High Gain Stomp?

[scottiK]

Thought I would get some advice....

I currently use a Keeley TS9 for my overdrive sounds into a clean Fender amp. It sounds great but I need to add a pedal that will give me some high gain sounds. Any suggestions?

I was on the DCB site and one of the elctrice guys is using a SanAmp GT2 in front of an amp for his "heavier" sounds. Have any of you tried this?


Thanks in advance for your input...


scott

[tom]

haven't tried that one. i am using the barber burn unit, and really like it. the fultone distortion pro was pretty nice too.

[pluto]

Depends on your definition of high gain. The Burn Unit that Tom mentions doesn't get "metal" if that's what you mean by high gain. I've never played the Sansamp stuff. For metal type stuff on a clean amp, I like the tonebone hot british or classic best. The JT Pedals Valveboy is also pretty nice going through a clean amp, although it sounds best imo when the amp is breaking. Finally, I used to have a SIB Varidrive and either a fulltone fulldrive 2 on comp/cut mode pushing the varidrive and going through a clean amp-that was pretty high gain.

[scottiK]

Originally posted by pluto
Depends on your definition of high gain. The Burn Unit that Tom mentions doesn't get "metal" if that's what you mean by high gain.

Not really looking for "Metal"....just something a notch or two hotter than the TS9. I read Toms comments on the burn unit the other day but I don't think there will be anywhere to try one around here. I was on their site and it loked as if it had 2 channels...is that correct? I guess could always try to find one on ebay and unload it if I didn't like it.

Thanks guys...


scott

[pluto]

Originally posted by scottiK
Not really looking for "Metal"....just something a notch or two hotter than the TS9. I read Toms comments on the burn unit the other day but I don't think there will be anywhere to try one around here. I was on their site and it loked as if it had 2 channels...is that correct? I guess could always try to find one on ebay and unload it if I didn't like it.

Thanks guys...


scott

I used to have the Burn Unit II-it was the only dist. box that sounded good through my old Dr Z Maz 18. In any case, it's a lot different than the TS9 in that it's more of a distortion unit as opposed to an overdrive pedal that the TS9 is. The tonebone pedals I mentioned are also distortion pedals. If you're looking for a TS9 with a little bit more power, I would go with a heavier overdrive type pedal as opposed to a distortion pedal. The Burn Unit does have two channels. However, and I'm not sure if he has since changed the design of the pedal, but the two channel share eqs-it's more of a one and half channel pedal.

[tom]

they do share eq's. i palyed the burn unit eq, that's the newest one. i was able to get a nice amp just breaking sound with the first channel and a very high but not metal out of the second. i'm concidering two so i can have one set more creamy and the other more aggressive.

[dannopelli]

I tried the burn unit. It is very nice. I have a Distortion Pro and a FD2. It is kind of pricey way to get overdrive and distortion sounds, but it was well worth it.

[dannopelli]

BTW, I emailed Fulltone to ask if there was a difference between the regular blue FD2 and the red or creme Custom Shop versions. I should point out that the literature that comes with them states that the Custom Shop versions have a bit more scooped mids.

Well Fulltone replied that they were the same.

Got me thinking. So my local shop let me take a couple home for a night.

Got to say the red custom shop version does sound less midrangy, yet a bit more agressive than the blue one.

Any one else do a comparison like this?

[joe1962]

There are several pedals I'd try for a high gain stomper. These are all the high gain pedals I have experience with:

The Tonebone pedals are nice and have a wide range of EQ, but are pretty big and have to be AC powered.

The Barber Burn Unit is nice too, but may be a little too smooth depending on our taste in distortion. The smoothness is actually what makes then appeal to me, and I've been wanting to try the EQ version (I had the older version for a while).

The Fulltone Distortion Pro is a fat sounding pedal, but can be very "tweaky" to dial in.

BJF Electronics Dyna Red is what I'm currently using on my board for Distortion. It has a wide range of tones for a 3 knob pedal, is easy to dial in, and sounds like I always wished the Boss DS1 would have sounded. Doesn't take up much space, but is pricey.

Pro Co Rat, while not a "boutique" pedal, is still a great distortion pedal at a low price.

[joe1962]

Originally posted by dannopelli
BTW, I emailed Fulltone to ask if there was a difference between the regular blue FD2 and the red or creme Custom Shop versions. I should point out that the literature that comes with them states that the Custom Shop versions have a bit more scooped mids.

Well Fulltone replied that they were the same.

Got me thinking. So my local shop let me take a couple home for a night.

Got to say the red custom shop version does sound less midrangy, yet a bit more agressive than the blue one.

Any one else do a comparison like this?

They are all supposed to be the same circuit. The thing is, component values can be different enough between 2 different pedals to make them sound different. This is pretty much the case with all pedals, amps, guitar electronics, etc. I'm a big fan of the FDII and have two of the CS versions (one on my pedalboard and one loose for jams). I have a couple of friends with blue ones and they all pretty much sound the same. I guess if you A/Bed them side by side there might be some small differences between the pedals.

[pluto]

Originally posted by joe1962
The Barber Burn Unit is nice too, but may be a little too smooth depending on our taste in distortion. The smoothness is actually what makes then appeal to me, and I've been wanting to try the EQ version (I had the older version for a while).

The Fulltone Distortion Pro is a fat sounding pedal, but can be very "tweaky" to dial in.



Totally agreed! The Burn Unit is very smooth-sounds like a Fuchs in a pedal. Excellent pedal for buttery blues single lines. And Fulltone D Pro-yikes! I got sick of tweaking that pedal and sold it.

[scottiK]

I did come real close to buying a Dist Pro but continually hear guys say they are a little difficult to dial in. I think the Burn Unit EQ is sounding like something I might try.

Tom, I'm sure you are familiar with the sound of a TS9...how would you say they compare?

Thanks!
scott

[tom]

believe it or not i've never owned a ts9. i've played a few and they were all quite different from eack other. in the old days my only effect was my cord. it's only the last couple of years that i've been playing with pedals. my impression of the ts9 is that it is a booster, but not much gain. but what i remeber not liking is the lack of bass and pushed midrange. i think that works well with an amp that is already being pushed, but with my clean amp setup it didn't work for me. the burn unit sounds more like my guitar and amp but with more gain. the eq and dynamics knobs are voiced very nicely and not too extreme. for me there is a huge difference in how pedals work with different amounts of amp gain. for me the bu feels more like an extension of the tone i already have, but it can go other places too.

[GASMAN]

I've tried several over the years and always come back to my Rat. I guess I'm just used to it. Tried a FD2 a couple of years ago--------just couldn't make it do what my trusty Rat does.
I'd love to try the new Duece Tone-----if I could find one anywhere.

[jeepster]

The two I really like with the Andersons are Hotcake and Barber Direct Drive SS.

The hotcake gooses an EL34 amp without dominating the natural tone, the SS is a more traditional gain pedal with great tone.

[Stan Malinowski]

I've tried many (actually TOO many) overdrive pedals over the years but always seem to come back to my FD2 (Custom Shop Red Model). I think the second level of boost drives me to some heavy levels of overdrive/distortion. I also use a ZVex SuperDuper (2 Stage Clean Boost) after the FD2. Pop this puppy on and I have all the distortion I could ever want and then some!