some advice on Overdrive pedals...

[Twinfan]

Too true Mr Henk!

The HT-Dual is best used as a two channel amp.  The left (green) channel is your crunch and the right (red) channel is your lead.  I'm using the green channel as my base sound with a booster in front - works for me.  I have both gains set at 11 o'clock and both volumes around 2 o'clock.

[MrBump]

Still to me the whole point of an OD pedal is to 'heat up the tubes', kind of an oldschool attitude but hey, thats me i guess. I doubt i need anything mindblowing or fancy for that, if i could just find the perfect neutral heater i would be ever so happy.

I'm with you on that, Henk - I guess that it depends on the signal chain to some extent.  My GRO100 is very clean until it gets really loud, and doesn't have a gain channel.  I found that when using my Nailbomb equipped Charvel into the HT-Dual then into the front of the orange the tone was really sparkling with the gain back right off (on the crunch channel).  You're right - it certainly does the higher gain stuff!  My my amp is really dark, the Nailbombs are pretty dark too, and the Blackstar made everything shine!!!

But, you know?  Viva la difference!!!

Mark.

[Henk]

Too true Mr Henk!

The HT-Dual is best used as a two channel amp.  The left (green) channel is your crunch and the right (red) channel is your lead.  I'm using the green channel as my base sound with a booster in front - works for me.  I have both gains set at 11 o'clock and both volumes around 2 o'clock.

I usually set a stombox all at noon at first and usually expect it to press the "buy me now" button for me. Ill check if i can try it again though, if i remember the sound right it had a bit of a JCM900 sound to it preamp wise, maybe i can tune it down a bit to comfortable 800 levels :lol: .

My my amp is really dark, the Nailbombs are pretty dark too, and the Blackstar made everything shine!!!

Allthough i am fortunate to go either very bright or quite dark, making an amp shine IS the whole point of heating up the tubes using an OD.

The problem i have is that i have a clean channel and a dirty channel and want to use a stompbox to be able to switch to an edgy sound on the clean channel and a somewhat higher gain sound on the dirty channel, a bit more rockin' then the bluesy dirt i get from my JCM800.

The "huge" problem is that when im switching an OD, allmost all of them change the sound of the amp in a way you can hear the stomboxes signature and this really puts me off, even if the OD sound is great.

Like i said the best OD in this respect is still the OD-1 to me at least, BUT after playing it for way too long i would like something else to mess with.

Pure boosters wont work either by the way since i get a volume boost also which i dont really want.

Still if i would set up the HT dual on a clean crunchchannel and leave it on all the time i could use the lead channel to switch between hotter sounds, which would be ok if this would work out. Probably should try it again then.

well I was really blown away by the sound of
sd-808... the modded SD-1.
but since I have no idea how to mod it or order it..  
I guess I'm out of luck.  
I only have humbucker guitars so I would like a pedal that really loves
humbuckers. but I can't seem to find the right one...yet.

Well, that shouldnt be too hard when you search a bit on the net, even think you could just order the SD/808 from anologman, still if you didnt try the maxon 808 yet i would suggest you do, the modded SD has a more powerfull more middy sound if i remember correctly, but is basically very similar.

Thinking about this i actually think an SD-1 boosted Maxon 808 would be very close, if you have a SD-1 at least, you could try that.

[Machek]

If you wanna a OD pedal that let your amp sound like your amp, Banzaï pedals are known to be the stuff, quite expensive but really really tranparent pedals.... http://www.banzaieffects.com/Banzai-c-458.html
just so you know....

[Henk]

The Banzai Cold fusion sounds really cool Machek, i have to order them though and im not too fond of ordering something without having a chance to test it. Ill keep it in mind though, those soundclips are amazing.

I have checked out the Blackstars again today, i could only try the HT-DIST and the HT-DISTX because the other models were sold but will soon be ordered again. I think the dual version is a combination of these so i guess i will have a good impression of what the dual will be like.

I quickly dismissed the distx version though, it was quite obvious to me the 'ultra high gain' signature was not for me, so i got to fumbling around with the dist version on a blues jr, sounded pretty ok but still not really satisfied about it. At least i figured i could just as well put some new preamp valves im my JCM since they are quite old and are not as powerfull anymore.

The shopkeeper, which was pretty convinced this was the pedal for me didnt mind me taking it home for a serious test so i did.

So there, Muled Custom> HT-DIST > JCM800 dirt = JACKHAMMER!!!!! :twisted:

Ill try some moderate settings tomorrow, but now i have vol and gain at 3:00 ant the ISF nodged to the USA side, just insane power, and tight as hell too.

Anyway, something totally different than i was looking for again :roll:  :lol:

When the shop has restocked ill try the dual again and the drive, if the dual isnt any noisier ill get that one i think, maybe i can get both channels to work together. Then again i can get a sweet deal on the demo i have now..... owell well see.

Ill try to boost it tomorrow TF, seems like a good way to juice it up a bit for lower gain/vol settings.

[Machek]

Hey, glad you liked them, and you're welcome .

But I had a chance to test drive them (the Fireball II, if i remember correctly) in a store in Paris. Ok it was a store that only did pedals and effects, but i guess those can be found in stores if you look around...
Anyway i understand what repells you in puttin that kind of money for something you didn't test drive first.

For the record, i need a bit more gain that those OD can provide, but the New Rising Sun Double boost is at the top of my "to buy" list...

[hamfist]

I have checked out the Blackstars again today, i could only try the HT-DIST and the HT-DISTX because the other models were sold but will soon be ordered again. I think the dual version is a combination of these so i guess i will have a good impression of what the dual will be like.

 Actually the HT-Dual is completely voiced like the HT-Dist, it's basically a two channel HT-Dist, but with one global EQ.
   The HT-Dist X is voiced completely differently.

Personally, I felt limited by the global EQ on the HT-Dual, and only felt it was of use to me using one channel.  If I buy one again , I'll get the HT-Dist.

Great pedals, though !

Alan

[Henk]

@ Machek

If you like the sound of a marshall tube amp distortion you should put a Blackstar on your list aswell, the DISTX version(or dual) has an immense amount of gain.

Its just very remarkable how much the HT-DIST sounds like the preamp in my JCM 800 when i compare both but the Blackstar on the clean channel. Well ok some differences obviously, but nothing really offputting at least.

[Henk]

I have checked out the Blackstars again today, i could only try the HT-DIST and the HT-DISTX because the other models were sold but will soon be ordered again. I think the dual version is a combination of these so i guess i will have a good impression of what the dual will be like.

 Actually the HT-Dual is completely voiced like the HT-Dist, it's basically a two channel HT-Dist, but with one global EQ.
   The HT-Dist X is voiced completely differently.

Personally, I felt limited by the global EQ on the HT-Dual, and only felt it was of use to me using one channel.  If I buy one again , I'll get the HT-Dist.

Great pedals, though !

Alan

Hmmm, so if you set both volume and gain levels the same to each channel, the channels sound identical? I cant remember it being that way, or maybe the cr@p amp just didnt get along with the amount of gain that was set on the 2nd channel when i tried it.

Im pretty sure that if thats true ill keep this one since its allot cheaper then the dual.

The distx is more metal voiced than the dist and i think they put a different cirquit in to increase gain.

[grrrpoop]

I currently have TS-9 as an overdrive pedal.
and I don't like the sound of it..
I have 2 les pauls and a 335.
one of them have mules installed on them
I was thinking of Boss OD-1 or mollon overdrive pedal.
MI Audio crunch box is what I'm using for my Dist.
and suggestions ? I don't want a lot of gain,
I really liked the fender blues junior crunch tone though
when cranked up to 5-6 I think.....

When looking for a new overdrive pedal, don't always assume that you need to spend more.

When I got my first "proper" old valve amp (74 Marshall Artiste), I took my guitar and favourite OD pedal to the shop to try out before committing to the purchase.

The OD pedal I favoured at the time was a Marshall Guvnor but it just sounded shite through that amp.

The store owner, who I've went to repeatedly for the past decade or more, suggested I try a similarly priced Nobels unit, the ODR-1.  It claims to be a "natural overdrive" pedal and I have to say it surprised me.  So much so that I swapped it for the Guvnor when buying the amp.

I've now got an Ibanez TS808 but it's not necessarily better than the ODR-1 for that amp.  It's way better with my Valvestate stack in live situations but I still rate the cheap ODR-1 highly for being able to boost and add gain without smothering the natural tone of that old amp.

Something to think about before throwing hundreds of dollars at a boutique pedal ! :D

[Machek]

@ Machek

If you like the sound of a marshall tube amp distortion you should put a Blackstar on your list aswell, the DISTX version(or dual) has an immense amount of gain.

Its just very remarkable how much the HT-DIST sounds like the preamp in my JCM 800 when i compare both but the Blackstar on the clean channel. Well ok some differences obviously, but nothing really offputting at least.

Thanks for the tip mate, i might go and have a test meself, if i can find one...
As for the New rising sun banzaï pedal, since i don't really need a OD pedal (i'm a 'amp natural OD and volume fiddling' goer and tube marshalls is what i usually gig with), the whole point is that it will serve as a clean boost and buffer in front of the amp, and as a volume boost in the loop -really need this one right now. That's why...

[Twinfan]

Hmmm, so if you set both volume and gain levels the same to each channel, the channels sound identical? I cant remember it being that way, or maybe the cr@p amp just didnt get along with the amount of gain that was set on the 2nd channel when i tried it.

They're not the same channels - green is a classic crunch/rock level of drive and red is more metal/shred.  They are definitely different!

[hamfist]

Hmmm, so if you set both volume and gain levels the same to each channel, the channels sound identical? I cant remember it being that way, or maybe the cr@p amp just didnt get along with the amount of gain that was set on the 2nd channel when i tried it.

 As Dave has stated, the channels are different on the HT Dual. Channel 2 being a higher gain channel.
   However, despite being different gains, the 2 two channels are voiced pretty much the same. The higher gain end of ch1 sounds pretty identical to the lower gain end of ch2. So it's just one continuous range of gain, from clean right up to high gain, but split into 2 channels.

Alan

[Henk]

I took my guitar and favourite OD pedal to the shop to try out before committing to the purchase.

This is definitaly what i am trying to do, especially with effects this is critical since most good drive pedals interact with the amp in a way that is impossible to fully predict. I do think that most drive pedals work well and are fairly predictable when using them on the clean channel or on a clean amp. Trying to let the Blackstar work well with the marshall head i have does take some mayor tweaking to get it all right IMO. The Blackstar does have enough tweaking options, the patented ISF tone cirquit is a perfect tool in this respect.

Sometimes i just have to buy something on order though, and i dont mind that if i can get a good deal on it so i can sell it again reasonably if its not my thing.

In the end though, the whole tone freakin' effect frenzy adds to being able to get what you have in your head out of your speakers. Probably not very important to many, but it is to me at least.

I have had a green ODR-1 Nobels a long time ago, back then i traded it for a MIJ OD-2 Turbo-Distortion because i needed more gain, shame really The recent ones are too cr@ppy build for my taste im afraid, if i can find a good one again ill try it.

Actually i do think the 808 Tubescreamers sound better, but i am used to the Boss OD's because i use alot of high harmonics/overtones in my playing, and for that Boss is better IMO.

Thanks for the tip mate, i might go and have a test meself, if i can find one...
As for the New rising sun banzaï pedal, since i don't really need a OD pedal (i'm a 'amp natural OD and volume fiddling' goer and tube marshalls is what i usually gig with), the whole point is that it will serve as a clean boost and buffer in front of the amp, and as a volume boost in the loop -really need this one right now. That's why...

First is first offcourse. Like i said the HT-dist sounds alot like a Marshall preamp stage, it can also do a very clean boost. Anyway, if your looking for more headroom in your natural amp OD, they should be easy to find because there is a hype going around it seems.

They're not the same channels - green is a classic crunch/rock level of drive and red is more metal/shred. They are definitely different!

Ah ok, im eager to compare the dist to the dual actually, ive emailed Blackstar to ask how the dual channels compare to the dist/distx. Ive heard some clips of the dual and the dist sounds very comparable to the crunch channel, allthough i have a feeling the dist has more headroom compared to the duals crunch channel but that could be just sample variation or difference in amp etcetera offcourse.

I also want to try the drive and boost, if i can get a good deal on one more i could have allmost any drive sound i can think off  :)  .

Got this idea from the demo on youtube BTW, check this guy out..... 2 duals :twisted:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vqYHPjSBoqg

[ToonLP]

I have a Fulltone OCD and a Blackstar HT-Dual and they make a great combination - all the overdrive, distortion and crunch tones you'll ever need.