OD/gain pedal for ODS clone?

[Luthierwnc]

Thanks Tony, I'll look into those. I think the Spark is a lot like the AC Booster. Interesting how many of us joined the forum in spring of 2006. De-gooping revealed!

The amp is a strange combination of D-elements. I wanted some 2nd-generation elements since I heard they worked better with strats. Then I added a bunch of stuff back. I think this was the fifth of eight Dumble builds and it was gutted and rewired so I count it as two. I usually leave the PAB on but it makes a great lead boost too. Mine isn't as abrupt as the usual ground lift. Active loop controls are set around 1:00.

Cheers, sh

[ayan]

Thanks for all your interest and post more if inspired. Gil, I'd specially like to hear how you like that booster/compressor. Cheers, sh

Let me introduce the big board, which I'm getting too old and lazy to schlep anymore. This one started off as an LA Sound Design thing and then, like with everything else, I started changing things around. This is a perfect board for me. It has everything I might use and sometimes I use an outboard compressor with it. For me, the RC booster, when stacked before them, is the perfect companion for the BB or the AC Comp. It allows tweaking the EQ to shape the resulting tone of the boosted AC or BB. I seldom stack the BB and the AC, maybe if I want to go all out. With the small board, due to real estate considerations, I had to limit the number of pedals. I was torn between maybe getting an mini Xotic EP boost, or the little Xotic compressor to boost the AC and BB. I figured the compressor would be better since I could use it either as a compressor to fatten up a clean Strat, or as a boost to hit the overdrive pedals harder. It works just fine as a compressor and it's functional as a boost to the BB and AC, but it's doesn't work as well as the RC in that function. Mind you, I I know a lot of people who swear by the RC. I would say that I like it a lot as a boost for other overdrives pedals, but not to be used by itself.

One word about all these Xotic boost pedals: none of them is a pristine clean boost. The RC can be dialed to sound almost totally clean with the gain turned way down. It doesn't get too gainy by itself and, to me, it doesn't work well as an overdrive pedal into a clean amp. The RC doesn't have any of the characteristics associated with a good dirt pedal, which to me would be: sufficient gain, some compression, absence of a buzzy and sterile character to the distortion, etc. I see the RC more as a utility pedal that can be used as a signal boost/ cut and and as an EQ shaping device. The BB and AC, on the other hand, ARE bonafide overdrive pedals. Yes, you can turn the gain all the way down, but you will not get a transparent, clean boost like you get with the Spark Drive. Of the two, as I mentioned before, I think the BB is the more neutral sounding. It does lop off some of the low end, like a Tube Screamer, but you can defintitely reintroduce that with the Bass control and the bottom end will be tight. The AC has a lot more color to it, if you turn the Bass up, it will also increase the low mids and it will not be as tight as, say, a Marshall. If anything, it can be more like a Skyliner ODS

Bottom line, I'd say that in my view, the Spark and AC don't have a lot in common. Hope this helps!

[Luthierwnc]

Thanks gents, It's interesting that pedalboards for people who know these amps are more alike than different. I guess they know better than to make it a shredder.

Right now I'm leaning towards an Xotic AC Plus for clean to mid OD which also solves the single-coil/humbucker debate. I'll slip a compressor on there and if it works, get a mini, probably an Ego. The Boss tuner is the only buffered pedal in the chain. I think it will need that. While I'm at it, I'll slap together a Hammond patchbay to fit under the board so I can quickly jump it for amps without an FX loop.

Let's play more! Skip

[professormudd]

I have a Bogner Harlow boost that sounds great with any tube amp, but it absolutely kills with my D-amps. Mine is the V1 with Rupert Neve transformer. If you can find that version, I recommend it.

[Mr. dB]

A Blues Breaker clone type pedal seems to work well with a variety of amps. Analogman King of Tone and Prince of Tone are good examples of the Blues Breaker type circuit, or Wampler Pantheon.

[Luthierwnc]

The Bogner is interesting. Not many of them out there.

Acquisitions like this give me OCD (not the pedal). There are hundreds of gizmos that would do a great job. You can't get them all. The trick is to not think you can make a better choice after the marginal value of research flat-lines. They only way to advance is to buy some. To the upside, they are relatively cheap and if you don't like one, you can turn it over for not much more damage than shipping and irritation -- and you're that much smarter.

For now I'm staying away from British because I have that covered separately. This is a Dumble-specific project; no fuzz, no gain-on-gain-on gain. I think I'm back to an RC into an AC Comp along with a little compressor. I could throw a Timmy on there too.

Thanks to all and best of luck on your projects, sh

[Luthierwnc]

I made a new board to fit things -- and still got it wrong since I didn't allow for top-mounted jacks on one stomp-box. Sounds good. Once I'm sure of the pedal chain I'll tighten-up the cables and 9v connections.

We've got: TU-2 > Xotic RC Booster > Xotic AC Comp > Aion Azimuth > volume pedal, > Ego compressor > amp input
In the loop: Walrus Polychrome flanger > Neunaber Inspire chorus, TC Flashback II > Keeley Hydra trem/reverb

Next to the One Spot underneath the deck is a homebrewed patch bay that looks something like this so I can use the board for amps that don't have a loop. There will be some fine-tuning but I think I'm close. Thanks for all the input, sh

Update; More gain than needed. I could easily lose one of the boost/od pedals. They are quite different. sh

[stelligan]

Everyone's boards look so neat & tidy!

pedals.jpg

I don't play out any longer so, I am constantly yanking stuff on and off and it's a mess. I have always liked to goose the front end of my ODS amps with a parallel compressor pedal. An old Barber Tone Press or Xotic SP compressor with the compression mix down but gain a good bit past unity. I love that new Suhr Woodshed compressor but it colors the tone a bit too much so I use it with a Rocktron Tru-Loop to make it parallel. For drive pedals you can't go wrong with a Zendrive as mentioned above. My current favorites are a Barber Direct Drive or this J Rockett Melody. Different sounds - both good. The Direct Drive imparts a Marshall vibe and the Melody doubles down on the Dumble thing. I guess it's "the Dude" with an EQ section.

And yeah, dog hair is magic dust...

[Luthierwnc]

Thanks Stelligan, I had a chance to turn the amp up a little. The AC booster sounds good but it really isn't a tone I can use, for that amp anyway. Not sure I need a flanger or a chorus, much less both. An EQ seems like a good idea, though. I do like the Zendrive clone and I'm thinking I'll try the compressor in front instead of at the end of the front-of-amp feed. Cheers, sh