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Drive sound at low volume - is it possible?

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By low volume, I mean in or around acoustic guitar volume.  On a valve amp that has no master volume control.  Or on an equivalent solid state amp.

The sound I hope to achieve is the lead guitar sound of Smokie on many of their recorded output.  Thanks.
Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results. [Albert Einstein]

Nil Satis Nisi Optimum

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Comments

  • monquixotemonquixote Frets: 17485
    tFB Trader
    You are about to find out why people use pedals.
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  • AndyJPAndyJP Frets: 219
    I reckon digital is an easier route at that volume. Get a hx stomp or something.
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  • RockerRocker Frets: 4943
    You are about to find out why people use pedals.
    Fair point but there are guitarists here that know a lot more than I do and I hope to pick their brains on this subject.


    AndyJP said:
    I reckon digital is an easier route at that volume. Get a hx stomp or something.
    That device might be the answer but it is outside my budget by a considerable margin.  Is there a basic drive pedal for <€100 that will do the job I need?
    Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results. [Albert Einstein]

    Nil Satis Nisi Optimum

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  • CarpeDiemCarpeDiem Frets: 275
    It's probably helpful if you state what type of valve or solid state amp you are thinking of using, as the same drive pedal can react differently between amps, and also guitars. With your budget, the optimum answer will probably be a new Boss pedal, of which there are a wide range available, or a second hand pedal from another manufacturer.

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  • monquixotemonquixote Frets: 17485
    tFB Trader
    Rocker said:
    You are about to find out why people use pedals.
    Fair point but there are guitarists here that know a lot more than I do and I hope to pick their brains on this subject.


    AndyJP said:
    I reckon digital is an easier route at that volume. Get a hx stomp or something.
    That device might be the answer but it is outside my budget by a considerable margin.  Is there a basic drive pedal for <€100 that will do the job I need?


    Caline pure sky is £23 from Amazon and would do the job.
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  • ICBMICBM Frets: 71956
    I thought you had a Sparkle Drive? You should be able to get something roughly approximating it with that, although I'd guess that the original sound is a small valve amp or a fuzz pedal given it was the mid 70s. I'm not very familiar with the band and I thought they mostly used acoustic guitars...

    "Take these three items, some WD-40, a vise grip, and a roll of duct tape. Any man worth his salt can fix almost any problem with this stuff alone." - Walt Kowalski

    "Just because I don't care, doesn't mean I don't understand." - Homer Simpson

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  • EricTheWearyEricTheWeary Frets: 16253
    Tipton is a small fishing village in the borough of Sandwell. 
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  • GrunfeldGrunfeld Frets: 4027
    Rocker said:
    That device might be the answer but it is outside my budget by a considerable margin.  Is there a basic drive pedal for <€100 that will do the job I need?
    Nux MG-300




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  • EricTheWearyEricTheWeary Frets: 16253
    I’m having an exciting Friday night in watching Smokie videos ( that auto corrected to Skokie - WTF is Skokie?). 
    There are a lot of acoustics and electric sounds typical of the period I guess which is lowish gain. Some nice fills on this…

    https://youtu.be/6EFRzuIJnbo


    The Joyo American Sound is another budget option that gets a lot of love, there were some others in this range but it’s the American Sound that seems to have lasted. It’s hard to really say but I think this is more amp like than the Caline Pure Sky, based on YouTube demos…

    Tipton is a small fishing village in the borough of Sandwell. 
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  • RockerRocker Frets: 4943
    @ICBM I do have a Sparkle Drive but there is a considerable increase in volume when it is activated.  Reducing the volume on the Sparkle Drive also reduces the drive.... and is much louder than what is comfortable in a smallish room.  What I am looking for is possibly impossible, a power soak box might be required between the amplifier and the speaker.  This might give me the drive sound I am looking for but the chiming clean sound that is needed for the same song is no longer available.

    My amp is a Dennis Cornell designed Stinger SE valve amp that I assembled from a kit which one of the monthly Guitar magazines had on offer well over twenty years ago.  I believe it gives somewhere around 12 watts into a 10" Jensen speaker.

    Nothing is easy when an electric guitar is used with an unamplified acoustic guitar and an unmiked singer.......
    Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results. [Albert Einstein]

    Nil Satis Nisi Optimum

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  • LastMantraLastMantra Frets: 3822
    edited August 2021
    I don't know the sparkle drive but it seems strange that you can't adjust the gain and volume to get what you want into a clean amp. 
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  • EricTheWearyEricTheWeary Frets: 16253
    Rocker said:
    @ICBM I do have a Sparkle Drive but there is a considerable increase in volume when it is activated.  Reducing the volume on the Sparkle Drive also reduces the drive.... and is much louder than what is comfortable in a smallish room.  What I am looking for is possibly impossible, a power soak box might be required between the amplifier and the speaker.  This might give me the drive sound I am looking for but the chiming clean sound that is needed for the same song is no longer available.

    My amp is a Dennis Cornell designed Stinger SE valve amp that I assembled from a kit which one of the monthly Guitar magazines had on offer well over twenty years ago.  I believe it gives somewhere around 12 watts into a 10" Jensen speaker.

    Nothing is easy when an electric guitar is used with an unamplified acoustic guitar and an unmiked singer.......
    Another thing that had crossed my mind is the Mooer micro pre amps ( about £65 I think - you have the advantage of being in the EU to buy off thomann!) and they all have two channels. You’ll need a power supply ( they don’t run on batteries) but effectively you could go between clean and dirty on one of those with the Stinger acting as a power amp. 
    It’s quite a big range of different amp types ( I think there are 11 pedals) but this kinda thing… 

    https://youtu.be/DIVJ78uuXck

    Problem I suppose is that there are so many possible ways to try to do this. 
    Tipton is a small fishing village in the borough of Sandwell. 
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  • munckeemunckee Frets: 12255
    You can easily get drive sounds on something like a THR at the same volume as the strings. I use mine when everyone is asleep and it’s made for that stuff. 
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  • fastonebazfastonebaz Frets: 4065
    Put a volume pedal in the fx loop, crank your amp up and volume pedal down, acts like a master volume so you get your tone at tiny volume. 
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  • poopotpoopot Frets: 9098
    edited August 2021
    If you have a sparkle drive… turn the volume down on it… I have one kicking about somewhere… the volume control is exactly that a ‘volume’… 

    set the gain to where you want it, add in a bit of the clean blend if you fancy and turn the output volume down!… it’s not rocket science
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  • RockerRocker Frets: 4943
    Thanks @poopot, I will experiment with the Sparkle Drive as you suggest.
    Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results. [Albert Einstein]

    Nil Satis Nisi Optimum

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  • RockerRocker Frets: 4943
    munckee said:
    You can easily get drive sounds on something like a THR at the same volume as the strings. I use mine when everyone is asleep and it’s made for that stuff. 

    I had considered getting a THR @munckee but I already have too many amps in the house.  
    Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results. [Albert Einstein]

    Nil Satis Nisi Optimum

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  • Ideally you don't want to use anything that disrupts the natural tone of the guitar.

    Bye!

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  • andy_kandy_k Frets: 818
    A second hand POD can be got very cheaply, many options available there.
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  • BellycasterBellycaster Frets: 5834
    A Boss Blues Driver would be good pedal for that.
    Only a Fool Would Say That.
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