Most Versatile Drive Pedal Ever?

Niallseroreilly

Few new pedals i see online, Elektron Analog Drive and Chase Bliss Brothers are extremely versatile

Was wondering if there were any others that fit in this bracket?

John_P

Strymon riverside also looks very versatile. 

imo though I'd rather have a pedal that does one or two really great sounds than loads of ok sounds. 

John_P

Strymon riverside also looks very versatile. 

imo though I'd rather have a pedal that does one or two really great sounds than loads of ok sounds. 

Dopesick

Probably The Elements by Dr Scientist.

Kebabkid

For just 2 sounds, the new Suhr Eclipse looks promising based on the post-Namm demo by Pete Thorn (it's the only vid out there at the moment) so it's worth keeping an eye on this one.

The Bogner La Grange sounds pretty good in the demos

digitalscream

Bogner Ecstasy Red. I've been experimenting with it some more, and it's not just about the high-gain stuff...with appropriate tweaking of the switches you can easily get some bluesy overdrive to mild crunchiness out of it too, and pretty much everything from there all the way up to a lot more gain than even I was expecting out of it.

The fact that you can boost both the volume and gain with a single footswitch is what brought me to it, but the options available are incredible. Into a Fender Twin-alike, it's basically all the good bits from a Bogner Ecstasy.

JezWynd

Boss SD-2.

Beexter

Barber Gain Changer ticks a lot of boxes for me. 

Gassage

BK Butler Tube Driver- it'll go from Timmy to RAT and then you can also use tube changes to run hotter if you want.

english_bob

Skreddy Screwdriver Deluxe. From clean boost to hybrid Si/Ge fuzz via amp-like mid gain. Well worth a blast.

Telejester

For blues, into a slightly dirty channel the maxon od808 reissue is fabulous

Sporky

The FoxRox ZIM has to be fairly high on the list, what with the comb filter (massive but usable shifts in the character of the sound) and the ability to swap dirt cards.

english_bob

Sporky said:

The FoxRox ZIM has to be fairly high on the list, what with the comb filter (massive but usable shifts in the character of the sound) and the ability to swap dirt cards.

And the "weapon of last resort for close quarter combat" build quality helps too. 

dindude

Not tried them but EQD Palisades and Seymour Duncan Palladium both look like they cover a lot of ground.

ChuckManual

http://www.customtonesinc.com/preamps.html

Not cheap, but definitely versatile.

TTBZ

Rats can be quite versatile, especially a modded one. Can go from boost to overdrive, standalone distortion or nasty fuzz.

TimmyO

I think versatility is over rated in a drive - unless it is something with presets or digitally controllable it'll likely be left in the settings you like most. 

english_bob

TimmyO said:

I think versatility is over rated in a drive - unless it is something with presets or digitally controllable it'll likely be left in the settings you like most. 

Fair point. For a gigging board that's certainly likely to be the case. It's nice to know you have other tonal options on hand, but it's probably not a brilliant idea to rely on mid-gig knob-twiddling in poor light and on disgusting stage carpets. 

ESBlonde

TimmyO said:

I think versatility is over rated in a drive - unless it is something with presets or digitally controllable it'll likely be left in the settings you like most. 

This.

A good sound for you (and your guitar amp combination) is what you might look for, in a live setting you will only please yourself and upset everyone else if you keep fiddling all night. Get a good drive sound, if you need another drive sound get a BOSS SD1 or similar for variety and combinations. Set and forget.

guitarfishbay

Darkglass Vintage Ultra on bass.

paulk

What has worked for me has been the Catalinbread Karma Sutre. Gets labelled as a 'harmonic fuzz' but that doesn't describe it adequately at all. Incredibly versatile.