what do you guys use for distortion? new build suggestions?

ode2no1 · April 28, 2009, 11:36:06 AM

i'm having such a hard time finding a distortion tone that i really like. for a while i was using my red snapper into a sonic distortion that i built but modded to not be ultra mid scooped. i grew tired of that though and started using my turbo rat (replaced one clipping led with a silicon diode, so it's basically a hybrid) on low gain mode (ruetz mod) but it just stopped doing it for me. then i modded the hell out of an MXR classic distortion (dist. 3) to where it was pretty gigantic sounding...but it's actually TOO transparent. that one is weird. i don't know how something with that much available gain can be so transparent. kinda creepy. so now i'm back to using my rat but it's just lacking a bit of low end. i can only turn the filter knob so much before all note definition is absolutely lost. i'm looking for something that can do medium-high gain with a nice wide frequency response. right now i'm mostly using a '61 RI SG with a duncan phat cat in the bridge into either a bassman 50 with 2x12 cab or a deluxe reverb. i'm just sick of everything always having this lack of low end. if i wasn't using a red snapper for overdrive most of the time it probably wouldn't matter, but that thing is absolutely full range so going from overdrive to distortion can be weird. anyway does anyone have any suggestions for future builds?

shredgd · April 28, 2009, 11:45:34 AM

Build yourself a Marshall Shredmaster... absolutely the best overdrive/distortion pedal I've ever played... It's got treble, bass and contour controls, so you can get hundreds of sounds out of it (though I always prefer to keep the contour knob at zero, to have full mids and not scooped-mids). Also, it definitely doesn't lack bottom-end, as you can dial it in with the bass knob.
One day you will say to me "Thank you"..

Giulio

ode2no1 · April 28, 2009, 11:57:55 AM

haha...you know i actually had a chance to play a shredmaster a couple of years ago. i remember it being pretty similar to the rat, but then again i was playing it thru a blues junior. i wouldn't mind actually building one up. i used to have a marshall drive master and while i loved the tone of it (though lacking a bit of low end) it just didn't have enough gain. i wish i still had that thing. i'm sure i could mod it up to be real nice.

FlyingZ · April 28, 2009, 12:09:12 PM

It sounds like you play some single notes and not just chords so you need some mid range tone. You started at the top with the rat.

aron · April 28, 2009, 12:30:46 PM

Now you know why there are so many pedals on the market.

ode2no1 · April 28, 2009, 12:54:04 PM

yeah it's just funny cause i was happy with my tone for like 2 years straight. no complaints. the reason i stopped enjoying the sonic distortion is because it was unusable as far as recording went. it had this weird frequency notch that i never really noticed before i tried recording. once i heard it in the mix with the rest of the instruments though it was over. i could hear that weird frequency thing all the time. maybe i should go back and try to rework that pedal. the mod that i did was totally an accident but i bet i could actually improve it to work for me now that i know a little bit more.

aziltz · April 28, 2009, 01:24:15 PM

it sounds like you've mostly used op-amp circuits with clippers. check out some cascaded jFet circuits, they're another beast altogether!

aron · April 28, 2009, 01:26:54 PM

Ooh I like the sonic distortion. I need to make another one.

Mark Hammer · April 28, 2009, 02:52:39 PM

Ode2no1,

Under what circumstances do you use such an effect? How loud do you normally play and what type of amp and guitar? Is it something you use only for solos or something you leave on all the time?

CynicalMan · April 28, 2009, 04:34:49 PM

This might not suit your needs, but I've found the ehx muff overdrive to be very useful if you're willing to twiddle around with the volume and tone controls on your guitar.

ode2no1 · April 28, 2009, 04:43:05 PM

i use it all the time...so it's basically a rhythm distortion sound. doesn't need to be crazy heavy. using a p-90 sg and either a deluxe reverb or bassman 50. play pretty loud i guess. i mean i use an attenuator, but it's at about 7. as far as a muff overdrive...i dont really use my guitar tone and volume controls very often, plus i sing in my band so i generally just like to have my red snapper on for lighter stuff and then cascade it into something heavier. you know...i never really though about the fact that i've pretty much stuck to op-amp pedals. what are some nice jfet distortion circuits?

Projectile · April 28, 2009, 05:05:50 PM

More low end? Sounds like you might be interested in a Dr. Boogey.

newfish · April 28, 2009, 05:32:30 PM

Personally, I use a Clean booster all the way up.

Switchable input caps (between 0.01uF and 2.2uF) and let the amp do its job.

Switching in the 2.2uF cap into even a moderately overdriven amp yields a 'Sabbath'-esque tone.

In terms of 'proper' distortion pedals, I've also used a Big Muff (Russian model with modded clipping stages) for some *serious* dirt.

aziltz · April 28, 2009, 05:45:25 PM

Quote from: ode2no1 on April 28, 2009, 04:43:05 PM
you know...i never really though about the fact that i've pretty much stuck to op-amp pedals. what are some nice jfet distortion circuits?

for low gain, i have a Subdecay Liquid Sunshine, very nice.

For higher gain, look to the Brown Sound in a Box (BSIAB) or Box of Rock, or any of the amp-jfet emulators from runoffgroove.com.

I really like the idea of treating a FET like a Tube, and designing stages around that. while some op-amp circuits can be very good, I think FETs have a lot more dynamics to them.

ode2no1 · April 28, 2009, 07:12:14 PM

do you guys know of anything in the way of the blue magic but higher gain? it might sound crazy but i actually upped the input cap from 6.8uF to 22uF and love the way that thing sounds. boosting it yields some pretty good results, but it's a little bit too smooth to want to use as my distorted sound. why did i go the route of the single channel amp with pedals? sometimes i miss having a 3 channel amp haha.

Projectile · April 29, 2009, 12:10:09 AM

Looks like it would be difficult to get much more gain out of it without adding another stage. Whetever your boost pedal does to it is probably all you are going to get without heavily modifying the circuit, but I'm no expert, so maybe someone else will chime in and prove me wrong..

kupervaser · April 29, 2009, 07:05:10 AM

Are you sure it is the pedal you are looking for? I have never be able to get low ends from a fender, unless it was a SUNN!

Maybe it is another amp you need or more speakers.

ode2no1 · April 29, 2009, 10:23:49 AM

well the deluxe reverb i can understand not having a ton of low end, but the bassman thru my 2x12 closed back cab doesn't really have an issue. i have to keep the bass control below 5 on it usually so it is definitely a pedal i'm after. last night i spent some time re-modifying my sonic distortion so we'll see what that sounds like tonight when i have a chance to play it thru a real amp. i hate how often this little champ 12 makes me think that something sounds good but once i play thru my main setup i'm horrified.

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what do you guys use for distortion? new build suggestions?