An 'always on' pedal for the D-Moll

Just wondering where to go with this. I want an always on pedal for the D-Moll that can tighten up my lows and add some mids and highs going into the amp, but I don't want it to distort when I'm on the clean channel. I suppose an EQ pedal more than a drive?

Anyone used the Source Audio EQ?? Looking at that, it looks the bizness. Supports midi too, if I ever decide to go that way!

Usually people use an Tubescreamer, Maxon 808, or similar, to achieve just that - with the gain at 0 and the level somwhere between 3 o'clock and max so that it works as a boost. Tightens up the low end by doing a low cut and adding mids. With the tone pot you might be able to adjust the highs to your likings, but not so sure about that part. Cleans should stay clean enough if you dial down the gain on the amp.

I use an mxr 10 band to achieve similar results. I have a maxon 808 but found the mxr was better at shaping without impacting the gain.

You probably want a total clean boost if you want cleans to stay clean. Had an OD820 a few years back that didn't clip my clean channel with the drive off.

Maybe look at the KoKo boost as it has the mid boost and a flavour switch?

TBF You're probably in the right area if you're looking at EQ pedals.

KoKo

Sounds a lot like a task for an EQ pedal but IMHO you are only doing cosmetic changes with that - in the long run it might pay off looking at e.g. a different cab, speakers or going from rear to front loaded etc.

I've got an 808 Tubescreamer clone. It does the job, but absolutely doesn't sound clean even with the gain at zero.

I've got a Source Audio EQ incoming. It looked too good to ignore!

I can recommend MXR micro amp - have it with Einstein and it works exactly like you would want it to work.

AsRocker":19jd0hkw said:

I can recommend MXR micro amp - have it with Einstein and it works exactly like you would want it to work.

Click to expand...

I had rather assumed the micro amp was just a clean boost with no tonal difference. Am I wrong?

I have an Empress ParaEQ in the loop of my Herbert - love it!

I have a D-Moll and mainly use a custom made Langraff Dynamic Overdrive. Mine is slightly different from the stock models in that the toggle affects compression instead of voicing. Landgraff pedals run probably about $100 more than typical boutique overdrives, but I own many overdrives and this is the best. My personal favorite has always been the OD-820 which would be my 2nd suggestion, but the Landgraff just has some magic you can't find in other overdrives. All I have to do is set the tone and output knobs to noon and the drive all the way down and it dynamically enhances whatever amp I play through. I don't know how he does it, but it really does seem to magically adapt to any amp. It also has a little more overdrive on tap than typical tube screamers if you use the middle toggle position (Marshall mode I think). It also has a clean boost thing in the upper toggle position.

Just for reference, I can tell you that I own the following overdrive pedals:

Landgraff DO custom, Maxon OD-820, Maxon OD808 & OD9, BBE Plus, Ibanez TS808 handwired, Klon Centaur (silver), Maxon TBO9, T-Rex Alberta, and Plush Cream. I own other pedals but they are more in the distortion category such as the Wampler Sovereign and Bogner XTC Red, so they don't necessarily make good "always on" pedals.

I'm sure there are always those who say tube screamers are all the same, etc... but I own many and disagree. Though they can be very, very similar, and may even audibly be identical, there's always a difference in feel, compression, and how they interact with amps. I'm no expert but that's what I think.

Simply sad we need a new voicing with more midrange and attack
on the D-Moll distortion channels ?

Peter Diezel":3bu7jn6y said:

Simply sad we need a new voicing with more midrange and attack
on the D-Moll distortion channels ?

Click to expand...

Not at all not at all

I love the D-Moll and I think the voicing is really good. I actually use the mid-cut all the time, and don't need more mids. It's really just a slight tightening of the low-end that I was looking for, like what you get when you use a tubescreamer in front of a Dual Recto.

To be perfectly honest, it's plausible that a pickup change could solve it too. I had practice tonight and took two guitars. One is a Orville Les Paul Custom from 1991, mahogany body and very dark rosewood fretboard loaded with Bareknuckle Pickups Rebel Yell in the bridge and neck. It's quite a dark sounding guitar naturally.

The other guitar is a Chapman ML-1 with Seymour Duncan TB6 in the bridge, and it doesn't sound the same into the D-Moll. I didn't need to use the EQ pedal with this guitar at all.

So I'm thinking I will move to Seymour Duncans in my Les Paul maybe. Might even send the EQ pedal back to the shop and get some pickups instead!

EQ kinda worked. But I found that Seymour Duncans in another guitar were giving me what I wanted. So EQ is going back, and I'm going to change my pickups.