I need some help. I've been searching and searching--but the more I hear about, the more confused I become. Here's my gear situation. PRS CE-22 with Barden Two-Tone pickups into a Carl Martin Compressor then into DR. I play mostly instrumental surf music, or Ennio Morricone influenced spaghetti type stuff--so I like it clean and reverbed--and I got that part covered.

But--there is this unique tone that Jim Thomas of the Mermen gets that I really covet. He plays an American Standard Strat, no tone controls, with the middle pickup routed into an old Chandler Tube driver--the one without the wall wart. From there the Chandler goes into a Showman, and the other pickups go into two other Showmen. I've never heard anyone else get this kind of sound. Problem is--those old Chandler Tube drivers are hard to come by.

I've been thinking about the Blackstone Mosfet Overdrive, the Tonebone Classic, and the Siegmund micro-tube. What I am trying to do is occasionally introduce some gnarly growl into an otherwise clean reverbed setup. I want some distorion--but I want it to ring harmonically--I'm not looking for buzzsaw here. Any advice you can give me would be greatly appreciated.

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Originally posted by Johnny B:
I need some help. I've been searching and searching--but the more I hear about, the more confused I become. Here's my gear situation. PRS CE-22 with Barden Two-Tone pickups into a Carl Martin Compressor then into DR. I play mostly instrumental surf music, or Ennio Morricone influenced spaghetti type stuff--so I like it clean and reverbed--and I got that part covered.

But--there is this unique tone that Jim Thomas of the Mermen gets that I really covet. He plays an American Standard Strat, no tone controls, with the middle pickup routed into an old Chandler Tube driver--the one without the wall wart. From there the Chandler goes into a Showman, and the other pickups go into two other Showmen. I've never heard anyone else get this kind of sound. Problem is--those old Chandler Tube drivers are hard to come by.

I've been thinking about the Blackstone Mosfet Overdrive, the Tonebone Classic, and the Siegmund micro-tube. What I am trying to do is occasionally introduce some gnarly growl into an otherwise clean reverbed setup. I want some distorion--but I want it to ring harmonically--I'm not looking for buzzsaw here. Any advice you can give me would be greatly appreciated.

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I understand your dillema... And I also know exactly what sound your looking for (Morricone.. spagetti western) I consider myself an expert on that sound. The problem with the Merman's Tube driver is that the od/distortion is either on or off. It's not very sensitive to the dynamics of your picking. I sold my original tube driver years ago. The Tonebone is more sensitive, but is still really a distortion box, and not an od. I think od needs should retain an extremely close eq to that of your clean signal. The tonebone is more of a lead/solo box as it's eq is shaped to cut though. Everyone's probably heard me say this a million times, but you can't beat the Blackstone for a simple slight od. It's still the best out there in my opinion. I'm not experience with the micro tube so I can't advise you there.

Anyways... just trust me when I say I've done a multitude of recordings getting that spagetti sound.

Alex

Thank you Alex. I do trust you on this. I am glad you steered me away from the Tonebone. I also don't know anyone who has tried the Siegmund. So I went with the Blackstone and got it today. I see exactly what you mean. The Blackstone Appiance Mosfet Overdrive gives a very precise range of control over just how much overdrive to push. I think it basically sounds better than everything I've ever heard along these lines. Exactly what I was looking for.

Cool.... I'm glad it worked out with your amp configuration... How do you like the red channel??? I'm using it to save space, but it's not the end all for me. Let me know if you figure out any insights on it... I'm using it with a deluxe, and a twin, and I've found that I had to turn up the internal treble pot, and the 2nd gain stage pot a bit to get it closer to what I' looking for. I'm still working on it though...

Alex

Yeah, I also had to turn up the treble. I personally tend to favor the red channel. I keep the volume knob down to where the overdrive is just barely detectible during most passages, then kick the volume up a tad for emphasis. I find I use the yellow channel less--but I don't keep the effect on all the time--I just like to bring it in for emphasis and then roll it off--so the red seems to give more of a kick when going from off to on--with the yellow channel, I have to roll the volume knob further to get into the detectable zone--and then the effect is milder so I also have to increase my attack. However, I'm still experimenting with it and its already changing my style. I also play with a carl martin compressor, and I find that the two interact in an interesting way. The Blackstone has done a lot for the compressor, and vice-sersa. I am really quite pleased. It's pretty much what I was looking for. Someday, I'll pick up a few more pedals, just for toys--but the craving is off for the time being.