12-03-2012, 11:22 AM
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#1 |
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Registered User
Join Date: Apr 2012
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Overdrive pedals with tube amps technical question
Hi Guys,
A question that's been bugging me for a while. If anyone could enlighten me I would be appreciative. I have a 2 channel tube amp and use 2 overdrives, one for each channel. So I have clean, clean with a bit of dirt, distortion channel, and lead. Now I set up my distortion channel overdrive with level max, gain 0. This pushes the preamp tubes giving me a bit more volume but lots more gain, all good, understood. Here's the bit I don't understand. The overdrive I use on my clean channel is set to level 3, gain 0. This is not any louder than off but has a bit of grit to it which I like. Does this mean I'm using 'fake' distortion from the overdrive that's just been added with solid state circuitery? If so does this mean that when people have a single channel amp, set it clean and use pedals for dirt, they are using artificial distortion? What's the point of that because then your never driving the tubes to get that smooth gain...? Are you? Help! Thanks, Dale |
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12-03-2012, 11:26 AM
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#2 |
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One among the fence.
Join Date: Nov 2009
Location: Southern California, USA
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To put it very simply, an overdrive into a Fender Frontman does not sound the same as an overdrive into a Fender Twin Reverb. Think about it.
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12-03-2012, 11:44 AM
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#3 |
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Grumpy Old Tech
Join Date: Oct 2009
Location: Australia
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Very few overdrives, if any, produce no distortion themselves when the drive/gain knob is turned down. That's why I use a dead clean boost from my GP-8 with the overdrive effect turned off. No added distortion there, just pure clean boost.
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Gilchrist custom guitar Yamaha SBG500 Telecaster Ibanez Iceman Roland GP-8 Quadraverb Abbey Harmonic II Marshall JTM45 clone Marshall JCM900 4102 (modded) Marshall 18W clone Fender 5F1 Champ clone Marshall 1960A Cathbard Amplification |
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12-03-2012, 11:50 AM
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#4 |
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Moderator (Ninja)
Join Date: Nov 2005
Location: Madison, Wisconsin
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There's no such thing as artificial distortion, and there's nothing wrong with getting it from a pedal rather than your amp.
It's easy to get concerned about adding solid state distortion if you're used to hearing about all these cheap, crappy SS amps, but pedals are a good example of how SS components can be used effectively. Tube distortion isn't the immortal be-all end-all sound. Side note: boosting a clean amp with a SS pedal doesn't necessarily mean that you're getting your distortion from the pedal. A big signal into the preamp will overdrive it, so even if the pedal and amp are clean individually, when you hit the front end with a bigger signal it will start to distort. So you might have tube distortion after all.
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Hi, I'm Colin. |
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12-03-2012, 11:52 AM
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#5 |
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Grumpy Old Tech
Join Date: Oct 2009
Location: Australia
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Yeah, but Colin, he says there's no increase in volume => it's not being boosted.
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Gilchrist custom guitar Yamaha SBG500 Telecaster Ibanez Iceman Roland GP-8 Quadraverb Abbey Harmonic II Marshall JTM45 clone Marshall JCM900 4102 (modded) Marshall 18W clone Fender 5F1 Champ clone Marshall 1960A Cathbard Amplification |
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12-03-2012, 11:55 AM
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#6 |
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UG's Michael Westen
Join Date: Aug 2011
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You Heretic Bastard. That Ss Distortion You Created Is Raping Our Churches And Burning Our Women!!!!!!!
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Sometimes the truth hurts. In these situations, I recommend lying. -Michael Westen My Ebay stuff for sale |
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12-03-2012, 12:10 PM
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#7 | |
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Registered User Error
Join Date: Aug 2006
Location: Bristol, UK
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Quote:
+1 The amp is always adding it's own tonal qualities to the sound, regardless of what pedals you're using.
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Only play as loud as you need to to get the desired level of power-tube distortion from your 100 watt tube amp. |
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12-03-2012, 12:17 PM
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#8 | |
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Moderator (Ninja)
Join Date: Nov 2005
Location: Madison, Wisconsin
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Quote:
Good catch, didn't read that closely enough. Plus like you said most pedals introduce some distortion even at zero.
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Hi, I'm Colin. |
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12-03-2012, 12:17 PM
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#9 | |
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Haunting Mids
Join Date: Mar 2005
Location: Fragile Harmonics
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what cathbard said.
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12-03-2012, 12:43 PM
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#10 | |
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Slapping the bass.
Join Date: Oct 2009
Location: Finland
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Quote:
If you like it, why is that a problem?
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My motto: Play what the song needs you to play! Gear: Charvel So Cal (MIJ)  Digitech RP355  MXR Micro Chorus  Laney VC30  Tokai TB48 
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12-03-2012, 02:15 PM
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#11 |
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Moderator (Ninja)
Join Date: Nov 2005
Location: Madison, Wisconsin
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He heard on the internet that it's inferior to something else that has magic mojo and costs 10 times as much. It's called TGP syndrome.
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Hi, I'm Colin. |
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12-03-2012, 02:50 PM
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#12 | |
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Philosophizer of Time
Join Date: Dec 2011
Location: New York, USA
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Quote:
The history of the present illness certainly supports this diagnosis.
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 Die troll Dean VMNTX (EMG set) Peavey 6505+ 112 + a buncha teh pedlulz |
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12-03-2012, 03:02 PM
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#13 | |
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Hookers and Blow
Join Date: Sep 2008
Location: NJ
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Quote:
cAPTAIN cAPITAL. sO wE mEET aGAIN aT lAST. ...iT'S bEEN a lONG tIME.... OT: There's nothing wrong with boosting your amp with an OD. If you like it, go for it.
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12-03-2012, 05:01 PM
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#14 | ||
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Haunting Mids
Join Date: Mar 2005
Location: Fragile Harmonics
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Quote:
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12-03-2012, 09:00 PM
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#15 |
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Registered User
Join Date: Dec 2009
Location: Raleigh, NC
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well you can boost the preamp and saturate it, in which its not going to add volume.
ie - if i boost the clean channel on my amp i get a LARGE volume boost, whereas the same boost on the dirty channel with the gain up a lot = not that much volume increase, but a definite gain increase. good example of headroom. _______________________ to answer you question, yes and no. it all depends on the player, gear, and how they run the OD. if they have super high headroom, low output pups, and are maxing the OD, sure, a lot is coming from the solid state pedal. the amp will still impart some of its tone. if your are running a low wattage / headroom amp, a guitar with buckers, and using the pedal as a boost, you are driving the amp more and hearing more of the natural overdrive, and the pedal is imparting some of the tone.
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