Finally picked up an OCD.. my review

[blackba]

OD pedals in my experience are very amp dependent. A for the OCD, I have never tried one, but I do see recommendations to try running them at 12v often.

I find for myself using a pedal as a boost, it minizes the differences between ods. Running the OD into a clean amp is where the differences really show up.

 

[Kapo_Polenton]

Running the OD into a clean amp is where the differences really show up

I can definitely see this... I am not going to drop 150-200$ on another boutique pedal to see if I can notice a 15% diff in "tone" between the monkey and the said pedal. Chances are I will just default back to what I know and what feels right. I essentially set the bass and treb straight up, volume at 2 -3 pm and gain just cracked a hair whammo! flavour country, JCM does the rest.

 

[Rogue]

I found the OCD to be kind of gritty sounding too. Took it back to GC pretty quick. I have a Koko boost and Bad Monkey on the board now. I like the BM in that it fattens up the top end and tightens up the bottom end, but I hate the boxy sounding mid range. I too am looking for that OD to replace it.

 

[fuzzyguitars]

I use my version 4 as a boost.

Just gives all my amps a kick in the ass for solos.

It excels at NOT smoothing the tone out and retaining the cut for articulation.

I usually use it for my Marshall's and SLO

 

[Chubtone]

I find boutique boost pedals to be far superior, for the most part, to cheap boosts. Cheap boosts typically sound.......cheap.

They all have their own character and can sound quite different based on the amp they are running in to though. So one guys experience with a pedal can be quite different than the next guys.

Quality guitar into quality pedals into quality amp = quality tone. If not, user error.

Some guys are so good though that they can make cheap gear sound good, so.....

So is the original TS-808 a cheap boost? They were $29.99 all day long at GC for years and years. It's also the pedal that launched the "boutique" pedal rebuilding craze. Those "cheap" TS-808's were $600 last time I checked. They were also used on tons of recordings and helped many pro guitarists get the tone that many here are still chasing. The fact that some guy in his mom's basement or out in his garage is under the impression that he can "improve" a classic design and charge twice as much for it and somehow get it over hyped by parrots on a forum does not make it far superior IMO.

I have bought "improved" versions of the TS-9 and the 808 and the SD-1 over and over again. They all talk about how they are going to be better than the unmodded version. At some point it occurs to you that the unmodded version is what the great tones of the past were created with and "improving" these classic, tried and true, tone achieving pedals is not really an improvement of them at all, but something that changes the characteristics of what made those pedals special. Why do I want a Tube Screamer or SD-1 that no longer sounds like a Tube Screamer or SD-1?

I have had many boutique pedals and still have quite a few. None of them have been better at achieving the tones I am looking for than the classic old standbys.

 

[Kapo_Polenton]

The fact that some guy in his mom's basement or out in his garage is under the impression that he can "improve" a classic design and charge twice as much for it and somehow get it over hyped by parrots on a forum does not make it far superior IMO.

Loved this line, so funny because so true! As someone already mentioned here, the boutique offerings sometimes sound better on a clean amp (if you are going for that sound). However, for boosting, the "improved designs" add too much of everything to the original signal it would seem. A lot of the classic cheap designs were designed to give you more of what you had and that is why i think they still work the best. I've tried all sorts of boosters and higher grade pedals and i keep wandering back to this monkey. In fact, I hardly ever tweak the things and the knobs are stiff to move because i haven't touched them in 7 years. The ZW-44 is another winner. Has this weird mid range thing going on but it just works. DOD250 another winner with the single coils (or YJM308) for example.

I think i am better off tone chasing with delays...

 

[Badronald]

I find boutique boost pedals to be far superior, for the most part, to cheap boosts. Cheap boosts typically sound.......cheap.

They all have their own character and can sound quite different based on the amp they are running in to though. So one guys experience with a pedal can be quite different than the next guys.

Quality guitar into quality pedals into quality amp = quality tone. If not, user error.

Some guys are so good though that they can make cheap gear sound good, so.....

So is the original TS-808 a cheap boost? They were $29.99 all day long at GC for years and years. It's also the pedal that launched the "boutique" pedal rebuilding craze. Those "cheap" TS-808's were $600 last time I checked. They were also used on tons of recordings and helped many pro guitarists get the tone that many here are still chasing. The fact that some guy in his mom's basement or out in his garage is under the impression that he can "improve" a classic design and charge twice as much for it and somehow get it over hyped by parrots on a forum does not make it far superior IMO.

I have bought "improved" versions of the TS-9 and the 808 and the SD-1 over and over again. They all talk about how they are going to be better than the unmodded version. At some point it occurs to you that the unmodded version is what the great tones of the past were created with and "improving" these classic, tried and true, tone achieving pedals is not really an improvement of them at all, but something that changes the characteristics of what made those pedals special. Why do I want a Tube Screamer or SD-1 that no longer sounds like a Tube Screamer or SD-1?

I have had many boutique pedals and still have quite a few. None of them have been better at achieving the tones I am looking for than the classic old standbys.

I should have clarified context.

I do fly dates and when I show up I don't always know what the backline is so I have to depend on my pedals for gain (main crunch sound as well as lead). When using my Fulldrive II Mosfet of Wampler Triple Wreck through a Twin Reverb the tone is more than adequate. Most of the time it sounds amazing. However if I showed up with an SD-1 and a TS-808 the tone would be seriously lacking for a full range gain sound. It works for my context. If you needed a lo-fi garage band sound (SD-1 through a Twin) or a blues sound (TS-808 through a Twin) then those pedals would work just fine.

Oh, and last time I checked a TS-808 was very expensive. And........even Ibanez has the HW version which is off the charts expensive.

Oh, I much prefer my Keeley modded TS-9's to my old stock versions. Maybe you don't. I do.

 

[Kapo_Polenton]

ok, this is a diff argument then... your main sound comes from your pedals in most cases so that I can def. see.

 

[Ventura]

As mentioned above, the pedal - specifically the OCD - is more or less amp dependent. I prefer my amps to come with their own OD and gain. But I do use the OCD as well as the BB Pre for my ODs. The OCD with 18V is killer - and it's a brilliant sounding pedal...INTO the right amp.

Carry on, lads.

 

[Chubtone]

I should have clarified context.

I do fly dates and when I show up I don't always know what the backline is so I have to depend on my pedals for gain (main crunch sound as well as lead). When using my Fulldrive II Mosfet of Wampler Triple Wreck through a Twin Reverb the tone is more than adequate. Most of the time it sounds amazing. However if I showed up with an SD-1 and a TS-808 the tone would be seriously lacking for a full range gain sound. It works for my context. If you needed a lo-fi garage band sound (SD-1 through a Twin) or a blues sound (TS-808 through a Twin) then those pedals would work just fine.

Oh, and last time I checked a TS-808 was very expensive. And........even Ibanez has the HW version which is off the charts expensive.

Oh, I much prefer my Keeley modded TS-9's to my old stock versions. Maybe you don't. I do.

First of all, there are many things about your post that confuse me. You say you do "fly dates". I don't know what that is. I am going to assume a rich, middle eastern sheik flys you in for a weekend of fun. Now I know why you want to throw some extra money around on pedals. Alleviate the guilt a little and put some of that oil money back into the US economy.

If you are trying to tell me that someone pays you to get on a plane and go somewhere far away and play music, that concept is even more foreign to me than the first one.

I hear you on your pedals being better if you show up and have to play through a Fender Twin. That makes perfect sense.

As for the keeley mods. I have been there and done that so many times because I figure I have to be missing something and I try them over and over and over again, losing money each time I sell them. And no kidding, right now it has been a couple of years and I am thinking of trying them again.

I'm going to need some extra money. Any chance you can hook me up with some of those sheiks?

 

[snowdog]

At least Rash is appropriately named.

 

[Ventura]

At least Rash is appropriately named.

Maybe roomies with Luke?

 

[Mr. Willy]

I love my OCD. Didn't care for the bad monkey. It wasn't bad at all, but I thought it was too smooth. I like a bit o grit in my dirt.

 

[Greazygeo]

Nothing wrong with the Bad Monkey. It's a good sounding pedal. I don't use pedals much anymore, but I have a few around. I've tried alot of pedals but not that many expensive ones. Some of the Fulltone, Zvex etc....didnt do anything for me. I think alot of them are probably voiced more for sc pickup guitars to get the Hendrix, SRV type tones. Not something I am looking for.

 

[DrugDM]

I should have clarified context.

I do fly dates and when I show up I don't always know what the backline is so I have to depend on my pedals for gain (main crunch sound as well as lead). When using my Fulldrive II Mosfet of Wampler Triple Wreck through a Twin Reverb the tone is more than adequate. Most of the time it sounds amazing. However if I showed up with an SD-1 and a TS-808 the tone would be seriously lacking for a full range gain sound. It works for my context. If you needed a lo-fi garage band sound (SD-1 through a Twin) or a blues sound (TS-808 through a Twin) then those pedals would work just fine.

Oh, and last time I checked a TS-808 was very expensive. And........even Ibanez has the HW version which is off the charts expensive.

Oh, I much prefer my Keeley modded TS-9's to my old stock versions. Maybe you don't. I do.

First of all, there are many things about your post that confuse me. You say you do "fly dates". I don't know what that is. I am going to assume a rich, middle eastern sheik flys you in for a weekend of fun. Now I know why you want to throw some extra money around on pedals. Alleviate the guilt a little and put some of that oil money back into the US economy.

If you are trying to tell me that someone pays you to get on a plane and go somewhere far away and play music, that concept is even more foreign to me than the first one.

I hear you on your pedals being better if you show up and have to play through a Fender Twin. That makes perfect sense.

As for the keeley mods. I have been there and done that so many times because I figure I have to be missing something and I try them over and over and over again, losing money each time I sell them. And no kidding, right now it has been a couple of years and I am thinking of trying them again.

I'm going to need some extra money. Any chance you can hook me up with some of those sheiks?

This is so true. I had several pedals modded and when I got them back I did not hear a difference that justified the money. BTW The OCD is a nice pedal.

 

[stewboy]

Love the Bad Monkey as a lead boost Level cranked and gain off, mids came boxy but sit well in band mix.

 

[Rash]

Ok Rig Talkers,

seems no consensus, so I have to make soundfiles helping you out guys, need to catch a bad monkey tomorrow, I have ocd (I think 4. version, they diifer a bit) king of tone and Rodenberg 728 and Koko Boost.

We will see/hear the difference in a blind test, or not?

End of the week, stay tuned! With marshall JMP and fender amps, will be interesting and myth busting.

Kai

 

[Chubtone]

Ok Rig Talkers,

seems no consensus, so I have to make soundfiles helping you out guys, need to catch a bad monkey tomorrow, I have ocd (I think 4. version, they diifer a bit) king of tone and Rodenberg 728 and Koko Boost.

We will see/hear the difference in a blind test, or not?

End of the week, stay tuned! With marshall JMP and fender amps, will be interesting and myth busting.

Kai

I look forward to it!

 

[Heritage Softail]

The Jetter unit is good. It gets subtle OD and tone changes to an amp already grinding. More subtle than the OCD. The brand is getting traction lately and is in GC.

If you find an R2, two units in one, it is good. You can cascade two subtle units to put reasonable bumps in gain or tone change.

Gotta find a Bad Monkey and try with a few amps. Seems like plenty like it.

 

[Rash]

I will try my best

Bad thing I have no high gain amp, high Gain Pus, so for those guys not that interesting, a lot these use a ts for example in front of rectifiers, a chap which I gave my King of Tone said the KOT sounded a bit softfter than his maxon in front of his metal laney..........blah, blah... we will see

Jetter seems (did not try these) to be a softer Dumble like, if you like these check the Vahlbruch Jewel drive, very sweet sounding, cool dynamics, in front of high gain Amps?....I do not think so, probably cool into the clean channel for a Robben Ford Sound.

BTW A very cool site, this guy does not metal or high gainers, but he describes pedal quite cool, you have to use google translate, as it is in German (perhaps use google chrome)
http://www.guitartest.de/OVERDRIVETEST.htm


Kai