I feel some of us have been suffering from overdrive GAS search fatigue, when in fact we should be searching for a 'Juice' pedal.
Gain staging is part of this problem as seen by members using fantastic drive pedals into driven amps without any success. What I would like to propose and ask help in identifying is JUICE vs DRIVE.
For the sake of simplicity, we have a guitar going into a light driven valve amp.
3 types of pedals (no modulation or repeat, although they do provide elements of the 3 in their application):
1. Overdrive
2. Gain
3. Juice
Overdrive into overdrive is like overlapping two 'sounds' where the latter further distorts the former based on its own character.
Gain is pushing a boosted signal into the amp's pre amp. It includes boost and EQ.
Juice is the interaction between the player (the guitar) and the pedal. This includes compressors and more.
I've noticed that overdrive pedals include elements of all 3, down to distortion, volume and clipping. Combined, it could be said they produce 'Feel'. Many players have a range of overdrive pedals, not for the gain staging as such, more down to the feel under the fingers each has.
Vintage 'clean' amps enjoy FX pedals, especially those FX of the 60s and 70s. Recent amp builders especially understand that the amps should incorporate that little extra that pushes them to perform to those expectations with beautiful full-range cleans and dedicated amp drive. My own experience with my Redplate RP50R eliminated a list of pedals as they made no difference: EQ, Klone, Compressor, Boost, Lead-boost, and Reverb. The amp already provided. It was especially apparent with the Klone, a pedal I use for its Clean to warm up and balance the signal; weirdly, there was hardly any difference on/off into the Redplate.
GAS does not abate, especially for the abundance of FX on the market. So what could I use? How can I sound better? The feel inside classic drive pedals such as the tube screamer or Blues breaker is probably part of the success of the Duellist and others. However, I don't need another drive, yet I do like the feel they offer, the support they provide.
So what is 'feel' down to? Compression? Clipping? EQ? What else is missing? What else contributes to 'feel'? And what pedals are out there that provide 'Juice'?
Thorpy's team medic plus fat general?
My main Juice pedal is actually a fuzz face. Riding the guitar's volume, the clean has just the right amount of mids; a thicker punchier tone, which with increased guitar volume provides drive, muscle and explosive fuzz when maxed.
Thoughts on Juice and FX suggestions?
Comments
I've recently been loving boost pedals into my amps, instead of overdrive pedals. As you've mentioned above, the fell of the amp is totally different. I feel like OD pedals remove the THUMP that a cranked amp can give. Adding bass on an OD pedal doesn't even help, as it starts to sound a bit flubby. Yes it adds bass, and the sound becomes larger, but not the feel.
I've been getting great results with my amps on the edge of breakup, "juiced" with an RC Booster/Heavy Water into a Fat General, into the amp. Glorious!
squish vs definition
Pick response
It echoes my own journey across the last few years. Playing live is a completely different thing to 'home' playing, imho.
I'm fortune to own a brilliant amp in the Carr Mercury V, and I've learnt/realised that pre-amps and boosts can work really well (as 'juice', as you call it). The difficulty has been getting a clean boost without adding too much gain...
This small board has proved to be very effective. The NB3 is a revelation;
My music:- https://soundcloud.com/hubobulous
I don't use it now with the HX Stomp, as I can get the same effect in other ways, but it's a nice pedal.