Overdrive pedal for ACE?

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amdowell

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I'm so used to using EL84 amps for the last several years that I'm at a loss when it comes to my new Ace head. I have a Sparkle Drive, but I'm wondering if there's a better fit. Mainly using to boost the crunch mode. Thanks!
 
I'm pretty simple. Fenders = Tube Screamer Gibsons = MXR Zakk Wyled OD either set up: >40% Gain, =50% Tone, <50 Level. I use both pedals as a boost and the amp grows teeth. At over 40% gain, the amp sounds great alone but seems to thin out from too much grain in the distortion. When recording, if you run the gain at 30% and double track the guitars the sound gets huge and cuts right through a mix.
 
Using a Catalinbread Dirty Little Secret feeding the front of my Ace. My other pedals thru the loop...seems a little quieter this way. That DLS pedal is working out well so far- giving me lots of juicy Super Lead tones!! :mrgreen:
 
To boost the crunch mode on my Deuce im using a Barber LTD or a Mesa Grid Slammer with wonderfull results.

or, if i want a more AC flavoured tone, i fire my Wampler Ace 30. 8)
 
I've been having nice results into CH 1 Crunch with a Catalinbread Naga Viper (treble booster) for some awesome late 70's hard rock/metal tones. Unleashed In The East, Victim of Changes just leaps out of the guitar, as well as Schenker, UFO lead tones. But for a more "transparent", the amp just got hotter/fatter effect, my M.I. Audio blues pro set to the fuzz setting with modest gain and level at just over halfway is amazing. Sounds better that Tight Gain or Fluid drive on CH 2 and I like both of those a lot. Also great into my Metro '69.
 
I think that it depends what you are looking to get out of it. I used a Boss Super Overdrive for years with my Ace combo and it just matched great. I never liked Tube Screamers with that amp.
 
Screamindv said:
BB Preamp or a little known Gem, The Electro Harmonix Soul Food for less than $70

I can't say enough good things about the EHX Soul Food. Amazing pedal. Very transparent, versatile and powerful. I'm still in awe on how much it costs.
 
abe said:
I think that it depends what you are looking to get out of it. I used a Boss Super Overdrive for years with my Ace combo and it just matched great. I never liked Tube Screamers with that amp.

I am with you on this one, the Tube Screamers have a mid bump and the last thing the stiletto series needs is a mid bump pedal.

Another good choice is the maxon 808, it is a nice clean boost and does not color the sound at all to my ears.
 
Fairfield Circuitry works well, anything that provides transparent clipping... tried a few and you do have to be mindful with this amp, transparent style OD's seem to pair well but I found anything with a low/mid low boost was mush ( TS9, Way Huge Red llama and even the Mesa Throttlebox were mushy)

Don't count out simply boosting in front with an EQ, but if its purely more clipping your after go for something more transparent with some headroom, the OCD running at 15-18V for example is tasty! An Echoplex Boost in the loop is fun too! :)
 
DOD 250 (clone)
Keeley modded DS-1
TC MojoMojo

and like was stated above in another post, anything with too much emphasis on the low mid/low end will mush it up. Even the MojoMojo is on the verge of that but great for smooth single note lines. Also used a The Distillery pedal but could get it to mix with the amp, gave it away.

The DOD 250 clone I made sounded like the amp with the gain/volume bumped and just a tiny bit fuller. Like another channel of the amp I'd call 'Fat Crunch' Stayed on my main board for years. The modded DS-1 works great on the crunch channel but might be a bit much depending on the style music you play, works extremely well on the tight gain mode.

Isaac Berumen
Berumen Guitars

https://www.facebook.com/BerumenGuitars/
 
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