Distortion, Overdrive Pedal or New Valve Amp?

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Rodar6
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2012/09/13 13:30:42 (permalink)

Distortion, Overdrive Pedal or New Valve Amp?

Not sure what I want to do, just aiming for practicality and quality.

Currently have a Vox AC15 which is a single channel amp. I really want to have a quality overdriven sound and a nice clean chimey sound at the press of a footswitch. 

At the moment I can only have one or the other. Bummer, coz I like both sounds on the amp.

Do people go for two amps in this situation with an AB switch, or go for an overdrive pedal such as the Ibanez tube screamer.

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated

Regards

Rodders

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    spacey
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    Re:Distortion, Overdrive Pedal or New Valve Amp? 2012/09/13 13:44:25 (permalink)
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    batsbrew
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    Re:Distortion, Overdrive Pedal or New Valve Amp? 2012/09/13 13:49:10 (permalink)
    all the above.

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    #3
    Rodar6
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    Re:Distortion, Overdrive Pedal or New Valve Amp? 2012/09/13 14:00:13 (permalink)
    spacey


    Here.
    Nice, but being English, it's got to be VOX : )


    "Expert in novice advice"  

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    #4
    Rodar6
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    Re:Distortion, Overdrive Pedal or New Valve Amp? 2012/09/13 14:01:48 (permalink)
    batsbrew


    all the above.
    Agreed! Just gonna get my balaclava and head down to the bank : )


    "Expert in novice advice"  

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    Guitarhacker
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    Re:Distortion, Overdrive Pedal or New Valve Amp? 2012/09/13 14:05:10 (permalink)
    On live gigging... I used a Mesa Boogie 22 watt combo with a foot switch to go between the 2 settings....clean and distortion. Of course...Boogie makes that sound good too. Sweet, fat, finger licking distortion with country glass shattering sparkling highs on the clean side of the switch. What's not to love about a Boogie? 

    In the studio, I have tended towards the POD2 with a foot switch accessory. The POD allows programming of the channels and the foot switch actually allows me to have 4 different settings programmed per preset position....there are 9 positions and each supports 4 programmed settings.  This has more versatility than I would ever need. 

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    #6
    batsbrew
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    Re:Distortion, Overdrive Pedal or New Valve Amp? 2012/09/13 14:07:58 (permalink)
    there are so many good pedals out there now....

    it's very possible, that you can find what you want with a nice booster.

    the classic choice for vox, is a treble booster

    i happen to like the Fulltone Fatboost III pedal, use one on my pedalboard...

    premier guitar just put out an issue that is FULL of pedal reviews.....

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    #7
    spacey
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    Re:Distortion, Overdrive Pedal or New Valve Amp? 2012/09/13 14:40:28 (permalink)
    Rodar6


    spacey


    Here.
    Nice, but being English, it's got to be VOX : )


    Well you made that easy...Here. One stop shopping.
    #8
    Rodar6
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    Re:Distortion, Overdrive Pedal or New Valve Amp? 2012/09/13 15:12:52 (permalink)
    spacey


    Rodar6


    spacey


    Here.
    Nice, but being English, it's got to be VOX : )


    Well you made that easy...Here. One stop shopping.
    Now you've got me looking for an original MKI Marshall Guv'nor on Ebay. Hmmm now how much should my maximum bid be : )


    "Expert in novice advice"  

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    #9
    jbow
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    Re:Distortion, Overdrive Pedal or New Valve Amp? 2012/09/13 17:02:12 (permalink)
    Now you've got me looking for an original MKI Marshall Guv'nor on Ebay. Hmmm now how much should my maximum bid be : )



    Good luck with that, they are too pricey for what they are IMO. Distortion is different from overdrive and everyone's taste is different. I have several pedals I like a couple I don't like much. One of my favorites is an old Jordan J-100 pedal, it goes from a little OD, to distortion, to fuzz. I like a stock DS-1 and I like a Tech 21 comp-tortion. Ofcourse you can always spend a lot more on pedals but I get what I need with what I have. I also have an EH English Muff'n, its is OK but I wouldn't by another if I lost it. With some ampsI like to use a Boss Bass EQ pedal, it is great for removing bass flub especially in Fender amps (Custom Vibroux Reverb modded with a switch to add neg feedback, makes it a Vibroverb)... and an 800khz boost gives it a bit of a Marshall feel. Bad Monkey is a decent OD pedal... 
    You can spend a lot or a little and it can be never ending... almost every pedal I buy is either OD or dist. 


    I don't know what is in your AC-15 but you might get more of what you want by replacing the first preamp tube with a JJ 12ax7... don't know though. 


    Good luck!


    J

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    #10
    jbow
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    Re:Distortion, Overdrive Pedal or New Valve Amp? 2012/09/13 17:03:17 (permalink)
    Another link:  http://www.pedalgeek.com/cgi-bin/new_shop.cgi  if you can't find it here they don't make it.

    J
    post edited by jbow - 2012/09/13 17:05:56

    Sonar Platinum
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    HP Pavilion dm4 1165-dx (i5)-8G RAM
    Octa-Capture
    KRK Rokit-8s
    MIDI keyboards...
    Control Pad
    mics. 
    I HATE THIS CMPUTER KEYBARD!
    #11
    Rodar6
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    Re:Distortion, Overdrive Pedal or New Valve Amp? 2012/09/22 13:44:40 (permalink)
    Finally decided to buy a Keeley Fuzz Head and Keeley Compressor. They arrived this morning so I've had a good few hours messing around. 

    Happy Days

    Rodders 

    "Expert in novice advice"  

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