Live Gigging - Overdrive / Distortion Pedal setting up, types used

Fenderman53

Yes hubobulous, I even tried a 10 band MXR EQ to boost Mids and cut the 'side' freqs. No 'smiley face' but 'deep frown' if you know what I mean. As I said at the start of this thread, I'm wondering if I'm chasing my tail on this quest. I just want to play music and concentrate on the gig rather than constantly twiddling controls or become a new 'wonder' pedal collector! 

welshboyo

Fenderman53 said:

Drive sound - Played around with the 'tone/gain/volume' on the various pedals tried. Either the distortion/overdrive sound then disappears in the band mix or is OTT and band members are threatening to pull the amp plug to kill the harsh/heavy distortion sound. At one stage I was using a Fulltone 'O.C.D' (also mini version JoYo 'Husky Drive', and that got near what I was after BUT had to be careful controlling squealing feedback.

Perhaps you need new band mates...

slacker

Fenderman53 said:

Yes hubobulous, I even tried a 10 band MXR EQ to boost Mids and cut the 'side' freqs. No 'smiley face' but 'deep frown' if you know what I mean. As I said at the start of this thread, I'm wondering if [b]I'm chasing my tail [/b] on this quest. I just want to play music and concentrate on the gig rather than constantly twiddling controls or become a new 'wonder' pedal collector! 

I would try the Dr Z for one gig with your TS pedal. In my experience a decent valve will give you such a head start that it doesnt really matter what pedal you use. 

Last gig I did was with a 100lb Bad Cat that wrenched my shoulder taking it to the car. Sounded glorious though. Shoulder still hurts-thinking about a sack barrow. 

ICBM

I'll say this again...

ICBM said:

Mesa V-Twin.

I used one for exactly the reasons you give - I also use a *strictly* clean (no clipping allowed) clean sound and have always found a problem getting solid-state overdrive or distortion to 'sit' in the mix without either being too quiet or too loud when going into a clean solid-state amp. I don't use pedals to push the amp.

What the Mesa does is act like a 2-channel valve amp (or even three-channel, if you use the 'bypass' setting) that sits in front of the host amp. It sounds like a valve amp, responds like a valve amp and takes other dirt pedals in front of it like a valve amp.

Jota

Do you have monitors and the amps mic'ed?
Was the amp facing the rest of the band?

smigeon

ICBM said:

I'll say this again...

ICBM said:

Mesa V-Twin.

I used one for exactly the reasons you give - I also use a *strictly* clean (no clipping allowed) clean sound and have always found a problem getting solid-state overdrive or distortion to 'sit' in the mix without either being too quiet or too loud when going into a clean solid-state amp. I don't use pedals to push the amp.

What the Mesa does is act like a 2-channel valve amp (or even three-channel, if you use the 'bypass' setting) that sits in front of the host amp. It sounds like a valve amp, responds like a valve amp and takes other dirt pedals in front of it like a valve amp.

Yes, this resonates with me. I don’t use a Mesa V-Twin but rather an EHZ English Muff’n which, like the Mesa, is a ‘proper’ valve pre-amp. This seems to add certain ‘rightness’ to the sound I get from whatever pedals I put in front of it (for a long time I’ve used a Rat and a MIAB) that the pedals alone don’t quite have. It also makes the pedals much less fussy to dial in and, yes, for some unknown reason it just makes my playing sit better in the mix and not be so sensitive to ups and downs in volume. 

I’d hazard a guess that other valve pre-amps like the Effectrode Blackbird would do a similar job...

Sassafras

I think you need more watts. Sounds like you're pushing your amp too hard.

siraxeman

Sassafras said:

I think you need more watts. Sounds like you're pushing your amp too hard.

oh the joys of a pushed solid state amp!

Sack trolley and use the Dr Z or HRD....such a waste having those amps and only using them on 1 at home. You need wheels!!! That'll minimise the hauling quite a bit.

NelsonP

Would this do it?

welshboyo

ICBM said:

I'll say this again...

ICBM said:

Mesa V-Twin.

I used one for exactly the reasons you give - I also use a *strictly* clean (no clipping allowed) clean sound and have always found a problem getting solid-state overdrive or distortion to 'sit' in the mix without either being too quiet or too loud when going into a clean solid-state amp. I don't use pedals to push the amp.

What the Mesa does is act like a 2-channel valve amp (or even three-channel, if you use the 'bypass' setting) that sits in front of the host amp. It sounds like a valve amp, responds like a valve amp and takes other dirt pedals in front of it like a valve amp.

This in spades..I can't help thinking that trying to "drive" an SS preamp is never going to sound great

the_twin

@Fenderman53 how have you got that BluesBaby amp set up in terms of preamp gain, master volume and tone?