Hello guitarists of the world.. Droff here.
A good overdrive pedal is like a favorite pair of old jeans. Keen to hear your thoughts on what overdrive pedals are out there that represent good value and most of all, standout tone..
I use:
Xotic Effects- RC Booster
Maxon OD-820 Overdrive
Jekyll & Hyde Overdrive/Distortion
Expandora
Timmy Drive (new addition)
Let the conversation begin.
Tags: Gear, guitar, overdrive, pedals
Droff,
I am curious to hear your take on the difference of overdrive and distortion. I use a Boss blues driver and the dirty channel on my Orange amp. What are the advantages of and disadvantages of distortion and overdrive? Thanks for your time.
I’ve really been enjoying the Boss BD-2 Blues Driver. Very versatile tone.
Jekyll & Hyde Forever!!!
Ok, now seriously… Definitely loving the Jekyll & Hyde (inspired by all of you guys of course). I’m coming from about five years of Line 6 gear and am starting to get back into the whole pedalboard world and I’m loving it (finishing college and getting a real job helps). The big investment I’m getting closer to making is in a new amp. I’ve been playing a Flextone II so long that it’s far past time for an upgrade. One of my friends just got a Genz Benz Black Pearl 2×12 and the thing is rediculous. However, he practically stole his off of eBay and the odds of me getting that lucky are pretty slim. I’ve been thinking AC15 just because it’s easier to maintain decent volume on stage (our church seats around nine hundred). Any thoughts on amp slection?
Hey Droff,
I also use a Jekyll and Hyde Overdrive/Distortion but can’t dial a good tone in on the overdrive side. Also, when you have a tube amp and you are using a overdrive pedal is it best to crank up the volume and then give some gain. Doing this would push the tubes?
My go to overdrive has been the Fulltone Fulldrive 2 for quite a while. I prefer the vintage setting ’cause it’s a bit darker and has more character. I think for the price, the fulldrive has the best value since you get an overdrive pedal with 2 stages of gain that sound fantastic
But recently, I bought a limited edition handwired Ibanez 808 Tubescreamer, just as how the tubescreamer was made when it was first released. It was a whopping $300, and I haven’t had a chance to really use it at louder volumes, but it’s the cream of the crop. Tubescreamers have been the standard for overdrive tone for a reason, and the handwired tubescreamer is the perfect tubescreamer.
My other overdrives include a Sparkle Drive, a TS9, a regular TS808, a Fulltone OCD, and a Route 66.
But I do hear great things about the Timmy pedal, but it’s so difficult to come by that I haven’t had the chance to listen to it. Droff, how is the pedal and what are some of its characteristics?
I like the T-Rex Moller for rhythm because it’s mix knob allows you to blend in your clean signal and the boost actually “boosts” your signal as opposed to adding distortion. I also keep going back to the trusty Fulltone Fulldrive for lead.
p.s.
Thank you, Droff, for all of your videos and your new 01 dvd. They have been a huge blessing to my Worship Team.
Expandora is great! Currently I’ve got a Keeley Blues Driver, Vintage Rat and Keeley Rat that I’m between and tweaking around with. Would love to try a Timmy out though.
BTW…you have killer tone Droff! Probably the best I’ve heard in a long time. Going to see the United team this week as well…looking forward to it!
Currently using (and loving)
Voodoo Labs Sparkle Drive
Fulltone Full Drive 2
Xotic BB Preamp
Visual Sound Jekyll & Hyde
They all sound awesome to me. I’m so lucky. Still don’t sound as awesome as Nigel but that’s not the pedals fault
Hi Droff,
I use a Maxon OD808 and a Boss OS2 (overdrive / distortion combo) into a pretty neutral AC15, using very little gain from the amp itself (just clean amplification).
The Maxon OD808 is a very subtle overdrive, great for adding this nice crunchy sound when playing chords or playing a few notes. (Have you ever tried it and compared it to you OD820? I’m thinking about getting one)
Anyways, the OD808 is, as I said, a very subtle overdrive, so for the ‘heavy stuff’ I use the Boss OS2, but just because I’m not sure about what pedal to buy for my lead solo’s etc. Do not buy the Boss OS2 if you’ve been thinking about buying one. It’s got very little character and the distortion is too ‘thin’. Besides that it doesn’t really gets along with the AC15.
So, if I’d ask you guitarists out there what pedal to use for heavier work like solo’s or powerchords, what would you suggest?
Regards and keep up the good work everyone,
Peter
Hey Droff,
What are your thougths on the Voodoolab Sparkle Drive and the Fulltone Fulldrive 2 Mosfet
Hey Droff.
Not necessarily adding to the discussion…but I’ve looked everywhere for a Jekyll&Hyde and it doesn’t seem to exist in any stockists up here in Brissy. Can you please tell me where/how you got yours? Then I’ll buy one, test it out, then I’ll be able to add to the discussion informed.
BTW - loving the Creative Training DVD. Blessing, man, blessing…
Im a fan of the Fulltone Fulldrive, through a AC30. What are your recommendations for amp setting when used with an overdrive. I often find myself over driving the amp as well. Can you take some time to discuss your approach on your clean sound and how your overdrive effects that??
Thanks
Aaron West
Beyond the Melody
http://www.myspace.com/beyondthemelody
Hey Droffmeister. While I think of it, you’re killing me with those sixteenths on “You Deserve”. There has to be a way to get these old wrists working that fast again! But to the subject at hand. I use something really simple and that is a Radial Engineering Texas Overdrive and a TC Electronic Vintage Dual Distortion. Both of them are dual channel so dialling in whatever overdrive sound you want is quite easy. I can pretty much get everything I need from SRV style crunch to fully blown Steve Lukather soaring “West-Coast over-produced” solo sounds. Not complicated but when you get to be my age, c’mon, simpler really is better!
Very nice selection of overdrives you have nigel.
The Timmy has also been placed on my board and has been splendid! Although a RC Booster would be a very nice addition to add also!
Just wondering how you would use your overdrives? As in, what you would stack over from rhythm to lead?
I have recently added a Klon Centaur overdrive to my board.
PROs: Best and most unique sounding overdrive pedal I’ve ever heard. Very transparent and with only 3 knobs, is very versatile, and easy to dial in the exact tone your looking for. Also, the pedal’s sound can range from clean boost to rip your face off lead sounds. Klon is a very personable guy and will answer any questions.
CONs: There is one guy that builds these in the U.S. and so it takes a while to get the pedal (but there is always eBay). The pedal is not cheap and will be more expensive if you purchase it on eBay. You have to specialize a power supply for it. Also, the pedal sounds great if you have a good valve amp that can be turned up to at least half volume. The pedal sounds terrible at low amp volumes, but it screams and sounds great if you can crank your amp up.
I have really been enjoying the Boss BD-2 Blues Driver. Very versatile tone!
Hi Nigel
I really admire your style of playing, tone, everything, you were really inspiration to me as a guitar player.
I have two questions. How do you use the volume knob on pedal to get best tone results on amp? I saw you guys have couple of drives in your rig and im wondering if the volume is the same on all overdrive pedals ?
I hope I was clear enaugh, my English is poor.
God Bless !
Hey Droff, I personally use and dig the sound of Ibanez tube screamer TS9 (Japanese version) and Jekyll & Hyde Overdrive/Distortion (US Made)/like yours. To me, they are just easy to use and sound phenomenal. Not to heavy distorted the sound yet fat enough to have that overdrive that I want. They are not too expensive compared to Fulltone Fulldrive II or more high end pricing pedal such as Diamond J-Drive. It’s all depend on what guitar you play and what amp you are using though but I recommend those two. We are not discussing Keeley modification too, are we Droff?
WooooW nice :] God bless you Nigel thanks for all the work put on here and on the dvd you wouldnt know how awsome and amazing blessing it has been to my life . Those OD’s are the best in my opinion but I also like the ibanez tube screamer TS-808 and the TS9 too but I have them on a boss gt-8 pedalboard its really good it has so much effects and I have them all in banks or presets . I also have a question I have a boss DD3 and its prety much the boss DD5 but without the taping system , I would like to buy a boss DD5 but the seem really hard to get here in Canada plus they are discontinued anyways I also have a other question umm I have a Gretsch pro jet its exactly like your Gretsch duo jet but with only one pickup switch and its the electromatic series it has mini hambuckers tv jones but it sounds sooooo good the Gretsch soung is deff there so I was wondering what are your thoughts about that guitar ( By the way it can pull out the same sound as your Gretsch duo jet ) thanks once again for taking the time and God bless
hi nigel… i’m planning to buy a sparkle drive and i’ll try to match it with the jekyll & hyde od/distortion. do you have any suggestions what overdrives or distortions should i match? i think for now i just need 2. and here’s another question… does the tk true bypass looper come w/ adapter or it can be powered by an effects power block?
For overdrive, I’m using:
Tim
Keeley modded Boss BD-2
Fulltone Fulldrive 2
MI Audio Crunch Box or ZVex Box of Rock
Also using a Sparkle Drive as a clean boost.
Ooooh overdrives, I use a Keeley modded TS808(mod plus) and a Cusack Screamer. Both awesome pedals, very transparant that give just a natural drive. abit pricey in UK but well worth the money! Droff do you not use the Sparkle drive any more? do you use the Xotic in its place? Could you explain your gain stages or is that secret?
Cheers!
Hi droff! Well I use whatever overdrive is available in my PodX3 Live. I think it’s the best value for the money. Specially to those who are just starting to serve music ministry and are on volunteer basis and not a full time church servant. God Bless you Guys!
Hello
I usually use Ibanez Ts9 for subtle overdrive, and a Boss BD-2 as a boost, It works very well. I did modifications to both pedals (monte allums mods http://www.monteallums.com), and to me the improvement was evident. For ditortion I use a proco RAT 2. All 3 pedals sound very well with my custom made Stratocaster (Fender FAT 50 Pickups) and with my Ibanez SZ (Seymour duncan 59B pickup).
I’d like to hear the expandora without aditional processing, could it be similar to the RAT??
Ibanez TS-9
Boss DS-1
Xotic Effects make some great OD pedals… I personally use…
AC Booster Plus… its the dirty version of the RC and I get a 3 band EQ and boost…
Jekyll&Hyde
Fulltone Full Drive 2 (pre-mosfet! rare and sound amazing),
Sparkle Drive with Keeley custom shop mod
Keeley Katana boost for my clean boost…
all on a 9 channel True Bypass Looper… mmm… perfection
They are exactly like a good pair of jeans… but I like having a few favs in the closet to choose from…
I love your tone… sounds soo good.
Ive watched The I heart Revolution DVD at least once a week the past few months and absolutely love it…
Keep it up!
Mahalo and Aloha
I’ve been using the following:
rc booster
ts 808 (keeley mod)
ts 9 (keeley mod)
hotcake
expandora
I just recently ordered a timmy as well. eagerly awaiting its arrival.
I just started using pedals and playing electric guitar, but per seeing your board Droff, I picked up a Voodoo Lab Sparkle Drive and I LOVE it. Lots of versatility.
I also think Keeley(or other) modded pedals are a good alternative for turning those cheaper pedals into really great and versatile ones and are a great value IMHO. a lot of them can be found for under $100US.
The Paul C. Timmy seems to be THE OD pedal these days.
ProCo RAT
Sparkle Drive
Boss Blues Driver
The Sparkle Drive is my fav because of it’s ability to blend the clean channel with the dirty. RAT is excellent turned up for high gain. Boss is just a solid affordable pedal for any setup.
Phillip
i use jekyll and hyde(v1 silver) and maxon 0d 9 nothing fancy just the basic rythm and lead , by the way how is the rc booster ?
I have three on my board … Crunch Box, TIM and Nobels ODR-1. I have available a Tube Zone, SD9, TS-9, Boss Dual Overdrive and a RAT. Can never have enough overdrives!
I use fulltone’s OCD and had previously used a fulltone fulldrive. Obviously I have an afinity towards fulltone stuff and I really love the OCD sound, check it out.
I use a Voodoo Lab Sparkle Drive and a Fulltone FullDrive2 Mosfet. I think they are both good for getting tones at church. I use the Fulltone the most and keep it set on the mosfet mode most of the time.
i recommend the v1 edition of visual sound route 66 pedal. it has a nice overdrive with a built in compressor that adds a nice level to my tone. i also use the voodoo labs sparkle drive. that is an amazing pedal. it allows for me to mix in the clean guitar signal coming in with distortion.
wow thats a great list…
i am a big fan of overdrives…not so much distortions, although they do serve their part in leads and such..
well i have a question…when you’re listing to an overdrive, do you listen for the amount of gain it can give you without soundding muffled? or do you listen to which one gives you better tone and clarity? or do you try and find the one that can give you both?
Hey, Nigel -
I use a Lovepedal Eternity (handwired Burst model from ‘06), a Paul Cochrane Timmy as well, and a Lovekraft Chupacabra for the higher gain stuff.
-Mat
which one would you choose if you could only use one? two?
i’m actually rather curious as to whether the Droff has more boutique overdrives and whether or not he uses it or not, stuff like Analogman KOT, Klon Centaur, etc.
Fulltone OCD! Very easy a to use,give a wide variety of tone which os perfect for the beginner. Can pick one up for about $140 US. But the J&K is still number one to me
I meant the Jekyll & Hyde*
ihave sparkle drive, jeckyll and hide, ts overdrice pro, joyride and mxr gt-od…just want and advise how to pair the effects…and how can i add dd5 and dd3…is it included in the looper or after the looper (outside)…
I assume you refer to the first J&H, the second version is not as good as the first one, another good one is the OCD Fulltone
Hey Droff,
I am huge fan of the Ibanez Tube Screamer. Its great all purpose distortion that has long been in the arsenal of many a great guitarist. You can pick one up for a hundred bucks. I see you must like the Tube Screamer as the Maxon OD-820 Overdrive is probally the best version of the pedal you can get as they are the manufactures of the famous T-9 and T808.
I like your RC Booster! Its pretty sweet. The Timmy is something I have not head of before, but after checking it out online I think its pretty awesome. I would have bought the Tim. but your probally are fighting for space on your pedal board as it is.
As far as the best bang for your buck… I would go for a Line dm4 or M-13. You get tons of options for distortion. Options are good. I especially like the Line 6 M-13 as its a HUGE improvement on the Dm4. The sounds are sharper and more true to the original stompbox. I can take the same pedal (ie tube screamer) and set it up on a couple different gain settings and go to town. That way I don’t have to adjust on the fly and I can get a consistent sound.
Peace,
Walker
which is your favorite
hey dude…loving the timmy (how long did you wait?? lol) very nice transparent overdrive probably the best one for stacking out yet…how are you running the RC are you using the dirt from it or are you using it Real Clean?? (lol). The expandora makes for some amazing solos!!!…i do have a question though. do you use all the very transparent OD’s like the timmy and the OD 820 to stack onto pedals like the xotic, expandora, and the jekyll or do you just have them all mixed around randomly in the stacking order??….anyways….all awesome, tonally solid pedals…i personally lean towards the timmy, xotic, and the OD-820 because tonally those pedals have whats im looking for…but to every man his own..
Nice man!
I’m currently running a G2D Custom to a modded BD-2 into the Timmy Drive. I had the JH but found it a bit to grainy for me. The Custom is very sweet and super smooth. My favorite though has to be my Timmy, it changed my sound competely, and it is the foundation of my tone. (it’s kinda like my Jesus pedal haha)
However, I got the modded BD-2 to use as a boost, but I’m not really feeling the vibe it’s giving me…I’m looking into the Zvex SHO and the Keeley Katana. Have you had any experience with either of these two? What are you thoughts Droff.
I have a Boss OD20 … and im getting a great amount of hum on most overdrives (specially high gain ones)… is this normal for all OD Pedals? Do you use any sort of Noise Gate or else?
Hi Droff,
I’ve just recently noticed Lovepedal’s Kanji lineup, and I’m completely set on getting one or two (or possibly all of them). What’s your opinion on them?
If you can only have one overdrive which would it be?
@Gabe
Hey man. The hum is most likely from your power supply. You might need to try an isolated power supply like the PP+ and I believe the Diago has a strong anti-humming feature in it as well….
I have been using a SWELL G-PRO drive pedal. This is a push-drive pedal and is somthing special. Here is what they have to say about it: The customized SWELL TONE CIRCUIT with a Vacuum Tube delivers big round lows, string-tone flavored mids and a clear open top end that is footswitch selectable for both live and studio applications via either Amp and/or Record-outputs.
In addition the G-Pro doesn’t play favorites when it comes to pickups…single-coil, P-90 or humbucker, etc.–the PRO brings out the best in all of them.
As with all SWELL drives the G-Pro delivers overdrive with smooth natural compression, rich complex overtones and yet still remains fundamentally transparent.
And yes–all of this while remaining dead-quiet even with the output level control maxed out!
I have to say I LOVE IT!!!!
Best Wishes,
Mike M.
I use a couple different overdrives to get my overdrive sounds.
Klon - Centaur
HBE - Big D
Fulltone - OCD
The Big D has to be one of the the most under rated overdrives I have played.
Droff! Have you replaced your Sparkle Drive with the Xotic Effects - RC Booster for that clean boost?
I have a variable diode on my bypass looper for that extra signal that all those pedals can suck, however I’m running with the following OD setup:
Sparkle Drive (clean boost) ->
Timmy (low OD) ->
Jekyll & Hyde V1 (mid/high OD) ->
Cusack Screamer Fuzz V2 (solo)
I usually always have the sparkle drive on with the gain to 0 because it pushes the tubes on the AC15 and layers with any OD nicely.
I then layer the timmy ontop of the sparkle drive for softer type stuff and then layer the J&H ontop of that for more driven songs.
I kick on the Cusack Screamer Fuzz for lead stuff.
Droff: One thing i did notice when looking at your board is that you have your J&H volume VERY high. I can’t set it at this because the volume divation between that and other pedals (sparkle) or AMP is huge. How do you get away with doing it?
Lee
i wanna know how droff tweaks his ODs. i know he “stacks” a lot of them instead of turning switching between them(?). back then he left his sparkle drive on all the time, and then if more grit/drive/volume is needed, he flipped on another one. how do you keep from getting volume jumps that aren’t too huge or how the pedals will interact or get enough grit if the volume’s not there.
These have been on my board at one time or another:
Tim
Nobels ODR-1
Klon
FullDrive II
Box of Rock
Fuzz Factory
DLS
Currently I’m running a Danelectro Transparent Overdrive and a G2D Custom. I the Danelectro is supposed to be really close to a Timmy. And the G2D Custom sounds amazing.
I run the
TOD for a little grit
G2D Custom for my rhythm drive
TOD + G2D Custom for a sweet lead tone.
I’ve been thinking of getting a TS808 and maybe a Joyride too.
for overdrives i use
Ts808
Divided by 13 Joyride
and coming soon a
Timmy!
I use a BYOC OD2 Kit which I knocked together, and I’m running with Mosfet and Asymmetrical diode clipping options. It’s essentially a TS808 clone but with different clipping configurations.
I also use a DGTM (Diabolical Gristle Tone Manipulator) and a Gristle King, which is basically a DGTM and boost in one unit. Awesome overdrive pedals that you should definitely check out. T-Rex Engineering has bought the rights, from the original builder, to manufacture these pedals now.
I dial my pedals in at a low to mid gain setting and then stack them for different overdrive combinations.
Hey droff,
For me I got 3 Main ODs.
I LOVE my joyride layered with my G2D Custom OD and a keeley Ibanez TS-808.
The G2D Custom Overdrive blows my mind, its just right!
I really recommend this pedal.
My stage is the joyride, its always on
Stage 2 is the G2D Custom Overdrive, this is my main rhythm tone
Stage 3 is adding the Keeley Ibanez TS-808
I use a Fulltone Fulldrive 2 Mosfet which I really like for a full or thick overdrive.
I also have a Boss Blues Driver that I modded with a Monte Allums H2O mod, which I would highly recommend. It made a pedal that I got for $50 (USD) used be able to compete with my Fulltone. I currently leave it on at all times because it is so dynamic to picking sensitivity.
can a $50 distortion pedal blow you away? YES!!!
please, everyone do yourself a favor and check out the DeltaLab RD-1 (rock distortion). I have this thing in front of my fender blues deluxe and it sounds HUGE. big crunchy goodness. the usually have them in stock at GC. make sure you put it in front of a decent amp
Hey droff,
I use a Ibanez ts9
Jekyll & Hyde
Fulltone full-drive 2 mosfet
Sparkle drive
The Jekyll & Hyde is my favorite so far!! i’m trying to get my hands on a Timmy OD, but is too hard to find. I play thru an AC15..
Pete Cornish SS-3
some people have been asking about how Droff stacks his overdrives without getting big volume increases, well….
Im willing to bet that Droff actually runs his AC15 (or matchless etc) amp on the edge of ‘breakup’, so the amp volume is fairly high, meaning (especially on 15watt amps) the amp itself is on the verge of overdriving (This would especially be true if he had that RC booster on most/all the time). When an amp is already on the verge of overdriving, thats the power valves overdriving (especially on a non-master volume amp), meaning they are getting ’saturated’, and they don’t have much more volume to give at that point anyway.
So When the amp is on the verge of breakup…
The higher the volume before the amp = the more the amp saturates (overdrives)
when the amp is totally clean…
The higher the volume before the amp = the higher the output signal on the amp (because the amp tubes aren’t overdriving yet)
Therefore, i think this is why droff puts the ‘volume’ (rather than ‘drive’) so high on his pedals, because thats what is pushing the amp harder, getting the most out of his existing amp tone but with the slight colouration of the overdrives.
Of course i might be totally wrong, but this is how i do it (AC15 heritage, fulldrive II, timmy), and i know daniel carson (chris tomlin) does this type of thing too, although i believe Stu G (delirious) runs his amps a bit cleanER (not CLEAN), perhaps to allow greater versatility between different pedal sounds
Anyhow, let us know Droff!
- Thanks for this great ministry, the 01 DVD is great and will be a real blessing for many leaders/bands smaller/medium sized church settings
Jim
oh, i was also keen to know what your ‘go to’ or ‘desert island’ overdrive would be, if you could just have 1?
jim, again
Hey-
I actually just acquired the Timmy– waiting patiently for it to arrive in the mail. I use the Rt66, Full-Drive 2 MOSFET, and the second channel in my AD30HTC for my main drives at the moment… Really pleased with the tones. I haven’t been doing a ton of layering, but I’m planning on working out some stuff with it soon enough.
The Rt 66 is nice– I had a J&H, but found that I wasn’t using the Distortion side at all and it seemed like a waste of board space.. So I switched.
I played the OCD (v4) and Box of Rock with mixed reactions– the OCD was too fizzy and the Box of Rock was a little “meh” for me– although I tried an OCD (v3) a while back and really liked it.
I heard that you turn the gain/drive down in your ODs and turn up the volume to suit– while I can’t quite get it worked out on the Rt 66/J&H’s OD, it’s a great way of stacking without added compression.. love the tones
Hey Droff,
Im using:
Version 3 Fulltone OCD- This thing is fat, has a great High Pass or Low Pass feature
Ibanez Ts808 Tubescreamer Reissue- Typical overdrive
Jekyll & Hyde- No explenation needed
Keeley Katana- Best boost ive ever used, has a pull out speed know for extra gain. Amazing pedal
Danelectro Transparent Overdrive- This is a Timmy pedal copy just cause i cant afford the real thing but it seems super legit and sounds great. runs for about $40
Droff,
Noticed you added the Timmy to your board. What does the Timmy do for you that the other OD pedals didn’t do?
Hey guys,
I’m kinda new to playing the electric guitar. I have a BBE Green Screamer and a Rat Distortion pedal followed by delay. My problem is that whenever I turn on the overdrive or distortion it makes a loud “click” noise. How do I get rid of it? Thanks for all the help
hey guys, hows your amp settings? do you guys tend to get all of your overdrive from your pedals? i have a marshall valvestate right now, and it basically gets left on the clean channel while letting my pedals do all the driving? is this normal?
To Jacob Fusek, who responded on the 26th last month -
If I could only use two of those mentioned, I would choose the Timmy and Eternity because they can be used alone, but also stack very well together for higher gain uses.
Thanks man,
-Mat
Hi all,
Right now I’m using:
Keeley Modded Blues Driver - which is a good improvement
Stock Blues Driver - which has it’s uses with the tone knob dialed down.
Modded TS9 - Set with low gain, mostly used as a bass-boost
Fulltone Full Drive 2 - Like it but it’s kinda nasally and dark.
I’m waiting for my Puredrive from Tonephile. Ya’ll should look it up, it’s sweet.
To all those thinking of Timmy’s, I have a Barber LTD special recipe. It’s a very similar tone to my ears, and the waiting list is only ten days and many stores have them in stock.
For my situation,(church of 700ish) I use the Barber LTD which is pretty much always on, and then I stack a T-rex Alberta for more gain and harmonics. I use a bassman style amp and a G&L ASAT.
Hey Nigel,
I personally own the Jekyll and Hyde. I abdolutely love it. The Jekyll channel has great tube screamer tone and the Hyde channel will pretty much rip your face off! I’ve also owned the ProCo Vintage Rat reissue for about 6 years now. I think this pedal gets way too overlooked. It is extremely versitile. Most people will tell you that it works well for high gain and heavy leads and such (which it does). But I actually use it after my jekyll channel as a boost. Those two pedals work great together. Seriously dude, give the Rat an honest try!
Dustin, because I play in a smallish church, I can’t crank my 50 watt valve amp up. So like you all of my overdrive comes from pedals, and my volume is kept pretty low. You can get really great tones this way, but I find it’s important to keep an eye on gain and volume levels to avoid big leaps in volume.
Hi Ben,
I have recently made an amp isolation box (ventilated with 2 9v fans) which the amp lives in behind the stage (or as far away from the congregation as possible) which allows me to crank the amp - getting better tone, while also reducing sound levels (especially the high end ones that cut) on stage/hall.
All you need is 3/4″ mfd or marine-grade ply with acoustic foam/carpet etc on the inside, junction box for your leads. Give it a try, i fully recommend. It gives the sound engineers a great clean level to work with also - they’ll love you forever!
Lee
My favorites:
G2D Cream-Tone
MI Audio Tube Zone
Ibanez TS-808
i have a timmy, rc booster, fulldrive 2 and i’m looking at getting a joyride or a friend’s custom drive called a ghost drive (jhv3.com). i use the timmy for my main rhythm drive, rc booster for leads and fulldrive 2 for the heavier drive.
anybody have any experience with the joyride? what are your thoughts if you have/have had one? thanks!
I run a mesa boogie Mark IV sometimes in stereo with a (1975) fender twin and I find the best overdrive using the amp distortion with low gain in conjunction with a sparkle drive. I also use a Fulltone OCD which I love, it’s so sensitive to one’s playing and dynamics. I see keith urban now uses two OCD’s in his rig. http://www.fulltone.com/artframe.html I LOVE his tone.. I’ve heard using two together is the best combination. I’m wanting to try it and see for myself.
I have a couple of dives on my board. I use a Fulltone OCD and a hand built clone of the Landgraff drive (just a moddified TS-9). When I want to get into high gain territory I kick on a Skreddy Top Fuel.
I love the OD talk, but my question to you guys is what guitars are you using? I see Droff using a Duesenberg, but what are the other guys playing? It seems everyone on the recording video is play some sort of Gretch 6120. Just wanted to hear what that was about!
Hey mate,
I use a deucetone rat overdrive/distortion. I find it very versatile… although it takes ages to tweak for the perfect sound, it is worth it. Being able to blend the two channels together provides a creamy crunch tone which I love.
Man I have been trying to get my hands on a Timmy Overdrive for sometime.
Hey Nigel,
Right now on my board I am using a Fulltone Fulldrive for my overdriven tones and Fulltone GT-500 functioning as both a boost and for my distortion tones. I love both these pedals, especially the Fulldrive! It’s got a great transparency to the overdrive and the tone of your guitar shines through, a nice rich sounding pedal!
Right now I am playing with the amps at my church (either a dr. z maz 38 which is awesome or a vox ac15). Although I am breaking the rules about overdrive talk, I have been looking at buying a matchless for myself and was wondering what made you go for the spitfire over any other matchless amps?
I mostly use my Hughes and Kettner Statesman amps dirty channel for my main overdrive channel (either EL34 or 6L6 versions)
I do use the volume pot a lot on my guitar to clean it up too…..works great for me….
Anyone else just use their amp?
I do have 2 OD pedals on the board though, which I run thru the clean channel just for a different colour….
BB Preamp and the BK Butler Tube Driver
but I also plan on getting a good TS808 style pedal soon too….
just because…..
Hey Lee, I love your idea of an amp iso box, but at my church we need all our foldbacks for vocalists and keyboard players. What we really need is a in ear monitor system!
On my board I have both a Boss OD-1 and an Ibanez TS-9 which are quite similar. I’ve found that they don’t layer well with each other, possibly because they are so similar…?? Does anyone have any advice on what type of overdrives layer well; rules of thumb as such?
currently on my board are:
1)Voodoo Labs Sparkle Drive
2) Xotic AC Booster
3)MI Audio Blues Pro
hi droff
I like Fulltone OCD, i use it with bb preamp booster. It sounds great even with any solid state amp. Just like it.
Hey,
Has anyone got any advice on a good secondary drive to a TS9. I was thinking sparkle drive but quite new to this (just escaped line 6) so just starting my pedal board which goes as follows >Cry Baby Wah>IbanezTS9>MarshallEchohead(untill I can get a DD-5 or 7) Any advice on what to add next??
Thanks,
Dan
Guys, I did have at one stage an Ibanez TS 808 and a TS9 but i now use a MCFX Screamin Tubes Plus as my main overdrive! It is amazing! It does it all! I layer my overdrives, I start with a Voodoo Lab Sparkle Drive and then I layer onto it for a bigger sound the MCFX Screamin Tubes Plus and finally for my lead sound I layer on top a Fulltone Fulldrive 2. I found that these 3 overdrive complement each other really well. If i was to turn on the Fulltone Fulldrive by itself it would on have a slightly overdriven sound but when it comes on when the other two overdrives are on it sounds AMAZING! So maybe try layering overdrives to get some different sounds
Dan, add a 2nd OD for lead tones. a tuner if you’ll feel it helps.
Right now Im using a jekyll and hyde and a ibanez tube screamer, BUT i have i pedal gathering dust a symour duncan twintube that thing is sweet its got a funky power adapter to it which iss why im not using cuz i cant find one that will supply it. But i love the flavor i get outta wat i got now!
Hey Dan– It really depends on your amp.. some pedals sound great through certain amps and others not so much.
As a rule though, I’ve really liked my Fulltone Full-Drive 2 and my recently acquired Timmy OD (though these are kinda hard to get a hold of)… The Sparkle Drive is a little different, but most ODs on the market are copies or derivatives of the Tubescreamer. The Jekyll&Hyde, Bad Monkey, Route 66, Full-Drive (to an extent).. they’re all based on the same circuit.. stacking TSs is great, but I like to have a little variety tone-wise… others have their opinions though.
It wasn’t my thing, but look into an OCD by Fulltone… try to look for one with a blue LED.. the newer version with the red LEDs don’t sound as good to me. I don’t consider myself the biggest audiophile, I just know that I really liked the OCD I tried with the blue (v 1-3) and hated the one with a red (v4)… Either way, just try out a bunch and see what you like *with your rig.*
in response to dan’s last post…
ok so the TS9 was a grear choice… awesome… and so the decision of wat to get next really depends on wat style of music you play most and wat your sound and playing style is… alos its kind of a personal thing wen it comes to drives… everyone will always find something unique in a drive that others cant… i cant ever find a great warm tone in boss pedals… so i therefore never buy em… but i know people who can… and it sounds great with their rig and gear… so keep that in mind… but personally if you play a lot of worship only… then try to stray from distortion pedals for a bit… try to stay with overdrives… i would consider the visual sound route 808 overdrive as a pedal if you dont play a lot of lead… if you do then i would consider the sparkle drive… but thats just me personally… youre just gonna have to test the waters yourself and see wat you get (this usually requires buying trading a bit lol) but its worth it… and wen you get that tone you like that gives a warm rich drive and lets your true guitars tone shine through… you’ll be more happier than if you were to settle for something someone told you to get… but keep the two pedals above in consideration… peace..
hey droff… im totally in love with the gear you have its amazing… my drives are as follows…
-Visual Sound Jekyll & Hyde
-Voodoo Labs Sparkle Drive
-Visual Sound Route 808
-Ibanez TS9
im in love with all of them lol…
hey Nigel…i was thinkining to put together an Ibanez tube screamer Ts808 and a Full-drive 2…but i’m really confused.what to you think?
Dan, a different sounding drive would stack the best. Try a Boss BD-2 or if you have some more cash the Xotic BB/Barber LTD/Timmy. All of these pedals have less mids. If you stack two middy Tubescreamer type pedals the sound can get muddy fast.
Ben
Thanks for the advice guys, this really helps.
Thanks to Hillsong for putting this site together.
Peace,
Dan
Hey Emanuel– I’ve never tried a regular TS-808 with a Full-Drive, but it should sound pretty good… The Full-Drive is a little clearer (especially if you use an 18v power supply rather than a 9v) and it also has the Vintage and FM/Flat Mids modes. The latter evens out the mid-hump that TS-style pedals are known for.. so as long as you set them up right it should be cool
Try the FD2 like this: Volume @ 3 o’clock, Tone @ 3 o’clock, and drive at 8-10 o’clock… I like it… I usually dime the boost.
Hi droff,
I’m currently using:
maxon OD-9
Fulltone Fulldrive 2
MI audio crunch box
I really enjoy the sound of my fulldrive for rythm parts and I usually have my maxon set with the gain knob turned all the way down for arpegios and light crunch.
My MI crunch box is mostly for soloing, though I also use the boost from my Fulldrive.
God bless and thanks for sharing with us Droff!
Hey to anyone,
I am about to purchase my second overdrive for my pedalboard, I was wondering if there is any tips I could get on layering overdrives as I have never done it before. Is there anything I definetly should or shouldn’t do??
Thanks,
Dan
Hi all,
I really like the Lovepedal Eternity and I highly recommend it. Nice TS-style of OD, that can be used as a stand-alone drive, as well as stack with other drive pedals. The tone knob (aka glass) is just magical. It goes very well with a Vox ac15, which I believe Hillsongs uses in many of their songs.
I recently bought a Way Huge Fat Sandwich for mid to high gain stuff. It is kind of saturated on most settings, but with 5 knobs on the front, and another 3 internal trimpots, I am sure you can find a sweet spot on the Fat Sandwich.
Did someone has tried an “daneelectro cool cat transparent”? How do you like it? It doesn´t cost that much..and i don´t know if i should buy me one
ps. sorry for my english
I use [In this order]
MXR MICRO AMP
EHX BIG MUFF PI
IBANEZ TUBE SCREAMER TS9
VISUAL SOUND JEKYLL & HYDE V1
* MXR MICRO AMP is always on [will be replaced soon for a MXR C.A.E. BOOSTER]
* EHX BIG MUFF PI with zero drive a lot o tone, always before an overdrive to get a more retro sound and never ending sustain [sic]
* IBANEZ TUBE SCREAMER with a lot of tone and less drive
* VISUAL SOUND JEKYLL & HYDE V1 [the red one] never use the distortion section, just add overdrives to get the distorted sound. Everyone use this pedal! This is what i call: Influence
Hi all;
Is anybody familiar with AMT Electronics SS-20 or Mesa V-Twin?
Not sure if it has been asked or answered yet… but Nigel has mentioned that he pre-programs his tempos into his delay. How does it get lined up with the click track when playing live?
Thanks
wat is a good pedal to go with a fulltone fulldrive 2 mosfet, oh yea and with the fulltone fulldrive 2 mosfet, can anyone suggest some good settings.
Anyone considering less expensive ones like a Boss SD1? or a Digitech Bad Monkey?
Robert>>>
He mentioned that he already preprogrammed it WITH his drummer… So they go by the same presets, tempo etc. Makes it much easier especially in live settings and with a set list of songs to follow.
Hope this helped!
Mark>>>
Was at my friends place, and i plugged into his signal chain. He clicked the lovepedal on and i absolutely FELL IN LOVE with it! Such a balanced and smooth overdrive with little sparkle inside… Couldnt afford one though, like REALLY high end boutique…
Thanks for sharing!
I play a strat through a Fender Blues Deluxe and Vox ac-15. My main pedal is a Fulltone Fulldrive 2. I just ordered some Dimarzio Area 58 and 61 pickups for my guitar. Can’t wait to get em!
Hey there,
i have the xotic bb preamp. this thing is the best overdrive pedal on the planet. it can do nice punchy rhythm or give you nice shape and tone for soloing… I also have it paired with the xotic ac+ mainly for boost but it also has a heavy distortion tone that is a bit edgier than the BB.
Thanks Droff (and others) for sharing your wisdom on good gear and the pursuit of achieving perfect tone!
God Bless
Daz
Figtree Anglican Church
Hey everyone,
wt do u guys think of danelectro pedals??
hey everyone, how’s the OCD sound? (for those who use it)
Droff, how do you set up your sparkle drive?
and btw, if anyone is looking for a great TS808 copy, but can’t afford one, check out the Mod Tone Dyno Drive. I put it on my board whenever i grabbed on for free in a music deal at my local shop, and i will ot take it off! it sounds great with my Fender Blues Jr.
Greg-
I used to run one on my board. Depending on the sound your going for (if going for the Hills sound) it was a little to much gain. Pretty transparent though. I personally found it too much for most songs. I made it my solo pedal if was playing a riff that needed more gain boost. For the money just put in an order for a Timmy and save 20 bux.
the danelectro coolcat series transparent overdrive pedal and drive pedal are great cheap pedals. You are definately getting MUCH more for your dollar.
The transparent od is a take off of the timmy, while the drive is a copy of the fulltone OCD. i use the transparent od for light drive and the drive for a bit more dirt. im also awaiting an expandora YUS !
Ello all,
I’m currently using an Ibanez Turbo Tubescreamer,(TS9DX) and I do believe it may be the best sounding overdrive I’ve ever heard.
It has the warmness you want for rhythm tone, and the bite you need for lead tone, but of course it all comes down to personal preference.
My question is, how exactly are you getting those wonderful mid-driven lead tones?
ie. Break Free and the like?
ellow droff,
im currently using a TS9 Ibanez, with a Fender Route 66 Amp.
How can i get a nice sound off the TS9?…i hear that you can mod them, but i dont know where…
any ideas?
thnx i just starting my pedal board i just dont got enough money for the timmy and a dd-5
hey thanks cole…. would you have any suggestions? right now i’ve got a sparkle drive and that 808 copy i was talking about in my previous post. i was looking for that third stage of gain/overdrive maybe.
i was hoping to find something i could compare the OCD with side by side. i’m modeling my sound after droff, but i’m finding my own sound at the same time.
For the rest of us poor folk who rely on good sounding solid states and inexpensive quality pedals, I would recommend the digitech bad monkey OD. It’s very versatile and only runs about $20 USED $50 NEW. Does everything an Ibanez TS does, but it has low and high tone controls to better suite your taste.
Also, on a different, but somewhat related topic, for DELAY, the Line 6 Echo Park works wonders when I play United songs. It has a lot more features than the Boss, and you can do em all in tape echo, analog or digital.
You should start a Delay Pedal thread. It is Hillsong after all.
I use Marshall Bluesbreaker II is very good
como puedo acomodar mis pedales para que el sonido sea mejor como debe de ir mi cadena cuento con:
nano chorus Ehx, J&h , echo #1 Ehx, DD3, DD5, dunlop cry baby, MT2, rat, Pulsar Ehx,
I want to get the Barber 1/2 Gainer.. It sounds soooo awesome!! Comparable to Timmy.
Basically a Barber LTD and another pedal combined in one.
Check it out on youtube…. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b10xtifeyTc
Hi there i just got a new Kanji eternity lovepedal added to my colection but for some reason i’m getting a volume boost ( way too much of it) everytime i engage the DL4 line6 and the thing is that this volume boost only happen with this pedal not with either the fulldrive 2 or the sparkle drive or the amp 50 (lovepedal) i want to know if this is normal or not!!!! my chain goes like this
Guitar > MXR comp >wah > sparkle drive (clean boost setting with a little bite ) >AMP50( clean boost)>kanji OD ( normal OD) > phaser> volume pedal > DL4 line6 to ampLifier
iF u can help out here I’ll be graetly thankfull for it!!!
ATT Gus
hey diego– you should be able to get a good sound out of a TS9.. if I’m not mistaken, Jad has one on his board– if you really want to mod it though, Keeley’s mods are fairly popular, but I’d try to get a good sound out of it first… try turning the gain down and volume up to push your tubes. Natural amp distortion almost always sounds better than pedals in my opinion…
Greg-
Right now there are lots out there to try. I would maybe start with something in the lovepedal line. maybe a kanji or such. you could always try a joyride at the beginning of the chain. which is what i do. joyride -> Timmy -> TS9modded I’m possibly looking to go get a kanji and replace the TS9.
On a side note the guitarist from Tim Hughes band uses a OCD and gets decent sounds but for my tastes and i line up with the hillsong style i just can’t dig it. I Use to run 2 together at one time as well. Then one of them went to the guitar player with Reuben Morgan. After that i went down to one and then none.
If you can wait get on the order list for the timmy. You won’t be disappointed and the price is nice when going direct instead of buying off of someone. People are jacking up the prices like $50 right now. Its stupid.
Ryan-
Those are good options if you have a mid priced amp. If you have the boutiques or the likes of your AC15’s you can hear a difference in them. They do sound very similar but thru a good tube amp you can hear why they are a lot less.
I have played alot of overdrives in my day and a couple of years ago came across the Diamond J-Drive I have never ran a overdrive so pure sounding as this if you ever get a chance to try one try it out they are amazing they are made in Halifax Canada, I know Johnny Marr has been using the latly. anyways just that i would through that out there
this is an Amazing sound’ing overdrive every one should check it out it’s called the Sweet Tea
http://fortnerguitars.com/fr_index.cfm
hey diego this is diego lol….with a ts9 u can get a good drive sound…u can mod them keeley mods for them..but i use a ts9 as a semi driven sound so it only breaks up when i hit my strings hard enough…check outother overdrives like the maxon od820 or..the fulltone fulldrive 2..thats wat i have and its amazin sound
Hey Droff,
Been stalking your playing for years lol.
You inspire many.
Question:
1) How do you layer you overdrives (how many pedals in which order, settings inc, and when you use, low gain verse stuff to rock god mode)
2) I currently have the TS9 and VL Sparkle Drive.
I use the TS9 at 12 o’clock for verse and chorus.
and the VL on full gain for powerchord/lead breaks.
I’m looking for a 3rd pedal…what do you recommend?
Cheers,
Sheldon
2)
Currently using the following with each pedal having a different purpose. Sometimes I’ll stack 2 pedals together like the tubescreamer into a fuzz to make the fuzz standout more.
Fuzz Factory
Skreddy Screwdriver
Skreddy Zero
Diceworks Muff Finale
TS808HW
Timmy
I was really influenced by MGC in the past, but now I’m trying to find my own sound. Just thought it’d be fun to join in on the discussion.
All Boss pedals:
OD-3
SD-1
DS-1(Keeley modded)
BD-2 (Keeley)
The SD-1 is real cheap and sounds great with a fender hot rod deluxe’s drive channel. It takes a lot of the mud out and makes it a useable channel.
Hey Droff,
I currently love and use/abuse my TS808. It is amazing. If it were a man, it would have a full, thick mustache because its so gritty and manly and full of goodness. You know what I mean? Like you said, a pair of good jeans, I also use/love my route 66 overdrive and I also have an Ibanex Ts9dx which i use for a lighter sound.
Sheldy-
Have you tried running the sparkle light on the drive and then into the TS9. Might give you a better stacked drive. Also try out the timmy, lovepedal kanji, Jekyll and Hyde, Route 66, another TS9.. the possibilities are endless.
Droff-
Don’t know if you have gotten your hands on one but the Klon Centaur is a pretty sweet drive. Might want to try those out however they run like $400-$500 USD most times. Might be a keeper.
Red Witch Famulus - wicked pedal (scuse the pun)
Recently bought a Crowther Audio Hotcake and also a Danelectro Transparent Overdrive. The Hotcake has a big reputation but has way too much bass for my Blues Jnr, maybe a vox could handle it. The Danelectro is an awesome pedal and I’d reccomend it for anything from clean boost to crunch. It layers really well with TS type pedals, plus its super cheap.
cole-
hey there iv got a fender hot rod deluxe and can honestly say in my opinion that they sound just as good as the pedals they are replicating. thru my tube amp i havnt yet noticed why they are cheap (these pedals are also true bypass). I have done alot of comparing with friends pedals and these are definately up against them. like joey ^ i would recomend the transparent overdrive highly.
Just got my expandora, great pedal. Just wondering what other users of the pedal set their dip switches to ?
i mean the danos sound “almost” just as good sorry
I went through the J&H, Cruchbox, Lovepedal, Skreddy Mayo and a whole lot more before I found the Goosoniqueworx Seventheaven. Definitely something worth checking out at http://gsonique.webs.com/pedals.htm.
It’s very versatile, and very sensitive to picking dynamics, and really opens up the sound of an amp! Can easily nail most of the tones you’ll need in a P&W setting. and its quiet!
This is a little off the topic but is there any way that you guys could make a traing video for the new way that united plays From The Inside Out? I think that it is amazing and when it was rearranged God’s hand was on it.