Has the world moved on from the “transparent” drive trend?
- Thread starter holoholo
- Start date
holoholo
Shredder
- Messages
- 1,277
Timmy? I feel like people were calling blues breakers, and even Klons at times “transparent”
norminal
Rock Star
- Messages
- 6,474
“Transparent” would be a copper trace between the input and output with zero components in-between.Timmy? I feel like people were calling blues breakers, and even Klons at times “transparent”
Every TGP thread has a no. of people saying BBs and klons are transparent.Timmy? I feel like people were calling blues breakers, and even Klons at times “transparent”
I don’t get it.
Even the Timmy was supposedly designed to add ‘more’ to a Marshall type amp.. so it should have an emphasis in the upper mids like a Marshall.
I think I hear that faintly.
It’s not neutral like an EQ.
the swede
Shredder
- Messages
- 2,248
I think the biggest “problem” that people started to do is that they wanted transparent drives to work into clean amps, the trend went hand in hand with those who wanted transparent drives into dirty amps. And suddenly every one was talking about the same thing for different purposes…. Pedal builders followed up on this playing both crowds for the selling trend.
Timmy sounds beat into a cooking amp, just as any overdrive does. Imo.
the swede
Shredder
- Messages
- 2,248
What about the lightspeed? Everyone is nuts about that pedal. So I’d say it’s still a trend.Idk but it just seems like it’s not as trendy anymore. And if so:
I like the Gain Changer, I think it’s the best overdrive pedal I’ve tried and I see some say it’s good as a standalone dirt box, but it’s definitely not transparent.
I think when they talk transparent, they mean it doesn't alter the EQ of the amp....ie push the mids, treble booster etc. It is supposed to give you the sound of your amp's natural overdrive, without the volume. Whether they are successful in doing that is up for debate.
Eagle
Rock Star
- Messages
- 4,788
Changing the gain changes EQ always on everything including amps so we are back at stupid.
Well maybe you should write to some builders and tell them what you think of their designs. Perhaps they can explain it better than I can. Otherwise I think you are....
with this thread. But hey, that's JMHO.
Last edited:
Eagle
Rock Star
- Messages
- 4,788
The term transparent is what is dumb in this use. On a par with “ mojo “ “tone wood “ and “talent “.Well maybe you should write to some builders and tell them what you think of their designs. Perhaps they can explain it better than I can. Otherwise you are....
All words used to describe something the user doesn’t understand.
newholland
Roadie
- Messages
- 346
just ran into it mself.. well to be honest, i bought a timmy six or seven years ago and never got the memo. im certainly over mine. 
i get why they call it that, i just dont need one.
i get why they call it that, i just dont need one.
- Messages
- 7,732
A proper transparent drive would need to have a dry mix control if the term is to mean what it says. 
Majority don't have that feature. A basic clean boost is the closest you might get but even those can vary a lot. I get the term though, to try to describe a drive as only enhancing the characteristics and adding gain to what the amp is already doing. But people define that differently too, so there's that.
Majority don't have that feature. A basic clean boost is the closest you might get but even those can vary a lot. I get the term though, to try to describe a drive as only enhancing the characteristics and adding gain to what the amp is already doing. But people define that differently too, so there's that.
ShrinkyDink
Groupie
- Messages
- 34
No!
newpedals
Roadie
- Messages
- 412
I know a guitarist who is kind of a poster person for this trend. Saw him playing at a gig last year. He is an amazing guitarist, and honestly he does not need expensive gear and "transparent" overdrive pedals to sound good.
He has few of these "transparent" pedals on his board. To my ears, they don't seem to cut through the mix. I think he has set them with the EQ relatively flat.
He has 3 delay pedals on his board. He keeps the first one always on with "slapback" settings. He steps on the second one frequently. He also has a third delay pedal which he uses to boost his sound while soloing. I am not an expert on pedals or delays, but it seems to me that this third one is set to dotted eights.
I have commented elsewhere on this forum about my experience when I saw him play. I could see that he is amazing, but it was hard for me to understand what he was playing if I didn't look at his hands. He had two delays switched on for almost the whole time.
He has few of these "transparent" pedals on his board. To my ears, they don't seem to cut through the mix. I think he has set them with the EQ relatively flat.
He has 3 delay pedals on his board. He keeps the first one always on with "slapback" settings. He steps on the second one frequently. He also has a third delay pedal which he uses to boost his sound while soloing. I am not an expert on pedals or delays, but it seems to me that this third one is set to dotted eights.
I have commented elsewhere on this forum about my experience when I saw him play. I could see that he is amazing, but it was hard for me to understand what he was playing if I didn't look at his hands. He had two delays switched on for almost the whole time.
metropolis_4
Rock Star
- Messages
- 3,330
I think the concept is still around. Maybe different terms have started to be used to describe the same thing though?
A lot of classic drive pedals have a distinct tone to them and when you turn them on they sort of take over. TubeScreamer is the classic example. A lot of players were looking for drive pedals that gave the effect of just taking the sound that was there and turning up the gain. A way to get the same tone, just more.
When I hear “transparent” OD I think flat EQ and low compression.
A lot of classic drive pedals have a distinct tone to them and when you turn them on they sort of take over. TubeScreamer is the classic example. A lot of players were looking for drive pedals that gave the effect of just taking the sound that was there and turning up the gain. A way to get the same tone, just more.
When I hear “transparent” OD I think flat EQ and low compression.
- Messages
- 7,732
Yeah, when you want to cut through a mix for a solo or bridge section, a transparent or flat boost may not be the most appropriate. Context matters of course. But there's a reason pedals like tube screamers and klons are so popular -- they tend to cut through better.
Having multiple delays as you noticed will tend to cloud the sound up for obvious reasons.
