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Post by Grand Toad on Dec 27, 2015 0:03:50 GMT
I picked this up at Sam Ash yesterday. A great, very versatile pedal. Got it for dirt cheap. What's dirt cheap, if I may ask. That looks interesting. I got it for $79.00 at Sam Ash. They list for $229.00.
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Post by laowai on Dec 27, 2015 18:02:18 GMT
Wow. $80? That's nearly a felony.
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roberteaux
Burnt Rock Star
философ
Posts: 37
Likes: 112
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Post by roberteaux on Dec 28, 2015 5:57:04 GMT
The worst user manuals are from Line 6. Why do they insist on using "Hipster" language? Damn, I thought it was just my Line 6 manual that sounded like that! I bought this 99 buck amp called a "Spyder" or a "Spider" or something like that. It had one billion special effects built right into it... and a guitar tuner. So I figured that the amp would be good enough. It was the first amp I ever bought... knowing nothing whatsoever about amplifiers, I figured it would be as good as anything else for a total beginner such as myself. I took it home, unpacked it, and found its manual sitting in the box. So I took it out and read it... and thought that whoever wrote it sounded like he or she was about fifteen years old, and trying like hell to seem really hip, though overdoing it with curious results. After a bit of smirking about it, I began to feel annoyed while reading it. That was a real first for me, when it comes to technical manuals of the end user variety. They're usually more boring than that, but are only annoying when badly written or organized-- but this Line 6 manual was really something else. I shrugged and figured that most beginners are pretty young-- not 52 year-old geezers who never really tried to play guitar before this. Plus, it was a super cheap amp... so again, I figured it was a youth market kind of deal. Prolly only have to save lunch money for about a month to afford it, or put the squeeze on mom about it. Though I got it in a music store, the thing was about like something you'd expect to find being sold at Walmart instead. But now it's starting to sound like Line 6 just has some overly enthusiastic and hype-prone technical writers working for 'em. Probably somebody totally uncool who usually writes lawn mower manuals, but who was specifically instructed to sound like they were really happening with the language they use or something... But you know what happened to that amp? It more or less self-destructed after just one month of use during which it was anything *but* driven. It didn't just zorch out or die, though... instead, what happened was that the FX package built into it took to switching modes all by itself... you'd be sitting there trying to strum a D chord, and suddenly you'd be wondering what the hell happened... like, it would suddenly start putting out noises like you wouldn't believe... really weird stuff, like a phase shifter set to play music written by aliens from Pluto. Pretty crazy. I palmed it off on a neighborhood kid for free, after warning him about what the thing was actually good for. I saw that kid after that and asked how he liked the amp, and he told me that he thought it was great and used it all the time. I asked him if it was still switching modes without anybody mashing a button or twiddling a dial, and the kid said that yes, it did... and that this was what he liked best about the thing! Never was quite sure what to make of that particular reply... As for drive pedals: I dunno what the best drive pedal might be, seeing as I've only owned one. It's a Boss blues driver, and I guess it works well enough, though I seldom use it. Usually, the drive channels of my amps produce enough of that effect for me, though I can see other uses for the drive pedal cropping up in the very near future. Very hard to cover certain material credibly without an extra shovel full of dirt. That intro to "Don't Take Me Alive" sounds pretty lame without the crazy drive sound pushing it... and that's even with somebody who is a good guitarist covering it! But mainly, the material I'm messing with that calls for that sort of thing is stuff I've found is best learned on a clean amp (at least, if I am the one learning it)... and then juiced up later, once I can actually play it at all. I found that if I did things this way, dialing the song into sounding as it ultimately should sound is easier to pull off if I learned it clean first. Easier for me to hear my mistakes, playing clean... which is why I do so much of that, along with playing my acoustic guitars. --Rob
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Post by Marshall 'n' Moonshine on Jan 9, 2016 20:55:48 GMT
I've had a Fulltone Fulldrive 2 for almost 10yrs. I haven't looked for another OD pedal since. It's pretty flexible, but my favorite way to run it is in CompCut into a cookin' JCM800. It takes it to another level. He boost gets used to fatten it up, and I do like the MOSFET setting. It makes a difference what voltage you operas it at. I have it at 12vdc, because it's just a minitoggle on the PP2+ to get it there without taking up another outlet.
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Post by Maxwell on Jan 10, 2016 2:15:34 GMT
I want to play through a Simble once just to hear in person....
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Post by laowai on Jan 14, 2016 8:29:42 GMT
I dusted off my gear and plugged into my full rig. Listening to my father-in-law argue on the phone with his asshole son.
Rat into a BB preamp is getting me crazy feedback and sustain at very reasonable apartment volumes.
That is all.
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Post by laowai on Jan 14, 2016 8:49:43 GMT
I've had a Fulltone Fulldrive 2 for almost 10yrs. I haven't looked for another OD pedal since. It's pretty flexible, but my favorite way to run it is in CompCut into a cookin' JCM800. It takes it to another level. He boost gets used to fatten it up, and I do like the MOSFET setting. It makes a difference what voltage you operas it at. I have it at 12vdc, because it's just a minitoggle on the PP2+ to get it there without taking up another outlet. some of that.
At 18 volts my OCD is practically a clean boost. That's at bedroom levels. I'd love to try a cranked [tube amp] with it. I want to play through a Simble once just to hear in person.... That just sounds dirty.
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Post by Marshall 'n' Moonshine on Jan 14, 2016 23:19:20 GMT
I've had a Fulltone Fulldrive 2 for almost 10yrs. I haven't looked for another OD pedal since. It's pretty flexible, but my favorite way to run it is in CompCut into a cookin' JCM800. It takes it to another level. He boost gets used to fatten it up, and I do like the MOSFET setting. It makes a difference what voltage you operas it at. I have it at 12vdc, because it's just a minitoggle on the PP2+ to get it there without taking up another outlet. some of that.
At 18 volts my OCD is practically a clean boost. That's at bedroom levels. I'd love to try a cranked [tube amp] with it. I want to play through a Simble once just to hear in person.... That just sounds dirty. I have a feeling that even though I could go higher, the 12vdc is a happy middle. It already sizzles through a cranked Marshall.
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Danl K
Burnt Rock Star
Posts: 53
Likes: 42
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Post by Danl K on Mar 4, 2016 18:35:55 GMT
Visual Sound Jekyll & Hyde is my most used pedal.
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Danl K
Burnt Rock Star
Posts: 53
Likes: 42
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Post by Danl K on Mar 4, 2016 19:32:11 GMT
@rob....I'm chuckling about your tale of the random Spider amp.
I play mostly either clean or acoustic for the same reason you do. It's easier to hear my mistakes, and I make plenty of them. Every once in a while, though, I can't resist boosting an amp to near-meltdown just for the giggle factor.
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Post by Marshall 'n' Moonshine on Mar 5, 2016 22:58:40 GMT
Lately, I'm just using the MJM London Fuzz Ge and rolling up and down for different dirt. It's not as focused, but it's fun for now.
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Post by Snoop Droobie Doge Doge on Mar 9, 2016 21:55:50 GMT
Soul Food > Big Muff > Marshall = anarchy
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johnnyn
Burnt Rock Star
Posts: 78
Likes: 135
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Post by johnnyn on Mar 11, 2016 16:20:24 GMT
Must be the T-Rex Mudhoney - can go from a nice sizzly overdrive to fuzzy distortion, always retaining the lows and with a tonecontrol for the highs. In your face kind of sound. I GAS for a Carl Martin Plexidrive Lo gain atm - killer sound and would be perfect to stack with the Mudhoney I think
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Post by Colchar on May 20, 2016 18:40:10 GMT
I just picked up a MXR Custom Badass '78 Distortion to try it out, primarily for slide. As my technique develops a bit I am also experimenting to see what sound I like as doing that makes learning more interesting (especially boring exercises!).
I think I might also want to try a Bad Monkey and a Boss BD2 Blues Driver to see what they are like.
The chain I deal with still has some Bad Monkeys in stock so I should probably order one (same price as I paid for the MXR used) as they are becoming scarce on the used market and people are starting to ask stupid prices for them now that they have been discontinued.
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Post by Grand Toad on May 20, 2016 23:20:12 GMT
Grab the Bad Monkey while you can. They are a great pedal, then go home and spank the plank.
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Post by Colchar on May 21, 2016 18:13:31 GMT
Grab the Bad Monkey while you can. They are a great pedal, then go home and spank the plank. I am trying to decide between it and the MojoMojo Overdrive. I'll check the local classifieds to see if there are any Bad Monkeys available. If there are, I'll go the used route. If there aren't I will grab a new one now, while I can, and will check out the MojoMojo later on as they will be available for a while yet.
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Post by Colchar on May 21, 2016 19:16:59 GMT
I just checked and the only Bad Monkeys anywhere near me are selling for $70 (used) or $99 (new) The chain I deal with is selling them for $65 new so I will deal with them. I'll also check to see if they have any used ones floating around their chain, same for the MojoMojo. If I can find them cheap enough I can grab both.
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Post by Grand Toad on May 21, 2016 19:51:35 GMT
Dirt boxes are a slippery slope. They are a relatively cheap way to tone shape.
If you mention Sloosh tonez (or any other famous tonez), you'll have to ban yourself.
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Post by Colchar on May 21, 2016 23:03:02 GMT
Dirt boxes are a slippery slope. They are a relatively cheap way to tone shape. I fear I might be disappearing down that particular rabbit hole. Not a chance I would mention anything like that. Well, maybe Duane and Dickey's live tone on the Fillmore album.
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Post by Colchar on May 21, 2016 23:05:53 GMT
On another note, I picked up the MojoMojo when I was out. They didn't have any Bad Monkeys available but my buddy who works at the store says they get them in fairly regularly so he'll snag the next one he sees and will put it aside for me. In the meantime, I can also place an ad on Craigslist as somebody local has to have one they are willing to part with. Worst comes to worst, as he notices the chain's stock getting close to zero he can bring one of their last new ones in for me (my local store didn't have any new ones today) or order a used one from another location.
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Post by Maxwell on May 22, 2016 23:59:57 GMT
One day I'll find another TD-1 at a decent price...
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Post by Colchar on May 23, 2016 2:32:05 GMT
Some of the Joyo pedals are apparently very good for stupidly low prices.
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fretzel
Burnt Rock Star
Posts: 63
Likes: 154
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Post by fretzel on Jul 3, 2021 1:28:23 GMT
Okay, how the hell has a thread like this not been posted in for 5 years? Craziness!!!
Dirt pedals are my favorite of the bunch. Trying to find my ultimate fuzz, bit that's for another thread.
Have really been enjoying plexi style pedals. I want to try them all but I have put my foot down. LOL
Mad Professor Loud n' Proud is great. Ramble FX Marvel Drive is a nice simple 4 knobber in the same vein.
New overall fave though has to be the Mythos Chupacabra. Get you Billy Gibbons on and more!
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Post by Die Bullen on Jul 3, 2021 1:58:27 GMT
Okay, how the hell has a thread like this not been posted in for 5 years? Craziness!!! Dirt pedals are my favorite of the bunch. Trying to find my ultimate fuzz, bit that's for another thread. Have really been enjoying plexi style pedals. I want to try them all but I have put my foot down. LOL Mad Professor Loud n' Proud is great. Ramble FX Marvel Drive is a nice simple 4 knobber in the same vein. New overall fave though has to be the Mythos Chupacabra. Get you Billy Gibbons on and more! Well in fairness a lot of the newer guys here probably never looked back at the old threads (I know I didn't! ) My favourite distortion pedal was an unholy thing I bought at a music store in 1987 used for like $10. We will never know who the heck made it or why, but it didn't have a battery, but rather a 2 prong plug. I wish I knew what happened to it because it had a tone that was literally ridiculous. It seemed to double the output of any amp you plugged it into. One of my biggest regrets of a piece of gear that I sold- or lost...
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Deleted
Deleted Member
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Post by Deleted on Jul 3, 2021 2:59:37 GMT
I have mixed feelings about posting in a thread like this. Almost exactly a year ago I posted a thread on Strat Talk observing that many guitar players seem to slather everything with distortion or overdrive whether it suits the song or not, and that I felt a lot of it was intended to mask inept or sloppy playing. That damn near got me tarred and feathered and run out of town on a rail. It was the end of my time on the forum and, frankly, some of the things said make me reluctant to ever go back.
That said, like many people, I've owned a variety of distortion pedals going back to the original Vox Tonebender from about 1969. None of them ever became important to my playing and they've almost all gone away. About the only pedal that I have much regard for is the BOSS Fender'59 Bassman pedal. It's not specifically designed to produce distortion, but is intended more as a modelling pedal made to emulate Fender classic tweed 4x10 Bassman amplifier. However, because the pedal has both pre-amp and post-amp gain controls, it's possible to overload the preamp section slightly and get a much nicer than average distortion effect. Used with a lot of moderation, it's the one pedal that I'd use into my 1970 Twin Reverb if I wanted something less than perfectly clean, and to put a little hair around the sound.
Other pedals designed for distortion and overdrive have no place on my pedal board.
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fretzel
Burnt Rock Star
Posts: 63
Likes: 154
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Post by fretzel on Jul 3, 2021 4:26:43 GMT
Die Bullen, what color was it? Was it a tube driver by chance?
Spellcaster, that Vox would be worth some coin today. Too bad that the members acted so strongly. It is a long held opinion that too much distortion hide poor technique. I don't always agree but I don't always disagree. Take a guy like Philip Sayce for example. He likes to play with all balls out fuzz that make it sound like his amps are ready to explode. But he has plenty of technique.
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Post by zontar on Jul 3, 2021 7:14:44 GMT
Probably my Empress Distortion pedal--it covers DS territory & more--with a crunch/mild/lead switch--it covers a lot of ground. I often have that one & DS-1 and a DOD FX53 Classic Tube all hooked up together--and even use some amp overdrive or distortion as well. But if I want clean & then dirt--it's clean amp & pedal.
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Post by Die Bullen on Jul 3, 2021 19:43:20 GMT
Die Bullen, what color was it? Was it a tube driver by chance? Spellcaster, that Vox would be worth some coin today. Too bad that the members acted so strongly. It is a long held opinion that too much distortion hide poor technique. I don't always agree but I don't always disagree. Take a guy like Philip Sayce for example. He likes to play with all balls out fuzz that make it sound like his amps are ready to explode. But he has plenty of technique. It COULD have been named tube driver. It was a rectangular box, silver maybe 6-8" wide and 4" long? I looked up tube driver pictures and it didn't look anything like a boss format. I always wondered if some guy made it in his basement
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Post by Die Bullen on Jul 3, 2021 19:50:54 GMT
I have mixed feelings about posting in a thread like this. Almost exactly a year ago I posted a thread on Strat Talk observing that many guitar players seem to slather everything with distortion or overdrive whether it suits the song or not, and that I felt a lot of it was intended to mask inept or sloppy playing. That damn near got me tarred and feathered and run out of town on a rail. It was the end of my time on the forum and, frankly, some of the things said make me reluctant to ever go back. Well let's be fair about this: there ARE some who are bad players who slather everything in distortion to hire their mistakes. Certainly this doesn't describe everyone but it does describe some. Admittedly when I first played bass as a teenager I played with tons of distortion because I was a bad player. Bold and bad seemed better than timid back then...
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Post by zontar on Jul 4, 2021 0:20:37 GMT
Here's my Empress Distortion pedal--with the light on--hard to miss it.
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