I know there are quite a lot of choices out there.

In my guitar cab thread, Danny mentioned eq in front of the amp. So I started looking more at what is available, although I have wanted a Suhr Koko boost for a long time.

I know I can go out and try them but my local stores do not have a very wide selection and certainly do not have any Suhr pedals.

The Koko boost with its clean and mid boost options is very appealing.

The Empress ParaEq looks interesting in that it can boost mids (more flexible there too) as well as cut some highs. It is the same price as the Koko. However, the Koko is simpler (I.E. less time tweaking more time playing) plus you can have the clean boost or the mid boost at the press of a foot switch. Where the ParaEQ's clean boost is off if the EQ is bypassed. So you get a mid boost with or without an additional clean boost. I suppose it is a little less flexible that way.

Then there are a bunch of overdrive type pedals. Again, Suhr, with their Shiba Drive looks interesting. It boosts mids and you can roll off the high end with a switch setting. That sounds appealing too. I like the demos.

Then there are soooo many others!!!

I think I want to use this to drive channel 2 of my amp to get into a hotter, sweeter tone. At the current settings, it is very articulate on chords and ok for some lead work but sometimes I want a thick, sweet tone (like Danny's). I think some sort of drive pedal will get me there.

For high gain I can go to my channel 1 and it has plenty of gain but it is set to a more mid scooped, chugga chugga sound. :-)

Do you have any suggestions for pedals to look at?

Thanks

If you're looking to tighten things up, you can't go wrong with a Maxon OD808.

I'm sorta thinking about the Suhr Shiba Drive....

klon centaur.  good luck.

Ibanez Tube Screamer or Boss Compressor Sustainer. Both are low noise and give you just the right amount of boost or drive if you need it. They also do NOT color the sound to the point where you no longer recognize your tone. Very transparent and perfect for the job if you just need a drive boost or basic tone shaping. Hope this helps....good luck.

-Danny

The Empress Para EQ is great. Very low noise with a huge clean boost. The EQ is great and works with lots of instruments and it's so clean you can record through it or use it as an outboard effect.

There's too many options when it comes to drive pedals. Everyone has their own idea of what makes a good overdriven sound and drive pedals must be the biggest genre of stomp boxes. You can't go wrong buying something well known and popular. If you don't like it it's easier to sell than something obscure. 

Danny Danzi


Ibanez Tube Screamer or Boss Compressor Sustainer. 

Ha!  I love it.  Of course, the guys at the Gear Page would probably think you must be joking.  The two main pedals I use are an Analog Man modded Tube Screamer and a Keely Compressor, so I like the way you think.  Oh yeah, and neither cost me hundreds of dollars either (apparently a "TGP Requirement" for a pedal to be acceptable). 

I've just bought a Wampler Euphoria. Great tones with lots of knobs to fiddle with!

I like using my trusty Ibanze Tube Screamer and the Boss CS-1 compressor when I'm not playing one of my custom built home made amps that has that tone built right in.






But, I don't know nuthin. :-)

Maybe I missed it... but.... what amp are you playing through?

I'm admittedly "old skool"... so with that in mind.....

I played through various amps through the years.... some tube, some transistor.  And during that time I used any number and make of disto-pedals with varying results. 

I eventually broke down, slammed the bucks down on the counter, and bought a decent tube amp. Mesa Boogie 22w studio combo. 

From that day forward, I use only a straight through guitar cord. No pedals on live playing. Just tone that comes naturally from hot tubes. 

In the studio, I tend to cheat a bit. I use a Line 6 POD 2 modeler. However, in my own defense, none of the fx settings are used except the reverb. Dial up the tone and let it rip. 

My thought is (being old skool) that a decent tube amp should give you what you need without having to add pedals to the signal chain......

OK... so that's my 2 cents.... I'll duck now.