Favorite boosts/ODs with Archon?

boardn10

boardn10

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Nov 7, 2012
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I'm curious what pedals you guys have found you like best with the Archon?

I have a KSR Eros and was about ot get a used Horizon Devices Precision Drive, Highwind Direwolf, Airis Parallel Drive, Friedman Buxom Boost or Deadwell Duality.

Anyone try these?
I'd like to have a few options.

Fortin pedals are expensive but I haven't found them to be much better than my others I've used for less.

Fulltone has a newer OCD that looks good, along with some Tube Screamer varaiants.

Just want something I can use to kick into high gain when playing medium gain amp settings, maybe for some tightness, shaping, etc. Not really looking for a distortion pedal. The amp has enough gain!

Thanks!
 
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I liked the Suhr Kokoboost and the Bogner Burnley. I used them almost exclusively for a couple of years. I just got this, but don't have it on the board yet. Looking forward to what it sounds like with the Archon. Made in New Zealand. Took about 10 days to get to Chicago.


 
Thanka Bodia.
I had the Burnley but used it as a distortion or amp in a box pedal into clean.
You used the Burnley to boost the Archon? Isn't that too much?
I would think the Wessex would do better?

I have the Koko but it's more of a mid boost.
 
Curious if anyone has tried the others I mentioned like the Dire Wolf, Duality or Precision Drive.
Maybe these all have too much gain for my needs.
 
boardn10 said:
Thanka Bodia.
I had the Burnley but used it as a distortion or amp in a box pedal into clean.
You used the Burnley to boost the Archon? Isn't that too much?
I would think the Wessex would do better?

I have the Koko but it's more of a mid boost.
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No, sorry about that. I used the Burnley with the Clean channel. I had the Wessex, but preferred the Burnley. I had a 40th Anniversary Tube Screamer (the Keeley modded one), but didn't care for that, at all.
 
I use an MXR DynaComp with the output around 2pm and the sensitivity between 7 and 9pm. It works well with every amp. Too squishy? Reduce the sensitivity. Need more boost? Increase the output.
 
I love my Wampler Tumnus into my Archon for exactly what you described, but I haven't tried very many overdrive pedals. I set the Archon gain anywhere from 11:00 to 1:00, but I prefer 1:00. I set the Tumnus with all 3 knobs at 12:00. To me it sounds like singing leads, but I don't have many points of reference.

I was like 100% set that this combo of Tumnus + Archon was the tone of the gods until I put an EQ pedal in my effects loop. After using the EQ to scoop the mids for some metal power chords I turned the EQ off and was taken aback by how muddy my old lead tone was. It never seemed muddy before, but of course adding midrange back in will do that. If I play clean for a minute and reset my sonic palate, then my old lead tone sounds really good again, but it's harder to unhear the midrange. This might be an amp settings thing rather than an overdrive pedal thing, but I'm still exploring and learning.
 
If you've got the amp a bit crunchy and just want to kick it in to overdrive but essentially have the same tone, then a klon clone is worth looking into
 
Tone-y said:
If you've got the amp a bit crunchy and just want to kick it in to overdrive but essentially have the same tone, then a klon clone is worth looking into
Click to expand...

Yep I still haven’t plugged mine in!

Damn other house projects!!
 
bodia said:
No, sorry about that. I used the Burnley with the Clean channel. I had the Wessex, but preferred the Burnley. I had a 40th Anniversary Tube Screamer (the Keeley modded one), but didn't care for that, at all.
Click to expand...
Thanks for the info.
Did you try the mini Red or Blue or only the Wessex and Burnley?
I have a JHS Bonsai which is like a multi TS pedal.
The new version 2 Burnley is brighter.
I'm trying to find something I can use into thr clean for medium gain and then keep the Archon set to high gain.
 
Master, thanks for the Wampler Tumnus recommendation.

Right now I have a KSR Eros and JHS Bonsai.
 
For a Klon clone, my favorites are Nordvang custom (Wingman is a double Klon pedal, Gravity is a TS10 + Klon, 83 Drive is a Bluesbreaker + Klon), Mythos Pedals Mjolnir and Ryra The Klone pedal. They are amazing.
 
Haven't played an Archon, but regularly play a couple of other modern metal amps. I've had a lot of success with the Horizon Precision Drive with those.
 
Serious Poo said:
Haven't played an Archon, but regularly play a couple of other modern metal amps. I've had a lot of success with the Horizon Precision Drive with those.
Click to expand...
Thanks. I wanted that pedal but I ended up with the KSR Eros.
Did the Precision also work into thr clean as an amp in a box? I want a pedal for that, hence the Burnley.... But also blends with the gain.
 
boardn10 said:
Thanks for the info.
Did you try the mini Red or Blue or only the Wessex and Burnley?
I have a JHS Bonsai which is like a multi TS pedal.
The new version 2 Burnley is brighter.
I'm trying to find something I can use into thr clean for medium gain and then keep the Archon set to high gain.
Click to expand...

Depending on your definition of "medium gain" the Bogner blue is one of the best pedals ever for this.
 
Yes I love the Blue. I had the large one.
I want to compare the Wessex to the Blue Mini. Wessex may be more versatile since it can also be a boost. I don't think thr Blue would blend with the gain channel as well as the Weswex would.
 
TS 808 has always been the gold standard for boosting higher gain amps. I've tried this with my very own Klon clone and the Klon was mud compared to my TS 808.
 
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