Hi,

I am running a Fender HRD 1x12 with a Gibson ES335 and was looking for suggestions on a nice OD that will work with this setup.

I am currently borrowing a Timmy and that sounds quite good but when I have to give it back next week I don't want to wait so long for another one.

I've done some looking online and these are the ones I'm considering:

Fulltone OCD/FD2
Crowther Hot Cake
Aphek Peanut Butter
Keeley TS9
Visual Sound Rt. 66

However, any suggestions would be welcome!

Thanks

The fellow I play with uses a 335 into a Bad Monkey into a Fender HRD 2x12 and gets a really good tone out of that, so I think some of the TS types on your list might work well for you.
This clip is actually the 335into a B.M. into a 1x12 Deluxe HRD...around 3:40 you can hear Daves guitar solo'd
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h3L_cw_GRpo

I think the OCD is a must have pedal for almost any setup. I find myself going to the OCD more than the rest of my OD pedals combined in gigging/band practice situations. It can be smooth or nasty, has great singing sustain and plenty of cut, and, as they say around here, sits well in the mix. Can't beat the OCD for the price, IMO. Maybe for any price.

I have absolutely no idea about the music you play which leaves me with what works for me and my setup.

I had a couple of Peanut Butter pedals some time ago, nice effect but missing the dynamic range which makes all music interesting to the ear.

The Hot Cake is perfect for an EL84 amp if you have the recent version with the Bluesberry - too buzzy, less impressive for a Fender amp.

There is a lot to like about the OceanEFX Pearl Drive for a Fender amp, especially for the price. Might be worth a look depending on what you are after...

quote:

Originally posted by LarryR:
The fellow I play with uses a 335 into a Bad Monkey into a Fender HRD 2x12 and gets a really good tone out of that, so I think some of the TS types on your list might work well for you.
This clip is actually the 335into a B.M. into a 1x12 Deluxe HRD...around 3:40 you can hear Daves guitar solo'd
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h3L_cw_GRpo

Cool song. Dave's got a great sound out of that 335 with BM! And great playing from both of you! Really dug it, Larry.

I agree on the OCD, works well with every setup I've tried it.

OCD is a good choice I would highly recommend checking out Dave Barbers pedals!

Thanks for all the ideas.

I called MT to get an OCD but there was none in stock. After spending a few hours over at TGP it seems the Timmy and OCD are the most popular pedals amongst everyone. Shame they are so hard to get to buy.

I am thinking of trying a Subdecay Liquid Sunshine. Good price, nice sound clips, can actually buy one and abit different to everyone else.

What type of music are you playing with that setup?

Our of curiosity, what year is the 335?

Catalinbread Silver Kiss

or

Menatone Red Snapper

...would be my 2 suggestions. Excellent pedals, and since you like the Timmy, they are in the same sort of ballpark in terms of neutrality and application.

-Ben

quote:

Originally posted by Ben C.:
Catalinbread Silver Kiss

or

Menatone Red Snapper

Hi,

The Silver Kiss looks pretty cool so I tried a buy it now but it appears not possible to do.
Any idea what's up with that?



...would be my 2 suggestions. Excellent pedals, and since you like the Timmy, they are in the same sort of ballpark in terms of neutrality and application.

-Ben

Hey Ben,

I checked out the Silver Kiss and it looks pretty cool so I tried the "Buy it Now" button but no luck. Any idea what's going with that?

Menatone Red Snapper or Clark Gainster are two cool pedals. Since neither have an input buffer you can simply roll down the volume pot on the guitar for clean up.

What makes a definative answer tough is that it definately depends upon how you play and use the gear. Many stomp to solo but some use an OD for rhythm as well. The TIM comes to mind there and one of my favorite pedals for making a little amp sound big.


Regards,
George

My church has a Fender HRD and two points...

1 The best sounding od out of a pool of Klon FD2 KOT Blackstone and Sparkle Drive was a Keeley TS, the one with all the switches. Sounded great.

2 If something is lacking in your sound then ultimately it will be that amp. The church HRD gets left out in favour of my little WEM 15w or a Tiny Terror.

quote:

Originally posted by PedalworX dude:
Hey Ben,

I checked out the Silver Kiss and it looks pretty cool so I tried the "Buy it Now" button but no luck. Any idea what's going with that?

Ah, you can get them here...

This one:
http://www.proguitarshop.com/product.php?ProductID=271&CategoryID=
or this one:
http://www.proguitarshop.com/product.php?ProductID=572&CategoryID=

quote:

Originally posted by PedalworX dude:
Menatone Red Snapper or Clark Gainster are two cool pedals. Since neither have an input buffer you can simply roll down the volume pot on the guitar for clean up.

What makes a definative answer tough is that it definately depends upon how you play and use the gear. Many stomp to solo but some use an OD for rhythm as well. The TIM comes to mind there and one of my favorite pedals for making a little amp sound big.

Just as an FYI, they both do clean up with the volume knob extremely well, and they both can operate fantastically in the capacity of a 'use on their own' OD or solo boost as well.

Yeah, get a Timmy! Even if you get something else, you'll probably still want a Timmy. Just get on the waiting list for one.

But, knowing the types of music you play, or favorite tones, would help.

For instance, I played an older style Cactus Crunch in a Pedalworx Tourbox. It was uncanny how it made a HR seem to become a thick, chunky, Marshall!

And a RAT can give you some serious Fuzz. Or, it can give you a smooth, high gain lead tone.

Like the Bad Monkey? Well, maybe you'd really like a Tube Screamer. I think it's the most popular pedal ever. And there are a lot of Boutique and Custom versions, if you want to really explore those.

Joe Satriani has a new Vox Satchurator pedal that looks to be pretty nice. But, I know he's used the old orange BOSS DS-1 for years. And so have a lot of famous players.

So, you might want to define things better.

quote:

Originally posted by Swain:

Like the Bad Monkey? Well, maybe you'd really like a Tube Screamer. I think it's the most popular pedal ever. And there are a lot of Boutique and Custom versions, if you want to really explore those.

I know he's used the old orange BOSS DS-1 for years. And so have a lot of famous players.

funny you mention the DS-1. I bought the BM for Dave cause I was not gonna give up my 2 Step or Tejas and I was trying to get him off of a DS-1 which did not sound good with his 335 & HRD.I think any of George's pedals shine with 6L6 amps so you could not go wrong with the Tejas, Cactus or 2 Step.........all good flavorings for that amp

Can't compare as I've not tried all of the pedals recommended here.

But I play a 335 into fender amps. I notice a fair amount of the pedals you're considering are in the ts pedals camp -- smoother stuff with plenty of mids on tap.

I dug the OCD I demoed, owned a rt. 66 for a while, and played a FD2 for years as my sole overdrive. All of them have virtues and may be the ticket for you.

Nevertheless I can't say enough about my Barber Small Fry, which is my personal favorite gain pedal.

It's super smooth the way I dial it in, but the 'dynamics' knob alone lets you dial in and through many shades of overdrive 'feel' 'teeth' and 'character' that you might want -- shades that most dirt pedals give you just one of, take it or leave it. Add in the character switch, a internal pre-bass pot (this alone makes it more usable than the stock TS style pedal, IMO) plus a 'presence' trim...it's amazing! Last, but not least, it's very affordable -- cheaper than the very affordable OCD, even. Demo one ASAP.

Of course, I'd say there's proof that the average player wanting something quality can't go wrong with most of the pedals mentioned here, given that they fit your playing. It will come down to playing a few of them yourself as your sting attack and affection for treble, smoothness and compression (etc) will be a big factor in how all of these end up sounding to your ears, and you'll learn a fair amount in the process. Good luck!

The Zendrive has worked well with strats and all the Fender amps I've tried it with, ((DRRI-Champ 25 SE, Twin Reverb, even silverface Champ but honestly can't say for sure with the 335 or if that is too much of a good thing- The 335 being humbucker fat and the Zendrive mid hump, so someone else would have to chime in on that. The Zendrive has a pretty darn effective tone and voice knobs with a lot in there, I suspect you'd be fine. Mosferatu if you need more gain.

I run a '76 Fender Starcaster semi-hollow (which is pretty similar in character to the 335) through a Twin, so I think I can offer some pretty applicable advice.

Liquid Sunshine and OCD are both really nice options that'll get you into just plain solid, traditional tone territory. The OCD is more scooped and versatile with its tone control and gobs of gain. Liquid Sunshine really lets the woodiness of that semi-hollow grind through--much more of a midrangey, old school dirt sound. I actually stack these two relatively pedestrian boxes in a loop to get a rich, nicely balanced, sort of "perforated" distortion that's heavy as shit and stands up to chords.

I'm a sucker for Big Muffs, but can't use 'em in my band at all because I become invisible. Not sure what sort of situation you're playing in, but the OCD and LS are great for cutting through the mix reliably, as the LS is mostly a treble booster and the OCD's tone control and filter switch are capable of amping up the highs without chipping ear drums.

If you're looking for a single high gainer with a some "woah, that the hell was that" factor, the Catalinbread Super Charged Overdrive is a nasty lil' so'mbitch. Unbelievable harmonic feedback for days--great if you're a "play the amp" kind of player. Less versatile than an OCD, but it's not really designed for the same purpose--the SCOD is cascading, not scooped, and ridiculously gainy. Freakshow's Brown Rabbit will get you some cool big gain tones, although you can disappear into the mix if you're not careful with this one.

As for uniqueness on the medium to low gain side, I am a HUGE fan of treble boosters, as they even out the darkness that you're going to find in your humbuckered semi-hollow. To me, treble boosters solve a lot of the usability issues associated with straight up fuzz pedals while still sounding like a fuzz as opposed to a disortion or OD. Most importantly they provide a welcome alternative to the same old "TS with some hair around the ears" thing. Try a Skreddy Screw Driver if you can find one. Pronounced lack of mid hump, sexy shades of germanium fuzz (it's got a Ge transistor in there) and distortion. Unbelievable box--it'll never leave my board. The Durham Zia Drive, Cusack Screamer Fuzz, and Urso Splinter are good options, too. That last one offers up an especially unique, sputtery, trebley, fuzz that eats power chords and double stops for breakfast. Don't try open chords with it--you'll scare the dog and make baby Jesus cry. Menatone Red Snapper is a gem, as well--outstanding build quality.

Hope this helps--I am vicariously GASsing.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: Jensen5,

I play a Les Paul trough a HRD 1x12" in a "modern" BigBand.
The last Gigs i tried a lot of Pedals:
Timmy
OCD
Zendrive
Pure Drive
Honey Bee
Blues Pro
AC Booster
Eternity
Maxon OD820

This weekend i go with: Pure Drive, Timmy, Zendrive and OCD. I Think i like this combination best

Thanks again for the informative replies. After continuing my research I am thinking of buying a Blackstone pedal.

I like the sound clips and versatility it offers. Also is meant to really like humbuckers.

Anyone play one of these before? Never hear much about it.

quote:

Originally posted by D:
Thanks again for the informative replies. After continuing my research I am thinking of buying a Blackstone pedal.

I like the sound clips and versatility it offers. Also is meant to really like humbuckers.

Anyone play one of these before? Never hear much about it.

I've owned two of them - an old one, and the v3. They are time consuming to set up since the knobs are interactive. Once you get it right, it sounds good. It needs to be first in your chain.

Cascading gain stages is a concept that is not often used in a pedal. It sounds more natural, less buzzy, more amp-like. your HRD might benefit from that - the Pearl Drive I suggested uses the same concept.