Overdrive pedal recommendation

[Sascha Franck]

Low to medium gain overdrive.

Yeah, I got that much. But there's still plenty of differences. For example, I have a JRockett "The Dude". Most excellent pedal IMO (and an incredibly efficient bass/treble tonestack), you could possibly even get it used for around 100-120, but while pretty flexible, the main drive character is pretty much in the "D-style" (think Dumble amp, Zendrive, etc.) realm. Which is quite useful for many styles, but it's pretty much always a kinda "elegant" thing rather than something raw.
Then there's Marshall style drives, TS kinda things, fuzz-alike creatures, vox-ish pedals, "neutral" boxes and what not.
All of them may sound similar at some settings but very different at other settings.

 

[newpedals]

Yeah, I got that much. But there's still plenty of differences. For example, I have a JRockett "The Dude". Most excellent pedal IMO (and an incredibly efficient bass/treble tonestack), you could possibly even get it used for around 100-120, but while pretty flexible, the main drive character is pretty much in the "D-style" (think Dumble amp, Zendrive, etc.) realm. Which is quite useful for many styles, but it's pretty much always a kinda "elegant" thing rather than something raw.
Then there's Marshall style drives, TS kinda things, fuzz-alike creatures, vox-ish pedals, "neutral" boxes and what not.
All of them may sound similar at some settings but very different at other settings.

I don't like gnarly-sounding pedals in general. I like amp-in-a-box pedals if the gain is limited e.g. Plexitone Low gain, Charlie Brown.

I expect them to have atleast a 2 band EQ. I know it's too much for me to ask for 100$ used.

 

[Sascha Franck]

I know it's too much for me to ask for 100$ used.

Nah, I don't think so. 100 should get you plenty of pedals in that realm.

 

[FuzzyAce]

I don't like gnarly-sounding pedals in general. I like amp-in-a-box pedals if the gain is limited e.g. Plexitone Low gain, Charlie Brown.

I expect them to have atleast a 2 band EQ. I know it's too much for me to ask for 100$ used.

Are you able to get Vox pedals easy from where you live?
I definitely recommend the Valvenergy line, especially the Mystic Edge and Copperhead pedals. Brand new they are just over $100 here in the US. Killer pedals for the money.

 

[metropolis_4]

So I tried Orange Burst, Hammertone OD, Trimph and Spruce Goose in a store.

They had an old Vox amp and some other "Fender voiced" amp (quoting them). I tried to set the EQ on the amps flat while trying them. Had bought my hardtail HSS strat with me. Set the amps clean.

The Spruce Goose and Orange Burst sounded like a fuzz if their Bass knobs were past 1'o clock.

I tried the Triumph next. The 3 band EQ helped me make it sound just like I had imagined in my mind. Hammertone OD sounded similar, but it only had a couple of "sweet spots" on the mids knob.

I enjoyed the sounds coming out of Charlie Brown. But it is not affordable for me. The used pedal they had was still in its box, had a pick and some documentation with it. The price was 160$.

I am gonna visit few more stores, and buy a pedal soon.

Sounds like maybe the Triumph is the one?

Too bad that JHS video came out, you used to be able to grab a Bad Monkey for around $20!

 

[newpedals]

Are you able to get Vox pedals easy from where you live?
I definitely recommend the Valvenergy line, especially the Mystic Edge and Copperhead pedals. Brand new they are just over $100 here in the US. Killer pedals for the money.

I will check out the Vox line. Hopefully I can find them around 100$.

I live here only.

 

[newpedals]

Sounds like maybe the Triumph is the one?

Too bad that JHS video came out, you used to be able to grab a Bad Monkey for around $20!

Bad Monkey for 20$!

Must have been like decades ago I guess. I had read a post which said that it's a collector's pedal.

 

[FuzzyAce]

I live here only.

Oh. I hear it's lovely this time of year?

 

[metropolis_4]

Bad Monkey for 20$!

Must have been like decades ago I guess. I had read a post which said that it's a collector's pedal.

It was originally an inexpensive TubeScreamer style pedal that was well regarded as a solid choice, but nothing special. And prices for them were always low. It was always one of those reliable cheap options.

Then Josh from JHS did a video on one that went viral in the guitar community and all of a sudden prices skyrocketed literally overnight.

 

[Sascha Franck]

Fwiw, over here you can sometimes find used Bad Monkeys for around €50-70.

 

[Desertdweller]

I perform song covers at bar gigs.

I am not a Diva Popstar. My earnings are limited.

A simple $45 Boss SD1 or $80 Maxon 808 covers a lot of ground by themselves and are my first picks for single ODs. DemonFX is a Chinese off-brand, but they're excellent for not a lot of money too. A Demon Tubescreamer that has an 808/TS9 switch on it that just kills, and I'm not paying $300 for an overdrive, so I also really like the Demon 66 for heavy overdrive.

 

[newpedals]

A simple $45 Boss SD1 or $80 Maxon 808 covers a lot of ground by themselves and are my first picks for single ODs. DemonFX is a Chinese off-brand, but they're excellent for not a lot of money too. A Demon Tubescreamer that has an 808/TS9 switch on it that just kills, and I'm not paying $300 for an overdrive, so I also really like the Demon 66 for heavy overdrive.

I already have an SD1. Looking for something with more EQ options.

 

[newpedals]

Oh. I hear it's lovely this time of year?

I am from Chicago. Its kinda cloudy right now.

 

[newpedals]

I compared the triumph with Charlie brown. Triumph sounded similar to my SD1 sometimes. I thought I should go with a pedal which sounds different, so I bought the Charlie Brown.

The price was 140$. Shamelessly borrowed 40$ from my dad :)

Thank you for your help.

 

[Sascha Franck]

Fwiw, I just looked up some Wampler Triumph videos. Shouldn't that be pretty much just what you want? Seems to be pretty flexible with its Punch/Smooth switch and the 4 band tonestack. Medium to low gain drives seem to be its forte, too, and it's within the budget.
Coincidentally, I just found a dude on the german classifieds (ex-ebay) site selling both a Triumph and a Bad Monkey for what seems to be a decent price (he'll tell later), so I'll likely just get them.

Edit: Didn't notice the previous comment and that you didn't particularly gel with the Triumph - and also didn't notice you're sorted already.

 

[metropolis_4]

I compared the triumph with Charlie brown. Triumph sounded similar to my SD1 sometimes. I thought I should go with a pedal which sounds different, so I bought the Charlie Brown.

The price was 140$. Shamelessly borrowed 40$ from my dad :)

Thank you for your help.

Congrats! I would think the Charlie Brown should stack very well with your SD1 as well.

 

[Sascha Franck]

So I just bought a Wampler Triumph and Digitech Bad Monkey bundle for €140. Not *that* much of a killer deal but pretty decent, especially as the Triumph is almost brand new. The Bad Monkey will likely stay at home for recording purposes but I'm pretty sure the Triumph will find a permanent home on my pedalboard as it seems to be incredibly flexible. We'll see. Might post some sound examples once they arrive.

 

[newpedals]

So I just bought a Wampler Triumph and Digitech Bad Monkey bundle for €140. Not *that* much of a killer deal but pretty decent, especially as the Triumph is almost brand new. The Bad Monkey will likely stay at home for recording purposes but I'm pretty sure the Triumph will find a permanent home on my pedalboard as it seems to be incredibly flexible. We'll see. Might post some sound examples once they arrive.

I had tried the EHX Spruce Goose. On the high bass settings, it started sounding like a Fuzz. I am sure many people on here like fuzzes, but I don't.

I believe the magic lies in Triumph's mids knob to fine tune the sound. The mids knob on my Charlie Brown made me go for it. Please try to power your triumph with an 18v power supply. I have seen some pedals become really quiet, when they have that option. Noise gates get unnecessary then.

My phone is too crappy to record audio/ videos otherwise I would have loved to post them. Also I don't have an interface or a computer.

Thank you. Best wishes.

 

[Sascha Franck]

Bad Monkey and Triumph arrived.

As far as the BM goes, I'm not exactly sure yet what I'll end up using it for. It'll not go onto my pedalboard for sure as it's too huge and not offering much for live playing purposes that I can't get otherwise already. But I'm sure it'll be quite neat for some recording purposes, in front of whatever already somewhat dirty amp models.

Regarding the Triumph, this will go on my pedalboard instantly. And so far it seems as if it'll stay there. For the next two days' gigs it'll replace the JRockett "The Dude" as it's absolutely fine to do similar things, but I may as well end up using it for something else later on. Defenitely a pedal that I could as well use twice on the same board as it's very flexible. The mid control is just great, seems to be located pre-drive so it actually alters your drive characteristic.
If I would have a wish, it'd however be for the pedal to go a tad lower in gain. Even at 0, in punch mode and with the mid control turned up, there's still quite some drive happening already. In general, especially in punch mode, the gain knob covers less of a range than with most other pedals. On the upside, you can finetune it pretty well that way.
As a further bonus, to my ears it even sounds better in a buffered environment (such as on my board).

So, pretty happy with this purchase.

 

[newpedals]

Bad Monkey and Triumph arrived.

As far as the BM goes, I'm not exactly sure yet what I'll end up using it for. It'll not go onto my pedalboard for sure as it's too huge and not offering much for live playing purposes that I can't get otherwise already. But I'm sure it'll be quite neat for some recording purposes, in front of whatever already somewhat dirty amp models.

Regarding the Triumph, this will go on my pedalboard instantly. And so far it seems as if it'll stay there. For the next two days' gigs it'll replace the JRockett "The Dude" as it's absolutely fine to do similar things, but I may as well end up using it for something else later on. Defenitely a pedal that I could as well use twice on the same board as it's very flexible. The mid control is just great, seems to be located pre-drive so it actually alters your drive characteristic.
If I would have a wish, it'd however be for the pedal to go a tad lower in gain. Even at 0, in punch mode and with the mid control turned up, there's still quite some drive happening already. In general, especially in punch mode, the gain knob covers less of a range than with most other pedals. On the upside, you can finetune it pretty well that way.
As a further bonus, to my ears it even sounds better in a buffered environment (such as on my board).

So, pretty happy with this purchase.

I feel, the mids knob on any overdrive pedal opens the doors to just magic.

I vaguely remember reading that your dude pedal simulates some expensive amp. I think Santana has that amp. It costs as much as a car or a small home. Have fun :)