Tubes in Overdrive/Distortion pedals, worth it?

[blackba]

So I have been checking out dirt boxes recently. I am looking for a distortion pedal. I was just curious what the general consensus as to having tubes in a overdrive or distortion pedal. I have always used SS dirt boxes so I was wondering if I should try a tube one this time around....

 

[guitar_god123456]

LOVE my blackstar!

 

[Anonymous]

The only one I have ever messed with is the Ibanez Tube King, and I really liked it a lot. I don't know how much the tubes attributed to that though.

 

[ratter]

The only one I've ever owned is the Tube Driver. Great pedal but not terribly versatile, IMO. It has a very distinct and cool tone to me, but I have no idea whether any of that quality is due to the tube at all.

 

[rsm]

I've never owned one, but I'm about to purchase an EH English Muff'n. Hope it works!

edit: I just purchased it; it should be here in a few days. Sweet vintage Vox AC30 tone? I hope so. I may need to get a set of 12AU7 / ECC82 for this. See how the stock 12AY7 / 6072 work out.

 

[Mudder]

I really like my plexitube.

 

[blackba]

LOVE my blackstar!

Do you have the Subdecay blackstar: http://www.pedalgeek.com/cgi-bin/new_sh ... link--sdbs

or this Blackstar DistX: https://www.guitarcenter.com/Blackstar-H ... =199553377

I am looking for something high gain (similar gain to MI audio Crunchbox). I have the low and mid gain covered very well.

 

[blackba]

I really like my plexitube.

One thing I noticed about most Tube overdrive/distortion pedals is that they are huge. The Tonebone Plexitube is not exception, looks like a really versatile pedal though. The new Tonebone London Bones looks pretty cool (SS though)

 

[rsm]

There's a boatload of brands, big, small, boutique; many with clips at pro guitar shop, I checked out quite a few here and elsewhere before going with the English Muff'n:

under Boost Pedals,

http://www.proguitarshop.com/index.php?CategoryID=15

and Distortion Pedals

http://www.proguitarshop.com/index.php?CategoryID=11

and Fuzz Pedals

http://www.proguitarshop.com/index.php?CategoryID=10

 

[VH4_BigRig]

I really like my plexitube.

One thing I noticed about most Tube overdrive/distortion pedals is that they are huge. The Tonebone Plexitube is not exception, looks like a really versatile pedal though. The new Tonebone London Bones looks pretty cool (SS though)

Yeah, there are a bunch that are pedalboard hogs. Maybe it has to do with the amount of power they need? A lot of them use AC adapters exclusively and don't take batteries, don't know if that's some sort of indication of why they're so big. Something to keep in mind if you're one of those guys who prefers using batteries in their pedals...

 

[blackba]

So does anyone have a favorite Tube OD or Distortion that they love? Particularly distortion?

 

[RockStarNick]

Chances are if it's big, its better.

Reason: Preamp tubes in mic preamps are in two categories: high voltage design, and starved plate design. If you see a mic preamp that can fit in your pocket AND uses a tube, chances are it uses a starved plate design, which means you're not driving the tube anywhere NEAR hard enough to get a rich, full tube tone. You're basically just gonna get fuzz.

If the pedal is big, and heavy, AND uses a tube, it might be worth it.

 

[D-Rock]

Take a look at the Damage Control pedals. They sound great.

 

[blackba]

Take a look at the Damage Control pedals. They sound great.

I looked into their Womanizer and Demonizer in the past (which are intended to run direct). The Solid Metal looks pretty cool as does the Liquid Blues. Those 2 look like they are intended to be used into a guitar amp.

 

[ke2]

Take a look at the Damage Control pedals. They sound great.

I looked into their Womanizer and Demonizer in the past (which are intended to run direct). The Solid Metal looks pretty cool as does the Liquid Blues. Those 2 look like they are intended to be used into a guitar amp.

Because of this thread, I took out my Solid Metal. I didn`t like it that much into my old Mesa MK1 combo, it either was scooped and icepicky or waaaaaaaaay too middy. Now I have a Caliber 50+, which has a good overdrive sound in itself. I turned off the graphic EQ, and tweaked a little, and it sounded GREAT. I turned it up a little as well, not practice volume, but above TV volume Very nice! I`ve put Mesa branded SPAX7s in both my Hot Brit and Solid Metal, and both of them benefitted from a tube change.

The "downside" with both pedals is that they have special power supplies, so you can`t just use any Pedal power etc to power them. The Burkey Flatliner can be modded to power the HB, I`m not sure about the SM.

Both pedals sound nice, and are a great alternative to getting another amp. None of them are cheap though.

edit:
I boosted the SM with a Tube screamer, and it worked like a charm. The SM with the red channel can be a little loose, but the ts tightened it up nicely. You probably want a noise gate at this point, though It wasn`t exactly quiet.

 

[Szar]

Fuck 'em, I say. I'll stick to my Xotic BB Preamp.

 

[AssfaceRules]

I think it is worth it. I am partial to an Ibanez Tube King US model. Kinda sounds marshally with the upper mid thing going on . Flexable as its own distortion generator, or as a cleanish boost into already crunchy amp.

 

[blackba]

Fuck 'em, I say. I'll stick to my Xotic BB Preamp.

Those are nice pedals, but I don't think they have the gain I am looking for.

 

[blackba]

Take a look at the Damage Control pedals. They sound great.

I looked into their Womanizer and Demonizer in the past (which are intended to run direct). The Solid Metal looks pretty cool as does the Liquid Blues. Those 2 look like they are intended to be used into a guitar amp.

Because of this thread, I took out my Solid Metal. I didn`t like it that much into my old Mesa MK1 combo, it either was scooped and icepicky or waaaaaaaaay too middy. Now I have a Caliber 50+, which has a good overdrive sound in itself. I turned off the graphic EQ, and tweaked a little, and it sounded GREAT. I turned it up a little as well, not practice volume, but above TV volume Very nice! I`ve put Mesa branded SPAX7s in both my Hot Brit and Solid Metal, and both of them benefitted from a tube change.

The "downside" with both pedals is that they have special power supplies, so you can`t just use any Pedal power etc to power them. The Burkey Flatliner can be modded to power the HB, I`m not sure about the SM.

Both pedals sound nice, and are a great alternative to getting another amp. None of them are cheap though.

edit:
I boosted the SM with a Tube screamer, and it worked like a charm. The SM with the red channel can be a little loose, but the ts tightened it up nicely. You probably want a noise gate at this point, though It wasn`t exactly quiet.

Are you able to post clips of the SM or the Hot British? The clips on youtube of the Solid Metal are horrible. I hear this high frequency harshness in each clip, almost sounds like a squeal. Maybe they have microphonic tubes, all I know is the clips left me flat.

What I find to be the true test of distortion pedals is rhythm playing and the high frequency. Often the high frequency will be buzzy and harsh. Its pretty easy to tell this with chords, but harder to tell on lead playing. Also Rhythm playing gives me a better idea of the gain of the pedal.

 

[ke2]

Take a look at the Damage Control pedals. They sound great.

I looked into their Womanizer and Demonizer in the past (which are intended to run direct). The Solid Metal looks pretty cool as does the Liquid Blues. Those 2 look like they are intended to be used into a guitar amp.

Because of this thread, I took out my Solid Metal. I didn`t like it that much into my old Mesa MK1 combo, it either was scooped and icepicky or waaaaaaaaay too middy. Now I have a Caliber 50+, which has a good overdrive sound in itself. I turned off the graphic EQ, and tweaked a little, and it sounded GREAT. I turned it up a little as well, not practice volume, but above TV volume Very nice! I`ve put Mesa branded SPAX7s in both my Hot Brit and Solid Metal, and both of them benefitted from a tube change.

The "downside" with both pedals is that they have special power supplies, so you can`t just use any Pedal power etc to power them. The Burkey Flatliner can be modded to power the HB, I`m not sure about the SM.

Both pedals sound nice, and are a great alternative to getting another amp. None of them are cheap though.

edit:
I boosted the SM with a Tube screamer, and it worked like a charm. The SM with the red channel can be a little loose, but the ts tightened it up nicely. You probably want a noise gate at this point, though It wasn`t exactly quiet.

Are you able to post clips of the SM or the Hot British? The clips on youtube of the Solid Metal are horrible. I hear this high frequency harshness in each clip, almost sounds like a squeal. Maybe they have microphonic tubes, all I know is the clips left me flat.

What I find to be the true test of distortion pedals is rhythm playing and the high frequency. Often the high frequency will be buzzy and harsh. Its pretty easy to tell this with chords, but harder to tell on lead playing. Also Rhythm playing gives me a better idea of the gain of the pedal.

I`m afraid I have no means of recording right now. I can try to use my camera, and place it a bit from the speakers... But it sure as heck ain`t no 57. (I lost the CD with the "free" version of Kul Edyt, so right now I`m studioless)