What's your non-fuzz dirt pedal of choice?

[Mark of the Beast]

check out the OD-2/OD-2R

OD-2R has almost 200% of the OD-2's headroom which has proven to be not enough for humbuckers or active pickups. As you wrote you cannot achieve unity gain with the OD-2. Plus the OD-2R's Turbo mode has an improved slight volume boost plus the expression pedal jack.

The OD-2R is one of my all time favourites. It sounds killer with analogue synths, too!

Here's a vid of an OD-2 achieving unity gain at about 12 o' clock. The one I own doesn't. I'm not sure if this is a problem that was in earlier ones or what.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aNqxSPPO0Hg[/youtube]

No, the OD-2 hasn't changed in design. At the Bossarea forum or StompBoxZone forum someone wanted to mod his OD-2, but due to the ICs in the OD-2 it was only possible to enhance the volume of the turbo mode.

You can achieve unity gain with the OD-2 if you use rather low output single coils. I already had problems with my MIJ Fender Stratocaster. And I had two units of the OD-2 - both were identical in their behaviour.

And you don't know what they did in the YT video. Maybe there was some post-processing to get the volume on par with the clean sound. Or that guitar has pickups with really low output.

Same thing happens in the following vids were unity volume is around 12:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IP4pOR_iMJc
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jVDBBI4NHb4
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CuE8z3lfkBI
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pxpsWIu_wUQ
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n1BAVdmvxEE

[Pepe]

Same thing happens in the following vids were unity volume is around 12:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IP4pOR_iMJc
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jVDBBI4NHb4
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CuE8z3lfkBI
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pxpsWIu_wUQ
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n1BAVdmvxEE

Video 3 features the OD-2R.
In the other videos the guys gently play a few notes before turning the OD-2 on. If you play loud clean stuff and then use the OD-2 with volume at noon, then there's a huge volume drop. Also you can clearly hear in the videos that the OD-2 sounds very weak this way, especially in video 5. Apart from the guy in video 4 (volume at 02:00h) they aren't doing it right.

[Scruffie]

From what I remember OD-1 and OD-3 were roughly the same circuit. I just watched a shoot out vid between all of them, OD-3 has more bass and they added a tone knob.
I think the OD-2 was short lived because of the problem with the volume. I wouldn't say it was an anemic SD-1 I had both at one time and sold the SD-1 because there was so much overlap and the OD-2 covered more ground because of the Turbo. T U R B O !

I thought the OD-1 was an SD-1 with a fixed tone control.
Is BossArea still around?

OD-1 is like an asymmetric clipping tube screamer (slightly different frequency response) with no tone control.
SD-1 is indeed pretty close to an OD-1 (slightly different frequency response) with a tone control.
OD-2 if I'm looking at it right, two separate discrete J-FET drive circuits, one asymmetric clipping kinda like an OD-1 but done differently, one all op amp distortion with two cascaded stages.
OD-3 symmetrical clipping, discrete J-FET op amps, lots of frequency shaping, nothing like an OD-1.

Only a quick look, not simulated them or anything so someone might challenge it but that's what it looks like.

[starmansam]

+1 to the elements. Great pedal. Less intimidating if you think about the controls more like you would on an amp. Toggles to get the basic sounds, eq to fit the amp and the room, gain and volume to taste.

The gci brutalist Jr is another awesome pedal no one has mentioned yet. You can build one, or usually find some decent builds on reverb for a decent price. It's a pretty articulate little distortion pedal. Voiced really well for lots of things, not just the heavies, though it's pretty good at getting heavy

[qersty]

Yeah OD-1 is more like a tubescreamer (it is what ibanez ripped off, fun fact). The OD-3 is like a bassman preamp I think Good readup about the od-3

Boss area is still around but it sucks pee pee

[frigid midget]

Maybe a bit of a crapshoot in terms of quality control, but the Little Bear R.attack may be worth trying (if you haven't already). The Germanium (You Dirty Rat), mode stays smooth, is decidedly darker than other variants I've tried, and covers a wide range of gain. The DOD Boneshaker is a relatively versatile DOD-250-type option, though its controls are a bit more involved, and the range of gain remains within overdrive territory. Valeton also offers cheapo mini Rat (Dark Tale) and Boss OD-1 (Loft Series Overdrive) variants, the first of which has a decent 2 band EQ that can dial out icepick frequencies and add gratuitous bass boom. Lastly, the EHX Graphic Fuzz is actually an overdrive and covers a signficant amount of gain territory decently. If all else fails, Elements is probably the answer you seek (or Harmonic Percolator if fuzziness isn't verboten).

Had a boneshaker for a while. Bought it for sludgy heavy tones, for a new band I was trying to get going. Boneshaker lacked gain, at least for my guitar's low output single coils. So I sold it, but I think it would probably work for what I'm after now

Had an OD-1 as well, way too civilised and tubescreamer'y. I kinda gave up on rats, regardless of which clipping version, even though they can sound good depending on the rest of the chain. Kinda like muffs actually, they'll never be my favorite dirt type either, but I always NEED one of 'em around.

I've got a good HP clone too (I know, I have a problem). Awesome, has a subtle lower octave thing going, cuts through a mix like a razor,...but doens't work as a foundation type overdrive, or at least not for the kinda tone I've got in mind.

[mcatano]

Just get a blues driver.

[coldbrightsunlight]

Blues driver is pretty cool for sure

[Mark of the Beast]

From what I remember OD-1 and OD-3 were roughly the same circuit. I just watched a shoot out vid between all of them, OD-3 has more bass and they added a tone knob.
I think the OD-2 was short lived because of the problem with the volume. I wouldn't say it was an anemic SD-1 I had both at one time and sold the SD-1 because there was so much overlap and the OD-2 covered more ground because of the Turbo. T U R B O !

I thought the OD-1 was an SD-1 with a fixed tone control.
Is BossArea still around?

OD-1 is like an asymmetric clipping tube screamer (slightly different frequency response) with no tone control.
SD-1 is indeed pretty close to an OD-1 (slightly different frequency response) with a tone control.
OD-2 if I'm looking at it right, two separate discrete J-FET drive circuits, one asymmetric clipping kinda like an OD-1 but done differently, one all op amp distortion with two cascaded stages.
OD-3 symmetrical clipping, discrete J-FET op amps, lots of frequency shaping, nothing like an OD-1.

Only a quick look, not simulated them or anything so someone might challenge it but that's what it looks like.

Very helpful info. I just looked at the OD-1 and OD-3 schematics floating around online and, you're right, they're definitely different circuits. I must have remembered it wrong.

[Jero]

Appreciate that overdrive gas.

Thanks

[friendship]

If you're looking at the OD-3, check out the OD-2/OD-2R. It's got a Turbo Mode that gives it a wider gain range....Plus if you just get a OD-3, you can't get really serious and yell "It's Turbo Time" and start running around the house as fast as you can and jump over the couches...

Not sure that this thread needs to continue considering this conclusive suggestion.

[nogodsnobedtimes]

Have you checked out the EAE Dagger? The EQ is great with a TON of low end, and that gain goes from light drive to big beefy drive. You could go for a Longsword if you want the additional boost and mids knob.

Blues Driver is also worth owning.

[jirodreamsofdank]

A Greer 390 - pretty much a DOD 250 OD

[frigid midget]

Have you checked out the EAE Dagger? The EQ is great with a TON of low end, and that gain goes from light drive to big beefy drive. You could go for a Longsword if you want the additional boost and mids knob.

Blues Driver is also worth owning.

Have I checked it?? Dude, I've been drooling over all the demo's I could find. Basically nails the gritty-yet-full tone I'm going for. It's one of those unobtanium ones I refered to in my original post though. Non-existing on the local used market, nearly $240 new after shipping & taxes :/

[Blackened Soul]

I have one all-purpose crazy loud single channel non MV amp with tons of headroom, so a "useable" overdrive pedal is sort of a necessary evil for me. Right now, I don't have any blooz boomer type dirt pedals to stack with fuzz or whatever. What am I overlooking, what ticks all the boxes and sounds good going into a clean loud vintage style amp? Tgp lurkers can come out and play now

There are a lot of reasons I will of no help on this as what I like ins't cheap or common in any part of the world. One thing is out side of messing around at home I've never used overdrive pedals on guitar. My main thing is bass and on recordings I would run through a marshall JCM800 or a Orange Thunderverb for overdrive.. And in my ENDLESS search for a OD it was the attempt to get the sound of my bass through a Marshall.. I ended up with a Rat in a blend pedal on the last leg of what I was doing Still despite myself I love old funky bluesy guitar tones and playing old crusty tuned down old crusty overdriven guitar stuff.. my amp for this is a Ampeg J12T that I've had since 96 so when I talk ODs that is the amp I have in mind tonally..

Mesa Boogie V-twin: Yes it costs a lot, and they are hard to find, and they are old, and they are HUGE, and they are covered in diamond plate, but, fuck do they sound good.

Tube Driver / Real Tube / Blues Tube: these are great pedals if you want old funky tube amp sounds, a lot of TGP guys battle with these and try to use them as clean boosts and light grit drive, which is fine but it isn't what they do best, what they do best is mid to high gain OD.

Sobat Drive Breaker: think of these as a cleaner, clearer, more articulate rat.

Boss Blues Driver: I've only played one once at a store with a G&L asat and for a moment I sounded like SRV

Wren and Cuff Phat Phuk: it's a one knob boost, but when you use it at unity it adds this wonderful gritty texture, I use it like this on electric cello where I use a EQ pedal to remove all the harsh piezo tones and have the Phuk add in grit to make it sound more "acoustic" again

Old Marshall blues breaker/ drive master: cool funky drives, there are a lot of clones.. JHS has a horrible and annoying video on them..

HAO Rumble Mod: grain boost/low to mid OD, very useful tone knob.

DBA Interstellar Overdriver: I had a custom one of these I got from and then sold back to Ron Now of Bongripper [he missed it and pleaded for it back] that I really liked a lot but never had a use for at the time I had it. Nice and crusty over pushed small amp tones

Rat: ILOVERATS! you can gets lots of sounds by turning the controls this way and that