After probably blowing the best part of £600-£800 on drive pedals the last few years, i've come to the conclusion that its the classic designs that are still the best.
Rat2
MXR D+
Boss SD1 & DS1
Ibanez TS9
Marshall Guv'nor (mk1)
I've owned things like Suhrs, LovePedals, Fulltones but for me nothing really gets close to the classics! Now i just need to find the classic delay, reverb and wah and i'll be set. I think the whole "boutique" thing has got a bit out of hand and for someone like me, a touring musician, the availability of the mass produced classic pedals is a real bonus. I know that on the road i can easily pick up one of these units for under £100 in most decent guitar shops.
Anyone else gone through the same journey?
Comments
Ringleader of the Cambridge cartel, pedal champ and king of the dirt boxes (down to 21)
It's not so much that the modern alternatives need to be boutique, but why would most people not prefer a tube screamer with a better EQ or a boss SD-1 with a better bypass (be it decent buffered or true bypass). All they are are refined classic designs anyway.
Look, here's an improvement over a TS 9 for £55
http://www.gak.co.uk/en/hardwire-cm-2-tube-overdrive/19836?gclid=COT_pNbetLsCFa3KtAodwCAANg
And here's a real TS9 for double the price
http://www.gak.co.uk/en/ibanez-ts9-tube-screamer/3535
Which one is better value?
Another advantage of some of the modern versions is that they often work better at lower volume and suit the home player more.
With regards to the 'TS9 sound', I don't think there is one sound for every TS9, depends on when it was made and the components used. Some builders are trying to recreate the earlier versions rather than the reissues which use different chips. My point being is the many of the boutique builders started out becuase Ibanez couldn't make a TS9 pedal that sounded like a TS9!
This is interesting http://www.analogman.com/tshist.htm
http://www.thefretboard.co.uk/discussion/57632/