Distortion Pedals...

[Adam.M]

Well i went to the local PMT today to try out the Blackstar HT-DistX pedal, as i now have a non-mv Carlsbro 60 TC which is really good with pedals and im going to use this as my pedal platform.

They naturally didn't have any in, but they had the Dist and Dual, so i tried those for a while.

Somehow the Dual was the btter, i prefered Ch.1 with the crunch setting and gain on full, very nice indeed. I don't know if its because of the HT-5 Combo i was plugged into or the pedal itself but it did sound like there was a blanket over something, so i didn't end up buying it but it's not off my list yet.

I was wondering then, has anyone else experienced this with this pedal, and also what other distortion pedals are out there that are actually worth checking out?

[Denim n Leather]

The Homebrew Electronics FMJ is very good, as is the Fulltone Distortion Plus. On the really boutique/fringe side, the BroTech Fat Pipe Pro is a wonderful distortion pedal.

[Jonny]

I love the sound of the Krank Maximus Distortus, Alan (hamfist) has one

It rocks.

[mikey5]

Dude Radial has some good stuff, and wampler is even better the SUPER PLEXTORTION is the way to go. Check it out on Youtube and tell me what you think
Mike

[viking]

I have the HTDual and i don't have any blanket of any kind  :lol:Seriously,it's a very nice pedal but it's completely different from one guitar to another.It has (add) a distinct tone and you don't want to use it too much.But,again,with some guitars it's really great (Cu22 for ex.) ...I thought the HT5 was based on the HTDual,so it wouldn't surprise me if it's not really good together.

[hamfist]

the Dual  .......  but it did sound like there was a blanket over something, so i didn't end up buying it but it's not off my list yet.

I was wondering then, has anyone else experienced this with this pedal, and also what other distortion pedals are out there that are actually worth checking out?

I've owned both a Dual and a Dist, and I agree that there is definately something "blanket over the amp" about both of them. I could never get them to cut through a mix.

For High gain, as Jonny mentioned, I really like the Krank Distortus Maximus which is quite like what a CrunchBox wants to be when it grows up !  Definately for high gain only.
  I'm also very impressed with the MI Audio Tube ZOne, which is a very, flexible pedal, capable of top quality low and medium gain tones. it also gets into high gain, but is a bit flubby in the bass at that point.
  I'm also in love with my Xotic AC Booster, which will never (well probably never !) leave my board. It's a low-med gain pedal but sounds so rich and fruity, and cuts through a mix like a knife.
  All three of these boost beautifully with a TS (BYOC).
  All these pedals I use through a clean (or only, only just starting to break up) amp.

Sorry they're all so expensive.  In my experience you do get whay you pay for though - especially in keeping a low noise floor with higher quality pedals.

[Pete24v]

I borrowed a friends Dual for a few gigs when my Matamp was off sick. I found that it did not matter what guitar was plugged into it, or indeed amp it went into... everything sounded the same, which could be a good thing depending on your view point. The amps i used were a fender blues deluxe, laney lc30 and fender hot rod deville. I prefered my Zvex Box of Rock for overdrive and an Analogman DS-1 Pro for distortion

[ailean]

I like the dual, but yeah it stamps it's tone down pretty hard.

[Adam.M]

Cheers for the responses guys, i just won a HT-Dual on ebay so i'm gonna give it a good try at home, if i don't like it i wont loose much cash.


I may as well start tinkinering with BYOC's if i don't like it, at least then i'll learn something!

[sgmypod]

there new screamer2 is great built one just recently...really want to try the shredder

[MrBump]

there new screamer2 is great built one just recently...really want to try the shredder

I've hinted heavily to the wife that I'd like one of these for my birthday...

[Mr. Air]

I have an EMMA reezaFRATzitz and I like it a lot. I'm no tone guru at all, but it's a quite versatile pedal, that can go from light crunch to hard distortion.

I also own a T-Rex Alberta which is a tube screamer like pedal. A great pedal too. It delivers nice crunchy tones, but can't do harder distortion on it's own.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cnmq92jXmp8 - reezaFRATzitz

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MzOhzMsMCfs - Alberta

[donovan.x]

I am using the DistX with a Laney L5T and it is very cool (imho) but yeah it does have its own sound, I have just ordered a 'Satchurator' which I am quite excited about.

[Simon D]

If you're after something with a fair amount of kick, the Seymour Duncan Twin Tube Mayhem is worth a look. Wide range of sounds and a switch for a 4 or 8db boost. It's far from a one trick pony too.

Vid here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fGgGBtbWxRs

I had a Dual for a little while, but got rid of it because it made a hideous noise whenever I engaged my wah pedal - dunno if I had a rogue or if they all do that - I'm guessing it was a rogue.

[maverickf1jockey]

I found I needed quite some time to dial in the HT-Dual.

Maybe I have a bit of a reverse honeymoon period as I tend to be disappointed with stuff before coming round to the sound of them (My Ceramic Warpigs included).

I've got it sounding great now.

EDIT Was it a high - pitched feedback sound?

I get that on the red channel sometimes but I've got the hang of controlling it.