Distortion pedal recommendations???

Throughout this forum I've heard mention of using distortion pedals w/ Mesa Recto's. I have a SRC and wondering what people think of the following pedals...

Boss HM-2 ( I used to have one now I'm wishing I kept it!)
Boss Metal Core ML-2
Boss MD-2
Digitech DF-7

I've heard a lot about the BB Pre-amp but can't justify the 200 bucks right now. Or is it worth waiting for?

Have access to a tube screamer so I'll check that one out myself.

Thanks

I can't for the life of me understand why anyone would throw down serious dough on a Mesa Boogie, and then run a distortion pedal through it.

Have to agree with the above post

But a serious distortion pedal I own is a Hughes & Kettner Tube Factor. You could plug into a Pignose with that and sound like a million bux

They're used to tighten it up, get a more searing lead tone, adding either a third or fourth "channel" to the amp, because it gives another tone choice.

I'd suggest an Ibanez TS-9 or 808, or a Maxon OD pedal. Also, check out Keeley modded stuff, I hear those are really good for adding a searing gain sound.

-AJH

Just how much distortion does any one person need?

hey guys,,,first off, I have that bb preamp mentioned and its a very nice pedal. I use it for overdriving my second channel drive. Its also nice to use on your clean channel,,very warm,VERY tube like sounding. And a hell of a lot more gain available than my TS-808.
Another company to look at is MI Audio,,Unbelievable products. Try out the blues pro overdrive,,,its just as good as the bb IMHO.
A while back I picked up the MI Audio crunch box distortion pedal to use with my rectoverb,,I know,,I know,,why do I need that after spending all that doe on my amp. I had read how nice the pedal sounded and thought id give it a try. Its supposed to sound like a marshall. I cant afford and dont need multiple amps. So I figured Id try it to give me a different
sound/flavor if you will. It did just that. I almost returned it because it sounded so good and didnt want to end up using it more than my amps distortion. After the initial high went away I found a place for it using it only,like I said as a different sound to mess with. Try this pedal out if your looking for gain similar to the vintage channel of a rectifier. It is very marshally sounding but of course if you want the true marshall sound,,id suggest buying a marshall. I dont think this pedal will do the extreme death metal sound. Thats what my modern channel is for.
The pedal is also very tube like sounding,,warm,massive sustain and reletively quiet for a high gain pedal and true bypass. Do yourselves a favor and try the above mentioned MI Audio pedals. They are incredible,,especially for the money.. I dont think the prices will stay this low for long.
you watch

[/quote] Russ.
Just how much distortion does any one person need?
I have to whole heartedly agree with you on that. I have found myself
using less and less distortion/gain recently. When I first got my ROV
I was using the modern channel and vintage channel with the gain up high almost all the time. Lately maybe because im getting better,,I dont know, but im finding myself using a hell of a lot less distortion. Ive been using the raw channel with the gain set a bit below half and finding plenty of gain and sustain especially when using an overdrive in front of the amp.

I'll check the pedals out, thanks! Do you roll the gain back on the amp or on the pedal it?

I will say that I use more gain at lower volume and less gain at higher volumes in the rare opportunity I can crank the amp.

hey clutch71,, im not sure which pedals your talking about. If your talking about a distortion pedal like the crunch box I mentioned you would normally run that alone on the clean channel. Set the amp up as clean as you can then use the distortion pedal for your main gain sound.
On the other hand if you plan on using your boogies gain channel many people enjoy using an overdrive pedal in front of the amp. Essentially what that does is push or overdrive your preamp harder.
What I do is set my amps gain to where I like it then use the overdrive to boost the signal for my soloing. I make sure the OD pedals level is just a bit higher in volume than my amps. It adds a bit more gain and sustain,maybe even a tighter feeling due to some compression. I find I also like to sometimes keep the OD on all the time,,It adds something nice to your sound.
Note, when using your OD on top of your amps gain, keep the gain on the OD to a minimum otherwise it can get too overdriven and sloppy.
I usually keep the gain on the OD pedal about 10% - 20%.
Experiment and you will see,,,,good luck

Hey clutch71 I noticed the pedals you mentioned were all pedals used for extreme distortion. You never mentioned what sound your after.
If your after something extreme then the crunch box might not be for you. But for a top of the line overdrive check out the
MI Audio Blues Pro Overdrive,,,like I said,,just as nice as the BB preamp but much cheaper. I own both and both are nice. Almost the same to me.
You can find both of the MI Audio pedals at this sight with sound samples.
http://www.miaudio.com/CB1.htm

recto-robbie said:

Hey clutch71 I noticed the pedals you mentioned were all pedals used for extreme distortion. You never mentioned what sound your after.
If your after something extreme then the crunch box might not be for you. But for a top of the line overdrive check out the
MI Audio Blues Pro Overdrive,,,like I said,,just as nice as the BB preamp but much cheaper. I own both and both are nice. Almost the same to me.
You can find both of the MI Audio pedals at this sight with sound samples.
http://www.miaudio.com/CB1.htm

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The sound I'm after...I think I nailed it here...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LknU71ADqYE

...this was no distortion pedal, straight amp with a little delay on front.

However...
I like that Metallica compressed (Think Kill em all to Master of Puppets) sound for old school stuff but do not want to pick up a Mark IIC for it. I've never found a Compressor that didn't squeal all over th place.

I also like Adam Jones sound on the "10,00 Days" album but don't want to fork out 4600 bucks for a Diezel Vh4 head! That bite on the Pot! :twisted: I just can't quite nail it with what I have.

Thought a pedal may help capture one of those two.

I think I can get the Opiate, Undertow, Aenima sounds. I think AJ swithced to Diezel after Aenima.

Yes I see what your after, The crunch box wont do it for you. With that think sabbath,judas priest,ac/dc.
On the other hand, Id assume with your single rec like mine you would be able to come pretty close to that sound. Like I said I think you should try an overdrive in front of your amp,,adds thickness,sustain and just a bit of compression.
Remember for example, I said try the MI Audio blues pro or the bb preamp. Both of these pedals when used alone with your clean
channel 1, will sound very bluesy maybe even getting close to ac/dc.
But when using them as an overdrive on top of your already high gain channel 2,,thats when they shine and are made for.
I couldnt tell what amp that guy was using. Looked like a boogie to me.
Maybe one of those metal pedals you originally wanted info on will do it for you. I heard good things about that metal pedal boss just came out with,,,md2 or something. The problem with those as I see it is if they sound very solid statish like the boss mt-2,,, then like the other posters above said,,,why spend all the doe on a boogie tube amp. You could do that with a line six for a couple hundred bucks. Anyways you gotta do what sounds good to you only.
Another idea is and isnt cheap, would be to look into a cab. I just picked up the 2x12 rec cab to use with my ROV combo single speaker and ill tell you,,,SWEET. makes it sound so much bigger and that chugga,chugga sound of metal is awsome now with the closed back of the 2x12 cab.
Dont remember what guitar your using but that could be a big factor.
Maybe different pickups.
Good luck,let me know what you find

recto-robbie said:

...I couldnt tell what amp that guy was using. Looked like a boogie to me.
Good luck,let me know what you find

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That handsome fellow in the video was me. :shock: You are correct it's a ROV on top of a 2x12. I did state in the previous post that "...I nailed it here..." DWQ1971 is my other pseudonym so to speak. My internet persona if you will.

I really like Adam Jones sound and Old Metallica. I haven't found a Marshall I like, which is what AC/DC and Priest use(d). I love all of the old stuff but when I play it I like the Rectifier sound. I ought to post a clip of the intro to Bring it On Home by Led Zeppelin with the my ROV. It's pretty cool actually with a recto bite.

I think I'll take your advice and try something from the MI line. I'm heading to GC this weekend and a Mesa Dealer.

Thanks again.

Nice,,,But you wont find those MI audio pedals at GC. I agree with you on the zeppelin stuff with the recto. Lately Ive been playing them a lot again and I find that my crunch box distortion pedal nails the sound better than my ROV. Think custard pie,,heartbreaker. To let you know what the pedal can do gain wise, I get the sound for the previous mentioned songs on about 2 to 3 of 10. It really is quite marshally sounding for any of those old bands who used marshall amps.
I gotta ask you,,,I noticed in your signature you used an original dunlop
crybaby wah.. How is that pedal? Ive never owned a wah before. I cant even say Ive ever tried one except on a gt-6.

Nice,,,But you wont find those MI audio pedals at GC. I agree with you on the zeppelin stuff with the recto. Lately Ive been playing them a lot again and I find that my crunch box distortion pedal nails the sound better than my ROV. Think custard pie,,heartbreaker. To let you know what the pedal can do gain wise, I get the sound for the previous mentioned songs on about 2 to 3 of 10. It really is quite marshally sounding for any of those old bands who used marshall amps.
I gotta ask you,,,I noticed in your signature you used an original dunlop
crybaby wah.. How is that pedal? Ive never owned a wah before. I cant even say Ive ever tried one except on a gt-6. Ive been thinking of picking one up but holding off because I know nothing about any of those wah pedals.

I noticed in your signature you used an original dunlop
crybaby wah.. How is that pedal? Ive never owned a wah before. I cant even say Ive ever tried one except on a gt-6. Ive been thinking of picking one up but holding off because I know nothing about any of those wah pedals.

Click to expand...

I ended up with a Crybaby wah because Tom Morello used one. You can see it on the inside of the Evil Empire album. I wanted it for Bulls On Parade and that was all. I didn't look into anything else. I like that it has "sample" settings from everyone John Frusciante, Jimi Hendrix, Tom Morello, to Jerry Cantrell. Some of my favorite guitar players.

With that said, I would like to find a wah with a little more range. By that I mean as I Heal/Toe the pedal I'd like a little more room at the top and bottom of the pedals range of motion. I'm using it on the 46 and 2 clip I did on youtube. I think it is close to Adam Jones but it sounded like his had more of a range. Don't get me wrong I like the pedal. If for no other reason it nails that Bulls on Parade growl.

And the good news is they are a dime a dozen you can pick them up at Music GO ROund or Ebay from 40-50 bucks. Could you post some of those Zeppelin clips for me to check out? I'd like to hear em.

Id love to but I wouldnt know the first thing about recording anything with my computer. Or any other recording device for that matter other than an old tape recorder I mess with periodically.
Anyways what you need is a nice overdrive.. Your amps distortion straight up sounded plenty good to me. I thought mine did too until I got my first overdrive and figured out how to use it. Good luck to you

hey whats up clutch71,, I had the oppertunity to try out a friends new
boss ml-2 metal core pedal with my rectoverb tonight. I played it obviously through my clean channel. It does have a nice sound to it.
I have tried the mt-2 in the past with another amp which didnt work for me but from what I can remember about it, I think I prefer the new metal core more. It didnt seem to sound as thin and digital as the mt-2 and maybe a bit more quiet at higher gain levels.
I found the metal core pedal to be very similar in sound to my rectoverb,
not quite,but close. With the pedal pretty much maxed out I was able to get the same amount of gain from my ROV on the modern channel with gain around 2 oclock. I wasnt planning on buying the pedal,,I just figured I would give it a go, seeing that my friend had it right there. After trying it out for a while it proved one thing to me. I sure dont need any metal pedal for my ROV. The ROV has plenty of brutal distortion.
Anyways I know you were looking for some pedals,,so maybe the metal core would suit you well..I think it sounded real nice for a digital boss pedal. good luck

Thanks dude. I like how the Metal Core sounded on the web-site, I'll give one a try. I wasn't able to find any MI audio pedals or BB yet. I think I'm going to hold off on a distortion pedal and start focusing toward a 4x12 cabinet, hot plate, and eventually new head.

Ive got to ask you,,, why would you consider replacing the amp you have?
Especially because it can be hooked up to a cab.
IM wondering what amp you think will get the sound your after better than the ROV?
I cant tell too much of any difference from the ROV than a double or triple rec,. other than more wattage and more options and the option to use the rectifier tubes or solid state rectifier?
Anyways, maybe your not looking for a rec at all.. just wondering?
I just cant imagine a much more brutal distortion offered than a rectifier like the ROV. Good luck