Beginner's Fuzz/ OD/ Distortion

[gijoeodonnell]

So I recently purchased what I consider to be my first real amp (I'm not to count my Fender Frontman 15 that I got in a package with my Squier, both of which I disown) and found myself in a bit of a bind. My new amp, a Marshall Class5, is way too loud to let me get a good tube natural tube overdrive, and being a "botique" style amp, has no organic gain circuit.
(Yes, I should have played it more to realize that 5 watts class A is way too loud for my apartment, but I'm a beginner and the word MARSHALL had the same appeal to me as the words FORD MUSTANG to a 16 year old)
So I started looking around and found this forum through deviever's website. I am really trying to get a reasonable approximation of Billy Gibbons, Billy Squier, Slash, and Josh Homme sound. I was wondering if there is any pedal for the uninitiated that stands out as the best way to go to get my amp some gain and get into that sonic territory?
My orange Boss DS-1 ain't getting it done. VIsual Sounds Angry Fuzz, and Devi Ever's Never Drive were peaking my interest.

[smile_man]

VFM

[Rygot]

Yeah I think the VFM would probably be the best to get you a mix of the people you listed. What era josh homme are you looking for?

[gijoeodonnell]

QOTSA/Them Crooked Vultures, especially songs for the deaf and era vulgaris.

[modernage]

Doesn't he mostly play through Ampeg amps? I wonder if the Catalinbread SFT would get you in the ballpark. I think any OD that can get you into fuzzy territory would work well... Earthquaker Monarch, Blackout Mantra, Skreddy Screwdriver, etc.

[bubstance]

.

[tuffteef]

a big muff is always a nice start

blackout effectors musket?
versatile would cover lots of ground your into

[Teej212]

i would say soda meiser. it gets some nice muffy sounds, but it also gets some awesome octavia.

[tuffteef]

or if u really wanna get some ground

a MK1 tonebender

[MKULTRA]

Boss ODB-3 Bass Overdrive and a Green Russian Big Muff.

[Fuzzy Picklez]

A good place to start with fuzz I think is an EHX Big Muff Pi.
They sound good, they're not too expensive, and they're readily available.
Not sure it would really get you to where you want to sound though.

[The4455]

Fuzz - Devi Ever 90
OD - Ibanez Ts-9
Distortion - MXR Distortion +

I think a little big muff would be a good first pedal too, also with whatever "dirt box" you get you should also get a some sor tof "swirly box," like a phaser

[dubkitty]

i like the way that the4455 thinks, except that i've never cared for the Tube Screamer. i'm waiting for a 3Xfx Fatman to arrive, which from the demos looks to have enough range of gain and tone to cover a lot of the ground you're looking for, but i can't testify to its degree of ultimate goodness yet. i think a Muff might be a little compressed and thin-sounding for the kind of sound you're after...if i were going in that direction i think i'd look at the devi ever Shoe Gazer. if i was only going to have one pedal, i'd either want a big range of adjustment or multiple stages.

[Chumley]

VFM might be a bit over the top if it's the only fuzz you're using... SM would be a better idea, it's a bit more versatile, from what I've found. Haven't heard the 90 in person, or in a particularly quality demo, but if it sounds the way I think it does, it should be perfect.

[devnulljp]

So I recently purchased what I consider to be my first real amp (I'm not to count my Fender Frontman 15 that I got in a package with my Squier, both of which I disown) and found myself in a bit of a bind. My new amp, a Marshall Class5, is way too loud to let me get a good tube natural tube overdrive, and being a "botique" style amp, has no organic gain circuit.
(Yes, I should have played it more to realize that 5 watts class A is way too loud for my apartment, but I'm a beginner and the word MARSHALL had the same appeal to me as the words FORD MUSTANG to a 16 year old)
So I started looking around and found this forum through deviever's website. I am really trying to get a reasonable approximation of Billy Gibbons, Billy Squier, Slash, and Josh Homme sound. I was wondering if there is any pedal for the uninitiated that stands out as the best way to go to get my amp some gain and get into that sonic territory?
My orange Boss DS-1 ain't getting it done. VIsual Sounds Angry Fuzz, and Devi Ever's Never Drive were peaking my interest.

Get an attenuator so you can crank the amp but control the volume -- it goes in between the amp and the speaker and soaks up most of the power but still lets you crank the amp so you get nice natural power tube distortion but at bedroom levels.
The Weber Mini Mass is OK and not expensive ($70 or so?), but there are others (Ho/Ultimate attenuator is good, but up in the $300+ range), Dr. Z make one...there are loads of others.

http://www.tedweber.com/atten.htm
http://www.tedweber.com/combo.htm

Once you have the volume under control, shove a decent rangemaster-type treble booster in front of the amp (Analog Man beano Boost or the Keeley Java are both good places to start; Tone Man used to make a cool Rangemaster too; DAM Red Rooster is the biz) and you'll get the sound you're after.

Although, when you say Billy Gibbons I think (a) Foxx Tone Machine and (b) Expandora.

But I'd try the treble boost + attenuator trick first.

EDIT: I should add that those $20 'tube amp attenuators' you see on ebay are worthless -- just a volume pot in a pedal, don't waste your money on them. An attenuator comes after the power tubes and should have either resistors or a speaker motor inside, not just a pot.