Good Overdrive Pedals?

[skintaster]

So do a lot of you guys use an overdrive pedal?

I've been a "high gain" guy for so long, and used amps that do that well, so I don't have much experience with overdrives. I mean, I know what they do, and I've heard guys get good sounds with them, but do any of y'all have any favorites?

There seem to be more overdrives than almost any other class of pedals... I know a bunch are basically Tube Screamer clones, but are there any really exceptional ones?

Thanks!

[EvilOdin]

I have an Ibanez ts9 tubescreamer that I enjoy quite a bit. A lot of people swear by the Maxon od808 also. When i was looking into getting a new overdrive, i liked the BBE Green screamer. I've also heard praise of the fulltone OCD, but have not tried one yet.

also, if you havent checked out proguitarshop before, they have a gazillion really good demos on their youtube account of just about every pedal you can think of, might help in narrowing down a selection.

[Riffmeister]

Dunlop has some kind of new overdrive out, it is all green, go figure, but it sounds great on the dunlop sound clips, but I have some of their pedals that have sounded nothing like the clips , LOL

[roodyrocker]

It depends on the amp I'm using. With my Uberschall or other high gain amps I don't need an OD pedal. However with my Marshall Randy Rhoads head I use either a Fulltone OCD or a Retro-Sonic 808 which is a high end tube screamer clone made with much better quality and true bypass. Another good one is the MI Audio Crunch Box. I've been trying out others as well (Fulltone GT500, Fulltone Fulldrive 2, Zvex Box of Rock and Box of Metal) but the OCD and 808 are the ones currently on my pedalboard getting live use infront of my Marshall. The other pedals also feature a second switch for a boost if needed while the OCD and 808 are basic overdrives.

[Dreamland_Rebel]

i like my Robert Keeley modded Boss SD-1. i've also heard the Analogman SD-1 and it sounds nice too. almost all overdrive pedals are based on the 808/ts-9 design. they all have there own flavor of the same thing kinda like soda. for $40 you can pickup a Boss SD-1 to get a feel of what an overdrive can do. others and modded versions will do the same thing but maybe cleaner, with more low end and less noise. some will be more harmonically rich than others and some will sound smoother.

there are so many you just need to try a few. i prefer to run them with the gain off and the level up. this adds just enough "hair" to a low gain distortion to make it sparkle and keep it from being so noisy.

[Jack Napalm]

I have been using a Cusack Screamer for a while now and really like it. Very 'clean' boost with a lot of gain.

[toejam]

I love my Robert Keeley modded Voodoo Lab Sparkle Drive.

[Gibsonmac]

For tube amps, you cannot beat a vintage tube screamer!! they are so fucking hot, the sound is pure sex, but as those are hard to come by, rothwell switchblade is SIC, as is the klon centaur (although seriously expensive), and the T-Rex Michael Angelo Batio Sig overdrive is suprisingly amazing sounding, great pedal.

I'd get the T-rex or Rothwell, probly two of the best modern pedals

[Grandturk]

I always think of "overdrive" as round soft breakup distortion - I think of 60's blues rock, Cream, stuff like that.

Be aware that most overdrive/distortion pedals will do two things -

- Distort your tone
- Boost your input signal

And you can do both at the same time, or one or the other.

For instance, you can use the level control on a Tubescreamer to increase your signal strength in order to drive your amp harder. You can use this to go from a clean tone to an overdriven tone or to add even more distortion to an overdriven tone. Think about it like switching from a vintage style pickup to a high-output pickup.

Or, you can use the Drive control on the tubescreamer to distort your signal - thereby sending a distorted signal into a clean amp. The amp then amplifies this signal and makes it louder.

[roodyrocker]

I always think of "overdrive" as round soft breakup distortion - I think of 60's blues rock, Cream, stuff like that.

Be aware that most overdrive/distortion pedals will do two things -

- Distort your tone
- Boost your input signal

And you can do both at the same time, or one or the other.

For instance, you can use the level control on a Tubescreamer to increase your signal strength in order to drive your amp harder. You can use this to go from a clean tone to an overdriven tone or to add even more distortion to an overdriven tone. Think about it like switching from a vintage style pickup to a high-output pickup.

Or, you can use the Drive control on the tubescreamer to distort your signal - thereby sending a distorted signal into a clean amp. The amp then amplifies this signal and makes it louder.

This is one reason I suggested the Retro-Sonic 808. Its a clone of the old tubescreamers but with better quality and true bypass as I mentioned earlier. Its a bit pricey but still way cheaper than buying a vintage Tubescreamer then sending it off to be modded for these things. It uses the same chip as the original but also has a socket which allows you to plug and unplug your various value chips so you can tinker with it easily without having to solder anything. If anyone is considering a Tubescreamer of any sort I would highly recommed the Retro-Sonic 808
I've got several different Retro-Sonic pedals (Chorus, Analog Delay, Compressor, 808) and all are phenomenal pedals

[markD]

ha, i really like my cheap-assed mxr classic distortion. i put it in front of my vintage fender tube reverb unit, plug that into my 1963 fender tremolux, grab my old strat, and have the greatest old blues tone. i can even cop vintage blackmore and uli roth tones. i spent months fucking around with OD pedals and was quite pleased with the $39 mxr.

[skintaster]

Thanks for all the good input everyone! Lots of pedals to try... I guess I'm basically looking for one that's versatile enough to work well with a wide variety of amps, and not sound unnatural. Has anyone ever used one with a high gain amp? I've heard of people doing this, but I'm not sure what the advantage is supposed to be.

[Hellbat]

I'm so old school that I love my Boss SD-1.

[toxikdeth]

Maxon od808, keeley boss sd1, or barber direct drive

[MetalMedal II]

I'm like Ibanez tube screamers. Any of em are good. Even the cheapo soundtank TS-5 I got for 35 bucks new is damn good. I also like the Boss SD-1 (yellow pedal). I tried a DS-1 and didn't like it; it was used, so many someone messed with it.