Who is pushing their amps with hot pups and EQ alone?

[soc_monki]

ive tried using pedals in the past...i just dont like stepping on things so i usually just end up plugging straight in. i use EMG 81s in most of my guitars, straight into the Recto. works for me...i like to keep my rig simple.

 

[Kapo_Polenton]

You straight in guys are using high gainers with active pups... I wouldn't need a pedal for that either! I've modded a few of my Randall MTS modules for an extra stage and with those modules, no need for pedals either. I was just interested in lower gain or med gain amp users were getting their lead tones. The one advantage to a lower gain amp is that a pedal can act like an additional channel. I like being able to go from AC DC to heavier tones with a stomp. Same thing can be accomplished with a 2 or 3 channel amp though..

 

[Rogue]

Alright, I might be buying into the hype but I pulled the trigger on a koko in the classifieds, see what it does. Didn't really hear a bad soundclip. I figure I can use my bad monkey to get where I like to be then punch that mid for solos.

Uh-oh. I hate being part of encouraging someone to buy a piece of gear because if they don't like it, I'm partly to blame.

As for the Bad Monkey, I had it sitting beside my Koko Boost for that extra kick. I used the Koko for just a bit of a kick, and used the BM when I wanted a more gainy lead kind of thing. The BM is a great pedal for what it is. After trying different options, I just picked up another Koko and slam the amp with it get that extra kick.

The mid switch to the far right gives a BM kind of vibe, sort of a mid mid fattener. It softens the highs similar to the BM, but not as much. That is what I use when I want that kind of sound. The far left switch gives a lower mid growly push, but retains the highs. I think this is where most people like it. The middle position does something that is hard to describe. Retains more bottom end, boosts the highs and high mids. I think this position is probably the least used (it sort of has a nasally quality) and I don't use it very much, however, I did over the weekend when jamming with a friend and had a blast with it.

Remember, the boost feature (left button) affects the mid boost feature, so spend some with the both dials when in mid boost mode.

I used to be a guy that wanted my stuff to be touch and go. I didn't want to mess with changing settings. But that has become of my favorite things about the Koko. If I feel like the mid position that is my go to isn't doing it for me that day, I flip it to another one and more often that not, it's been like, "yeah, I'll go with that". That said, I still have two Koko's one for a low boost and one for high....when I could just change the dials.

Suhr has a compressor coming out...the Koji comp. I am curious about this pedal. I've never used a compressor in front of a marshall before, but I feel the thing I was wanting the Koko to do was give that compression that you get from a OD pedal, which I'm thinking is what you are looking for as well. I don't know if a compressor is the answer to that, BUT, the Koji can be used as a 15 db clean boost and you can dial in the amount of compression. So, it has my interests, but I'm happy with the dual Koko setup I have with the abundant tonal options available at the flip of a switch or click of button.

I look forward to hearing your thoughts on it.

 

[Kapo_Polenton]

Alright, I might be buying into the hype but I pulled the trigger on a koko in the classifieds, see what it does. Didn't really hear a bad soundclip. I figure I can use my bad monkey to get where I like to be then punch that mid for solos.

Uh-oh. I hate being part of encouraging someone to buy a piece of gear because if they don't like it, I'm partly to blame.

As for the Bad Monkey, I had it sitting beside my Koko Boost for that extra kick. I used the Koko for just a bit of a kick, and used the BM when I wanted a more gainy lead kind of thing. The BM is a great pedal for what it is. After trying different options, I just picked up another Koko and slam the amp with it get that extra kick.

The mid switch to the far right gives a BM kind of vibe, sort of a mid mid fattener. It softens the highs similar to the BM, but not as much. That is what I use when I want that kind of sound. The far left switch gives a lower mid growly push, but retains the highs. I think this is where most people like it. The middle position does something that is hard to describe. Retains more bottom end, boosts the highs and high mids. I think this position is probably the least used (it sort of has a nasally quality) and I don't use it very much, however, I did over the weekend when jamming with a friend and had a blast with it.

Remember, the boost feature (left button) affects the mid boost feature, so spend some with the both dials when in mid boost mode.

I used to be a guy that wanted my stuff to be touch and go. I didn't want to mess with changing settings. But that has become of my favorite things about the Koko. If I feel like the mid position that is my go to isn't doing it for me that day, I flip it to another one and more often that not, it's been like, "yeah, I'll go with that". That said, I still have two Koko's one for a low boost and one for high....when I could just change the dials.

Suhr has a compressor coming out...the Koji comp. I am curious about this pedal. I've never used a compressor in front of a marshall before, but I feel the thing I was wanting the Koko to do was give that compression that you get from a OD pedal, which I'm thinking is what you are looking for as well. I don't know if a compressor is the answer to that, BUT, the Koji can be used as a 15 db clean boost and you can dial in the amount of compression. So, it has my interests, but I'm happy with the dual Koko setup I have with the abundant tonal options available at the flip of a switch or click of button.

I look forward to hearing your thoughts on it.

Don't worry, it is one of those pedals which more or less retains it's value if I want to resell it. My needs are simple. I like to be able to work with 70's gain or AC DC level gain. I find when recorded, a less gainy rythm tone just sounds huge and really cuts. A boost is nice if i need a bit more for Angus level leads. I was hoping the mid boost with a super distortion might get me into a more Sorpions or classic gained Marshall tone and I'd use my hands to do the rest of the work as many of the greats did. The bad monkey is a bit of an extra kick. Don't like the gain too high but just enough to get some 80's tones. I then can step on one of the boosts to give me a bit more ease in playing faster runs where more hammer on and offs are required. I'm always on the look out for an overdrive or boost that feels like an extension of the amplifier. The bad monkey though adding color, seems like it holds together the feel of the amp better. I don't hear the fizz i hear with the SD-1 (though good in it's own right) or ZW-44. The highs can be a bit strident but i dial them back on the pedal. The detail it provides is what I like. I've tried the OCD, GT-OD, xotic BB, RC, EP and a few others and i keep coming back to the monkey because it just adds that little bit of something that works for me. Maybe what I actually want are two bad monkey pedals stacked? That I have thought of before as well as I know Norum did this for his early work with two stacked OD's and Oliva used to stack two SD-1's. The nice thing about the bad monkey is that they hold their value... they always seem to go for 45 or 50$ used!!

 

[petejt]

I've now gone the reverse- I turn the pre-gain up on the amp (it crunches but it's not too distorted), and for clean I set the overdrive pedal to low settings. It's like rolling down your guitar's volume.

 

[Spaceboy]

my main rig is just a stock american tele straight into an amplifier with an eq in the loop

i never seem to get along with overdrives and boosts

 

[SFW]

I still have my trusty TS9, that I bought in 93, on my board... But with the 5153 I rarely use it. It's mostly a comfort thing.

 

[AndyK]

I recently discovered how cool a Boss GE7 sounds slightly boosting the mids on a tube amp at low volume! Just enough gain and frequency boost to get the amp to sound more alive!

Set it to a slight frown, and enjoy!

 

[benduncan]

I used to use a GE-7 with 500t's, my settings:

100: cutting 7db
200: cutting 3db
400: unity
800: boosting 2db
1.6k: boosting 5db
3.2k: unity
6k: cutting 0.5db

I plugged the wrong power supply into it, smoke came out and 6 months later it died. Pretty impressed that it lasted that long, lol.

Now I use a Furman PQ6, with a 500t, a Super 57 and an EMG 81. I'm mainly boosting at 1.5-1.7k(I'm attempting to hit 1.6k, the Furman's not labeled well enough to tell exactly) with a narrow Q, but I add a bit at 2k also. The 57 is brighter than the other two so I have to cut at 2k, rather than boost

1.6k is where my secret sauce is at! I like that punchy, cuts like crazy, powerchords with a twangy 5ths type sound. I have to be careful though, it's easy to get a cocked wah type sound boosting that much with a narrow Q.

 

[jsp]

I haven't used a stomp box distortion in my rig since the 80's when I got a Randall RG120 when I was like 16.

boost≠distortion

 

[moltenmetalburn]

I haven't used a stomp box distortion in my rig since the 80's when I got a Randall RG120 when I was like 16.

boost≠distortion

Boost is not always = to distortion. He's describing the difference between pushing the amplifier into heavier saturation versus distorting the signal and then feeding it into the amp. Very different.

 

[Ventura]

Not even "hot pups"... Some of the best H/G heads out there prefer low/moderate pups.

I had a mess of stomps and wizardry in front of my amps in the past. Now? Pretty well direct in - maybe a wah or octron2 - and some DD in the loop. But otherwise? The best amps sound the best (to my ears anyway) when they aren't fucked with.

Just my 2 cents

 

[Ventura]

I haven't used a stomp box distortion in my rig since the 80's when I got a Randall RG120 when I was like 16.

boost≠distortion

Boost is not always = to distortion. He's describing the difference between pushing the amplifier into heavier saturation versus distorting the signal and then feeding it into the amp. Very different.

Don't have me (or Inca, for that matter) start spewing about the Creation Audio Labs Mk.4:23Pro stomp....

Just don't let us go there

 

[jsp]

I haven't used a stomp box distortion in my rig since the 80's when I got a Randall RG120 when I was like 16.

boost≠distortion

Boost is not always = to distortion. He's describing the difference between pushing the amplifier into heavier saturation versus distorting the signal and then feeding it into the amp. Very different.

I know that. The original question was about boosting, not distortion, so that comment came out of nowhere.

 

[WizardSouth-JP]

think whether or not to "boost" or use a stomp-box eq depends on whether or not the amp will take a boost...some amps just don't sound right boosted.

ENGL Savage for example - no need to boost, already sounds boosted.
JCM800 - loves a boost, and needs it IMHO
Mesa Rectos - love boost but doesn't necessarily need one

gotta plug and play to see what works best

 

[Spaceboy]

I feel like amps sound too similar when boosted, especially with any snarling tubescreamer styled pedal.

 

[jsp]

think whether or not to "boost" or use a stomp-box eq depends on whether or not the amp will take a boost...some amps just don't sound right boosted.

ENGL Savage for example - no need to boost, already sounds boosted.
JCM800 - loves a boost, and needs it IMHO
Mesa Rectos - love boost but doesn't necessarily need one

gotta plug and play to see what works best

This is accurate.

 

[Even Bigger D]

I think the CAE 3+ SE has plenty of gain with moderate PAF or even "hot tele" type pickups. The 2-band EQ stays on all the time (both bass and treble boosted) except for jazz stuff.