Overdrive help

[zach.cregle1]

The age old debate, what’s the best overdrive pedal?

I am currently using the only overdrive pedal I have which is a Lovepedal Les Lius. I love the tweed like breakup but the bottom end gets a little flubby when I play my PRS’s through it.

Can y’all give me some of your recommendations for an overdrive that can tighten up bass and bring out the highs a little?

 

[aphantomvaper]

Boss HM2 is one I love to use.

 

[Bogner]

So much of this is amp dependent and the tone you are after dependent that it is difficult to do anything but offer you a favorite pedal a person has for their rig that may not work at all in your rig. If you can share more about your rig and desired tone I can help as I have been down this road extensively.

 

[zach.cregle1]

Can definitely elaborate more. At the moment I am using a Milkman The Amp 50 into a 4x8 cab. Pedals are just the Les lius, a line6 DL4, and a tuner.

Tone wise, pushed edge of breakup bluesy with guitar volume rolled down a little so I have a little extra to get on solos.

 

[Bogner]

Can definitely elaborate more. At the moment I am using a Milkman The Amp 50 into a 4x8 cab. Pedals are just the Les lius, a line6 DL4, and a tuner.

Tone wise, pushed edge of breakup bluesy with guitar volume rolled down a little so I have a little extra to get on solos.

JHS Andy Timmons V2, Paul Cochrane Timmy, Xotic BB, JHS Bonsai, Friedman Buxom Boost dialed back, Boss Waza Blues Driver. Those should be enough to help you find a path. If you gravitate to one of those style wise I can further point you to more pedals in that direction if one of those particular pedals don't get you there.

 

[JasonE]

As @Bogner said, this is very amp dependent. I have pedals that sound horrible through some of my amps but gold through others. Most of my gigging in the last 7 years has been done with a hand built version of a Vibrolux. So I am playing 40 watts through 2x10s. For me, the Friedman Dirty Shirley stacked with a Fulltone OCD, version 1.7, has really worked for me. The amp is clean, the OCD is lighter OD and then DS gets me into the classic rock medium gain area. These pedals have been on my gigging board for a good while and nothing else I have tried has sounded better to my ears.

 

[jak3af3r]

If you like the pedal's response, it sounds like you may actually benefit from a pre-od EQ.

 

[RickP]

The Klone by RYRA is a relatively recent discovery for me, and I recommend it to anyone looking for overdrive, as opposed to purely distortion. The pedals are made by a guy here in Texas, and really capture the Klon/KTR function and sound better than anything I’ve tried when boosting the gain and keeping the drive lower. It also sounds great the other way around if you want more distortion in the tone. It‘s not for metal, for certain, but for the kind of sounds you describe (which I love, btw), it is wonderful.

 

[Birdsofprey]

The Klone by RYRA is a relatively recent discovery for me, and I recommend it to anyone looking for overdrive, as opposed to purely distortion. The pedals are made by a guy here in Texas, and really capture the Klon/KTR function and sound better than anything I’ve tried when boosting the gain and keeping the drive lower. It also sounds great the other way around if you want more distortion in the tone. It‘s not for metal, for certain, but for the kind of sounds you describe (which I love, btw), it is wonderful.

Rick, I’m late to the game with this pedal does it have a treble boost? Is it true bypass? Thanks btw. I’ve often thought as mentioned here it’s very challenging to figure what od ( or any effect) works for a particular guitar/ Amp/ person. I would love to figure a way to buy, test, and share pedal’s so people could have an outlet to test in there environment.

 

[zach.cregle1]

Thanks so much for the recommendations thus far! So many! Will be doing a lot of YouTubing this weekend.

Another thought is, do I just need a different amp? I do find that even with the bass all the way down and the treble all the way up and it’s still on the bassy side. Maybe a more Marshall or Vox voiced amp as opposed to a fender voiced?

Birdsofprey, there is a website called pedalgenie that lets you rent pedals and try them for as long as you want for a relatively cheap fee. I haven’t used them but with all these recommendations I might be!

 

[bodia]

The Klone by RYRA is a relatively recent discovery for me, and I recommend it to anyone looking for overdrive, as opposed to purely distortion. The pedals are made by a guy here in Texas, and really capture the Klon/KTR function and sound better than anything I’ve tried when boosting the gain and keeping the drive lower. It also sounds great the other way around if you want more distortion in the tone. It‘s not for metal, for certain, but for the kind of sounds you describe (which I love, btw), it is wonderful.

I really liked my RYRA. Of course, a Pete Thorn video sold me on it.

 

[Tony M.]

I find the Wampler "double" Pedals to be most pleasing.

Hot Wired, Gearbox, Paisley Deluxe. etc.

(Keep in mind that I know nothing.)

 

[jak3af3r]

I find the Wampler "double" Pedals to be most pleasing.

Hot Wired, Gearbox, Paisley Deluxe. etc.

(Keep in mind that I know nothing.)

+1 for Wampler.

 

[Texas_minor_blues]

I am going to go old school here and recommend an older BK Bulter tube driver to me this is one of the best drive pedals out there.
They do pop up on reverb from time to time.
Another one that has been recommended already is the Xotic BB
There are so many good pedals out there honestly, good luck in your search

 

[Bogner]

Rick, I’m late to the game with this pedal does it have a treble boost? Is it true bypass? Thanks btw. I’ve often thought as mentioned here it’s very challenging to figure what od ( or any effect) works for a particular guitar/ Amp/ person. I would love to figure a way to buy, test, and share pedal’s so people could have an outlet to test in there environment.

Pop into a Guitar Center. You can get most of the the pedals listed so far to at least get an idea of what you may like.

 

[Birdsofprey]

I think this is important, so many times we read or listen to reviews buy something and it’s just not working out as you had it in your head. I do like the idea of renting a pedal to have it in your own rig in conditions that reflect your daily use. Great ideas here as always. Two headstocks are better than one. That’s my not so subtle hint to PRS to make an SE Doubleneck!

 

[bodia]

Here's another super versatile option

 

[Sonic Blue 55]

I have the Chandler Tube overdrive, Zendrive,
and J Rockett Alan Holdsworth.
I still prefer a Tweed Deluxe cranked.

 

[Dirty_Boogie]

I've built so many of them... JHS Morning Glory (Marshall Bluesbreaker), Nobels OD-R1, Klon (klone), Tube Screamer (about 4 variants), Wampler Euphoria, J Rockett .45 Caliber, JHS AT, Zendrive, and more.

For tightening up the bass, and a bit of high-end sparkle, the JHS Morning Glory does the trick. It's a "mild" overdrive, that can be used either as an always-on pedal (which is how I use it for my clean/slightly dirty base tone), or more of a boosted OD. It's definitely not as pronounced as a Tubescreamer, which you know when it's on. But, the dual-OD pedal I built - Morning Glory and Tube Screamer - is my favorite gain staging setup.

 

[CandidPicker]

Wide range of responses possible. Current choice for overdrive is a Fractal FM9 FET Boost tweaked to emulate a Klon circuit. Not quite the same; close. Advantageous for fattening up/adding grit to single-coils if utilized in conjunction with an amp's input boost. Stays within the realm of overdrive and does not venture into distortion.

Timmy is a separate overdrive, as is the ZenDrive. My pref is towards a singing-lead smoother-response overdrive, not crunch. Crunch is attainable with amp gain tweaks, possible with a variety of FM9 scenes. No significant "feats of strength" required...