Ive gone overdrive deaf (aka Comparison is the thief of joy)

TimmyO

I sat down to try the newly arrived Dude and Royal Overdrive

After an hour of fiddling and blasting I have “preferred” both at different points, conclude they sound different, and now have zero frame of reference for what is ‘good’ because I’ve been obsessing over comparisons for an hour solid lol 

If I had an iactive project I’d just take them to rehearsal and see which one worked best live but instead I fiddle and fiddle and fiddle ... 

stickyfiddle

So in conclusion, they're both good and you shouldn't worry? 

TimmyO

Yes 

Sassafras

That's what I love about my old MXR Dist+. Takes fiddling out of the equation.

TimmyO

Sassafras said:

That's what I love about my old MXR Dist+. Takes fiddling out of the equation.

Unfortunately this means it always sounds like an MXR Distortion+ 

ICBM

Option 1: conclude the more expensive one must sound better, and sell the cheaper one.
Option 2: conclude there is no real difference, and sell the more expensive one because you don't need it.
Option 3: Keep both of them for different sounds.



Option 4: buy another pedal and repeat options 1-4.

TimmyO

ICBM said:

Option 1: conclude the more expensive one must sound better, and sell the cheaper one.
Option 2: conclude there is no real difference, and sell the more expensive one because you don't need it.
Option 3: Keep both of them for different sounds.



Option 4: buy another pedal and repeat options 1-4.

ha - indeed! :-) 

I know that if I went into a rehearsal room with my old band I'd know quickly which one I preferred/worked best with my stuff - but not in that scenario currently. 

I don't feel any urge to add more pedals - I have these 2 (both fab sounding), the Keeley Tone Workstation (which I also really like but which is quite different), a Mk 1 Guvnor (that I always like, however it is set) and a venerable SD1 (oh and a Carpe Diem and a 4114FX Flux Capacitor Drive) - so, yeah, no need for any more (he says) 

oh yeah, and a Helix lol 

Sassafras

TimmyO said:

Sassafras said:

That's what I love about my old MXR Dist+. Takes fiddling out of the equation.

Unfortunately this means it always sounds like an MXR Distortion+ 

The originals ones sound great. The Dunlop ones sound awful.

noisepolluter

TimmyO said:

I sat down to try the newly arrived Dude and Royal Overdrive

After an hour of fiddling and blasting I have “preferred” both at different points, conclude they sound different, and now have zero frame of reference for what is ‘good’ because I’ve been obsessing over comparisons for an hour solid lol 

If I had an iactive project I’d just take them to rehearsal and see which one worked best live but instead I fiddle and fiddle and fiddle ... 

Get out of my head...!

Absolutely where I’m at a lot of the time. Playing with someone else at a decent volume is the only thing that dispels it for a while.

ICBM

Sassafras said:

The originals ones sound great. The Dunlop ones sound awful.

This is true and not simply ‘old/original is best’ snobbery.

One day I will have to open up a couple of them and work out why. The guitarist in my band has an original, which sounds fantastic. It’s a simple circuit so unless they’ve actually changed it deliberately it can only be a component type difference, I think.

stickyfiddle

+1 on the Dist+ thing. I've only tried a new one once a few years ago. It was horrible, just like a Rat but flatter and with no character. But I have an old one that is completely amazing. I haven't looked into the differences in circuitry, but there must be something as mine is chewy and harmonically rich.

TimmyO

when I was first into DIY  pedalbuilding I made one from a schematic - it was ok, not really my thing 

stickyfiddle

It does Randy Rhoads and Springsteen-in-1978 equally well (somehow!?). It doesn't do much else  

WiresDreamDisasters

Keep both, basically!

Sassafras

ICBM said:

Sassafras said:

The originals ones sound great. The Dunlop ones sound awful.

This is true and not simply ‘old/original is best’ snobbery.

One day I will have to open up a couple of them and work out why. The guitarist in my band has an original, which sounds fantastic. It’s a simple circuit so unless they’ve actually changed it deliberately it can only be a component type difference, I think.

Magical unicorn tear diodes is my theory.

TimmyO

WiresDreamDisasters said:

Keep both, basically!

Aye 

clarkefan

Sassafras said:

ICBM said:

Sassafras said:

The originals ones sound great. The Dunlop ones sound awful.

This is true and not simply ‘old/original is best’ snobbery.

One day I will have to open up a couple of them and work out why. The guitarist in my band has an original, which sounds fantastic. It’s a simple circuit so unless they’ve actually changed it deliberately it can only be a component type difference, I think.

Magical unicorn tear diodes is my theory.

Personal preference is my theory.  I ended up with an original D+ in a deal and thought, happy days, Steve Jones here we go.

There was nothing wrong with it, it worked perfectly, and I thought it sounded like a cheap solid state amp safely wrapped in a thin blanket.  Maybe it's a volume thing, or just different strokes.

roberty

Great, now I want a vintage Distortion+. Well done everyone

ICBM

clarkefan said:

Personal preference is my theory.  I ended up with an original D+ in a deal and thought, happy days, Steve Jones here we go.

There was nothing wrong with it, it worked perfectly, and I thought it sounded like a cheap solid state amp safely wrapped in a thin blanket.  Maybe it's a volume thing, or just different strokes.

To be fair, Steve Jones was using his into a fully cranked Fender Twin with Gauss speakers. So 'volume thing' is probably about accurate... AKA so loud you can't possibly tell what it sounds like .