Pedal Vs. Amp Distortion

[Doadman]

I've been looking for a new amp head and as I've always liked the sound of Marshalls but also high gain, I've been considering the Marshall JVM410 and the Blackstar HT Stage 100. However, my experience with my current amp has made me start to question the whole point of this.

I've got a Marshall DSL401 but I find the amp's own distortions to be a bit mushy (gain set at 6)so I use a Bad Monkey in front with the gain on zero and the level maxed out. This tightens it up beautifully and I like it a lot but the down side is that when I engage my MXR boost pedal for solos, it has virtually no impact at all on the volume. To get around this problem I bought a Hardwire Metal Distortion pedal to use on the clean channel. The distortion is fantastic and even at less than half boost, the MXR pedal sends the volume through the roof. I'm left wondering why I'm bothering trying to find a good amp for distortions. Why don't I just buy any amp with a good clean channel and lots of headroom and use pedals for all of my distortion? I could keep the Metal Distortion pedal, use a bit of gain on the Bad Monkey for a Bluesy crunch and buy a Hardwire Valve Distortion pedal to do everything inbetween. Wouldn't that be just as effective and probably cheaper or am I missing something?

[jgcable]

You can't put a boost pedal in front of an amp if you are using the amps distortion. It will give you another stage of gain but it won't give you a volume boost. It needs to be put in the loop.
For boost you should be using a Morley Lil Alligator in the loop.

My suggestion is to keep your amp and buy a volume pedal. Dump the hardwire distortion pedal.

[Larz]

I know what you're saying, sometimes I run a keeley modded Boss metal zone through the clean channel on a low end Marshall AVT 50 and it sounds uber-metal, even at very low volumes.

I also have a Mesa dual rec roadster which I eventually upgraded to. It is just a completely different tone and not as tight to my ears, but the tubes add another dimension, especially when cranked up.

I still mess around with the Marshall/pedal when the mood strikes though.

I think it just depends what you like better, no right or wrong way as long as it sounds right to you. But yeah, no need to buy an expensive metal amp just to run a distortion pedal through the clean channel.

[jcm800x]

I hear ya on that one, years ago I started using distortion pedals through the low input of my 2203. Lots of headroom for solo boost and a clean sound when turned off. I have a JVM also that I use for a cover band and I'm using an overdrive to tighten up the tube distortion, sounds fine. The nice thing about the JVM is the second master volume for solos.

[markD]

i am a strong believer in using only amp distortion. i have never found a pedal that gives me the type of gain i get from 3 stages of tube gain mixed with the power tube distortion that comes from slamming EL34s in a triode setting. i can get a cool sound using a RAT pedal and a twin reverb, but it is not as harmonically complex as the amp distortion i normally use.

i am not a big metallica fan, but i DO remember WAAAAYYYY back in some guitar magazine where james hetfield said he preferred the sound of natural amp distortion over pedals. he likened it to a marinade vs. a glaze when cooking food. natural amp distortion becomes a part of the amps sound, whereas using a pedal just coats the amp's sound with distortion. one becomes organic, the other is processed.

while one isn't better than the other, you have to ask yourself which you prefer and why. once you can answer that, you will know if you should buy a new amp or get a couple more pedals.

[Dreamland_Rebel]

Go back to the Bad Monkey with the distortion channel -put some seasoning on that marinated steak and put the mxr boost pedal in the loop. that way everything will work the way it is supposed too. Another thing you might want to consider is using an mxr eq pedal set for to a frowny face in the loop instead of the boost pedal. Gives you more control over the shape of the boost and the amount.

[Grim]

The JVM410H is awesome.

[Musician78]

With my Marshall, I prefer the distortions I get from my ancient GT-6. My buddy has a Mesa with AWESOME distortion, however, that I would only modify with some effects. It depends on the amp.

[Doadman]

First of all, let me make it clear that while the Bad Monkey is out front, the MXR Boost pedal is already the last thing in the loop - it still doesn't work on the amp's own distortion.

It's been interesting researching this. Every response has been interesting to read so thanks to you all. Am I any nearer a solution? No, but I have been able to expand my knowledge and understanding and that's never a bad thing. So, what have I discovered?

1) There's no clearly defined right or wrong to this question. Whether an amp has better distortions or not depends on the amp you're using and the same is true of pedals.

2) Although there haven't been many concrete suggestions on amps I could look at in my budget of £600, I get the impression that I should keep a very open mind. The Marshall JVM 410H remains an option, as does the Blackstar HT Stage 100. To those two I am inclined to add a Marshall DSL50/100, Laney TT-50, Laney VH100 and Laney GH100.

3) As tastes change I should perhaps look for an amp that does the ranges of distortion I want but also has a decent clean channel to use distortion pedals on if that's the sound I decide I'm after.

[Grim]

First of all, let me make it clear that while the Bad Monkey is out front, the MXR Boost pedal is already the last thing in the loop - it still doesn't work on the amp's own distortion.

It's been interesting researching this. Every response has been interesting to read so thanks to you all. Am I any nearer a solution? No, but I have been able to expand my knowledge and understanding and that's never a bad thing. So, what have I discovered?

1) There's no clearly defined right or wrong to this question. Whether an amp has better distortions or not depends on the amp you're using and the same is true of pedals.

2) Although there haven't been many concrete suggestions on amps I could look at in my budget of £600, I get the impression that I should keep a very open mind. The Marshall JVM 410H remains an option, as does the Blackstar HT Stage 100. To those two I am inclined to add a Marshall DSL50/100, Laney TT-50, Laney VH100 and Laney GH100.

3) As tastes change I should perhaps look for an amp that does the ranges of distortion I want but also has a decent clean channel to use distortion pedals on if that's the sound I decide I'm after.

Marshall JVM410H, Mesa Dual Rectifier or Mesa Mark V.

or any ENGL but the Blackmore and Fireball (Those will do less-than-high-gain-sounds, but they only have clean/dirty channels.)

What was that you said about budget?

[jgcable]

First of all, let me make it clear that while the Bad Monkey is out front, the MXR Boost pedal is already the last thing in the loop - it still doesn't work on the amp's own distortion.

It's been interesting researching this. Every response has been interesting to read so thanks to you all. Am I any nearer a solution? No, but I have been able to expand my knowledge and understanding and that's never a bad thing. So, what have I discovered?

1) There's no clearly defined right or wrong to this question. Whether an amp has better distortions or not depends on the amp you're using and the same is true of pedals.

2) Although there haven't been many concrete suggestions on amps I could look at in my budget of £600, I get the impression that I should keep a very open mind. The Marshall JVM 410H remains an option, as does the Blackstar HT Stage 100. To those two I am inclined to add a Marshall DSL50/100, Laney TT-50, Laney VH100 and Laney GH100.

3) As tastes change I should perhaps look for an amp that does the ranges of distortion I want but also has a decent clean channel to use distortion pedals on if that's the sound I decide I'm after.

If you have an MXR boost pedal or ANY boost pedal in the loop for that matter and you aren't getting a serious volume boost you either have a problem with the loop or the pedal because there is no way in heck that it shouldn't work. Reb said it best. Leave the monkey out in front for seasoning your gain channel and throw the MXR boost in the loop. If that doesn't work you have electrical problems.