The "Best" Overdrive

Lordy!  It has been quite some time.  I've been rather busy with various projects, so busy in fact, that I have yet to come up with a reasonable excuse for my absence.  To the few of you regular readers, I apologize for my absence.  Very soon I should have a nice photo blog of my 70's Guild S-100 project.  I just need to locate a bridge position Guild HB-1 and I'll be raring to go!

In the meantime, let me get back to some smug gear talk.  Probably the most common question I've ever been asked is, "Which overdrive is the best overdrive?"  If I was a prattling snob I'd tell you to get out your checkbook and buy an original Klon.   If I was a true TGP'er I'd probably tell you to buy my old dirt box, so I can leap on the next overly priced bandwagon dirt pedal.  But glory be!  This is Stonewall's Guide, not theirs!  First thing I'd like to clear up, is that there's no best dirt pedal.  If there was, we'd all have one and there would be one company.  That being said, your musical tastes will change and you may use one consistently for years and then one day, never use it again.  I used a Fulltone OCD as pretty much my only drive pedal for a long time.  I've recently gotten a new amp and now all I use is my Xotic RC Booster and my sweet sweet Orange amp breakup.  It's going to change, you'll have to get used to that.  However, don't get caught up in hype, or you're going to end up one of those people losing lots of nickels constantly buying and selling new "best pedals".

Pedals are a math equation.  Your playing/style + your guitar + your amp.  They all make a big difference on the sound that's finally going to come out of the speakers.  If I don't know you all that well, my first question is always going to be "What kind of music do you like to play?".  Please don't tell me that you like everything, that doesn't narrow things down at all.  What do you truly like to play?  Rock?  Blues?  2 Step Thrash?  All of those are going to make a difference.  Basically it helps me decide if you might be looking for something with lots of gain on tap, or just a little bit of drive.  This also tells me what kind of overdrive voicing you might like.  In a really oversimplified way there's really only two voicings, Modern and Vintage/Classic.  Modern voiced pedals are typically going to be much brighter and have a more scooped sound, which is very common in that racket you kids call "metal".  As you might guess, Classic/Vintage voiced overdrive will sound a tad darker, have a more pronounced mid range, and might be more raw sounding than edgy.  I will digress for a moment, and say that with so many boutique pedal makers there are plenty of pedals that can be vintage voiced with a scooped sound and vice versa. Some pedals even can do both with the flip of a switch.

The next bit of information I'll need to know is how you're going to use it.  Are you running a completely clean amp and using it for your rhythm sound?  Are you going to be blending any amp distortion/overdrive? Are you wanting to just massacre everyone in a 9 mile radius with your Big Muff?  Some pedals don't stack well, meaning, they sound like shit with other dirt pedals or amp distortion.  (A Merriam Webster definition of course).  Stacking is a whole 'nother ball game I'm probably going to save for a later post.  It can get complicated because it depends on what order you have your stack, how you're running each one, etc.  We're just talking about "best overdrive" here.  The final piece of the puzzle is what amp you're using.  Clean Fender-esque amp?  Pushed class A amp?  Crunchy British amp?

Here are a few recommendations that've worked for me.  They may or may not work for you, but it would be selfish of me to withhold my experience.  I haven't tried everything, but I have tried more than my fair share.  Don't take my lack of examples as lack of experience.  I only recommend the "shining stars" that come immediately to mind.  The best drives, in my humble opinion, are the ones you can get at least 3 different usable sounds out of.  There's no bigger pain in the ass than bumping the setting and feather touching the knobs to get that non existent "sweet spot".  (Guess what?  You turn your amp up or down and that "sweet spot" moves around or disappears).  I tend to prefer "Vintage" voiced pedals, but I used to love that "Modern" sound.  Both have their place in music, you just have to use your ears.

On Clean High Headroom Amps
Fender amps are fairly "neutral" sounding to me, which makes them a great platform for using dirt pedals for different colors of drive.  Since amps like a Twin or a Hot Rod series amp have lots of headroom, they also provide a great platform to use the full range of gain in a pedal.  High headroom prevents lots of natural clipping; or the amp being overdriven/compressed on its own.  Once an amp starts to overdrive by itself, there's only so much gain you can work with before that gain knob just turns into a noisy mess.  This is what worked for me:

-  Wampler pedals:  The large amount of headroom allows the "amp in a box" Wampler pedals to really shine.  Given, you're not gonna turn your Hot Rod Deville into a Mesa Rectifier, but you'll still have a better platform to work with than say, a Vox.  They offer a pretty wide selection of tones, but I really bonded with the Black 65 and the Pinnacle.  The JHS stuff claims to do the same thing, but to me sounds like nasally shit.
-  Fulltone OCD:  It's based on a Marshall circuit, I used this for years.  I like the Fulltone stuff.
-  Tubescreamer Variants:  Although TS circuits aren't my cup of tea, they really fatten up a Fender.  Fender amps lack midrange, and a TS has a mid hump, making it an obvious choice.
-  Proco Rat (only with LM308 chip):  If you want to sound like old Sabbath get this.  The models without the LM308 chip sound thin and fizzy to me.
-  Visual Sound Jekyll and Hyde:  These pedals are underrated.  Despite the ugly triangle (even uglier on current versions) they sound great.  Provides you with a TS circuit on one side, and a nice distortion on the other.

On Class A Amps
All you need to know about Class A amps for this post, is that they have a different power section, which in turn creates less headroom for you to work with.  (If you want to know more about Class A, Mesa has posted a nice little article about most of the differences).  Due to the lack of headroom, your amp will break up nicely without having to kill everyone at the volumes you'd be playing at with a non Class A amp.  A Vox AC15 or a Mesa Lonestar Special are great examples of a Class A amp.  Most people who buy these types of amps do so, because they want this type of natural drive/compression.  So if you've got this nice creamy  drive, why would you muck it up with an "amp in a box" pedal?  You can, but I'm not a fan.  I like to simply blend a more transparent drive, or simply boost the amp to get more gain from the amp itself.  If you boost the right frequencies on these amps, you can get a nice warm fat sound.  If you boost the wrong ones, you'll get an ice pick in the ear.  Here are some recommendations:

-  Xotic RC Booster:  Does a nice job of getting more dirt out of a Class A amp, while leaving the natural tone of the amp intact.  The Gain on the pedal itself blends very nicely without taking over the show.
-  Durham Sex Drive:  Same deal as the RC Booster, just with the ability to choose a Raw, Soft, or Hard Compression within the boost.
-  Fulltone OCD:  If you turn the Volume up to 2 or 3 o clock, and the Gain down to maybe 9, you can get a nice crunchy rhythm tone.  A lot of people recommend the Hot Cake for amps like an AC30, but I much preferred the OCD because it wasn't as fizzy.
-  Klon:  If you know what a Klon is, you can feel however you want about it.  I like it.  It's a Swiss Army knife for either a little grit or just a boost.  It's not my go to, but it sure makes a Class A amp sounds pretty.
-  Fuzz Face Variant:   I think FF's sound incredible when blended with some natural amp drive.  It makes 'em warm and fat. (Everything a man looks for in a lady).  I had great success with Analogman products and the new version of the Fulltone '70 (the old one sounds like shit).
-  Muffs:  A Muff can be brutal sonic mayhem, but like the FF I think they sound best when blended with a little drive.  I personally like the Wren and Cuff stuff, but I've heard Mojo Hand has been making some great clones as well.  You'll have to look online at the different types of muffs (probably shouldn't search that word at work) to find the kind that suits you best.

For Those High Gain Fiends
If you asking me, and you're wanting to play high gain/heavy music, buy an amp that's gonna get you there.  Although I don't dabble in the black, hairy, unshowered corners of music anymore, I learned quickly that there's no pedal that will ever do it right.  Some do an okay job, and will get you by if you're not wanting to dish out.  But, do you really think a little metal box with transistors can do a better job than 15 glowing KT88's?  If you didn't buy that $250 boutique "Mesa in a box", you could have saved up a few more bucks on gotten yourself a used Sovtek MIG, Read Bear, or 5150 secondhand that would leave you feeling more satisfied.

You can blend drive pedals with these types of amps, but once you reach a threshold of distortion you're either gonna get lots of buzz or not as much buzz.  You should sit down with a well produced metal record and listen to how "distorted" the guitars are, not as much as you think.  If you really need a little push, this is what I'd recommend:
-  Turn the Gain halfway down on your amp and try some pedals and see if you like the blended drives more than your amp alone.  If you do this, Muffs and FF's come back into the picture and they'll actually be usable.
-  TS Variant:  Turn the Gain down (or even off) and turn the volume up on the pedal.  It'll have the same effect as those Class A amps, but you can use the tone knob to color your drive without adding unnecessary gain from the actual pedal.
-  EQ or Clean Boost:  When you're dealing with lots of distortion, it's all about hearing the right frequencies. The audio engineers out there will appreciate this advice, don't always boost frequencies.  If you find that you  want more Treble, cut some Bass.  If you cut frequencies to enhance others, you'll get much less noise and your signal will be "cleaner".



This obviously was a very short overview.  It'll at least get you looking at videos deciding which ones work best for you.  I'm obviously biased, but it's been based on what's worked for me.  If you want a recommendation, feel free to drop a comment.  Although they won't throw me shillings for this, I would recommend checking out the Pro Guitar Shop, "Demo It Live" service on their site.  It allows you to hear various pedals through your amp so you can get an idea how they'll work for you.

Until next time,

Cheers!

- Stonewall

Copies, Cloning and Modding. Ethics?

I apologize for falling off the map for a few days.  The weekend hit, and my other job translating Keith Richard's everyday speech into understandable dialogue caught up with me.  I was able to get back to the ol' interwebbing machine and catch up on some music news.  However, it seems the air of music news has been fairly stagnant as of late.  Aside from, Scott Weiland getting fired from his band (again, and apparently is the only one who hasn't realized it) and Lamb of God vocalist being acquitted of murder, not much has happened.  Yet, on a more guitar-related note, one idea caught my attention this weekend which concerns the topic of pedal modding and cloning.  This topic has been beaten like a dead horse into Jack Link's jerky, so I could care less whether you're for or against it. After coming across a few interesting threads recently, it sparked me so to write about it.  Insightful and/or angry reader feedback on this topic is much appreciated.

These are just a couple of observations.  Enjoy!

On Cloning and Reincarnations
Like it or not, it seems to be that pedal cloning (like venereal disease) is here to stay.  Point to point recreations of your favorite pedal can be found in any color for an affordable (or pretentiously inflated) price.  While many snobbishly devalue the authenticity of sound produced by these units (while ever so softly stroking their golden Klon), it seems that a majority of people have embraced cloning with open arms.  However, what line should be drawn where cloning becomes blatant stealing of a manufacturer?  Is everything fair game?  This topic also dances the legal line with reproductions.  Clearly, basic circuits such as T808's, Fuzz Face, Rat, etc. can be easily replicated by even the most intermediate of electrical wizards.  I believe most people have accepted the fact that these are going to commonly available from your favorite boutique manufacturer with their own flavor (such as the toggle switch that engages better playing).

However, what about recreations of circuits that are fairly new (ie. Klon, OCD, Timmy)?  Since the Klon KTR has finally emerged from Bill Finnegan's womb after fermenting for multiple years, many Kloners are believed to be tightrope walking on the line of ethics.  To be honest, I could care less either way.  I peacefully and comfortably rest with the fence firmly lodged between my cheeks, and no intention of moving despite all the tomatoes being thrown.  Personally, I like buying from the original manufacturer.  I'm a big fan of the "if you made it, you deserve the $$$" ethic.  However, I can appreciate the fact that some independent pedal builders recreate famous circuits and take it to the next level.  Aside from the obvious replacing of cheap resistors and chips for nicer ones, I love it when builders add others features that aren't present on the original version.  Sometimes those are necessary to get the sound out of your head, through your amp.  Shelf EQ, clipping options, runaway feedback, pig squeals, etc are great usable features I love to see on clones.  This brings me to my next topic.

Pedal Modding
This topic isn't so much an ethics question as an observation.  Pedal modding has made "life" so much more convenient by simply adding custom features to your favorite pedal, instead of having to buy a second pedal for the niche function.  Since the emergence of popular modders such as Analogman and Keeley, the number of pedal modders has exploded.  So many in fact, that it has become difficult to sift through some of sh%* to find the corn.  How does one possibly pick what builder to go with?  The answer my friend, is reputation and research.  Reading reviews are helpful, but sometimes you have to read between the lines about a builder.  Here's a personal story I'd like share, with moral to follow.  In proper Stonewall fashion, I will leave names nameless.

(**Disclosure:  I have nothing against repairmen (save maybe this one).  In fact, most of them I adore because they fix my stuff.  I trust them, and I have a couple really fantastic friends that are the only ones I will trust them with my stuff.)

Once upon a time, I received a big box EHX Deluxe Memory Man in trade for some various gear.  The previous owner had it modded by a notable EHX pedal modder. I will call him X. The mod was neat, but I never really used it's extra features aside from the increased delay time.  Eventually, I started getting some weird noises that occurred only with the repeats.  I brought the DMM to my favorite certified electronics wiz. He looked at it, did some poking around, but gave it back to me saying that I should send it to the gentleman who originally modded the DMM to be properly fixed. So I sent X an email, explaining the ordeal and that I had someone previously look at it. X replied saying that without looking at the pedal he estimated (also known as a blind guesstimate, which does not bind a repairman to a price) around $100 to fix it, which I thought was a reasonable guess. So I sent it to X. X opened it up and shot me a reply shortly after that which said it was looking at costing more like $200 (also known as a quote, which IS binding to a repair man). Yikes. Expensive, but I loved the pedal and I was ready to be done with the problem. 

Well another couple of weeks went by, and I was beginning to wonder what was up. Finally, X got back and said that my repairman had "undone his mod", and that he was going to charge me full price to remod the pedal AND charge me a service fee for "repair". The NEW price he quoted me was $400. I was absolutely astonished, I told him that I wasn't going to pay that much.  Like most repair places, I was under the understanding that if price was anticipated to rise above the quoted price, I would be notified.  X told me that my pedal was already fixed, it would sit on the shelf for a couple weeks, and if I didn't pay he would just sell it on eBay for $450+.

I didn't have a choice but to give up the pedal. I didn't have $400, and I could find a used one for less (since I wasn't using the mod feature). To be honest, I was fuming angry. Typically I don't get angry, I let things go or get very smug.  I understand that a preliminary quote over email doesn't count until they've looked at your item. However, I already received a new quote AFTER the pedal was looked at. The third and final price was a ridiculous amount, and came out of nowhere.  There wasn't enough evidence to follow with any legal action.  I also made the "mistake" of saying in one of my first emails (before the 2nd quote) telling him "to do whatever he needs to get it rolling again".  I guess I didn't see that as an invitation to double his fee at the time.

After this debacle, I did some looking into X on a couple of the forums.  Most of the X's posts on these forums were defense posts or excuses for shotty work, or blaming pedals that were returned not working on shipping companies.  Standing behind your work (without bad excuses) as a builder/modder is a good way to set yourself apart from every other Jabroni out there.  I find this to be excellent advice for any independent pedal builder/cloner/reduplicator/cat lover out there.  The lesson to be learned is to do proper research before sending your pedal somewhere.  Although I don't have any endorsements or affiliations (I actually currently don't own any of his stuff), I think it is an excellent idea to shoot Analogman an email and pick his brains about the mods you want.

-  Stonewall

Stereotypes

As with most training, to fully understand the textual slap(s) on the wrist(s) that I will be handing out, certain terms must be defined.  In any sort of teaching (or parenting), a student must understand why they are being beaten, before (sometimes during or after) the beating has occurred.  Over the course of my music career, I have studied guitarists and their habits and have developed classifications for the different types that have emerged.  Not everyone falls into these categories, but many fall into one or two of them in some way or another.  Enjoy.

The Wookiee  (woo - key)(like cookie, with a "w")

Look at them, lingering.  

Wookiees spawn from interest in various metal and hardcore music, but also from Classic Rock bands of the 70's (Pink Floyd, Zeppelin).  Long greasy hair, faded black "Maiden" or "Floyd" shirts, and plain wranglers.  They are one of the most frowned upon guitarist types, not because of musical tastes, but due to lack of personal hygiene.  Although Wookiees despise Hippies, they have much in common with them (i.e. no job, horrible musk, lack of ability to properly communicate).  The main difference being Hippies do more drugs, and Wookiees play more video games.  The Wookiee will always travel in packs, and communicate through a form of grunting to one another.  Once a Wookiee pack migrates to a guitar store, they tend to linger long past the point of being welcome.  It's very common to see a Wookiee hunting for EMG pickups, and an amplifier with the utmost amount of gain.  Once comfortably seated, they dial the master volume of an amplifier well beyond tolerable playing level, and furiously pick 32nd notes.  Despite their impressive playing speed, their technique is rarely clean, and resembles the ascending and descending of basic scales.  Once satisfied (or kicked out), the Wookiee pack leaves, buying nothing, leaving a disconcerting aroma behind.


The Prattler (aka The Pretentious Snob) (pratt - ler)

Prattlers are a less common species of guitarist.  The average Prattler has a 6 digit income and a European made car, or a rich wife.  It is common to find a Prattler at a boutique music store, or a church.  They get along with most P&W guitarists, but despise everyone under the age of 35.  Be warned, being cornered into a conversation with a Prattler is inescapable.  However, most Prattlers are much too pompous to talk to anyone, being preoccupied with deciding which R9 to play at church next Sunday.  It is common for a Prattler to casually instigate conversation about an extremely swank boutique company (which shells out a grand total of four units each year), then scoff at you for having never heard of it.  Prattlers tend to spend long amounts of time, even days, playing high end instruments in stores.  Despite being well financed, they will always ask for bottom dollar on an instrument.  Very rarely do they buy the instrument.  On such occasions, they typically bring them back the following week with the remark, "It just wasn't the sound I was looking for."


The Hipster (vag - uh - bond)

Mmm, Starbucks.

Hipsters are a young form of guitarist, and usually evolve into a Prattler or an Academic.  In its early form, a Hipster commonly will commonly play P&W, John Mayer music, or the ever vague "Alternative" genre of music.  Being independent thinkers, they hang onto every word spewed from the newest Rolling Stone or AP magazine.  Since they are easy to spot (sporting a cardigan and a scarf in the summer), they are subject to quite a bit of ridicule.  A Hipster has to have the latest effects pedals with the most options (especially ones they will never use).  It is common for a Hipster to be on the waiting list for the latest Strymon spaceship pedal, with their old Eventide spaceship for sale with a pretentious price tag.  If you're not sure whether you're looking at a Hipster or an Indie Rocker, check his/her pedalboard for a JHS brand pedal.  That's a dead giveaway.

The Indie Rocker (saw - Nick - you - th)

This territory is fairly shaky, since the term "independent" can mean anything you damn well please.  This type of guitarist can be very innovative (mostly awful), and are downright weird people.  Indie Rocker and Electro Harmonix are commonly used together in speech when describing each other.  In many instances an IR is a niche shopper, looking for odd devices that turns a guitar signal into an 80's pad synth, or sets their amp aflame.  It is common to see Indie Rockers wielding an Offset Fender, slew of fuzzboxes, and quite possibly a mullet.  IR's have much in common with Hipsters, but don't like being called one.

The Academic (ack - uh - dem - ic)

The Academic is a guitarist that is more concerned technique and playing, than the gear itself.  In many cases,  an Academic will be able to outplay you on a broken guitar with no strings.  Due to most of its life spent practicing, the Academic is socially awkward.  Academics are friendly creatures, but sometimes can be competitive and territorial when in the vicinity of a formidable scholarly foe.  Due to fluctuating hormones, Academics will go through violent mood swings of sheer cockiness to utter depression, questioning their own ability as a musician.

P&W (Praise and Worship)(Disclaimer:  Nothing to do with religion)

Due to the ever growing trend of worship music sounding more and more like U2 and Coldplay, the emergence of the P&W guitarist came to be.  A typical modern P&W guitarist has 4+ delay units on their extremely tidy pedalboards.  They litter online forums with questions that they think only apply to themselves such as, "I need a direct box for P&W music, help!".  (In all of my research, I have not been able to discern a secular or religious DI box company, but I'll keep looking).  It is common for a P&W to speak of themselves as a full-time musician, believing that making whale noises for 15 minutes in church once a week counts them as such.  P&W guitarists are friendly.


This was a brief overview, and there are many sub genres which I may delve into someday (but probably not).  Frankly, if you don't fall into any of these categories you probably actually play guitar outside of your house.

Until next time.

- Stonewall