Advice on Distortion Box choice...

[dd3keegs]

Any suggestions on a good High Gain Distortion box. Anyone try the Soldano GTO, Zoom Trimetal or new Boss MetalZone or MegaDistortion or Option 5???

[sgray]

Re: Advice on Distortion Box choice...

Boss is nice and sounds fairly decent. Nice scooped sound if your going for the closer to the Mesa growl. If you plan on using in front of an amp, the tube screamer is the ultimate. My .02

[bonghits]

Re: Advice on Distortion Box choice...

I own a Boss MetalZone and it's got a lot of gain for that death metal sound but you can also dial in a more hard rock distortion if you like. Overall an excellent pedal.

[nandrewjackson]

Re: Advice on Distortion Box choice...

If you're gonna use it in front of a distorted amp channel for an additional gain stage I would suggest the DS-1 from Boss.
Alone the DS-1 is buzzy and nasty, but in front of a decent medium/high gain amp channel, it really screams.

noahNANDREWjackson

[joe web]

Re: Advice on Distortion Box choice...

marshalls jackhammer or if you want some more modern sound, try a hughes&kettner warpfactor.

[Mordor]

Re: Advice on Distortion Box choice...

+1 for the JH-1

[jgcable]

Re: Advice on Distortion Box choice...

Metal Zone, Korg 411FX, modded DS-1, there are a ton of them. Start shopping!

[Endrik]

Re: Advice on Distortion Box choice...

Metal Zone is bretty good, it sounds relly nice with Plexi, played with that combination in the last summer, also Reb Beach used the same combination on the Whitesnake concerts, it sounded awsome.
I have used it many years (with small cheap amps) when practicing at home beacuse it sounds better than cheap amp's drive.

[mrr3000gt]

Re: Advice on Distortion Box choice...

My advice:
Most heavy players I know like a DOD-250 (same as the MXR distortion+), or the TS-808/TS-9 tub screamer for their high gain amps, OR pedals based upon them. Most of the pedals I have seen are really based upon that these two circuits are doing: some add other controls to contour and shape the sound. The difference is that these pedals (DOD-250/TS-808) represent the OP-amp circuits close to their 'pure' form.

In amps I build, I recommend those two pedals, as the DOD-250 gives a preamp effect and will tonally color the sound (different from the amps natural sound). The TS-808/TS-9 tub screamer is unique in that it pre-amplifiers, and does not really change the tonal color of the amp (seems to just give you lots more gain). While the DOD-250 does change the tone, it does not cripple the tone with some buzzy effect (like some other pedals). I used to have a Boss HM-1 that made every amp I used it on sound like a pissed off hornet (not my idea of tone).

If you use a pedal that works as a preamplifier, then you can use the tone stack in your amp to let the tubes tone ring. That way you can experiment with different tubes to see which brands and combinations make your sound.

All bets are off if you use a fancy rackmount rig in series of loop to take the tone out and put back some other characteristic. Then, it does not matter if you change the tonal color of the amp, as you are just going to put it back as something else.

I do snicker a little when I see someone with a vintage Marshall 100 watt super lead or vintage plexi and they have a 10-component rack rig infront of it (they might as well use a transistor amp, as these amps are excellent for stability and can give a good flat tone for such a rack mount rig. I only ridicule that type of thing because they are not getting the pure tone the amp can deliver, but I suppose if I used a bigger rack 'o FX than I use, I would do the same thing (just dont put a POD on a 1971 Marshall amp around me, or Ill have a stroke).

[dd3keegs]

Re: Advice on Distortion Box choice...

Thanks Everyone...I currently run a MXR Zakk Wylde pedal through the front of my amp...I was considering a TS808 too. That sounds like the best idea.

[Tooling]

Re: Advice on Distortion Box choice...

I recently picked up a Digitech Bad Monkey and have been A/B 'ing it w/ a modern TS9....I like the Bad Monkey...it's a subtle boost and doesn't color the tone just gives it more juice. I dime the level and leave the drive at zero. It works very well w/ the blue channel of my XTC and gives my VHT the saturation I desire in an amp.....$40.00 well spent. It is a bit noisy but what pedal isn't? I definately suggest checking one out. The BM tightens up the bass more than the TS9 does but it is all subjective and there are so many variables it's not funny. The only guitar that I prefer the TS9 w/ is a Gibson SG, for some reason it brings out just a mean character w/ that guitar. The BM has seriously taken the blue channel on my XTC to a great new level...I'm happy I tried it.

[Chavelfan]

Re: Advice on Distortion Box choice...

You might want to check out Barber Electronics. The have several things to choose from. I have the Tone Pump which is a light to medium overdrive. It has 2 "channels" and a bass control to keep your low end intact. I believe their Direct Drive and Direct Drive SS are high gain boxes. Some of their boxes cost about the same or a little more as the cheaper, mass produced stuff. The Tone Pump replaced a mass produced OD and is light years better. It costs more because it is basically 2 OD pedals in one.
The Tone Pump sounds great for OD into a clean amp and for pushing a dirty amp over the top. Check out the reviews on Harmony Central of their stuff.
I sound like a Barber salesman, but I am not! I am just very happy with my Tone Pump!

[Riscchip]

Re: Advice on Distortion Box choice...

A few on the horizon that I'm interested in...the Damage Control Demonizer. The sound clips for that one sound killer. Also, the Xotic BB pedal...from the AC / RC booster people has a cool high gain sound in the clips.

[DCZX]

Re: Advice on Distortion Box choice...

I still like the Hughes and Kettner Warp Factor. Big range, huge sound.

[semagic]

Re: Advice on Distortion Box choice...

[ QUOTE ]
+1 for the JH-1

[/ QUOTE ]

jh-1 rules [img]/images/graemlins/headbang.gif[/img]