Looking for a good distortion pedal.

  • Thread starter Thread starter BrentSSL
  • Start date Start date
Man...I simply can't get away from my MXR EVH 5150 into any clean amp. I was really jones'ing the BE-OD 'round NAMM, however, a recent comparison video leads me to believe I wouldn't be gaining much.

I've also been very close many times to an Amptweaker Big Rock. The whole line is built extremely well and has options galore.

Love my Bogner Ecstasy Red, however, I inevitably go back to the EVH when I get the amp turned up. Slays through my V-Plex 50, Marshall 1923 and Bogner Atma. Ran it live recently with the Atma into a stock JCM1960A on an outdoor stage and it was thunderous. Every sound man who's heard it has enjoyed it. I run it straight up and they've told me they have me straight up in the system, too. I digress...
 
I had a Friedman BE-OD and it certainly delivers. Put it on a clean channel of an amp and you have face melting distortion. It really does deliver. The amp tweaker had my interest also. There are so many options. For me nothing beats amp distortion so I returned the Friedman but if I needed a distortion pedal I would buy that again.
 
stompboxfreak72":12rih08t said:
I had a Friedman BE-OD and it certainly delivers. Put it on a clean channel of an amp and you have face melting distortion. It really does deliver. The amp tweaker had my interest also. There are so many options. For me nothing beats amp distortion so I returned the Friedman but if I needed a distortion pedal I would buy that again.
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I made a thread a few months back trying to collect the names of all the pedals that can do metal.

Was a pretty cool list. From what I remember the ISP Theta and Amp Tweaker were some of my favorites but this guys BE clip sounds like it may be a heavyweight contender.
 
maddnotez":ye267asa said:
shred-o-holic":ye267asa said:
maddnotez":ye267asa said:
shred-o-holic":ye267asa said:
I posted this in another thread but if you want metal tones hello:


https://video-atl3-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v...=4cbf39823f9617bf0da90e153b8c8592&oe=57DC2EC6

Yes the BE OD can do Metal. That's mine thru a Quilter Tone Block.
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Damn. I might need this pedal now.

I want to get one and run it with a 44 Magnum.
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That's why I bought the Quilter. With this pedal and an incoming Digitech 360 I have a brutal mini rig. It would prolly kill with the Magnum. Anything clean really but not so much with high gain amps. The BE was way too much for my Thrasher FWIW.
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200w seems so much better than 44w though. But because of the price factor I would still get the magnum. The idea for me would be home practice and live gigs that I did not feel like lugging my gear to. I know the 44 Magnum can keep up on its own with a band but barely. Having it miked up with a 2x12 would be perfect for an easy carry rig.

I really liked the tone in your video, I guess now it comes down to can I get a better distorted metal tone from the amp tweaker or other various pedals out there.
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Thanks man. The Quilter delivers mucho clean analog headroom and just sounds warm and kind of thick (hard to explain). I definitely recommend that 4LB beast. Yeah there are some great choices. That Empress Heavy pedal looks cool as well. I'm really pleased with the Friedman though. I didn't care for the MXR EVH or the Egnater Black Metal fwiw.
 
TC Electronic Nova Drive - OD and Dist, you can use separately or stack in either order; all analog circuit with digital and midi control and presets.

Unfortunately, discontinued will all of the Nova series (except Nova Delay and Nova System...but I think these will be discontinued soon) FWIW, I've got 'em all, and they're keepers.
 
BE-OD gets my recommendation plus it has a very responsive EQ that can be dialed into most amps, great sounding pedal!!
 
brianiac5150":1j6yp9yj said:
Man...I simply can't get away from my MXR EVH 5150 into any clean amp. I was really jones'ing the BE-OD 'round NAMM, however, a recent comparison video leads me to believe I wouldn't be gaining much.

I've also been very close many times to an Amptweaker Big Rock. The whole line is built extremely well and has options galore.

Love my Bogner Ecstasy Red, however, I inevitably go back to the EVH when I get the amp turned up. Slays through my V-Plex 50, Marshall 1923 and Bogner Atma. Ran it live recently with the Atma into a stock JCM1960A on an outdoor stage and it was thunderous. Every sound man who's heard it has enjoyed it. I run it straight up and they've told me they have me straight up in the system, too. I digress...
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When you say straight up what do you mean? Just the pedal into the mixer?
 
Friedman BE OD. This pedal is really really good. Feels like an amp while being a pedal. :thumbsup:
 
BrentSSL":3ajpnn4f said:
When you say straight up what do you mean? Just the pedal into the mixer?
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I mean I have the knobs on my pedal (all of them) and amp straight up and the sound guy is claiming he's just amplifying my sound, without EQ knobs being turned to to subtract or add frequencies.
 
Got my BE-OD Ltd. Ed. today played it thru the clean channel of my Orange Rockerverb MkII and then into the low input of my 2203.

It's pretty incredible that's for sure. I now understand the "feel" comments everyone has made, yes it feels like the note pick themselves up off the fret board right up under the string and into the amp with "lift" for lack of a better term.

To me the sound is compressed....very compressed. Everything I play in regards to single note stuff and riffs sounds like an early Van Halen album. Barre chords, chugging and one finger chords can get heavy, just not the absolutely murderous thunder like a Bax Bangeetar.

It's a mid heavy pedal with huge scooped mids. That sounds like it makes no sense.... but that's what it is to me. Thus it has cut, brings the notes out front, but in a compressed fashion. Interesting that Dave Friedman can accomplish that. One usually cancels the other.

I also played it front driven with both a Boss BD-2 and an SD-1. Oh my that's when it gets insane, it becomes just nasty angry mean... no more EVH bring on the Ola.

Played it into the high input of my 2203 and the dirt channel of the RV. No ability to control that sound yet and I didn't even try.. I gave up instantly. That's going to take a whole couple of hours in itself to try to contain that setup as it's apparent that's way too much gain-on-gain to tame easily. I'm thinking that may never work with the volume knob on the guitar past 4.

I can see why everyone is in love with the BE-OD. It is fun to play. It much like EVH himself makes obscure notes, chords and bends sound "correct" even if they aren't really correct for the passage just because the tone is so damn awesome. It's a keeper for sure. I had it parked next a Rat2 and kept toggling back and forth between the two. That was fun and it displayed to me the distortion sound we thought was the "80's sound" to the "new" version of the 80's sound.
 
Starman22":3ay5w4mq said:
It's pretty incredible that's for sure. I now understand the "feel" comments everyone has made, yes it feels like the note pick themselves up off the fret board right up under the string and into the amp with "lift" for lack of a better term.
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I thought I was the only one that noticed that. With a stock Strat, the notes were seemingly popping off the frets. :thumbsup:
 
Seymour Duncan Palladium...... Go check out the videos.
 
:rock: ^^^ I will do the above statement lol and thanks for all the feedback guys can't wait to try all these pedals lol its going to be a long September
 
slyym":25j98dq8 said:
After playing Rectos for so long every time I try a distortion pedal I never like em. Even the ones people hype up. They just never feel right to me. Guess it depends a lot on what amp your playing them through though.
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agreed if I need distortion its coming from a amp, unless its of the fuzz variation then maybe a pedal, unless you are playing through a clean only amp I dont see the point of it, use the amp..
 
Honestly, I'm perfectly happy running my bogner xtc red into backline amps as a rhythm tone. I recently got one of the smaller yellow carl martin plexitone pedals and while initially I thought it may replace my bogner red (which would be cool as I only use one half of the red and it's big) the first gig I used it on recently I wasn't real impressed. Have them both on my board and will A/B 'em at a rehearsal tonight but likely bringing my red as I know it'll work for some fly gigs coming up. Getting lead tones I like from pedals is easy, getting rhythm tones is much tougher IMO.
 
^^^ see I feel you are right on the money because if you are not modeling a d need a usable desired tone that's the way to go this is basically for my C rig which is at home practice. After I get this done I may go back to a head and start a B rig lol. I am seriously at the point that when I walk into a music store and there's a head and cab there I like together that's what I'm buying lol
 
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