25 posts
Hey guys! I'm looking to beef up my pedalboard and could use some advice. I have a few overdrives (an oooold TS-808, an old Tube Works Tube Driver, a new Tube Driver with bias knob), one distortion box (Keeley modded DS-1), and I have a Dyna Comp and 2 Carbon Copies coming in along with a neat true-bypass loop switcher. My board is pretty much complete for the kind of tones I want, except for one thing. A really good high-gain distortion box.
After looking through some of the threads here and watching countless videos online, I've more or less narrowed it down to 2 pedals; The Vox Satchurator and the Barber Dirty Bomb. Have any of you guys had much experience with either of these pedals? Have any clips to share? Have a different distortion to recommend? Any and all info is welcome! Thanks in advance. 8-)
Here's a third option to check out: AMT Electronics.
This is their flagship and every clip I've heard sounds dynamite.
http://www.amtelectronics.com/products/amt_tube_guitar_preamp_series/item_70/
Their non-tube stuff sounds pretty good too.
There is a pedal they don't make anymore called the Freak Guitar. It's a tube driven pedal done for Mattias Eklundh that also sounds great. If you can find a NOS one of these, they also sound great.
I'm going to vote Dirty Bomb. It is very versatile tonally and has lots of gain. It's affordable, bulletproof and flexible enough to mate with most any setup.
Dearthian: — Aug 01, 2010Here's a third option to check out: AMT Electronics.
I definitely liked the samples on the rack-mount studio Pre and the "11" stomp the classic overdrive. I did not listen to the "20" metal model.
I like my Satchurator and it gets a lot of use. Having said that, I think it is a little more hi-fi than I sometimes want. But it has really solid gain and the "more" switch works as advertised. Honestly, for hi gain, I like a muff, or a guvnor, or something Tech21. They tend to do high gain without being overly bright and saturated, if that makes sense. Although the Muff is not always what people are looking for...
I'll be trying out the Satchurator this weekend when I'm trying out compressors. 8-)
Give the Blackstar stuff a looksy as well - the HTDistx is really nice.
http://www.blackstaramps.co.uk/products/ht/htdistx.html
Went with the Satchurator. 8-) Such a cool pedal. Tons of gain, super fat tone, very hi-fi plus that more switch is awesome. Really loving how well it cleans up, too. Not to mention how pretty it looks. ;D
Web consensus seems to be that it's basically a keeley ds-1-a-like. Is that what you guys who have one are feeling?
Congrats. Those are cool (tried one in the store once).
BINGEWOOD — Aug 15, 2010Web consensus seems to be that it's basically a keeley ds-1-a-like. Is that what you guys who have one are feeling?
They sound a little similar but the DS-1 doesn't have nearly as much gain and the top isn't as open. My DS-1 has a switch on it that gives it a fatter bottom end, though so it makes a really nice rhythm distortion. The Satchurator has this searing tone that sounds like a cranked Marshall that's about to blow up. I love it!
Agreed, I am a fan. It's hard to describe what I like about the satchurator so much but I do like it. It's been my go-to since I got it.
Congrats on the Satch. :)
I wonder how the Satchurator stacks up to the Crunch Box (v3)? The Renegade head I just picked up has INCRED cleans and loads of gain on channel 2, unfortunately, that gain itself is a tad bit on the fizzy side I'm discovering, and I mean really just a nitpicky tiny bit, even fully cranked though I can't seem to dial it out and it's beginning to bug me (also tried different guitars, pups, tubes miking diff speakers, etc), just the nature of the amp I guess. I've seen some other owners finding out the same thing and they all recomend getting something distorted for use on the clean channel - the Crunch Box was mentioned several times and the clips sound great. For soloing/single notes, the fizz is not present, but on heavy chords, yeah, a minor issue. I may need to get the Satch pedal or CB to round out this amp (giving her great cleans, hard rock crunch and soloing).
Kabala — Aug 18, 2010
that gain itself is a tad bit on the fizzy side I'm discovering, and I mean really just a nitpicky tiny bit, even fully cranked though I can't seem to dial it out and it's beginning to bug me (also tried different guitars, pups, tubes miking diff speakers, etc), just the nature of the amp I guess.
Try turning the presence control all the way down on that channel. You probably have tried it, but I thought I would suggest it, that is my go to solution for overdrive fizz on any amp or modeler I ever used.
That's disappointing to hear. I wasn't going to buy one, I just don't need that much power and don't want to pay for power I won't use. But I have heard lots of great things about this amp. GP said you'd be hard pressed to even touch it for the price, etc.
If it's "that" close, I wonder if a simple tube upgrade would fix it.
in fact, D, drop a JJ in V1 before you take it back or go buying distortion pedals. ;)
Well, maybe I'm just hearing things, lol! I do think it could stand to be a little more dynamic in the mids area. You tell me, here's a short clip with the typical cheesy heavy riffs. Still stock at the moment (I yanked some 12Ax7s outta the Splawn yesterday - didn't smooth out the semi-fizz, put everything back). I swear it seems just a tad raspy to me.
Renegade Dirty Sample / Download
Sooo, as much as I love the Satchurator it's definitely going back. :-/ My pedalboard is just becoming way too unfocused. I'm just gonna try to stick to one basic lead tone with my 2 Tube Drivers and use my super old Tube Screamer for the bluesy stuff. Even pulling the Keeley DS-1 off the board. I'm also just plugging in and out of too many pedals, not to mention a true-bypass loop switcher with a total of something like 14 or 15 cables. I think I'm gonna need some kind of signal buffer when I'm through building this board. ::)
Also, that dirty Renegade clip does seem pretty fizzy. Kind of a shame, though I wouldn't be using the drive channel much. Going a little off topic here, but has anyone tried the Marshall Vintage Modern? I hear it's basically a 2 channel JMP which would be pretty cool.
Nevermind, I LOVE IT TOO MUCH! ;D Keeping it on my board forever. Just installed new pickups on my Strat and they sound awesome through the Satchbox. LOVE IT! 8-)
The — Aug 19, 2010Nevermind, I LOVE IT TOO MUCH! Keeping it on my board forever.
CLIPS!!!! Glad you're liking the new addition, the demo's of the Satchurator on youtube are all over the place, lol, in some it sounds killer, some not so much.
Also, that dirty Renegade clip does seem pretty fizzy. Kind of a shame, though I wouldn't be using the drive channel much. Going a little off topic here, but has anyone tried the Marshall Vintage Modern? I hear it's basically a 2 channel JMP which would be pretty cool.
Yup. I agree, thats why my little noggin' is buzzin' with alternatives/work arounds...
I think the Vintage Modern is a single channel amp. I do know the Vintage Mordern and the JVM are two different amps - but holy shit, this sounds REALLY nice to me, even the cleans at the start of the demo!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OzMpsrHUoN0
The store where I bought the Renegade has a used one (JVM410H) for $1,100.....hmmm....
the next time someone calls ME a gear flipper.... :D
Hehe...I am bad! If I pick up the Marshall head (upon testing today or tomorrow), that'll be like the fourth head in the past 2 weeks (Tweaker, JCA20, Renegade)!!! :o I just didn't expect the cleans to be that impressive but word of mouth is strong. That said, I AM capable of at least knowing when I should hang onto something. It's rare, but I DO keep the random pieces that I pretty much know right from the git go I wont't ever turn loose - a Fender 2x12 cab I've had since I was a teen, the USRG20 I've had since '95, the Quick Rod, etc. Only piece I truly kick myself over is the JCM800 - idiot.
Heck, if what you're really looking for are cleans, then keep your eyes out for a nice Mig50 (not the Mig50H or the Mig60). Mine had the best sounding cleans I've heard on any amp (including the more than two dozen that I've owned over the last few years). :)
How clean can channel 2 of the Renegade get? I'd love to be able to switch between 6L6 and EL34 cleans on the fly.