Boost/OD Pedals?

Recording Techniques, People Skills, Gear, Recording Spaces, Computers, and DIY

Moderators: drumsound, tomb

User avatar
Recycled_Brains
resurrected
Posts: 2346
Joined: Tue Nov 22, 2005 6:58 pm
Location: Albany, NY
Contact:

Boost/OD Pedals?

Post by Recycled_Brains » Tue Nov 24, 2009 1:49 pm

Hey all.

Looking to get a nice, but not terribly expensive boost, or OD pedal for my lady friend for Xmas.

Curious what you guys are digging.

She wouldn't like anything that's too over-the-top. Just something to push her Reverberocket and/or Princeton into slightly dirtier territory and to thicken things up a bit. I'd like to find her something with some classic vibe to it, rather than just a boring ol' clean volume boost.

I've come up with some ideas, but I'd love to hear what you all are into.
Ryan Slowey
Albany, NY

http://maggotbrainny.bandcamp.com

User avatar
A.David.MacKinnon
ears didn't survive the freeze
Posts: 3819
Joined: Wed May 07, 2003 5:57 am
Location: Toronto
Contact:

Post by A.David.MacKinnon » Tue Nov 24, 2009 1:54 pm

You can't go wrong with a tube screamer into a tube combo. I don't like them as a distortion box on a clean amp but I do like them for pushinging the pre-amp section of a lower watt tube amp. It's like a boost with some teeth to it.
I also like the MXR Micro Amp for doing the same kind of job.

cgarges
zen recordist
Posts: 10890
Joined: Mon Jun 16, 2003 1:26 am
Location: Charlotte, NC
Contact:

Post by cgarges » Tue Nov 24, 2009 2:32 pm

An Electro Harmonix Linear Power Booster (LPB-1) ought to do the trick nicely for not a ton of dough. They're also readily available on the used market.

Chris Garges
Chatlotte, NC

User avatar
Sean Sullivan
moves faders with mind
Posts: 2555
Joined: Sat Mar 31, 2007 2:24 pm
Location: Nashville
Contact:

Post by Sean Sullivan » Tue Nov 24, 2009 2:35 pm

There are so many boutique overdrives, if you go on eBay, and just browse overdrive/distortion pedals you'll probably find a nice one for pretty cheap.

How cheap is cheap? For $50 a TS9 is probably the best you can get. For $100 you can probably find a lot of cool stuff.
Still waiting for a Luna reunion

User avatar
Recycled_Brains
resurrected
Posts: 2346
Joined: Tue Nov 22, 2005 6:58 pm
Location: Albany, NY
Contact:

Post by Recycled_Brains » Tue Nov 24, 2009 2:57 pm

minorleagues wrote:How cheap is cheap?
I'd like to stay under or around $150.
Ryan Slowey
Albany, NY

http://maggotbrainny.bandcamp.com

User avatar
jv
pushin' record
Posts: 282
Joined: Thu Jan 27, 2005 5:00 pm
Location: Seattle, WA

Post by jv » Tue Nov 24, 2009 3:07 pm

Crowther Hotcake.

Trick Fall
suffering 'studio suck'
Posts: 413
Joined: Sun Sep 09, 2007 5:09 pm
Location: Long Island

Post by Trick Fall » Tue Nov 24, 2009 3:40 pm

I really like the hotcake into my deluxe reverb, I bet it would sound great with the princeton. I like the LPB-1 too, but I find that it is better for a my amp is going to blow up sound. The digitech Bad Monkey does a nice tube screamerish thing for under fifty bucks. I also hear a lot of good things about the Danelectro TOD which is under fifty bucks as well.

Nathangrn
alignin' 24-trk
Posts: 59
Joined: Mon Oct 19, 2009 8:04 pm
Location: Fredericksburg, VA
Contact:

Post by Nathangrn » Tue Nov 24, 2009 3:47 pm

It's not sexy and may not make a good gift as a result but I love my DOD FX50 (2 knob version.) I think the FX 250 is a similar circuit. I've had it for about twenty years. To me tubescreamers boost the mids way too much.
"Opportunity is missed by most because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work." Thomas Edison

http://openbookquiz.bandcamp.com/

http://myspace.com/openbookquiz

http://myspace.com/artiejohnsonnathangreen

RefD
on a wing and a prayer
Posts: 5993
Joined: Fri Aug 27, 2004 9:10 pm

Post by RefD » Wed Nov 25, 2009 4:55 am

jv wrote:Crowther Hotcake.
OH YES!

also, Paul Crowther stands behind his products and is very prompt in both correspondence and in getting any problem sorted out.

the Hotcake is sounds great to me and seems to love EL-84s and 6V6s.
?What need is there to weep over parts of life? The whole of it calls for tears.? -- Seneca

User avatar
calaverasgrandes
ghost haunting audio students
Posts: 3233
Joined: Wed Jul 25, 2007 11:23 pm
Location: Oakland
Contact:

Post by calaverasgrandes » Wed Nov 25, 2009 10:03 am

Electro Harmonix makes a bewildering array of fuzz pedals. There is the plain old big muff, the nano muff, metal muff, bass muff germanium muff, double muff etc. I picked up a double muff a little while back. It just has a knob for each "muff" and a single or double switch. On single its just kind of chimey with no sustain (think later joy division). With it gets pretty wooly.
Most EH pedals are pretty affordable.
The nano, double and little-big muff are all well under of your price point.
Last edited by calaverasgrandes on Wed Nov 25, 2009 4:34 pm, edited 1 time in total.
??????? wrote: "everything sounds best right before it blows up."

sound for sandwiches
gimme a little kick & snare
Posts: 89
Joined: Tue May 12, 2009 12:35 pm
Location: Chicago, IL

Post by sound for sandwiches » Wed Nov 25, 2009 10:10 am

I heartily recommend the Voodoo Labs Sparkle Drive. It's like a clean boost blended with a standard OD. It also has a pretty useful tone knob. it's $120ish new IIRC.

User avatar
davepinkham
gettin' sounds
Posts: 124
Joined: Wed Nov 07, 2007 11:47 pm
Location: Austin, TX
Contact:

Post by davepinkham » Wed Nov 25, 2009 10:42 am

jv wrote:Crowther Hotcake.
the hotcake is awesome. i have the "bluesberry" version which is a little more compressed and love it. i also highly recommend Barber pedals. the LTD is a great sounding light overdrive pedal that is well within your price limit.

cgarges
zen recordist
Posts: 10890
Joined: Mon Jun 16, 2003 1:26 am
Location: Charlotte, NC
Contact:

Post by cgarges » Wed Nov 25, 2009 10:46 am

The Hotcake is definitely a cool pedal.

There's also an awesome boost pedal called a Timmy. I can't recall who makes it, but it's a boutique thing with a waiting list. It's an incredible boost pedal with really useful tone controls and the ability to just give you "more" of whatever you want. That thing gets A LOT of use at our place.

Chris Garges
Charlotte, NC

kuene
takin' a dinner break
Posts: 167
Joined: Wed May 21, 2008 11:10 am
Location: Montclair, NJ
Contact:

Post by kuene » Wed Nov 25, 2009 11:15 am

stop blabbing our Hotcake secret! seriously though, Crowther Hotcake is the best pedal I've ever owned -had it for about 4 years now i think. i plan on getting a backup in case i lose it. it is hands down the warmest, most responsive overdrive i've ever heard. i doubt you'd find one under 150 though.

Hallogallo
audio school graduate
Posts: 21
Joined: Sat Oct 17, 2009 10:01 am

Post by Hallogallo » Wed Nov 25, 2009 11:24 am

Barge Concepts makes a Harmonic Percolator clone, the DB1, and a couple different Roland BeeBa clones that are in your price range.[/img]

Post Reply

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 44 guests