Distortion question.

punk_one82 · 19-04-2009 03:04PM #1

I'm looking to buy a decent distortion pedal. Something that will get me roughly the older Biffy Clyro sound and Nirvana sound. I've been thinking a Boss -ds1, but then I saw a video comparing the stock one to the keeley modded one,and it just didn't compete.The stock one sounded awful. The keeley mod is quite expensive for a broke student like me. Has anyone got any suggestions for a pedal that sounds similar to the keeley modded ultra ds-1, but without the big price tag?

rcaz · 19-04-2009 04:30PM

Steer clear of the DS-1

The Boss SD-1 is a great cheap overdrive pedal, I love mine, you can get it for about fifty quid, but I don't know if it'd have enough gain for you. Maybe you could use it to drive your amp?

Kurt used a Big Muff a little, didn't he? Muffs are great (Wahey), and not too pricey. If you want a big balls-out fuzzy distortion, definitely look into a Big Muff (€69 on Thomann).

My first thought when I read this was a Proco RAT, I think that might be your best bet. It can cover a ton of ground, and it's such a nice pedal. A little pricey maybe at €75, but well worth it. If I could only keep one of my distortions, it'd be my RAT hands down.

punk_one82 · 19-04-2009 05:18PM

Cheers, I'll head out to xmusic and give the ones you mentioned a try. I've heard a lot about the muffs(heh) but I've never actually seen one being used(that i'm aware of) so it'll be interesting to see what i make of that. I'll give the rat a go too. How do you mean drive the amp with an overdrive pedal? Just got my first tube head so I'm a noob when it comes to this. Just trying to set up a decent pedal board at the minute.

darrenw5094 · 19-04-2009 05:41PM

Cobain also used a Boss DS-2 Turbo. The DS-1 is bollox.
Some of the Boss ones are ok and easy to get, but not the DS-1.

Try out as many as you can in your local music shop and see what sounds what you are looking for.

-=al=- · 19-04-2009 05:51PM

fulltone ocd

darrenw5094 · 19-04-2009 05:55PM

Expensive piece of kit though.

spoonbadger · 19-04-2009 06:10PM

darrenw5094 wrote: »

Cobain also used a Boss DS-2 Turbo. The DS-1 is bollox.
Some of the Boss ones are ok and easy to get, but not the DS-1.

Try out as many as you can in your local music shop and see what sounds what you are looking for.

Have a DS-2 and it's also bollocks. Sounds like a cat raping a typewriter. Avoid Boss at all costs. They're horrible compared to real gear.

-=al=- wrote: »

fulltone ocd

...Which is a kickass pedal, but probably not what the OP is looking for

. I'd second the Rat/Muff suggestions, especially the Rat.

Last Angry Man · 19-04-2009 07:36PM

In my opinion you'd be doing well to get a pedal that gives you a pro sound. Most records have guitarists playing through decent amplification with or without pedals. Some guitarist use different amps for treble, middle and bass. Most records also have multi-tracked guitars using different sounds, mics, mic positions, eqs, compressors all blended together to achieve "that" sound. That said, I have a ProCo Rat Deuce Tone which is rather good and was my only OD sound for many years. I now use it to augment a driven DSL but still use it on it's own from time to time.

mattfender · 19-04-2009 08:20PM

I replaced my DS-1 with a Boss Metal Zone there recently, works great for the biffy tunes (simons main dist pedal) and also Nirvana. What i like about it is you can control the mid range frequency's and boost what you wanna hear and you dont necessarily have to have it up full whack. up to yourself tho

darrenw5094 · 19-04-2009 08:30PM

The Boss Metal Zone is gonna get hammered here.
You've been warned......

-=al=- · 19-04-2009 08:55PM

uh oh

the only usefull thing about the metalzone is its ability to be turned off

darrenw5094 · 19-04-2009 09:05PM

It's a stomp box.....stomp on it......hard.

punk_one82 · 19-04-2009 09:38PM

Well it's going to be used with a Hiwatt head,a 1960av cab and a jap tele,so my gear atm isn't the worst. I think the only boss distortion pedal i'd go for is a keeley modded ds -1 which in my opinion sounds awesome. I've been reading up on the rat and it sounds like it might fit my needs. I'll give a big muff and a metal muff a go too. No harm in browsing around I suppose.

Fingers Mcginty · 19-04-2009 09:41PM

spoonbadger wrote: »

Avoid Boss at all costs. They're horrible compared to real gear.

whaaaaa?????

Seziertisch · 19-04-2009 10:05PM

Nevermind" was recorded at the following studios: Sound City, Van Nuys and Devonshire, North Hollywood. It was produced by Butch Vig and NIRVANA. According to Vig, his guitars were "a late-Sixties Mustang, a Jaguar with DiMarzio pickups and several new Stratocasters with humbuckers in the bridge posutions." His main effects were a Boss DS-1 and the aforementioned Small Clone. A ProCo rat distortion pedal was also probably used on some songs. His main amp was a Mesa/Boogie Studio .22. He also used a Fender Bassman on about four songs and a Vox AC30 for some clean tracks. Four microphones were used to mike Kurt's speaker cabinet (he would pick which one he liked best for each song and its signal was sent through the Neve console at Sound City): a Shure SM57, an AKG 414, a Neumann U87, and occasionally a Sennheiser 421. According to Vig, the Small Clone was the key to "the watery guitar sound you hear on the pre-chorus build-up of 'Smells Like Teen Spirit' and also 'Come As You Are.'" An Electro-Harmonix Big Muff fuzz box was used on "Lithium" for that "dark, thumpier sound." Vig recalls using the U87 mike on "Lithium" because it wasn't so bright and had a "heavier sound." "Polly" was recorded at Vig's Smart Studios in Madison, Wisconsin during demo sessionsfor "Nevermind." The guitar had only 5 strings which had never been changed. Butch Vig says, "It was tuned down about a step and a half down from E. I recorded it with an AKG 414. The same guitar is on 'Something in the Way.'"

punk_one82 · 19-04-2009 10:12PM

So basically the 3 pedals im looking at are ones that kurt used. Thats helpful.

Seziertisch · 19-04-2009 11:01PM

As someone who didn't follow this path, I would recommend first changing the pickups in your guitar. They will offer a far greater improvement compared to any one pedal. Although if you badly need a distortion pedal then go for it.

darrenw5094 · 19-04-2009 11:06PM

Damn......i just traded a Mesa Studio 22.
But the Boss DS-1 thing i don't get. There is no way to get a good sound from it. I have a Keeley version and it's still gak.

Hiwatt head and 1960 cab should be good combination alright. Does the Tele have humbuckers or single coils?

As for the Boss thing.....there are better pedals than Boss, but Boss are in peoples price range......some of their overdrives are usable though, compared to the DS-1.

Checkout some of the new Digitech range called the 'Hardwire'. They are roughly the same price as the Boss, but they sound decent and are true bypass too.

Seziertisch · 19-04-2009 11:32PM

darrenw5094 wrote: »

Damn......i just traded a Mesa Studio 22.
But the Boss DS-1 thing i don't get. There is no way to get a good sound from it. I have a Keeley version and it's still gak.

Hiwatt head and 1960 cab should be good combination alright. Does the Tele have humbuckers or single coils?

As for the Boss thing.....there are better pedals than Boss, but Boss are in peoples price range......some of their overdrives are usable though, compared to the DS-1.

Checkout some of the new Digitech range called the 'Hardwire'. They are roughly the same price as the Boss, but they sound decent and are true bypass too.

I have a homebrew modded one that is definitely usable. It is what it is but into a decent tube amp it definitely has its own thing going. I also think the originals were quite different from the new Boss ones. Supposedly a lot of revisions have taken place of the circuit and its components.

punk_one82 · 19-04-2009 11:50PM

The pickups will be changed eventually,but theyre not a priority. Single coil pickups. I found out today that I actually have a bit of money and after a watching a few Big Muff videos, it looks like I'll be going down that road. Sure I'll check em out anyway. The stock ds-1 does sound pants from what I can see, but I still really like the keeley modded ones.

GWK · 20-04-2009 07:29AM

Darren, i will sell the Studio 22 back to you 2K

.
joking aside, Had a good go over the weekend and very happy, needs a new set of valves but was still very good. Enjoy the JTM.

8k2q1gfcz9s5d4 · 20-04-2009 09:44AM

i have a ds1, not a big fan at all. i find it cuts a lot of your bottom end:mad:

8k2q1gfcz9s5d4 · 20-04-2009 09:46AM

spoonbadger wrote: »

Avoid Boss at all costs. They're horrible compared to real gear.

I like the blues driver.....and the ME50 is good for the money.....

mattfender · 20-04-2009 12:46PM

blues drivers my fav pedal :pac:

mattfender · 20-04-2009 12:49PM

-=al=- wrote: »

uh oh

the only usefull thing about the metalzone is its ability to be turned off

hahaha dont worry it fits the experimental sh1t i do in me band, still is pretty awful for everythin else hah

rcaz · 20-04-2009 04:03PM

That post about pedals not getting 'pro' sounds -

How would you get a mental weirdo fuzz tone without using a mental weirdo fuzz pedal??

As for 'driving your amp', set your amp up so it's just straddling the line between clean and dirty, step on a pedal (which is set for a good volume boost) and it'll push your amp extra-hard and the amp will start distorting itself (a lot of guys like this because it's "real" distortion from the amp, as opposed to "fake" distortion from a pedal's circuit. For this purpose, you could use something like an EH LPB-1 to switch between "clean" and "distortion".

The Big Muff's really cool, but it isn't the most versatile of pedals. I suggest you try the RAT most, 'cause like I said, it'll cover a lot of ground. A BMP will completely take over your guitar sound (and it'll sound damn ****ing cool) but the RAT can do that sort of stuff and more.

spoonbadger · 20-04-2009 07:17PM

Fingers Mcginty wrote: »

whaaaaa?????

Boss. They're bad. In comparison with gear that *isn't* made in taiwan, by humble natives, in the dark, without lightbulbs

.

punk_one82 wrote: »

So basically the 3 pedals im looking at are ones that kurt used. Thats helpful.

True, but the circuits boss use these days aint the same as they were back in the early 90's. Bare that in mind.

Eden Green Gym wrote: »

I like the blues driver.....and the ME50 is good for the money.....

Neither of which are bad, but the blues driver doesnt stand up to a quality tubescreamer. ME50 is good for the price, but i never found it mindblowing.

8k2q1gfcz9s5d4 · 21-04-2009 09:44AM

spoonbadger wrote: »

Neither of which are bad, but the blues driver doesnt stand up to a quality tubescreamer. ME50 is good for the price, but i never found it mindblowing.

i havnt played through a "real" tubescreamer, the me50 models it, it also models the BD, i much prefer the tubescreamer. Agreed the ME50 isnt mindblowing, only really got it as i wanted a compressor, delay and a good overdrive/distortion pedal, I got the me50 for the price of the delay pedal:D

darrenw5094 · 21-04-2009 10:38AM

The Boss ME-50 is great for the price. Suit a beginner for effects etc.
Some of the Boss pedals are vile though. DS-1, compressor is a joke.

Why don't Boss put a bit more effort in to compete with the big boys? True bypass, quality parts, tone quality etc.

OK-Cancel-Apply · 21-04-2009 11:16AM

The only thing about the DS-1 is that it's not very versatile. It does exactly what it says on the tin...distorts the signal. The type of tone you get will depend mainly on the amp you have and the amp setting you choose. Some people like the way it sounds..some don't. I must say, the 'tone' knob on the DS-1 is unusable.. it really does cut the low end off dramatically as soon as you get past 11 o'clock.

I'd highly recommend the Line 6 Uber Metal - I saw it being discussed here on boards so I researched it a bit and then bought one. It's great. You can get pretty much any sound you want from it.

rcaz · 21-04-2009 03:18PM

darrenw5094 wrote: »

Why don't Boss put a bit more effort in to compete with the big boys? True bypass, quality parts, tone quality etc.

As far as marketing goes, Boss is the big boy, is it not? It doesn't really need to compete with anyone.

Aren't Boss just consciously making the whole digital thing their aim? I guess they're not trying to make 'classic' pedals, they'd rather work on their COSM stuff. Although they're the best pedals, isn't it good that someone isn't just trying to remake old stuff?

Distortion question.

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