BoneAndDream

so i've been pretty happy with the tone but i'm told it can only be improved with a boost. i was thinking about an od808 but they're too damn expensive...around 140 dollars.

i've also heard good things about the boss sd-1. which can be had for like 40-50 dollars. which do you prefer and why?

is the od808 really worth the extra hundred dollars? should i save and get that or just get the sd-1?

this is my first tube amp and i have no experience whatsoever with pedals of any kind. any advice would be appreciated

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1997 Ibanez RG550 w/ EMG 81 bridge - C standard
PEAVEY 6505
Mesa Rectifier slant 4x12

souperman08

Joyo Vintage Overdrive. $40(?) on Amazon.

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72 Thinline/Squier J5/MIM Standard teles-->VS Route 66-Mooer Flex Boost-WH Green Rhino
Loop-Line 6 M9-Ibanez DE7-BBE Sonic Stomp-MXR Noise ClampErnie Ball Volume Pedal JR-->Mesa Boogie Nomad 4x10 combo

dementiacaptain

^ +1. Any generic tubescreamer pedal will do, I use the Hardwire CM-2, but I also use it as a standalone drive pedal, really you just want something close to the TS-9, which the Joyo is

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WOLFPACK!

My name is Jon

Offworld92

There's basically two flavors of OD typically used for boosting - the SD-1, and everything else. Almost every TS esque OD out there is a clone of the Tubescreamer. And that is the most commonly used pedal for boosting, by far.

Each one has it's own little quirk you may or may not like. As a rule, anything "808" is comically and massively overpriced. For the most part, every tubescreamer uses the same exact circuit. For boosting, you can get identical results from an Ibanez TS7 (I have one, cost me $25 shipped).

Right now I'm using and am pleased with my Boss SD-1. It's an alternative to the Tubescreamer - essentially the same idea, but it utilizes assymetrical clipping instead of the symmetrical clipping found on almost all ODs. The major difference is generally that symmetrical ODs are smooth and more transparent. They refine your tone, without blatantly changing it that much. assymetrical drives are much more in your face and apparent. I like the SD-1 because it adds a lot of grittiness and dirtyness to my JSX, which is sometihng that amp lacks. Your 6505 has a lot of that, so you may not want to add more onto that - in which case a Tubescreamer would be a better choice.

All that said, as far as tubescreamers go, there are a lot out there, and a few good ones I recommend. I honestly wouldn't bother with Ibanez or Maxon. You can get much better for much cheaper, IMO. On a budget, there's the Digitech Bad Monkey. It offers more EQ control. More expensive is the Hardwire CM-2. It is basically a higher quality Bad Monkey. Much higher quality parts and construction and design, more "boutique"ish.

Then there's the MXR GT-OD, which is good but doesn't really offer much more control. There's also the Way Huge Green Rhino, which is becoming very popular. MXR and Way Huge are both subsidiaries of Dunlop, the same way that Hardwire is a subsidiary of Digitech. So I'd say that the Green Rhino is to the GT-OD as the CM-2 is to the Bad Monkey. Though the former are a bit more different than the latter.

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Main Rig
Ibanez S420
LTD EC-1000
Peavey 6505 | MS412 (WGS)
Boss TU-3 | CS-3 | GT-10 | NS-2
MXR M77
Morley Little Alligator
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