January challenge: stick to one drive/distortion and make it work

noisepolluter

Edit: OK, I’m opening this out into a peer support exercise, as I’ve found myself browsing the January sales and demo videos yet again looking at yet more drive pedals.

This is aimed at any other folks who find themselves tone chasing, comparing, fault finding and generally hopping repeatedly between pedals. 

For the whole month of January, I challenge myself and others to stick with one drive/distortion pedal and work at getting a sound you’re happy with in whatever situation you encounter. Extra points for getting something to work ‘out of character’ e.g. fuzzy sound from smooth pedal etc.

you can use a boost or compressor before or after the pedal. 

If if you want to join in, please pick a drive or distortion pedal by 1st January and give some details of how you’ll be using it, then post updates as you see fit, especially if you’re either struggling with a sound or have made a discovery.

I’ve chosen a BB Preamp MB. It’s a tubescreamer-based pedal with a 3 band eq, can be run at 9 or 12v, and kicking it up the jacksie with the spark boost gives a satisfyingly snarly lead sound. 

I’m running it into a clean deluxe reverb. 

Here’s a pic of the pedalboard:

https://flic.kr/p/RJcnRN

Sporky

Darn it. I think I sold my Metalzone, or this would be a doddle.

ICBM

Boss DF-2. I've been using one for fifteen years in a wide variety of bands and music styles, so the whole of January is unlikely to be much of a challenge .

Grunfeld

Like ICBM this is too easy! 

I thought how about the challenge of changing one's OD and making the new one work?

Except I don't want to change my OD!*

Might though. 

*Catalinbread Formula 55

noisepolluter

Sporky said:

Darn it. I think I sold my Metalzone, or this would be a doddle.

How about a fuzz, with the gain and volume wired full open, and the earth rigged that there’s a 20dB volume jump if anyone tries to touch the pedal?

ICBM said:

Boss DF-2. I've been using one for fifteen years in a wide variety of bands and music styles, so the whole of January is unlikely to be much of a challenge .

Not heard of that one! Feel free to check in and let us know how you use it.

Today I’ve been trying to dial in a Neil Young sound through the B.B. using a strat (overwound bridge pickup) and just focusing on the playing style. The smoother breakup doesn’t detract from the effect as much as I thought it would.

ICBM

noisepolluter said:

ICBM said:

Boss DF-2. I've been using one for fifteen years in a wide variety of bands and music styles, so the whole of January is unlikely to be much of a challenge .

Not heard of that one! Feel free to check in and let us know how you use it.

I mostly use it as a distortion/overdrive solo pedal, although the feedbacker function is actually very useful if you want feedback at too low a volume to get it reliably by normal means - but it does take a certain amount of familiarity and some luck to make it work really well.

The normal distortion sound from it is a less buzzy, chunkier version of the DS-1, but it seems to have a lot wider range to it and you can get quite an amp-like crunch out of it as well as an abrasive fuzzy distortion. I only use it (like all dirt pedals) as an actual distortion generator into a clean or moderate crunch amp sound, never to push the amp harder with more level - it's not actually that loud a pedal, at least with the gain fairly low. It also responds well to dynamics - in one band I simply left it on all the time (into a clean Fender amp) and did everything from the guitar volume, which is something I don't normally.

I have two of them, one on my pedalboard and the other as a 'one pedal in a pocket' standalone overdrive if I just need 'my sound' with any borrowed gear. At one point I had four! Two on pedalboards, one separate pedal, and a spare...

noisepolluter

Grunfeld said:

Like ICBM this is too easy! 

I thought how about the challenge of changing one's OD and making the new one work?

Except I don't want to change my OD!*

Might though. 

*Catalinbread Formula 55

I’ve still got the itch for one of those! 

Good point though Oli, using a pedal outside your comfort zone would be a great challenge... 

I suppose the B.B. has spent the least amount of time on my board (never more than a few days), and having set out my stall I should stick to it...

Voxman

On my pedal board I use a Marshall G2 Guvn'r Plus with a Behringer To800  Vintage Tube Overdrive before it. Low cost, yes. But in my experience two of the most under-rated pedals out there, that work really well together too and more than hold their own against boutique pedals costing 5 times as much. Gives me all the overdrive and Marshall crunch tones I need.

noisepolluter

Voxman said:

On my pedal board I use a Marshall G2 Guvn'r Plus with a Behringer To800  Vintage Tube Overdrive before it. Low cost, yes. But in my experience two of the most under-rated pedals out there, that work really well together too and more than hold their own against boutique pedals costing 5 times as much. 

Do you think you could comfortably stick to one of them, and substitute a clean boost or compressor for the other?

webrthomson

I always pretty much come back to the humble Boss SD1 - super overdrive - honestly almost all my gain comes from the amp in almost every situation. The SD1 on my board has been there for about 10 years.

I have been toying with buying the Waza version, but £110 for an SD1 is a bit much IMHO.

I do try new pedals – I recently bought and returned the Revv G3 pedal, now that was hate at first note.

Want to try the Diezel pedals though – does seem a bit pointless when I’ve got some of the amps

The Boss DF2 / Turbo distortion DS2 / DS1 are all great too - the DS can be a bit raspy.

english_bob

Does my Elektron Analog Drive count?

If not, then my Skreddy Screwdriver Deluxe, which is a distant relative of the Coloursound Overdriver I think. Runs the gamut from clean boost, to "Marshall in a box", to fuzz with enough knob tweaking. I reckon I could cover most stuff worth playing with one of those and a crunch-able amp.

bbill335

easy - Hudson Broadcast

Grunfeld

noisepolluter said:

Grunfeld said:

*Catalinbread Formula 55

I’ve still got the itch for one of those!
Good point though Oli, using a pedal outside your comfort zone would be a great challenge...
I suppose the B.B. has spent the least amount of time on my board (never more than a few days), and having set out my stall I should stick to it...

After you've stuck to it Si, if you fancy doing a swap for up to a month or two, PM me.

I still love the Formula 55 yet would welcome the idea of change (I'm such a tart).

PolarityMan

I've used a single drive for a year already and before that the same one for 8 years. .....neither were pedals though.

simonbeckwith

Great board thtt @noisepolluter, what do you use to power it.

I've got a Jam Rattler arriving next week so I'm game. I'll be running into a JCM900 clean channel with the gain up high, so a dirty clean.

Let's see how we all get on! 

noisepolluter

Grunfeld said:

noisepolluter said:

Grunfeld said:

*Catalinbread Formula 55

I’ve still got the itch for one of those!
Good point though Oli, using a pedal outside your comfort zone would be a great challenge...
I suppose the B.B. has spent the least amount of time on my board (never more than a few days), and having set out my stall I should stick to it...

After you've stuck to it Si, if you fancy doing a swap for up to a month or two, PM me.

I still love the Formula 55 yet would welcome the idea of change (I'm such a tart).

Oli that would be brilliant - would also give us the impetus for a couple of meet ups! You’re welcome to borrow any of mine.

Couple of of hours in and I’m already questioning my pedal choice... must be strong... 

simonbeckwith said:

Great board thtt @noisepolluter, what do you use to power it.

I've got a Jam Rattler arriving next week so I'm game. I'll be running into a JCM900 clean channel with the gain up high, so a dirty clean.

Let's see how we all get on! 

Thanks! It’s powered by a Cioks DC5 (which has at least stopped me from switching between different sized boards!)

Jam Rattler - presuming that’s a Rat type? I’m already missing the clarity and crunch...

simonbeckwith

@noisepolluter Yeh it's a fancy Rat, NOS chip and carbon comp resistors, interested to hear if it sounds any different, I liked my old Rat. 

Voxman

noisepolluter said:

Voxman said:

On my pedal board I use a Marshall G2 Guvn'r Plus with a Behringer To800  Vintage Tube Overdrive before it. Low cost, yes. But in my experience two of the most under-rated pedals out there, that work really well together too and more than hold their own against boutique pedals costing 5 times as much. 

Do you think you could comfortably stick to one of them, and substitute a clean boost or compressor for the other?

I have a Boss cs3 compressor on my board too. But no, a compressor has its uses but doesn't do the same thing.  

noisepolluter

simonbeckwith said:

@noisepolluter Yeh it's a fancy Rat, NOS chip and carbon comp resistors, interested to hear if it sounds any different, I liked my old Rat. 

Cool - be interested to hear what it’s like. What are you running into the Marshall at the moment?

tone1

I sound like a stuck record..... but my favourite drive/distortion is the Palmer Solid Metal... any amp, single coils or P90’s or Humbuckers....Apart from the Palmer, I could easily dump all of my pedals (as long as the amp had Reverb) and I’d be happy 

simonbeckwith

@noisepolluter TC Spark Mini for a drive boost on the either channel of the amp, hoping to take off the channel switcher and replace with the a couple of pedals. Gives more options further down the line if needed.....