Recommendations for an overdrive pedal

[Bryan]

I'm not sure how many people know about it but the ISP Totally Blues is a fantastic OD pedal!

[VitaminG]

I think the JCM 900 gets a bad rap. I don't own one but I've played them before and regardless of how they achieve their distortion they sound good to me.

I was just goofing around, Rudy. My JCM900 only went because it needed to go when I got my RM100.

When Bill made his crack about true organic tube tone, it got me thinking about folks rubbishing the JCM900 because of the diode clipping. As "tube purists" they'd rather slam the input on their all tube 800s with a stomp box to get more distortion. Same thing in the end, isn't it?

[horns666]

I was just goofing around, Rudy. My JCM900 only went because it needed to go when I got my RM100.

When Bill made his crack about true organic tube tone, it got me thinking about folks rubbishing the JCM900 because of the diode clipping. As "tube purists" they'd rather slam the input on their all tube 800s with a stomp box to get more distortion. Same thing in the end, isn't it?

Gary Thank you!!!! All Marshall did was intergrate that exact concept. Keep in mind I'm running my JMP-1 with 8 Sovtek 5881s and a handful of 12ax7s in the Monoblock and preamp. Ran in stereo with 16 Celestion75s with 4 straight cabs. I have about as much punch and girth you'll get with a Marshall. But the secret weapon is the JFX-1!!! I use it for delays and a little stereo chorus. It doesn't do much but nothing else sounds like it. All the presets acyually sound usable and dialed in for your sound. There alot more feature in other units like my G-Major and old Lexicons. But they sound generic. My drummer, and singer used it. It sounded perfect for that shit. The JFX-1 sounds natural. warm and the seperation seems so amazing. It sounds like wearing a huge pair of headphones when you stand in the middle. The best is the sustain with that unit. It absolutely smokes the sound of my G-Major. . There is no noise gate and never needed one. That in itself is so fuggin' liberation. No noise gate..can you imagine such a thing? This is the ONLY amp setup that did not need a noise gate. It's also the loudest amp I've ever heard..ever..in the history of all mankind and even before that and elsewhere.

Rectos have slicone diodes, The JVMs do, but they are noisey as hell. I have that without 80% of that noise. You guys know I'm straicty an original metal shredder. A one trick pony..I don't play clean or pretty shit...ever. I need all the gain possible to convey whatever I need. This amp does it better than any amp I've played. If I ever lost this setup. I would buy it brand new all over again. I should buy a second setup. Let it be known. There is about a zillion hours on this thing and it has the original tubes in the poweramps. I play very loud with my son! The Bogner is not even close to the volume of the Marshall. I love both amps and I'll never part with them. But the Marshall was and always will be my right arm. The only preamp that sounds like a marshall is a marshall JMP-1..go figure. The others are not even close. They don't sparkle, growl, bite, clarity, mids that is Marshall. All amps have their sigs..Marshall has theirs..period.

I'm buying a stomp for the Uberschall. Ironically it has more gain than I'll never need. But it doesn't sound, or react to harmonics and palm muting like the Marshall. The louder you crank it, the tighter it is. My kid's bud came over to finally see and play the legendary Uberschall and he loved it. Then I cranked the Marshall over that and let them play it. Shit, Their jaws were on the fuggin' floor. They are GREAT players with tighter, faster thrash rythm chops that rival every guitarist I personaly know. They WANT my setup, and I can't blame them! Also they only play 7 strings and NOT like Korn! Have you heard Steve Carpenter's (Deftones) rythm tone straight in a JMP-1 with 7 and 8 strings. Ummmmm fuggin' heavy! Not a fan, but his tone is fuggin' heavy! Dimmu Borgir on their 2003 break thru..Marshall racks.

One kid just bought a JVM 2-12 combo, and still wants my sound. I hooked him to a 1960. He was much happier. Now my kid wants a Marshall cab. If I could find a Uberkab..I would give him the only straight cab I have. I told him to get a 2X12, because I don't know how he's gonna haul it. But his dude would have 6 12s, and my kid will only have 3...the hell you say!. Now my kid wants to trade his 6505 for a JVM head..I knew that was coming. I did the same back in the day! started with Marshalls..then to 5150s, Boogie Mrk III, Recto, Ampeg VL-100s, Soldano SL-60/HR100, Randalls (cheap fun) ton o Marshalls, then back to Marshall for keeps..full circle.

I told him to keep the 6505 for now buy Marshall cabs. Then switch later if he still wants to.

Funny the only amp I desire a pedal for is the Bogner..I want it more Marshall-sh and fuggin' sing more.

[horns666]

To me the 900s were the last decent Marshall heads until the JVM came out. I know people much better than I sound amazing with DSL/TSL, and bless 'em!! Just like Loomis and Rectos..shit I don't gel with either.

But I did like the 2210 best. They were the 800 Leads Series right before the 4100. Ohhh I forgot. The Blue Anniversary I had..that was a nice amp. But My friend begged me a little too much. He was there when I bought it. That was a 6100 I think..Nice amps! Was that during the 900 era?. I think it was ..'92. It had to be. It must has silicone diodes in it like the 2210s because I could get that sound with it. Oddly I didn't care for the 900SLX it had alot of gain but not tight, smooth and warm. It was kinda thin, grainly and fuzzy. I'm sure I could have refined it if I had one. John got his 900 sounding cool. Like Criss Oliva (who used a 2210 before he passed) by running..ahhh man, Rack mount EQ, Delays, Hush II C, in the loops and slammed the front end with a wireless. He didn't need a stomp for that and it sounded really cool.
I have an amazing Criss Oliva preset, Eveyone that hears it poops. A freind has a Triaxis and tried to emeulate my sound. I went there and tweaked it a close as possible. It's not bad. It's a tad heavier..not better, or I'd have two of them. I need that Speak of The Devil hugeness.

Typos..Grammer...fuggums..

[rdamaral]

I'd give anything for Oliva tone. My problem is I have no idea how to dial in my amp, lol

[Brozz]

Says the guy that only true organic tube tone matters...

Sure, boosting the mids on an EQ to simulate an overdrive doesnt take away from the tube sound at all. Just adds gain.

[jgcable]

The 2210 is a monster for sure. Its a JCM800 with a bad ass distortion box built in.

[horns666]

Sure, boosting the mids on an EQ to simulate an overdrive doesnt take away from the tube sound at all. Just adds gain.

Ohhh I didn't know that. I tries that many times in the past, and hated it. Now I just run a cord right into the amp. Is that bad? I wouldn't want to do it wrong. I'd love to here some of your work. I'm sure it is imppecable!!

You are one of the most knowledgable ones to come to this forum. So full of passionate critique..especially when drinking beer.

[horns666]

The 2210 is a monster for sure. Its a JCM800 with a bad ass distortion box built in.

Yes, exactly..they have such a great tone IMO. Criss Oliva bought one and left it to Chris Caffery. I was talking to Chris about it years ago at a Savatage show. It sounded amazing..as you can imagine.

[roodyrocker]

I don't own a JMP-1 but I think I know what Bill is talking about when it comes to volume. My Marshall Randy Rhoads amp is that way. It doesn't have anywhere near the gain of my Uberschall but I swear its the loudest amp I own. I think it has to do with that Marshall midrange which really cuts through. The bogner is a much darker sounding amp. Its also probably the reason the pinch harmonics come out better on the Marshall than the Uberschall like Bill said. But for pure distortion that Uberschall is tough to beat. A pedal through the clean channel on the Uber should turn it into a 2 channel distortion amp for you Bill. Plus, on top of that you can set up the loop to work as a boost in reverse depending on when your Uber was made Basically you set up the loop to be on with the footswitch and set the level to be lower than with it on. Now when you stomp the loop footswitch, instant solo boost! I love the Uber!
For the guys wanting to use a Tubescreamer with your Marshalls, thats what the Retro-Sonic 808 overdrive is. Its a boutique built Tubescreamer clone. I use it with my Marshall RR head and it works great.
BTW guys, even though I don't own either one of these I do think the JCM 900 and JCM 2000 amps sound good. They're considerably cheaper priced used than JCM 800's and such and I like them Actually a while back I got amp GAS as bad as Guitar GAS and there are so many nice sounding amps out there. Some expensive like Soldano SLO 100, Bad Cat Hot Cat, and others pretty reasonable like Randall RM100, and even Marshall clones like Metro Amps. Hmm, I think I need an A/B/C/D/E/Etc... footswitch pedal so I can route them together all simultaneously for the ultimate wall of guitar sound!