyatone can all be used as great clean boosts as well.
Get the amp first though, and then buy and try distortion pedals until you find the right one. It's going to be a long and somewhat expensive process (though most good distortion pedals can be gotten very cheaply...)
Answer:
the green side of the J+H is the exact same circuitry as the Tubescreamer, and I own a J+H, which is amazing! the Rat is great too. very different sound though.
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tubescreamer eating your tone?????????? Heh... lol.. just ask BB King and Eric Clapton about that..
Answer:
Originally Posted by Griffon I'd go for a RAT and an AC-30...or at least the Valve King.
The full drive is just a modded (and over-priced) tube screamer clone, as is the Jekyll Side of the J&H. The tube screamer itself is, IMO, over rated, as it really eats up the tone of your amp, and if you get a mid heavy amp like the AC-30 the last thing you want is a heavy mid boost.
Is this true about the full drive, J&H, and tubescreamer?!? I've heard tons of great reviews about them...
Originally Posted by Griffon I'd go for a RAT and an AC-30...or at least the Valve King.
As far as other distortions go, my suggestions would be the Distortion +, the Guyatone PS-102 (if you can find one), and even the Danelectro Fabtone for the more punky sounds.
The RAT, D+, and Guyatone can all be used as great clean boosts as well.
Get the amp first though, and then buy and try distortion pedals until you find the right one.
Yeah I'm pretty much going with what Griffon has to say unless you other people have something to say about this advice...Going with Valveking or VOX AC-30 and getting distortion pedal to get different tones....I pretty much want to layer distortions to get differnet tones in different parts of songs like solos ectc and different songs altogether...I know Relient K uses distortion pedals and distortion from amps from CGR's interview but I dont know if they overlap or use the amp distortion for one song and for another a mix of distortion pedals minus the amp distortion...
Do bands tweak their distortion sounds from their amps for every song or do they pretty much use their distortion pedals and overlap it with the amp's distorion to change tone for the next song? Or should I use clean channel and use the distortion pedals as my tone? (I'm pretty new to this stuff)
I can't find the distortion + dont even know who makes it and no one is selling the Guyatone PS-102 so...
Know any suggestions as to get more of the pop-punkish sounds with or without pedals along with the Valveking/VOX AC-30?
Answer:
Originally Posted by andrewama Is this true about the full drive, J&H, and tubescreamer?!? I've heard tons of great reviews about them...
well if the tubescreamer ate BB Kings tone, i'd love to hear what it sounded like before... .....
Do bands tweak their distortion sounds from their amps for every song or do they pretty much use their distortion pedals and overlap it with the amp's distorion to change tone for the next song? Or should I use clean channel and use the distortion pedals as my tone? (I'm pretty new to this stuff)
I can't find the distortion + dont even know who makes it and no one is selling the Guyatone PS-102 so...
Know any suggestions as to get more of the pop-punkish sounds with or without pedals along with the Valveking/VOX AC-30?
Two things to say here...
1: yeah most band tweak their amps for each individual song, IN THE STUDIO, but one of the biggest rules of live performance is never leave down time... yeah they might use different pedals in different songs, but generally they just stomp them on and off...
2: getting pop-punk sounds are easier than shooting fish in a bucket... IMO...
Answer:
Originally Posted by AXguitar 1: yeah most band tweak their amps for each individual song, IN THE STUDIO, but one of the biggest rules of live performance is never leave down time... yeah they might use different pedals in different songs, but generally they just stomp them on and off...
So they do overlap distortion from pedals and amp with tweaking pedals for different tones and just setting a base distortion tone with the amp....or do they?