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**Jack The Riffer** · 02-11-2003, 07:41 PM

Re: WORST Distortion Pedal EVER

The absolute worst distortion pedal I ever heard was a Danelectro Bacon and Eggs pedal.

**toejam** · 02-11-2003, 07:43 PM

Re: WORST Distortion Pedal EVER

Sounds like you need to find a DOD FX51 Juice Box Overdrive pedal. Those things are made to go into an already distorted amp. I have two and swear by them ... they have drive, level, bass and treble controls and will really drive your amp over the top. They've been discontinued for a few years, but are awesome! I can't for the life of me figure out how the crap Death Metal pedal has lasted for this long. [img]graemlins/scratchhead.gif[/img]

**Accept2** · 02-11-2003, 08:02 PM

Re: WORST Distortion Pedal EVER

Hmmm, I thought "good" and "Distortion pedal" were mutually exclusive terms..........

**DumpyWumpy** · 02-11-2003, 08:19 PM

Re: WORST Distortion Pedal EVER

Told ya [img]images/icons/wink.gif[/img]

**ColdVayne** · 02-11-2003, 09:11 PM

Re: WORST Distortion Pedal EVER

Yes dumpy i just had to see the crappness of this pedal for myself lol.

**StuTDavis** · 02-11-2003, 11:05 PM

Re: WORST Distortion Pedal EVER

Hahaha...it never fails...the exact same piece of gear some people think is "pure tone heaven" turns out to be completely disgusting to others. There's no 100% completely universally satisfying gear...and why every praise, suggestion, comment, or flaming of a piece of gear should be taken with a...well...forget a grain of salt, take a chomp out of a salt block.

Aside from just what people "expect" or "want" to hear from a piece of gear vs. the expectations or desires of others, it really makes a HUGE difference on what that piece of gear is being used with. Distortion/Overdrive pedals are probably the absolute worst about this, in my mind. Even to the same person...a pedal they think sounds great with their amp, they might absolutely think sounds like crap with some other amp. Depends on how the two pieces of gear "interface"...if they're happy together. If the amp has a good front-end on it that's able to accept outside distortion/overdrive and incorporate it into its own gain sound, it can sound great! If the amp has a really unforgiving front-end, sticking a pedal in front of it can be the most nasty sounding thing you've ever heard. And then, depending on the texture of the distortion/overdrive you're adding to it...the amp might sound great with some pedals, and not with others.

My Egnater preamp is a pretty interesting example that shows the whole gamut. It's got a good tube-buffered front end that should take most pedal-pushing with stride. I used to use a Rocktron Rampage distortion pedal with the tube amp heads I used to have, and it sounded pretty cool. Got one again and tried it with the Egnater...YIPES that was painful on the ears it was so harsh! Got one of those Boss OD20 overdrive/distortion modeling thingies with like 22 different pedal emulations in it, from older rather tame pedals, to the Metal Zone etc. The Egnater didn't really like it much at all. I think maybe one of them, if I put it on very low overdrive, was even "tolerable". Then, I got the Boss PW-10, which is primarily a wah pedal modeling pedal, and has onboard overdrive/distortions as well. Heaven! Of all the things...I put it on its emulation of the Marshall Guv'Nor pedal and my Egnater suddenly became the raging beast I'd been wanting from it! The straight-boost works well overall, too...and the other types, a few of them, even though they aren't "perfect" with it to my ears, at least aren't completely disgusting. Fun enough to goof around with sometimes, yaknow?

It's crazy what you find sometimes that can end up working out for you, and what other things people praise the hell out of that end up being real stinkers for you. Which is really why it's all about trying stuff out yourself, on your own gear (and preferrably at your regular playing location) whenever possible. It's all nothing but a big gamble...frustrating for some...interesting for others. [img]images/icons/smile.gif[/img]

**Venomboy** · 02-12-2003, 12:24 AM

Re: WORST Distortion Pedal EVER

I have an old Ibanez Sonic Distortion pedal that seems to add more gain but doesn't really alter the tone or add buzz. I like it for a lead boost now and then.

I think ProCo Rats sound like Rat turd though [img]images/icons/wink.gif[/img]

**rstites** · 02-12-2003, 12:45 AM

Re: WORST Distortion Pedal EVER

StuTDavis, why are you running a pedal in front of an Egnater anyway? The 4th channel has tons of gain. Just curious... I have an original TOL100 and really can't imagine even bothering with a pedal in front.

I used to have an Ibanez SD-9 and agree that they can work very well as a nice boost. After they got 'collectible' I sold mine since I've had high gain heads that don't need pedals for years now. I do like the Rat into a clean amp, like a Fender, but not for high gain. It'll actually work ok as a boost, but works best as a retro fuzz sound...cool in the right environment, but that's not metal.

Ross

**Riffmeister** · 02-12-2003, 01:27 AM

Re: WORST Distortion Pedal EVER

Stu is 100 % correct about gear being a subjective thing, and that you should try it with your own stuff.

That being said, I tried a ton of pedals and ended up with a TS-9. It sounds great by itself with a clean channel(an AC\DC type cruch) or driving the gain channel on the Marshall for all out balls to the wall [img]images/icons/grin.gif[/img]

I'm just curious though, when I use it to drive the gain channel it makes hidious noise when you aren't playing. Do you guys have this too? I would never use it as my main sound , only to boost leads.

**StuTDavis** · 02-12-2003, 03:33 AM

Re: WORST Distortion Pedal EVER

Ross,

I think you’re talking about the old Egnater IE4 preamp…I’ve got the newer Egnater M4 modular preamp. I did try the M4 module that is a recreation of the IE4’s 4th channel, though…it wasn’t for me at all. But, your question still applies…because I’m boosting the front end of the M4, with high-gain modules—Extra Hot Vox, Super Lead, Extra Hot Super Lead and ERECT.

I never really get it when people say things like “this amp has more than enough gain for anyone!” or “this amp’s got more gain than you’ll ever need!”. I’m not saying anything negative about you or anyone who’d think or say something like that…but it’s just kind of what I’d say is a—don’t take this the wrong way—kind of limited perspective. Of course, it’s completely normal for people to see things from their own view and expect and even want other people to have the same perceptions and expectations as they do. That’s human...normal, and human, but limited.

Here’s one of my wacky examples…I usually choose silly examples to try to make things more obvious…

Let’s take sweetened iced tea as an example. Put just a little sugar in tea and some people would say “this isn’t sweet enough”, some would say “this is sweet enough”, some would say “this is a tad too sweet for me”, and some would say “this is way sweet, I can’t imagine anyone wanting tea sweeter than this”. Well, sure they might! Is it so absurd to think someone might want tea sweeter than you like it? Does that make them some sort of freak…a moron…or…just a person who likes their tea sweeter than you like yours? Personally, I like my iced tea very, very sweet--some people would call it “tea flavored sugar-water”. People all have different taste buds, different sensitivities to sweetness, and different expectations and views of how sweet tea should be. Some people don’t like it sweetened at all. Hehehee…it’s silly…but the same definitely holds true for guitars and gear. What someone wants to hear from their gear and what they expect from their gear can be completely different than someone else—even if those people supposedly have the same “tone target” they’re working towards. Your idea of what amp sounds like “Metallica, Puppets era” might be completely different than someone else’s. It seems crazy, but it’s true. If you could, say, go to Harmony Central, and go buy one of every amp that someone claims “nails such-and-such band’s sound on such-and-such album!” and I bet a lot of those amps you will think “what’s this guy thinking, it doesn’t sound anything like that!” But to that person it does. Because they perceive the sound differently, and expect different things from their amp than you do. It doesn’t make them right or you right…just different. You know what I mean…

But, anyway…enough theoretical BS…on to your real question…WHY do I push the preamp with a pedal…?

I have a very specific idea of what I want from the sound and feel of my guitars and gear. From my setup, I like a mixture of tubey girth, harmonics and spongy kinda feel, mixed with the edgy harshness of solid state. You’re right…apparently, these preamps really DO have plenty of gain—for what they are capable of. Egnater told me they just couldn’t add more gain to these modules…they’re pretty much maxxed out on gain. I’m not an amp maker or expert…so I’m completely unaware of the apparent limitations that are inherent in tube amp design. So they told me, they’re goosed as far as they can be, and that’s okay…but it didn’t really help me get to where I needed to go. Not their fault, limitations are limitations. I could tell it had potential to be what I wanted…and added more rack goodies to help…but wasn’t quite there. Then, I threw my EQ pedal in front…sapped out some lows…upped mids a good bit, upped highs a little, and upped the overall level going into the preamp a good bit. MAN! Close! Close so close, to what I wanted. But it still wasn’t quite there. Egnater suggested that I try an overdrive or distortion pedal up front, with mild gain. I got the Boss I mentioned and VOILA! There I was! See…the preamp with my other gear had a good basic sound…but it just wasn’t gainy enough for me, and the sensitivity and reactivity were just not where I wanted them to be. Like I said, I have very specific ideas of what I want and expect from my setup. In this case, it was a matter of not only just adding more gain, but, I’d assume, overdriving the tube input buffer in such a way as I forced it to give me the feel and sound I wanted…the pedals help both aspects by the nature of how I have them set, but, pushing the front end really took it over the edge. Does that explain it for you? Let me know if you’re still curious…always glad to blab about gear hehehe…

Rick,

Hideous noise when you’re not playing? Ehhhh…common problem with adding anything that boosts the level or adds overdrive/distortion on the front end. Adding more gain, by nature, as I understand it, and boosting frequencies, as well, inherently adds more noise. Sure, my EQ and distortion boosting (as well as the wah itself when I’m using that) all add more noise. What do people do about it? There are noise suppression and noise gate (or HUSH) pedal and rack units that can help a lot, just depends on what your setup is like…different units work better in different situations for different people. Most people eventually resign to the fact that, no matter what, you’re gonna have some noise. Since the noise is a product of something you’re doing to achieve an effect that you WANT to happen (adding more gain, boosting EQ frequencies, using a wah etc), that noise is linked to that effect you’re adding…and completely cutting the noise all the way out can produce bad side effects. Noise gates can cut off your notes or chop up your sound. Noise suppressors can fade your sound in and out in weird ways. Just have to try stuff and see what works best. Personally…I use a rack mounted Rocktron HUSH Super-C. It is designed to be able to take guitar-level or line-level signals and suppress OR gate the noise. Works great for me…doesn’t work so great for other people. Again…you just have to get something, try it, and see how it works. My best advice for anyone buying anything, especially if you’re not sure if it will work for you or not…buy where you can return and get a refund easily. Hope that helps…

**Cloud Strife** · 02-12-2003, 04:05 AM

Re: WORST Distortion Pedal EVER

Boss MT-2 [img]graemlins/puke.gif[/img]

**Y&T** · 02-12-2003, 09:43 AM

Re: WORST Distortion Pedal EVER

A "Muff Fuzz" box. What a piece of Shi*.

**lerxstcat** · 02-12-2003, 11:26 AM

Re: WORST Distortion Pedal EVER

Originally posted by Y&T:
A "Muff Fuzz" box. What a piece of Shi*.

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">True, but the Gretsch Contrafuzz is probably THE WORST disto ever made. Nasty fuzzy buzzy distortion ONLY of the
suboctave, mixed with your clean original
signal. BLEH!!!!

**rstites** · 02-13-2003, 01:40 AM

Re: WORST Distortion Pedal EVER

Stu,

You're right. I was actually refering to my TOL100 since I've never played the IE4. However, my understand is that the channels are identical. It did cross my mind that perhaps you had the new preamp and lower gain channels, but I didn't feel like adding the disclaimer. I have an idea what the first three modules are (do you have any clean ones?), but I'm almost scared to ask what ERECT is. [img]images/icons/smile.gif[/img]

I just asked the question, and the part about plenty of gain was half tongue-in-check...though you loose all credibility when you start talking about piling sugar in iced tea! You might as well be drink pop/soda/coke (depending on your part of the country there). [img]images/icons/wink.gif[/img] (It's a joke ok.)

Honestly, the TOL100 fourth channel is not as high gain as a lot of Boogies, Soldanos, etc. and I did know this. Have you played such amps? Could you get by without the pedal there? Just curious and keeping the discussion going. Also are you playing at full gig volumes with these or at something lesser. I do know that the amount of gain I run goes way down as the power goes up. I'm after a very articulate sound so on most amps I probably run the gain farther down than most people around here. (I play devil's advocate the other way around when dealing with the vintage power amp saturation only people.) I do like how some pedals increase the ease of playing leads, but never found one that didn't screw up the tone too much for my tastes.

Ross

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WORST Distortion Pedal EVER

WORST Distortion Pedal EVER

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