Overdrive, Distortion & Boost Pedal Order Once & For All [You’re Asking The Wrong Question]
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 27 ก.ค. 2024
- Get your head around gain pedal order once and for all and start stacking like a pro
Life too short for long TH-cam videos? Please see the ‘Interesting bits and go-to sections’ information below.
Welcome to the show! The most common question we get asked is this: “What’s the best order for my gain pedals?” For example you may have a chain of overdrives, boosts, distortions, EQs and fuzzes and you’re constantly scratching your head about the ‘best’ signal order in which to place them.
We’ve made shows about it, we explain it almost every week in VCQ and we even struggle with it ourselves from time to time.
If you really do want to understand, it’s time to stop asking the wrong question. It’s no good asking what order they should go in; what you need to ask is “What do I want to achieve with these pedals?” So let’s start there and get this thing nailed on.
Enjoy the show!
Pedals and stuff in today’s video
• D’Addario XPND Pedalboard
UK & Europe: bit.ly/3zaTX5Z
• Xotic EP Booster
UK & Europe: bit.ly/3zaTX5Z
Australia: bit.ly/2OYhH1K
• Ibanez TS808 Tube Screamer Keeley Mod (no longer available, links for the current standard one)
UK & Europe: bit.ly/3zaTX5Z
Australia: bit.ly/3BFvsg7
USA Sweetwater: imp.i114863.net/MXO2mY
• Nobels ODR-1
UK & Europe: bit.ly/3zaTX5Z
Australia: bit.ly/3BoLto6
USA Sweetwater: imp.i114863.net/Gj9LVL
Interesting bits & go-to sections
0:00 Intro sound examples
0:50 The wrong question
1:20 What is a gain pedal?
1:45 Why is it the wrong question?
2:50 Three things the gain pedal does
3:59 Basics of an overdrive pedal
4:37 Louder, less distorted
5:00 Not so loud, more distorted
5:30 Changing the EQ
6:40 The first gain stage is you!
8:20 Another pedal, same fundamentals
9:30 Moving on to stacking pedals
10:26 What about the amp?
11:05 What is clean, what is overdrive?
13:30 How headroom relates to pedal order
14:55 TS808 with a lot of overdrive
15:45 ODR-1 high overdrive
16:30 Stacking two heavy overdrive sounds
17:20 Want to be lifted louder?
18:10 EP Booster as a level boost
19:35 Clean boost vs heavy overdrive boost
21:00 How they’re set is MOST important
22:13 Using an overdrive pedal as a boost
23:50 Mick’s approach to gain stacking
25:30 Clean boost
27:17 A fatter rhythm sound
29:40 Boosting for a solo
30:40 A different basic OD option
31:50 Boosting into your boost!
32:50 More gain for sustain and feedback
35:19 And what about a guitar change?
38:19 Dan’s approach to gain stacking
38:43 Core overdrive sound
40:10 Boosting into your overdrive
43:30 A more focussed heavier tone
48:05 Closing thoughts: a better question
Guitars in this episode:
• Fender Custom Shop ’62 Relic Stratocaster - Mick’s video here: • Mick’s New Strat - Fir...
• Fender Custom Shop ’63 Telecaster - Dan’s video here • That Pedal Show - Our ...
• Gibson Custom True Historic ’57 Les Paul Goldtop, Murphy Aged - no video yet
Amps & cabs in this episode:
• Fender ’65 Deluxe Reverb reissue with standard Jenson C12K speaker
We hope you enjoy this episode. Please subscribe to our channel.
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/ thatpedalshow
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UK & Europe: Andertons Music bit.ly/3zaTX5Z
Australia: Pedal Empire bit.ly/2mWmJQf - เพลง
SCAM ALERT! Hello to everyone watching this. Please note we will NEVER promote competitions or prizes in TH-cam comments sections. There are parties pretending to be us. So if ANYONE asks you to contact them saying you’ve won a prize and asks for details, please ignore them. Better still, please help us report them to TH-cam. You have not won a prize, and it is not us. It’s happening right across TH-cam, with collective apologies! Mick & Dan
I think the real problem with this question is so many people are asking it! To me it means people aren’t trying things out with the equipment they already have on hand! I appreciate a video like this and sometimes it gives you ideas you didn’t think of, but it blows my mind people asking what to do with what they already have.
Yes!! I always say it’s preference! To experiment with what you already have. One person could like it one way another a different way.
I. Cannot. Imagine. having more fun than sitting down with a stack of pedals and switching them out and playing and, hell- making notes? Like get a little notebook and write down your thoughts. I may be a nerd but I would do that all day. I may do that all day tomorrow, in fact!
I tell people to “just try stuff” all the time. Learning and discovery is important (and fun). That goes beyond pedals; you can apply this to mics, mic placement, etc.
I think there are a lot of reasons for the question. I think some people are afraid they’re “doing it wrong”, some people may have the ability to experiment only at low volume and worry about whether it translates to gig volume. Some people have several pedals and can’t decide what they want the pedal to do. I fall into that group. Does my EQ shape the overall tone and go at the end, or is it changing what comes out of my guitar and go at the beginning? Does chorus go at the end because it’s modulation or pre-drives so I can use it with the drive to take the edge off it? What I think sounds best changes week to week. As the boys say, no answers, only better questions. However, some people just want the answer without going through the understanding that comes from asking the question. The question being, what am I trying to achieve?
Absolutely! Experiment! I have and figured things out. It may take time but it’s worth it to get the optimum sounds that you want from the gear you already 🎸👍🏼have.
"There are no answers only better questions"
I love that!
So what I'm getting from this is Boost into Overdrive into Distortion into Overdrive into Boost LOL.
Love you guys so much!!!!
pour ma part , c est guitare , compresseur , clean boost , boss sd1 , nobels odr1 , clone de klon , chorus , rever/delay ; ampli
This should be a required view before buying ANY gain pedal! As a teacher, I truly appreciate the amount of lesson planning you two put into your videos! You are tone master teachers! Leg ends!!!!
i've put my boost at the end of my chain for as long as i can remember, but this video taught me that boosting into my overdrive(s) makes more sense for how i set my amp and what i'm trying to accomplish sonically. spent a few hours experimenting tonight and discovered one of the absolute best sounds i've ever gotten out of equipment that i've been using for a decade now and thought i was completely familiar with. can't thank y'all enough for your thoughtful content & your thorough approach. always excited to put my newfound TPS knowledge into practice
Yes! Nice one Christian!
Hello from Texas! Just wanted to say: Thank you for all the work y'all put into this channel - As someone that struggles with mental health and just doesn't want to get out of bed some days, THANK YOU! Some days I'll watch an episode and go straight to my rig or hit up my local shops looking for that new pedal to try out, gives me something to do and look forward to. I'm a better player and see better days thanks to y'all. Keep rockin', cheers!
Same.
The best thing I ever did was buying a switcher, like the Gigrig G3 or Boss ES-8, where you can move your pedals anywhere within your chain. I was able to experiment back and forth to hear how certain pedals react in front or behind others. It’s nice to make 2 presets and A/B them to really hear the differences. Like, having a phaser before or after fuzz, Delay in front of gain pedals out your preamp or after everything, compressor in different spots… etc.
Weird. My question is more usually "what gain pedals should I put my order in (for)?"
I believe I can answer this one: all of them.
Another excellent question I ask is "why order should I put my gain pedals in." Deep question worth pondering :)
best comment
Haha. Awesome
on a tous cette question , apres plusieurs essai qui m ont couté pas mal d argent .....et apres avoir revendu pas mal de pedales et perdu pas mal d argent , mon choix final pour les overdrives s est porté sur le couple Boss SD1 et Nobels ODR1 , 186 euros a elles deux .....ce n est meme pas le prix d une pedale dite Boutique !!! et ca sonne comme jamais je ne l aurais imaginé .
Only 23 1/2 mins in, this is a brilliant episode, the whole gain staging thing is a bit of a mind field and an ever challenging thing/moving target, especially with a tube amp as they literally don’t sound the same at ever other gig ! I guess that’s the frustration/fun part! Thanks again guys for clearing up more guitar tone mystery’s!
I've been thinking about building a serious pedalboard for a while now after having a couple of distortions/fuzzes and this episode really helped me focus in on how I want the gain stages to work. Absolutely brilliant.
Which order do I put my gain pedals in?
Hahahahaha!
Well played! 😂😂😂😂
@thatpedalshow... the scammers are loose again...
This evening during rehearsal I tried what you showed us and it was awesome ! Cleaner sound but powerful and definition so again thanks a lot even after several years I follow you you are still giving me a lot more to improve so thanks a lot for all what you are doing !!!!
Just awesome! This is making me consider what kind of guitar player I am. The answer to the pedal order question sort of speaks to your philosophy or approach to the guitar. I suppose thats why it's different for every one, because every player is different. The way it should be! Really enjoyed the episode and seeing your two different approaches. Thanks
It’s an evergreen topic for anyone who starts dabbling in having more than one pedal to step on. The good news is more and more people are coming to this bizarre way of life (aka hobby) so they’re gonna need the news and online resources are not structured for them to find it easily. i’ve been playing guitar for 40 years and the other day I emailed red panda labs to ask what order they recommended putting their pedals in. I know I can just experiment and find what’s best, but it’s always nice to have someone who’s been on the road a long time show you their path so you can choose to use it or to go a different way.
7:44 is the most important piece of Guitar playing advice available. Truly. Especially when you are using valve amps and boosters.
Amazing content as usual guys
Thanks again guys!~ I think this concept can never be over stated. so many folks don't get so much of the gain staging process and what parameters and factors have the biggest affect on what comes out the other end. So many don't even realize the value their guitar volume nob possesses.
I’ve seen so many vids on this subject and it never gets boring. Thanks Fellas!
It's like you guys are giving clearer, more eloquent explanations on more fundamental topics. I adore this direction. Thanks boys.
This is the kind of episode that I love this show for. I've tried to explain the concept of headroom a thousand times yet I've never managed to put it as clearly and visually compelling as this episode. A benchmark!!!
Yeah, headroom is something I had no idea what it was for a long long time. Then it finally clicked and it is the template for understanding most everything. It's what I use to explain amps wattage to someone trying to buy a new amp. It's less about loud and more about headroom (within reason).
All of this is a wonderful demonstration as to why...learning how to play a Fuzz Face is one of the best exercises in gain staging. When I learned how to control the gain of a Fuzz Face with my volume knob, and understanding that it REALLY doesn't take much to overwhelm the input of a Fuzz Face? That's when I really started becoming aware of the headroom in pedals, the amp and it helped me learn how to craft what impact I was having onto...whatever was next in my signal chain :)
...as an aside, Dan did some STELLAR playing this video. Well done that man!
Just popping in to say a big thank you for this. Guitar is weird in that the right lesson has this knack of turning up at exactly the right time (and invariably it's being delivered by you lads). So thank you, really enjoyed this.
I've learned so much from your shows. I've become better player now that I've discovered the volume knob on my guitar, and learned that between that knob and picking dynamics, I can get an almost infinite number of sounds and tones before I even touch a pedal!!! Dan demonstrated that VERY well today! Between this and learning about delay from you guys and from Andy Timmons, my playing AND my sound have improved more in the last few years than the previous 50... if I only I knew THEN....
Again, thanks for all your help!!!
Having watched all your previous videos multiple times thanks to "dear old Covid," my gain section is Screamer style (Plumes or one I made) into Lightspeed (which is always on) into J Rockett Archer. Works perfectly for me. Sometimes will switch out any of those for the BD2.
Really enjoyed your takes on gain staging. And Dan’s last playing w all three pedals was absolutely the best❤
Great video! It provided a focused explanation and demonstration of how these pedals work together in very clear and basic terms. I could immediately use this information to better dial in different tones with my existing rig.
Yeeees!!! I finally got my day off, and this video couldn't have come at a better time. Thank you TPS!!!
Exactly!! Well done boys. Doing the same under your inspiration. Wet/dry peavey combos. Old school 80’s VT and a solid state. Pushed with AC+ dual boost. It’s like a piano on overdrive baby!!
Brilliant. Best rationale for pedal order I’ve seen. Very helpful and I will reorder my pedals based on the logic you presented. Thanks!😎
I love all of both of your tones with the different orders of effects. Back in the day I used to use an always on RC Booster in front of my overdrives and an always on EP Booster after all of my effects through 15 to 22 watt amplifiers. Smaller amplifiers work really well in that scenario with Strats
Me too
The "Definitive Gain-Staging Concepts" Episode - Luv it! And you know... after 40+ yrs of playing Electric Guitar and messing-with-pedals... we all learnt something new... or can at very least, appreciate other players set-ups and point-of-view!
Have already "rewatched" and (if you'll excuse the pun), "Gained" further appreciation for ongoing experimentation... Rock On!
Great again, thank you, gentlemen!
Another great one! Great to break it down…of course Fuzz, and amp gain still to be explored. Best of all worlds (?), duel mono, where these different gain stages hit two amps? One that is limited, and one with loads of head room. Whew! Lots to think about?
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I like having interactive control with my guitar volume, and enough headroom in the amp to handle the various gain stages. I’m using a Clean Octave > Zonk Style Fuzz > OCD 1.7….amp set near the edge of break-up, so that by itself I can dial in a clean or low gain sound. With just the OCD set as a Dirty boost, it’s just MORE. I have a push/pull Treble Bleed that allows me to brighten things up if that’s better than adding boost, or gain.
The pedals provide color, saturation and tone shaping. All depending on the guitar volume. Lots of textures, weird colorful sounds, and running the Zonk > OCD full up, yields a singing lead tone with lots of Midrange and splatty edges!
For now….?
I wish you Gents were around decades ago when trial and error cost me a lot of money/time. Boogie Mk.3 got the clean & dirty dialed "enough" where even a cheap chorus and delay in the loop allowed for happy times.
At least you're here now for the multitudes of noobs who won't need to learn the hard way. I send my kids and their friends to your channel and you are giving me some time back. Thanks!
Best most definitive show yall have done on this issue.
My setup for the past few years: guitar-> effectrode tube boost (mostly to goose up the signal and/or shape different pickups)->greer lightspeed (just the best chime y always on thing)-> analogman KOT (we all know)->kingtone soloist (tubescreamer with more eq/headroom, great for its namesake, awesome solo pedal). Ill throw a fuzz up front, on batteries, different ones to taste for the gig. Thanks guys, always a great and useful conversation
Good info, well explained; works great if you need mild gain with a clean amp. All depends on the sounds you want. For example...
I use my clean amp for ambient and jazz with few effects (comp, chorus, vibrato, delay and reverb with GEQ at the end to fine tune) and for a smooth lead tone I'll use fuzz.
For my main sounds, I don't stack or use gain staging. I use and set my Marshall tube amp to slightly beyond edge of breakup, into OD/Dis levels of dirt; it can still clean up with guitar volume. For effects, Fuzz 1, Fuzz 2, Octavia, Wah, Univibe, Boost, Delay, Reverb, GEQ.
For high gain, I use my Engl rig, with a optionally with delay and reverb in the loop.
Cheers!
This was one of those episodes that was a game changer for me. I’ve got a physics background so I was comfortable with a lot of the technical stuff, so what was really useful for me was help thinking about what I want to achieve.
In my case. I play at home in a flat. So I don’t want volume to change between sounds, and I do want the master control on my amp to basically go between day time (“can be quite loud”) and night (“don’t wake the neighbours”).
Now i can spot the gaps in my set up and see if I can fix them with my existing pedals or if I need something additional.
Couple of ideas for follow on episodes:
1) a guide for what different things you might want to achieve. And why. I’ll already have to go and rewatch some old episodes to watch them with that in mind
2) how to set up one set of pedals to work with several different guitars.
I found you gents after watching "Guitarist" TH-cam videos about boost/OD/ distortion pedals, different guitars into different amps and how everything changed everything. Been watching ever since 👍👍
I love these shows. Funny enough these are the exact pedals I use. Well done as usual gents. Thank You. I absolutely love the show.
Great episode! A while back I asked a question during one of the live chats about stacking 4 drives (Lightspeed>Protein> RC Booster) and the advice that Mick and Dan gave was to set the gain lower than I think I would need it on my pedals and it was a revelation. It opened up a whole new world of gain stages and stacking. This video expands on that and then some. looking forward to trying some of these combinations.
On my own board, I am using a DOD 250 and a Keely Aria in much the same way as we see here. The DOD after the Aria adds some grit and a boost as well. A very useable combination when you stack the Aria's overdrive circuit on top of that.
Fun to watch Mick put the knobs back to his favorite spot at 2 o clock.😂 Super useful examples D&M. Well done. This stuff is the core of pedal board sensibilities.
Great explanation and demo! I always use max 2 drive pedals. I use my rocket archer Klon Klone for light break-up, or use it as a boost with a TS9 or KoT stacked on top of that. For heavier OD or DS i use the D&M Keeley Drive or use that as a boost with heavier DS pedals stacked on top of that like the OSD, S&L or Revv G3. I find that multiple distortions mixed together rarely gives good tones, better select one pedal and use a boost before or after and play around with a little break-up or crunch from the amp.
Really helpful video! Great explanation, awesome playing as always! Cheers!
Been following the show since early pandemic times. I would love to see an episode (or be pointed toward an episode) that explores how different pickups on the guitar impact headroom and signal paths for amps and what the key things to look out for are. I recently built a partscaster (sort of a blues fender strat thing) and was shocked at how much louder the pickups in it get compared to my other guitars and I noticed the interactions when using different amps as well as different overdrive pedals. Thanks!
For years I have run my EP booster in front of drive to push the pedals, which is great, but just recently moved to the end of the drive chain and it works so well to just punch up the fatness of a solo. Questions and experimentation is what it is all about…and constant learning. Thanks kings of toes!
Have you tried a boost before and a boost after? Could unlock all the options :)
I used to have Dan's setup, but more and more I find myself using Mick's setup (EP boost at end of chain). Great episode guys.
Stellar video chaps! Simple on it's face, yet it takes time to learn what works for you.
My current path is
BD-2 to TS9 to OCD. BD-2 is for a hifi clean up with grit, TS9 is for that sweet mid push. And lastly, OCD is for drive, mix and matching them all for shades of gain! 👌
Note that Gilmour had used two fuzz pedals (say, two different Muffs, choose 1), followed by two different Tube Drivers (One set to Boost, One set to EQ, choose 1) That gives you 2x2=4, +1 = 5 different usable sounds with 4 gain pedals. But since the two muffs are never on simultaneously, and the two Tube drivers are never on simultaneously, for any given song even though you have four pedals sitting there you only effectively have two pedals in series, a muff, and a Tube Driver. Plus also consider Gilmour's EMG pickups supplied a clean mid-range boost right at the guitar knobs. If the Hiwatt was clean, then the Tube Drivers give him two tube preamp options. Given that, the EMG's give an EQ'd clean boost to brighten up the darker Muff pedals that follow. Quite a lot there to unpack!
One thing I learned using Jetter dual overdrives (Jet Drive, Red Square, Gold Standard) is that Brad Jeter always places the high headroom, lower gain, Boost-OD second in those duals. There's a good reason for that!
I've learned so much from TPS and even more from my gear. Like Dan often says : you have to get in there and get your hands dirty.
Great episode! Regarding this topic, what is commonly overlooked is the amp. If you have an extremely clean amp, then gain stacking is a must, you can have an always on boost first, then an overdrive, then a solo-boost, etc. But in some cases, the amp breaks so easily that using a boost is enough to reach overdrive territory. Know your amp!
Since I only started with pedals very recently I've watched a lot of pedal videos in the last weeks. This was one of the most informative so far.
Nice one, thank you! Welcome to the TPS family. :0)
i guess most probable seems: you want to boost your overdrive(in front) and you want to add distortion to your overdrive, not overdrive your distortion. whatever you do don't boost your distortion and add overdrive to it after that. Boost - Overdrive - Distortion is the way to go!
Mick, your demonstration on the Les with the ts boost following the unity grit was eye opening. sounds really nice n big. Going to give it a go with my OCD as unity dirt. thanks guys!
An exceptional episode. Loved it. Thank you
I put a compressor 1st on my board. Followed by Boss sd-1 as boost (edge break-up), Both are always ON. Then stacked togerther with EHX soul food for overdrive and Boss DS-2 for distortion. They sound really good.
A friend of mine built me a sweet version of a Zvex SHO boost pedal. It is super transparent and loud and overdrives my Princeton big time. He insists it MUST be at the end of the signal chain. I put distortion in front of it and it sounds great, AT HOME! When I play out and crank, it sounds like mud, so I use the SHO alone for clarity. Still looking for the right distortion for a lead tone.
true story: September of 2017 i stumbled upon TPS researching pedal order. cut to today. never missed an episode (Friday or otherwise), multiple pieces of TPS merch, a bucket list item of The Experience Day and went from 5 pedals to over 2 dozen spread across an A, B and C board. and also, one of my favorite Mental Health champions. so, short story long....thanks Dan, Mick, Catherine, Simon, BV etc etc etc....
I’m a little embarrassed to admit that this little primer was exactly what I needed! I had it all wrong.
After watching this, I dialed down the drive in the AC15 and went back to the normal channel - I put the TS808 in front of the OCD and turned the drive on both of them way down. The tone I’m getting now is fairly freakin awesome! Cheers gentlemen!
"I put the TS808 in front of the OCD"
I'm sorry but English is not my first language. May I know what do you mean by "in front"?
Do you mean, Guitar > TS808 > OCD? Or Guitar > OCD > TS?
So a recap would be: Possibly a Boost up front.. (Drives) Low>Medium>High> (Dist)> Boost; or Sometimes~ just try stuff to see what works for your desired application.
Another option is to put the clean boost in the effects loop, especially if your using the overdrive on the amp, then you can have a volume boost without driving the amp more. With a clean boost in front of my amp I would get a more volume on the clean channel but just more drive on the overdrive channel (makes sense) great video!
Such a GREAT show Dan and Mick. I love how you have continually refined your approach and teaching methods. Super job guys. The FUN-da-Mentals never get old or outdated! Hope you all have a great weekend!!
Excellent video Fellas! Simple but sure did clarify this for me, thanks!
It seems like this is a VERY thorough way of describing the two sides of the D&M Drive.
Great lesson, guys. Push comes to shove, the EP Booster is my desert island pedal.
The way I always thought of things too was
Boost BEFORE Drive = More Drive
Boost AFTER Drive = More Volume
My current drive order; AM Ge fuzz > AM Beano > Turbo Rat > Zendrive > AM King of Tone.
I play through several amps for different bands and for one at home. I use the KOT’s boost side as an always on pedal and volume control to be able to adjust to different tube amps. Two are non master volume fenders, so I get to crank the amps into OD territory and turn down on the KOT. Then I use the other pedals for different shades of gain up to distortion.
So I mention this as an alternative idea where you can also use a pedal as an “under drive”.
I use the guitars’ volume knobs a lot and being able to have the amp compressing but not ear splitting loud is very useful.
Give it a try on a non master volume tube amp!
Sorry, valve amp!! 😝
Fantastic discussion. One of you best vids. Thank you
Great video guys! Answered a lot of questions! My only comment is that in the section about the “First gain stage is you” would be that not only attack, but the controls on the guitar, particularly the volume knob also can come into play as Dan mentions…but that could be a whole other video topic haha! I thought of this after Mick made a point of mentioning his guitar volume was at 10, I assume to keep a “constant” of some sort in the equation.✌🏻🎶🎸
Excellent demonstrations and explanations, gents!
Great demo of gain stacking! Thanks for sharing guys.
There's another way of thinking about this two. Which I more think of as the switching gears approach. Something you might hear more in the quiet/loud type bands like Pixies, Dinosaur Jr, Nirvana, Radiohead. There you might have a base clean sound, maybe with a touch of chorus - a nice twangy, warm, swirly clean/slightly hairy tone maybe just from amp, maybe with boost. Then there's the second gear, Distortion, often Proco Rat, Boss DS., MXR Distortion+ or DOD Preamp. Then third gear is fuzz. In that type of music they're exagerating the sudden changes, to delineate the song structure. A great recent example of this is Amyl and the Sniffers - Guided by Angels. Like a muscle car going up in gear. boost (EHX Soul Food), into dual high-gain Marshall stacks. Then snotty bad attitude MXR/DOD thing, then roaring fuzz (or boost into distortion?). Different instruments using different drives too, bass has ratty/TS sound.
I (oddly-enough) put my Muff last, which Sounded best-to-me (after numerous experiments). Barber Gain Changer SR > Fulltone OCD > Thorpy Muff = Killer Tones galore. Fantastic Job with these explanations and diagrams guys. You 2 are the Best.
Loads of useful info, here. OUTSTANDIG job!
You guys are great. This is so informative. A few comments, and forgive my ignorance as a way of instructing me and maybe others: first, it strikes me that there are potentially more than three things you might want to add to an amp with a pedal. If you stick let's say an Effectrode Blackbird in front of a solid state amp, you're wanting something more than equalisation, gain, and volume. There should be a difference in terms of the overall feel and character. Second, I go with Dan's rather than Mick's method, not least as I have at least two AIABs on my board. I cannot get my head around the idea that anything that boosts the amp - or "amp" for AIAB pedals - should be nearer the amp than the guitar in the chain. You can't put an EP booster before your preamp in the amplifer - you can replace it in the loop if available, but that's not the same thing (right?). So it strikes me that there are limits to thinking about the amp as a pedal, although it can be thought of as a gain stage, of course. Third, it's great to have pedals such as my Formula B Super Plexi that has an order reverse switch for its two channels, and I think this would be a problem solver for some. Finally, have you got hold of the Eastern FX Design-a-Drive yet? I don't think I've seen it in your videos yet but would love to see what you thought of it. Right, that's enough for now - probably some mistakes in what I've written here but if you don't put them out you don't learn.
I use a clean amp with a low gain drive on 80% of the time. So my lead tone is usually a Klon or TS type into the lower gain stage. I find it more controllable and easier to get my sounds than a cleaner boost after.
1) the Boss EQ 200 after any overdrive is just great, 2) I feel those Time/Amplitude charts ought to be a series of TPS patches. They'd look lovely on a TPS Joey Landreth Denim Cape.
Happy Friday TPSERZ.
2nd most asked question is surely what is the air-speed velocity of an unladen swallow?
This is a great episode. Absolutely essential information. Like learning to walk, not easy to learn but with repeated practice and application it becomes almost instinctive. Thanks for helping us get on our feet.....Leg-ends 😉
P.S. Context, context, context
That was bloody brilliant, many thanks Leg-ends.
Excellent! I like the focus on a few pedals and how they interact. I would like to see a similar focus on delay and reverb. Thanks!
Thanks great video as always, I’ve tried both orders and there’s merits to both but I think I’ve landed on a winner, which is Mick’s approach but with a low gain/boost before so you can get one more level of saturation if needed. That’s what I’m doing this week anyway 😁
I firmly agree with Mason from Vertex. I like my heavier drives well before my cleaner drives.
Granted, I say that and then my drives are in the following order: 3 Series Fuzz -> Angry Driver (JHS into Boss) -> amp (normally a Revv but also a JC) -> Pettyjohn Shift but that’s close enough
Even when you cover a subject you've covered before, I always learn stuff from your shows. Thanks again! The biggest thing I've learned from your show is to try stuff and listen. But now I have more insight into why I'm hearing what I'm hearing, and you guys are always giving me new ideas of things to try. I may never have a Two-Rock or Matchless or an Actual Klon Pedal, and I may not get exactly the tones you get, but I know I'm working with my own hands and my own guitars and my own gear, and within those limits I am able to hear new things and get better sounds by trying things using ideas I get from you guys. It's a journey with (I hope) no end but lots of enjoyment along the way. Now, with that out of the way: what's an overdrive pedal and what's the best order? (Just kidding.)
as always great episode guy's. great revisit to basic gain stages.
Currently i have 4 gain stages on my board. I use a BB style for lowest gain, like a clean boost last, Then a Klon style for more midhumpy boost/light OD, then a zendrive 2 (the one with the tube) for my medium/high overdriven sounds and i can stack them however i see fit. Usually zendrive for overdriven rythm, zen->Klon for lead, Bluesbreaker for a clean boost when i need that. I also keep a fuzz first in the chain for fuzz stuff and also doubles up as a booster in front of the Zen when i need it. i love the way the klon brings my tone right in focus when i switch it on, the bluesbreaker does a similar gain thing but doesn't stick out as much.
"SHOT fired." Singular. Epic ball spike by Munn
I love these practical shows!
Before watching, I just want to quote Frank Zappa "tone is in your head". That said, on with the show!
Love it. Every gear video could start with "What am I trying to achieve?"
I've always thought you guys must have the patience of saints, being pelted with this question every week yet maintaining decorum. So I appreciate the low-key shade in the title of this video. 😆
Terrific and very useful. As I have an ODR mini plugged into a JHS 3 Series Screamer (very TS in one mode) into a Fender Deluxe Reverb I was very interested in seeing what you did with the minimalist rig. I've always either had either the ODR or the Screamer on but not both. I obviously have much to learn-- thanx!
There's allot that you can do with a transparentish boost and a couple tone shaping dirt pedals! Thanks for the lesson boys.
Great show! (As all of your shows are...) That ep booster is impressive!
At the point where Dan is describing Mick’s three stacked sound as a really nice fuzz, I was thinking that it reminded me a lot of a cranked Tweed Deluxe (which, to me, is probably the most perfect “fuzz” sound). Fuzz-like, but smoother, squished, but still articulate. That’s a sound that I have chased for a while, and eventually came to it similarly to the way Mick attains it here. The biggest difference is that I don’t have a boost at the end. I run a Fuzz into a Green Rhino (which is a Tube Screamer, but with a bass control that I use to negate the bass cut of the TS circuit), into an amp or preamp pedal set to barely edge of breakup. This gives me similar tonal choices to Mick’s setup, except I can go more into Hendrix territory, where I can go from chimey clean to fat fuzz just by going from 7 to 10 on my guitar volume. But, I additionally have a Rat (set only to chimey edge of breakup) in front of the Fuzz, and that gives me the option for Dan’s kind of more tight distortion tones (by going light Rat into Fuzz). And on top of all of this, I have a Boss OD-2 (set fairly driven) between my Fuzz and Green Rhino, which I occasionally use in conjunction with the Rhino for a sort of Tweed Deluxe mids grind.
This must be one of the most common topics of your show yet at the same time it's the most asked question. How does that add up?! But it's always nice to listen to the gain stages and different boosts and drives.
I think that you were correct as to history . A pottery jar was found near Baghdad dated back to 100 BC with pieces of quartz , copper etc., that if you assembled everything in the correct way you end up with a battery powered Tube Screamer .
Love the jazz style beard . Now you'll have to learn to " TOBL" which is a name we gave to jazz audiences which put their Teeth Over Bottom Lip and rock the head back and forth . I suspect that the growth is designed to disguise the extra long nasal hair !
Yes. Mission accomplished. Thank you, Lower Limb Terminations.
I have said it before and I will say it again - Best Episode Ever!
Happy Birthday, Dan!
👏🤝🖖
🎂🍻😀😃😄