v-twin... should I buy one?

I am playing through a boogie dc-3 combo an love it. I really haven't planned on using distortion pedals with it but.....I have been using a fulltone OCD to add an extra channel to my amp. I am wandering if the v-twin would be a good choice to replace the OCD. I just want to have access to an extra channel or 2. I don't quite understand what it means to be a pre-amp pedal vs. something like the bottle rocket or OCD. Can I use it the same way and what kind of tones will it give me????

I don't think it's best to use the vtwin in that way.

You have to imagine the vtwin as it's own amp, just reqiring a power amp behind it. The distortion offered by the vtwin isn't all that much. I have never been able to get any decent tone out of the blue channel, it's pretty horrible imo.

The green and red channels are very nice though but work much better on low gain settings.

The secret is to use an overdrive pedal infront of the vtwin. You would not believe how good it sounds, you can then get everything from nice cleans all the way through to a Mark IV tight Mesa distortion.

I have been using the vtwin as an overdrive for a long time, when I actually treated it as a preamp, I was amazed!

I agree with boola's comments. I have for years owned both the V-Twin pedal (now my second because I didn't think I needed the first one anymore) and the V-Twin rack. I have used the pedal version in many applications from in front of my amps (Road King I, Laney VH100R, and the latest aquisition a Mark III) to just hooking it up with a power amp and a cab.
I have always had great luck with the blues mode more so than the red or the green. I have found through the years and way too many pedals that I can't get that special "tone" that the V-Twin does.
I like boola have used several OD units such as a TS9DX, Boss GE-7, Boss OD-2R and Voodoo Lab Sparkle Drive, etc. in front of it. It seems to kick it just right. I use this combination with all of my amp setups and am still amazed by the tones I can get out of it. For instance I just used it with the clean channel of my Mark III in blues mode and it was spectacular. FWIW and IMHO a V-Twin pedal would be a great asset to any rig. You won't be sorry. Good Luck.

Kev

Would the VTwin add any value to a MKIV combo?

I love the V Twin. I get great metal tones out of it very easily by running an eq after it. Its an awsome pedal. For all the tube driven pedal out there the V twin has the most naturtal tube like respomse ive heard, it sounds like your playing out of a real tube amp. Running a boost pedal before it also does some incredible things. I do that for solos.

May be of interest. http://youtube.com/watch?v=Dd-gSvU8h8M