Overdrive stacking?

[EvilBatman]

Have any of you experimented with taking 2, 3 or more overdrive pedals and putting them together in series? I have a power amp that's basically sitting idle that I want to screw around with. I imagine it'll be noisy but I don't think I'd be playing out with the set up. More like an experiment. I got the idea from seeing the BB+ Preamp and others like it from Xotic.

 

[Mudder]

I've run a clean/mid boost into a distortion pedal for a little oomph for solos. It's alright. I remember having to tweak and tweak etc to get it to sound right.

 

[moltenmetalburn]

you can def stack just remember your also stacking noise. try not to hit the input of the second too hard, you can juice it some but too much will sound terrible.

 

[glassjaw7]

A BB+ (clean boost side) into an OCD sounds really good through some amps' clean channels. I do this with my Recto's clean channel for an additional lead channel.

The best OD stacking I've achieved or heard anywhere for that matter was when I played my Lovepedal Eternity into the OCD (both with low to mid gain) into a '59 Tweed Bassman. Awesome tone!

 

[XSSIVE]

my main amps are a dual recto and a peavey 3120 but i also own a bone stock '79 JMP and the only way to give that thing the balls the other two have is to stack OD pedals. it works real well actually and i get some killer tones out of it. you'll certainly want a noise gate of some sort after the two OD pedals though since things can get noisy. i've run a few combos of pedals but right now i'm having good luck with an MXR GT-OD into and MXR Classic Distortion (pretty much a variation of screamer into rat). i run the GT-OD with the level up just shy of all the way and drive on just a tiny amount, but the classic distortion with the level a bit lower and the drive a bit higher adding a bit more distortion to the mix. i'm really pushing the amp more with the levels higher than the drive knobs in both cases rather than just layering in different distortions with the drive knobs up and level down.

i'd certainly give it a shot with a few pedals you may find a tone you really like.

-Mike

 

[muudrock]

I succesfully stack an RC booster into an AC booster and into a BB preamp. Very cool and unique sounds. The trick I've found is to use low gain setting and vary the output of the preceding device into the next. You have to experiment, but if you spend the time, you'll get good results.
Think of it like an amplifier preamp. They use multiple gain stages to achieve their overall preamp sounds. The mixture of the different pedal voices can be really cool, or sound like shit. I've also had luck running a TS9 into a BK tube driver into a plexi. Gets into EJ territory.

 

[EvilBatman]

Think of it like an amplifier preamp. They use multiple gain stages to achieve their overall preamp sounds.

That was my exact thought that got me going on the idea.

I actually had a brain fart earlier and tried something like I want to do with my Axe FX and got some neat results. I'm going to try and get a few pedals from some friends together and see what I can do in the non-virtual world.

 

[rupe]

All the flexability and gain you could ever want right here:

 

[thunda]

I saw ZZ Top do something similar with a stack of Bixonic Pandora pedals - groovy.

ty

 

[droptrd]

Every once in a while I sit in with this local blues band. When I do that, I run the crunch ch on my stiletto at a low gain setting. I kick on my OD808 with the vol cranked and the gain @ about 11:00 and that gives me a nice hot med gain. For leads I run my fromel dig with the vol cranked as a hight output clean boost into the OD808 and it stacks great. Fat high gain. A little noisy but I only use it for leads.

 

[70strathead]

yes but not for the purpose of washed overstaurated out gain. Tube screamer pedal and a Fulltone Fat boost 3 or DOD 250 with only level controls up, no gain. its a good combo becasue you get the mid cut and the transparent clean boost to drive a stock amp.