Favourite overdrive?

[Daniel Nestlerode]

Hello all,

I'm thinking my 30 year old Boss SD-1 (SuperOverdrive) is, well, a bit too super for my needs these days. Looking for a replacement that will allow me to hear the break-up rather than jump straight to overdriven.

What are your favourites?

Thanks!
Daniel

[colorado_al]

Ibanez Tube Screamer or Maxon OD-9

[AMandolin]

I use a Fulltone Full-Drive 3. It’s the best overdrive I’ve ever used.

[CES]

Have a Red Dirt Road that I like...i’ll Admit I don’t have a lot to personally compare to, but it can go from just barely crunchy to screaming, and offers nice tone control as well. A little pricey in pedal land, but not ridiculously so.

[bbcee]

If you're into pedal building the Aion Electronics Nimbus, based on the Maxon OD-820, is super cool.

I really like the BJF Honeybee circuit too - it's more like a Supro than the classic TS-based circuits, and lower gain.

[spufman]

My two favorites are the HAO Sole Pressure for light, and the Smallsound/Bigsound Mini for heavier.

[Tom Wright]

Maxon OD9, or the AnalogMan King of Tone. The last can be dialed down to pure boost, no overdrive, and it has two sides for different settings. Probably a waiting list, tho.

[vwfye]

Mooer Regal Tone is awesome!

[Dave Sheets]

EHX Soul Food- kinda, sorta like a Klon.

[illinoisfiddler]

Favorite overdrive that I have used to date is the Voodoo Labs Sparkle Drive.

[j. condino]

Nice, I've never talked about overdrive pedals on the mandolincafe....

Voodoo Sparkle Drives have two channels, so you get a clean and the overdrive side that you can blend. That gives you a very wide range for the low to mid range of overdrive. If you want to go more, stack it with a tube screamer in front and you get into serious overdrive with quite an edge to it....

I've also found that the Sparkle Drive is one of the few overdrives that I can use with a peizo pickup like a K&K.

[Dave Greenspoon]

DOD 250 Overdrive Preamp. I have the reissue. It and the MXR Distortion + came out around the same time, based on a circuit from TI. Two knobs, great sound, super KISS easy to use. I also have the Digitech Hardwire CM-2, a tube screamer style OD. The DOD 250 is my clear preference. The knobs are really interactive. You can set it for a sweet, light crunch or make it more like Yngwie did when he was rocking his...before DOD came out with the DOD YJM308. You simply cannot go wrong with this pedal.

[Daniel Nestlerode]

This is brilliant! Thank you very much all!

Daniel

[Verne Andru]

I've tried a lot but have settled on the Vox Satchurator. Goes from nothing to in-your-face-metal. Tone knob is particularly useful.

[Greg P. Stone]

I have a modded TS-9, for a long time it was my only pedal. The I got into a local builder, VFE, and over time picked up a variety of Peter's overdrive pedals based on DS-1, Klon, TS-808, etc. Then I got a clone Fender Tweed Deluxe and stopped using them altogether except for the VFE Mermaid Klon variant so I guess that's my favorite. It's going to be fun to go through all the combos when I get my four string electric mandolin.

[David Lewis]

I use a variety of overdrives and distortions. My favourite is the Boss BD-2. It can be a boost, or it can almost get to fuzz. I also think if you wind back the gain on a Boss DS-1, you get a lovely overdrive.

I note Sheets liked the EHX Soul Food. So do I. I use it for my JBovier solidbody - it colours rather than surrounds the sound.

What instrument and amp are you using?

[illinoisfiddler]

Nice, I've never talked about overdrive pedals on the mandolincafe....

Voodoo Sparkle Drives have two channels, so you get a clean and the overdrive side that you can blend. That gives you a very wide range for the low to mid range of overdrive. If you want to go more, stack it with a tube screamer in front and you get into serious overdrive with quite an edge to it....

I've also found that the Sparkle Drive is one of the few overdrives that I can use with a peizo pickup like a K&K.

Same here.

[Daniel Nestlerode]

What instrument and amp are you using?

Covered in other threads, but briefly:
JBovier EMC-5 and an Arrow (Paul Lestock) G5 5 string with a Ken Armstrong pickup.
Into an Origin Effects SlideRig, Boss SD-1 overdrive, and Boss BF-3 flanger.
A pair of small Marshall practice amps.

Thanks again all for the input! I'm looking for places in northern France that carry this stuff so I can go play it! So far Reims is a bust. Laon has no music shops. Trying Saint Quentin next!

Daniel

[Dave Sheets]

I typically use a mild overdrive (EHX Soul Food) and a heavier distortion (a modified Boss BD), which gives three levels of distortion available- much like the way the two channels on the Voodoo Sparkle drive can be used. I like having this range of color available. If you haven't tried a compressor, a simple one in front of the overdrive or distortion can really make a big difference. The Behringer compressor isn't bad and is dirt cheap if you simply want to try one. The Pigtronix compressors (the Philosopher series) are really nice.

Do have fun!

[Daniel Nestlerode]

I typically use a mild overdrive (EHX Soul Food) and a heavier distortion (a modified Boss BD), which gives three levels of distortion available- much like the way the two channels on the Voodoo Sparkle drive can be used. I like having this range of color available. If you haven't tried a compressor, a simple one in front of the overdrive or distortion can really make a big difference. The Behringer compressor isn't bad and is dirt cheap if you simply want to try one. The Pigtronix compressors (the Philosopher series) are really nice.

Do have fun!

Thanks Dave! The SlideRig is a pair of compressor limiter amps in series. It provides a lot of sustain and boost. It (or they really) have a marked effect on the type of output the SD-1 has. Have a look:


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s_BYK16MqnA

[RichardF]

I would like a bit of overdrive for lead on the 10 string but I hate the hiss most of the pedals cause. My Line 6 could provide it without hiss on the Fender Tweed simulation but on the lightweight ZT I use, for weight and fewer journeys to the car, any drive pedal causes hiss. At the moment, don't laugh, I use a Donner multi fx with delay, chorus and reverb with no hiss. Suggestions please?

[OneChordTrick]

I’ve got a Donner Blues Overdrive that creates a nice effect, not full on distortion and doesn’t caus hiss. But if any pedal is causing hiss that would suggest that perhaps there’s a problem with something else in the chain?

[MoreThanQuinn]

I love Vick Audio's Tree of Life pedal.

And I love Vick Audio in general. Really solid, small US-based company (maybe all built by one guy?). Everything I've used and heard from them is top notch. Plenty of demos on youtube!

EDIT: Also, hello from the Dordogne

[Verne Andru]

Cheap opamps cause hiss.

[RichardF]

What is an opamp?

[RichardF]

No. Funnily enough I thought of a weak link in the chain, so I tried just a battery powered Boss SD1 on it's own with good cables and hiss was evident.

[Verne Andru]

What is an opamp?

An operational amplifier is a solid state chip used in many devices in lieu of things like transistors and tubes for amplification stages. While there are many areas in the signal chain that can introduce noise, the cheaper opamps are usually the primary culprit in things like pedals. The more expensive Excalibur's all but eliminate hiss, but that comes at a price in terms of higher cost and power consumption, which will cause the device to eat batteries faster.

If you are running noisy pedals into solid-state amps that also use cheap opamps, the hiss is compounded throughout the signal chain.

Poor cabling is also a big problem as can be bad AC caused by poor wiring in the building.

[RichardF]

Thanks for this Verne.

[Daniel Nestlerode]

What is an opamp?

Not sure I can explain it...

https://www.khanacademy.org/science/electrical-engineering/ee-amplifiers/ee-opamp/v/ee-opamp-intro

Daniel

[Daniel Nestlerode]

Poor cabling is also a big problem as can be bad AC caused by poor wiring in the building.

This is why touring pros use power conditioners, and why I am tempted to get one. Power in a room can be over loaded, poorly supplied, or badly wired.

Daniel