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Recommend your favorite pedal (Blues/Blues Rock)

redisburning

Les Paul Froum Member
Joined
Aug 7, 2015
Messages
256
Whenever I see this thread, I always think:


  1. Set amp for Solo tone with guitar volume full up (possibly with guitar tone control rolled back a bit).
  2. Turn down guitar volume for clean(er) rhythm sound (with guitar tone up if not 50's wiring).

Is it not that simple?

But do get the switch for your amp. Probably the cheapest easiest option aside from the above.

It can be.

But that's not the path everyone takes.

I really bought into that kind of thinking in the past. I had an 18 watt Marshall clone and I ran it ragged and thought I had it all figured out. I learned how to play guitar with that amp on the verge of exploding, riding that envelope with extreme care.

Until I got fed up with the lack of real clean volum, causing me to buy a 50W Marshall and a $100 Fulltone Pedal, which absolutely ****ing smoked the 18 Watter for my ears. And I had a real clean sound at volume, including the more compressed sound of running my humbuckers on 10 and not having absolute mush. It was, to put it mildly, revalatory. Probably to the same degree that just as many people have gone the literal complete opposite, trading in their big amps and OD pedals for a smaller amp.

Your setup is one sound; the amp and the amp more compressed. That can be AMAZING. But with a pedal, you can have true clean one moment and cascaded gain the next. And if you get tired of your drive sound, well sell your pedal and buy another one.

Both are viable answers but the truth is that if it were that simple for the OP he'd have figured it out by now. It's not like a Blues JR comes with the full compliment of Steel String Singer switches, the 8 channels of a Bogner or the interactive controls of a Boogie.
 

renderit

Well-known member
Joined
Jan 19, 2009
Messages
10,951
It can be.

But that's not the path everyone takes.

I really bought into that kind of thinking in the past. I had an 18 watt Marshall clone and I ran it ragged and thought I had it all figured out. I learned how to play guitar with that amp on the verge of exploding, riding that envelope with extreme care.

Until I got fed up with the lack of real clean volum, causing me to buy a 50W Marshall and a $100 Fulltone Pedal, which absolutely ****ing smoked the 18 Watter for my ears. And I had a real clean sound at volume, including the more compressed sound of running my humbuckers on 10 and not having absolute mush. It was, to put it mildly, revalatory. Probably to the same degree that just as many people have gone the literal complete opposite, trading in their big amps and OD pedals for a smaller amp.

Your setup is one sound; the amp and the amp more compressed. That can be AMAZING. But with a pedal, you can have true clean one moment and cascaded gain the next. And if you get tired of your drive sound, well sell your pedal and buy another one.

Both are viable answers but the truth is that if it were that simple for the OP he'd have figured it out by now. It's not like a Blues JR comes with the full compliment of Steel String Singer switches, the 8 channels of a Bogner or the interactive controls of a Boogie.

That is kinda the way I like hitting the 59-60 Bassman type amps. The clean is beautiful and very 3d on them and I think everybody got the mistaken idea that they HAVE to be pushed. While pushing them does sound fantastic I feel they are certainly one of the most beautiful sounding clean amps I have ever heard. I am about to add a Matchless Hot Box for a little tube gain goodness for 'those moments'. Expensive, but tubes can do things transistors can't.
 

cincyguitar

Active member
Joined
Jul 30, 2015
Messages
431
Get a Wampler Plexi Drive Deluxe....it has made every amp I have sound great.....even my Blues Jr.:)
 

frenchphil

Active member
Joined
May 30, 2010
Messages
1,223
or maybe an XTS TEJAS BOOST functions as a clean boost or an od when pushed
 

Triburst

Well-known member
Joined
Feb 12, 2006
Messages
4,353
Like Wilco, Big Al, Phil, and others say - just a smidgeon of boost will get you where you want to be. If it was my rig, I'd go for the EH Soul Food, because it will do the boost thing but also is extremely versatile with some crunch settings to boot.
 

Chicken Scratch

New member
Joined
Apr 20, 2007
Messages
551
Whenever I see this thread, I always think:


  1. Set amp for Solo tone with guitar volume full up (possibly with guitar tone control rolled back a bit).
  2. Turn down guitar volume for clean(er) rhythm sound (with guitar tone up if not 50's wiring).

Is it not that simple?

But do get the switch for your amp. Probably the cheapest easiest option aside from the above.

This is dead on, using the controls on your guitar is the very best way to dial in a lot of different tones. If you do need a bit extra check out the menatone red snapper, it isn't cheap but it is a serious option for old school grit.
 

bratpack7

Member
Joined
Nov 28, 2003
Messages
246
Whenever I see this thread, I always think:


  1. Set amp for Solo tone with guitar volume full up (possibly with guitar tone control rolled back a bit).
  2. Turn down guitar volume for clean(er) rhythm sound (with guitar tone up if not 50's wiring).

Is it not that simple?

But do get the switch for your amp. Probably the cheapest easiest option aside from the above.

This is what I am trying to accomplish, and I can get both tones I want out of the amp, just not at the flick of a switch or volume control.
The only way I can get the crunch I want is with a bunch of preamp volume. For clean I roll the preamp volume back to about 3 and add master volume. When I add the FAT switch, it gives some boost but not enough overdrive for what I want to hear.

I think I can compromise my clean a little bit and try to play with a lighter attack when I want clean. But I wonder if I am getting the most out of the amp by keeping the master so low. If I were able to roll back the preamp volume and use more master maybe adding some overdrive will help get the sound I want.

Does this make any sense? It's a bit frustrating because I can get all my favorite sounds out of it, just not without changing the controls.
 

matt1981

New member
Joined
Jan 15, 2016
Messages
40
+1 on the Fulltone OCD

Sounds great with ALL of my amps and reacts to guitar volume very amp-like .
 

redisburning

Les Paul Froum Member
Joined
Aug 7, 2015
Messages
256
This is what I am trying to accomplish, and I can get both tones I want out of the amp, just not at the flick of a switch or volume control.
The only way I can get the crunch I want is with a bunch of preamp volume. For clean I roll the preamp volume back to about 3 and add master volume. When I add the FAT switch, it gives some boost but not enough overdrive for what I want to hear.

I think I can compromise my clean a little bit and try to play with a lighter attack when I want clean. But I wonder if I am getting the most out of the amp by keeping the master so low. If I were able to roll back the preamp volume and use more master maybe adding some overdrive will help get the sound I want.

Does this make any sense? It's a bit frustrating because I can get all my favorite sounds out of it, just not without changing the controls.

you want a pedal if you cannot clean up enough to maintain adequate volume. if your desired clean and drive sounds are that far apart (which I get, because mine are), then you're never going to get there without a true channel switcher.

there are pedals that are pure gain, with no tone stack at all:

e5148cd03cc083890044a4e42f1755e3.jpg


but really I suggest you go find a higher gain pedal and set your amp super clean; drive pedals these days are so good you won't miss out. both of the pedals I recommended (Eternity Burst and Sky Blue) can get within a hair of my Boogie Mk II really dialed in, albeit with a different vibe. that's a lot of value for a little box on the floor.
 

Don

Well-known member
Joined
Dec 1, 2001
Messages
5,732
I like the Analogman Prince of Tone. It's small and gives my Princeton Reverb and Vibrolux Reverb a fairly natural OD sound.
 

Johnny5

New member
Joined
Mar 31, 2016
Messages
18
I'm a huge fan of the Boss BD2 you mentioned. I have one modded by Analog Man, it just kills it's my go to pedal. Even stock I love them.
 

Stephens

Active member
Joined
Dec 30, 2001
Messages
438
Way Huge Green Rhino. Love the flexibility of this pedal. Allows you dial in or out bass and mids. Goes from classics Tube Screamer to full range OD.
 

guig77

New member
Joined
Mar 1, 2016
Messages
4
nobody is mentionning the TS-808 (from Maxon or other)

i thought this was the classic pedal for tube amp owners to get a such blues sound.

is it actually overrated ?
 

bratpack7

Member
Joined
Nov 28, 2003
Messages
246
nobody is mentionning the TS-808 (from Maxon or other)

i thought this was the classic pedal for tube amp owners to get a such blues sound.

is it actually overrated ?

The TS808 is actually one the ones I am going to test drive along with the BD2. If my local store has some of the others listed I will try them as well, but these two for sure.
 

Johnny5

New member
Joined
Mar 31, 2016
Messages
18
The TS808 is actually one the ones I am going to test drive along with the BD2. If my local store has some of the others listed I will try them as well, but these two for sure.
They are pretty different. The TS has that mid-hump that works well (IMO) adding flavor for strat/tele single coils and Fendery amps. I like the BD2 for Humbuckers/P90s and amp configurations with more natural mids because it has more top end sparkle and good bottom, without the pronounced mids. For context it can be bright stock but I generally live on the neck pickup so the coloring is perfect for me. And the analog man and Keeley mods give more range to the tone controls. With the mods it's one of my favorite pedals of all time... lol. There are some other really good ones mentioned though as well.... definitely having fun trying tons of them.
 

sikoniko

Active member
Joined
Aug 28, 2012
Messages
675
nobody is mentionning the TS-808 (from Maxon or other)

i thought this was the classic pedal for tube amp owners to get a such blues sound.

is it actually overrated ?

I had both the original TS-808 and a TS-10. I actually like the TS-10 better and they can still be purchased for +/- $150. It's a steal.
 
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