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This is probably a stupid question, but...


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How many of you use some sort of boost or distortion pedal going into your amp?

I've never really been that kinda dude, but I think maybe I should be.  I have a mighty fine OD pedal that I have usually just used as another rhythm setting or when I was running into a clean amp. The Friedman doesn't have quite as much sustain as I want on it's own for leads.  For all things rhythm, muy bien, but when I'm playing leads, I'm feeling it's missing just ever so little. 

Then I start yelling at myself in my head saying, "You just suck.  The issue is your hands, not your amp."  And true, I went to less saturated amps because I wanted more articulation, but seriously, am I being a little too black and white on this?  Obviously, I can always stand to practice more, but I guess I'm just curious if I'm being a bit too puritanical. 

 

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I'm not into too many pedals but use a Fulldrive 2 (light blue kind) in the boost mode for more of a solo tone. I can take off the boost for more of an OD sound. I use a Keeley-modded RAT pedal for a more aggressive tone.

It's hard not to get sucked into trying every single one but I've stuck to these for years now to supplement, especially, single note play. But, mainly just use the distortion of the Zinky MoFo Encore head for most everything.

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I do use treble boosters because I’m a big fan of them. Got two built to my specs by Boost Switch Pedak UK (I think they’ve gone out of business), plus a Catalinbread Galileo. I get great tones connecting them in front of either a Pignose preamp or a Tech21 Liverpool, both feeding my Tech21 PowerEngine 60. B) 

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I have three on my board, my amp is usually set on just the edge of brake up and then I lightly hit it with a Saucy Box or the Saucy HC. Then I have a Boost Pedal for Solo's, currently that is the MXR Booster Mini. It may make an exit so I can put the Red Llama back on the Board. A little goes a long way, the Saucy Boxes have both knobs set to 10 O'clock. 

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I have an EP Boost that I run on all the time at about 9 o'clock.  I also have a Fulltone OCD which I'm really happy with, I just feel I'm cheating.   I do run an EQ flat in the loop with the volume bumped a tad for a solo boost. 

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I was always a guitar straight into amp guy when gigging.. pedals just got in the way. Though I have always dug a good treble booster. They just rock...and a wah too. My amps are all classic grinders.

Now that my focus is in recording..,different story. I have a lot of pedals...different flavors when recording is a wonderful thing. If I started gigging again tomorrow, I would def take a board with an OD, a fuzz, and a delay or verb.

I used to be a guitar straight in snob. Now I have seen the errors of my way.

Use whatever works the best to help you make the music you love. That is all that matters.

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I use a BB Preamp in front of my 18 Watter clone.  It's more for convenience that the amount of gain, I could get more gain out of the amp, but I like the footswitching capability of the pedal.

 

I also have a Rat that I hardly ever use, it's just for very dirty parts, usually with lower volume.

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I love the EP boost also and run mine all times with the band.  Our other guitarist loves it too and finally got one.   But we run our gain on the lower side. I just like the extra punch it gives to our guitars with the EP. 

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Mostly straight into the amp, I have various trebble boosters I use for some amps but not all. But I’m not gigging and it’s all for fun. I find a clean but raw neck pickup lead tone as challenging and exciting as a straight overdriven lead tone that sings like a violin. There is so much you can do with just the volume.

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If you're happy with your tone but lack sustain, try a Barber Tone Press. You can bump up the volume to hit the front end a little harder, dial in as much sustain as you want and keep your attack intact with the blend knob. The blend knob is the thing. It's pretty seamless.

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I use a TC Spark Mini for a line boost. Works fine. For really meaty overdrive, I kick in a Joyo Ultimate Drive, a purchase that set me back $15 and sounds remarkably good. 

 

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As a bass player, I still had a fuzztone stomp box (not an overdrive). First one was a Big Muff Pi (early US/pre-Soviet), later a Danelectro. The distortion would be "sonically intentional"; it was supposed to fill in a bit of space during certain guitar breaks, and I was inspired to develop the notion by the second guitar break in the Who's "We're Not Gonna Take It" in Woodstock. Sounded like Entwistle turned on some kind of fuzz device, and for me, it was unforgettable.

Tangent: Also used a Small Stone phase shifter (in the "reverse" mode) for my solo in "Mony Mony"...

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I have two boosts on my board. An MXR Micro Amp for a super clean boost and then a Keeley Katana for a boost with a little edge. I hate when I see a band and you can't hear the solos, so I try to get myself above the mix when it's my turn to shine.

I also use an Option Knob on the volume. That makes it super easy to adjust the level of the boost for different songs using my foot rather than reaching down.

 

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BB Preamp: If I'm trying to get extra insane sizzle out of my Mark III at conversation-level volumes; or - at higher volumes - if I want to transform its R2 channel into Marshall-modded-for-80s-metal, or if I want a kinda TS9ish thing going on with the clean channel.

Bogner LaGrange: To transform the Mark III's clean channel into an old Plexi on the fly. I got it primarily for test-drives for guitar repair clients who use Marshalls but I enjoy it plenty myself when I'm in an old Marshall vibe/mood.

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If it works, do it. Life is to short to worry about cork-sniffers being jerks.

If you haven't yet, go find a copy of "It Might Get Loud" featuring Jimmy Page, The Edge, and Jack White. It's basically a movie about their guitar sounds.

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53 minutes ago, tbonesullivan said:

If it works, do it. Life is to short to worry about cork-sniffers being jerks.

If you haven't yet, go find a copy of "It Might Get Loud" featuring Jimmy Page, The Edge, and Jack White. It's basically a movie about their guitar sounds.

I actually used to show that to my classes back when I taught rock 'n' roll and society at Florida.

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