Author Topic: 3 in 1 distortion pedal - need reminder ;) (Read 4365 times)

gwEm · « **on:** May 04, 2006, 08:44:08 AM »

i remember reading on this very forum about a distortion pedal which offers tube screamer, boss, and some other pedal... all in one unit.

i searched through old threads for a reminder, but after trying all the likely looking subject lines i'm still none the wiser. theres a possibility it might be the buildyour own 'tri booster' _tom_ mentioned, but i dont think so somehow.

maybe someone knows what i'm rambling about? ;)

b0ng0 · « **Reply #1 on:** May 04, 2006, 09:28:18 AM »

Hmm, I'm not sure if this is right but is it the HBE Big D?

Maybe have a look here, someone might have mentioned it:
http://www.bareknucklepickups.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?t=3409

gwEm · « **Reply #2 on:** May 04, 2006, 09:34:56 AM »

yes! thats it!

the fact that its in fact five pedals in one just shows my lousy memory ;)

thanks alot!

bubchronic · « **Reply #3 on:** May 04, 2006, 10:23:01 AM »

This is well worth checking out.

http://www.digitech.com/products/EX7/index.htm

TwilightOdyssey · « **Reply #4 on:** May 04, 2006, 01:13:32 PM »

Technically, the Big D is FIVE OD/distortion pedals in one box, but you were close! :)

dave_mc · « **Reply #5 on:** May 04, 2006, 02:02:47 PM »

^just to check, ben, it works well for boosting purposes?

assuming it does, if i ever get round to looking into an OD, that one's gonna be near the top of the list...

man, i hate forums and the GAS they induce...

:oops:

TwilightOdyssey · « **Reply #6 on:** May 04, 2006, 03:08:27 PM »

Technically, you can use it as a boost ... HOWEVER, there is a lot of unnecessary circuitry in the way if you're just going to be using it as that way. I would use an Uno Mos or Dos Mos for a pristine clean boost.

dave_mc · « **Reply #7 on:** May 04, 2006, 03:28:19 PM »

^ well, i don't necessarily want it to be only used as a totally clean boost- I'd like a boost that has the option of some pedal gain to be added too.

But yeah, it'd be purely used to boost what overdrive the amp already has- I don't see myself using it over the clean channel, for example...

EDIT: ok, i've checked out the HBE website- the dos mos looks pretty cool (as does the uno)- i'm assuming that with no tone controls, it's pretty transparent?

Hmmm, I dunno. On the one hand, transparent is cool- but on the other hand, my engl has plenty of gain on its own- totally transparent might actually be working a little against me here, lol, since i can get totally transparent by just switching channel.

Arg, decisions!

EDIT #2: what about a power screamer? it have lots of circuitry too like the Big D?

TwilightOdyssey · « **Reply #8 on:** May 04, 2006, 06:33:00 PM »

Quote from: dave_mc

EDIT: ok, i've checked out the HBE website- the dos mos looks pretty cool (as does the uno)- i'm assuming that with no tone controls, it's pretty transparent?

No, it's utterly transparent. There is no such thing as pretty transparent. Either it's transparent, or it isn't. The Dos Mos adds no sound of it's own into your signal chain. A suprising number of guitarists are unaware that this is probably not what they want.

Quote

EDIT #2: what about a power screamer? it have lots of circuitry too like the Big D?

Depends on what you mean by 'lots'. More than the boost, that's for sure. (See the reply to Edit 1, above)

dave_mc · « **Reply #9 on:** May 04, 2006, 09:32:47 PM »

Quote from: TwilightOdyssey

Quote from: dave_mc
EDIT: ok, i've checked out the HBE website- the dos mos looks pretty cool (as does the uno)- i'm assuming that with no tone controls, it's pretty transparent?

No, it's utterly transparent. There is no such thing as pretty transparent. Either it's transparent, or it isn't. The Dos Mos adds no sound of it's own into your signal chain. A suprising number of guitarists are unaware that this is probably not what they want.

Quote
EDIT #2: what about a power screamer? it have lots of circuitry too like the Big D?

Depends on what you mean by 'lots'. More than the boost, that's for sure. (See the reply to Edit 1, above)

ah, ok, thanks Ben.

FELINEGUITARS · « **Reply #10 on:** May 09, 2006, 01:26:20 AM »

HBE pedals can seriously damage your health.......

I had one drop about 5 feet and hit me on the back of the head over the weekend and it bloody well hurt!!

_tom_ · « **Reply #11 on:** May 09, 2006, 09:00:03 AM »

How the hell did that happen hahaha

FELINEGUITARS · « **Reply #12 on:** May 09, 2006, 12:06:34 PM »

We had a 18" tall staging/platform on top of which we had a Marshall head and a 2 x 12 cab at the show. (we stashed stuff like t-shirts and the like under the stage)

The pedal must have been placed on top of the amp head
I had to go under the stage to get a t shirt for someone and whilst reaching under to grab a box must have snagged a cable and brought the pedal down on my own head.

So it was a self inflicted injury and I can report that the pedal is seriously heavy metal in more ways than one

Drac · « **Reply #13 on:** May 09, 2006, 02:08:12 PM »

Digitech also sells the 'expression factory', with five models of distortion and fuzz, but it reeks of doing a little of everything, & then nothing really well-

I've never tried it,though, & probably never will-

IMHO, yer better to have the real boxes, functional, even used, and build a pedal board where you can try 'em all in their original incarnation, and skip of models...

Anyone tried it?

cheers from
Drac, midnight sun worshipper,
black candles ablaze in extremis...