Question:
i need some suggestions for very crunchy but warm distortion pedals. "i'm in market, as it were" my style is like third dayish, also mixed w/ like switchfoot, relient k. i would prefer true bypass if @ all possible. i'm playing a les paul into a fender blues jr.
Answer:
hmm..
as usually I will promote the always versatile Visual Sound Jekyll and Hyde. It's not true bypass, but in my signal chain, the buffered bypass is alot better because it boosts the signal through the tone suckers i have later in the chain.
Answer:
hmmm, yeh, i had already put that one on my list. have to check it out. i though it was true bypass though.
Answer:
Originally Posted by ibanez_dude hmmm, yeh, i had already put that one on my list. have to check it out. i though it was true bypass though. it's buffered bypass.
according to the visualsound website, here's why
Originally Posted by http://visualsound.net/faq.htm#12 Do Visual Sound pedals have "true-bypass"?
No, but for some very sound reasons. And they have something which may be better: Pure Bypass.
First, the switches required for "true-bypass" are far more expensive than ours and are less reliable in the long run. This would make our pedals in the $200+ range (list price) and they wouldn't last as long. Our unique electro-mechanical switching system with heavy-duty switches and a "switch chip" should last a good long time.
Secondly, the buffering system in the pedals was taken from our Pure Tone pedal. This pedal was built originally for guitarist Neil Zaza who needed something to clean up his bypass tone for all the pedals he used (VOX wah included). Pure Tone, when placed first in the chain, made it sound like you were plugged straight into the amp even when going through notorious tone killer pedals. We ended up selling about 200 of these to very happy tone conscious guitar players before we put it into Jekyll & Hyde as an added feature. So, if J&H or Rt. 66 is first in your chain, it will buffer everything that follows it as well as itself. Even if it's in the middle of the chain, it will still work to some extent.
Thirdly, the Pure Tone buffer also keeps the Hyde circuit (in Jekyll & Hyde) stable. In the early stages of design, I noticed that the Hyde circuit was prone to occillation and feedback until I put the Pure Tone circuit before it. Somehow, it left all the good characteristics in tact and eliminated the ugliness.
Answer:
Originally Posted by thesteve it's buffered bypass.
according to the visualsound website, here's why ah, i see. thank you. do you have any other suggestions to check out?
Answer:
Originally Posted by ibanez_dude ah, i see. thank you. do you have any other suggestions to check out? not off hand...maybe a ProCo RAT?
Answer:
Originally Posted by thesteve not off hand...maybe a ProCo RAT? i just bought a proco vintage rat, and it's definitely a nice pedal. very versatile. not terribly crunchy though.
Answer:
Fulltone Fulldrive 2. It's my main OD with killer tone. Very versatile with a second drive channel to put it over the top! Oh....and it's true bypass. Gotta have true bypass. I don't want to be snobby about it like saying that tube amps are the only way to go...but you should if you can get it. Especially if you're going to be using several pedals to keep your signal clean the whole way back to your amp.
Answer:
Originally Posted by albuht Fulltone Fulldrive 2. It's my main OD with killer tone. Very versatile with a second drive channel to put it over the top! Oh....and it's true bypass. Gotta have true bypass. I don't want to be snobby about it like saying that tube amps are the only way to go...but you should if you can get it. Especially if you're going to be using several pedals to keep your signal clean the whole way back to your amp. yeh, that's on my list too. probably in november i'll get it, cause of my other expenditures right now.
yeh, true bypass is good. i'm making a few exceptions though. such as the boss mt2, tu2, and i'm trying to find a DD5. are MXR pedals true bypass?