Strymon Deco - saturation side

cm01

Sold my Deco but I’m missing the saturation side … any pedals out there that get close to it?

tekbow

EP booster?

BintyTwanger77

I’ve borrowed one from The Pedal Club, and the tape saturation half is great. Trying to think what would replicate it and I’m struggling… I know that Deco effect is not wholly like compression, but would a gritty comp like a Fairfield Accountant stacked with a warm, darker, fat boost (like the EP mentioned above) do the trick?

Jonathanthomas83

IMO, I've bought and sold so many pedals to come to realise that it's a futile endeavour trying to recreate a certain feature of a particular pedal with another pedal. So my advice is to just save for another Deco and enjoy it. I love the Deco, personally and will get another one day, myself.

tekbow

Out of interest, the Deco is trying to emulate "tape saturation", right?

Is there an inherent saturation to the use of tape, or is it the tape machines preamp etc

Springywheel

@cm01 ;I was wondering this myself actually, but it doesn’t seem to be an effect replicated by any other pedal. The next best thing would be plugins if it’s just for studio use? In that case, i’d recommend the Kramer master tape, waves j37 or soundtoys decapitator

tekbow

Springywheel said:

I was wondering this myself actually, but it doesn’t seem to be an effect replicated by any other pedal. The next best thing would be plugins if it’s just for studio use? In that case, i’d recommend the Kramer master tape, waves j37 or soundtoys decapitator

Well, if the answer was the pre-amp rather than the tape itself, thenthe EP boost Is a replica of the preamp circuit of the Echoplex.

If its something to do with the dynamic range of tape, no idea.

cm01

Jonathanthomas83 said:

IMO, I've bought and sold so many pedals to come to realise that it's a futile endeavour trying to recreate a certain feature of a particular pedal with another pedal. So my advice is to just save for another Deco and enjoy it. I love the Deco, personally and will get another one day, myself.

I think this might be the (expensive) answer!

stickyfiddle

tekbow said:

Springywheel said:

I was wondering this myself actually, but it doesn’t seem to be an effect replicated by any other pedal. The next best thing would be plugins if it’s just for studio use? In that case, i’d recommend the Kramer master tape, waves j37 or soundtoys decapitator

Well, if the answer was the pre-amp rather than the tape itself, thenthe EP boost Is a replica of the preamp circuit of the Echoplex.

If its something to do with the dynamic range of tape, no idea.

It's a bit of both, as far as I understand. There's gain & EQ from the preamp (like an EP booster) but there's also some compression and dirt added as the saturation knob is turned up, which is modelling the effect of the tape itself. 

I haven't tried one but I would guess something like the Hudson Broadcast is a similar flavour, albeit modelled after an old console rather than tape machine.

idiotwindow

This guy suggests the Lightspeed has a similar quality. Might be worth considering? That said, it's a £200 pedal and not far off the cost of buying another Deco.

JohnPerry

Not saying it's your solution but the HX Stomp has a Deco sim in it (Retro Reel) which absolutely does it for me since I sold my Deco. And of course it does a billion other things 

stickyfiddle

Lightspeed is fine but nothing really like the Deco. I never really got the Lightspeed hype

Dominic

I have come to the conclusion that the Deco is a very special pedal .......sold mine 3 years ago....missed it ever since

cm01

Cheers all … I think another Deco is the way to go 

jeroenvanhulsteijn

Perhaps the JPTR FX Jive could suit your needs as it is a tape saturation sim as well. I have listed more of these kind somewhere at the fretboard. I'll look it up for you.

jeroenvanhulsteijn

Here you go:

https://www.thefretboard.co.uk/discussion/200209/tape-saturation-pedal/p1

cm01

jeroenvanhulsteijn said:

Here you go:

https://www.thefretboard.co.uk/discussion/200209/tape-saturation-pedal/p1

Cheers… I’m just about to buy a TC Plethora so I’ll definitely be trying the drive and doubler out - might do the trick 

Tele-scopic

The Deco was my first expensive pedal and I didn't really get it at first.  I was underwhelmed and considered sending it back but I'm so glad I didn't.  Even just a slight touch of the saturation warms and sweetens up any guitar so that things seem flat without it.  I'm currently enjoying using it as a one pedal swamp machine for open tunings (one of the Strymon YouTube demos has a ''swamp' example).  I certainly haven't found anything that comes close.

BintyTwanger77

Tele-scopic said:

The Deco was my first expensive pedal and I didn't really get it at first.  I was underwhelmed and considered sending it back but I'm so glad I didn't.  Even just a slight touch of the saturation warms and sweetens up any guitar so that things seem flat without it.  I'm currently enjoying using it as a one pedal swamp machine for open tunings (one of the Strymon YouTube demos has a ''swamp' example).  I certainly haven't found anything that comes close.

I’m thinking whether I’m going to send the Deco back to The Pedal Club . This thing is great for that swampy sound, especially with the Harmonious Monk. Does great warbly vibrato and chorussing as well.

chrisj1602

I’ve not tried it but I’ve been considered a Catalinbread Epoch Boost, sounds great on the demos, £119 new from GAK.

26.2

stickyfiddle said:

Lightspeed is fine but nothing really like the Deco. I never really got the Lightspeed hype

I think you have to be playing at gig volume for the Lightspeed to reveal its qualities.