Rebel 20 Distortion Pedal Question

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mfred

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Guys I have a new Rebal and love the sound. I do however really miss the ability to switch from a clean sound (VOX type) to a heavier sound (EG-5) at the click of a switch. So here is my question: Has anybody been able to put a pedal on the guitar input and come up with a decent heavy sound when the amp is adjusted for a clean sound?

My problem: When playing clean I have the gain around 9:00. When playing heavier sounds I have the gain nearly dimed (maxed out). This is really a pain going between the two settings since I have to adjust both the gain and master volume everytime I make a change to keep the sound volume at the same level.

I tried an Exotic BB pedal on the guitar input and it helped a bit but just didn't get that fully saturated sound. Are there any pedals that will do this?

Any thoughts? If I am going in the wrong direction and somebody has already figured out how to solve this for easy changes, please let me know.

Thanks

Mike
 
another idea would be to try a cut box instead of a boost or OD. Basically, a footswitchable volume knob. Set your amp to your dirty sound, and engage the volume cut for your clean. You could also put a volume pedal in front of the amp for a range. In theory it works, but you have to see if it can work in your situation (there may be a difference in volume).
 
I'm in the same boat as you. My settings are basically the same but I use my BB Preamp as a kind of boost on the high gain side of the Rebel. Gives it that extra little something that is hard to describe but is amazing. However, the BB by itself would never compare to the EG5 or even the Rebel's high gain side. I don't consider it a high gain pedal but with a tube amp it is a great little box.

So, I have tried several other gain pedals that I had lying around. An Ibanez SM-7, a modified Boss MT-2 and an AMT California Sound, nothing boutique or really special. They all allowed me to switch between a clean and dirty setting on the fly but the one problem is they can't compare to the Rebel + BB combo for high gain. I'm already spoiled by my Rebel. The modded MT-2 came a little closer than the others but still misses that "tube magic".

I tried the volume pedal option but that didn't really work. It didn't work well in the front of the amp so I have it as the first stop in the effects loop but I lose too much volume. So, I think you just need to find a pedal that to your ears works for the high gain stuff or get a two channel amp. Personally, I am going to wait until the Egnater E2 comes out then I will pick up one with a nice clean module and a killer high gain module and problem solved!
 
kingsryche":3ua6rbcd said:
I tried the volume pedal option but that didn't really work. It didn't work well in the front of the amp so I have it as the first stop in the effects loop but I lose too much volume. So, I think you just need to find a pedal that to your ears works for the high gain stuff or get a two channel amp. Personally, I am going to wait until the Egnater E2 comes out then I will pick up one with a nice clean module and a killer high gain module and problem solved!
Click to expand...

level changes before the preamp will change the gain (may have some effect on volume if the amp is clean or has a lot of head room). Level changes after the preamp (in the loop) will just affect volume and not gain as much (may affect feel since power tubes are seeing different level).
 
mfred":2unlveqe said:
Guys I have a new Rebal and love the sound. I do however really miss the ability to switch from a clean sound (VOX type) to a heavier sound (EG-5) at the click of a switch. So here is my question: Has anybody been able to put a pedal on the guitar input and come up with a decent heavy sound when the amp is adjusted for a clean sound?

My problem: When playing clean I have the gain around 9:00. When playing heavier sounds I have the gain nearly dimed (maxed out). This is really a pain going between the two settings since I have to adjust both the gain and master volume everytime I make a change to keep the sound volume at the same level.

I tried an Exotic BB pedal on the guitar input and it helped a bit but just didn't get that fully saturated sound. Are there any pedals that will do this?

Any thoughts? If I am going in the wrong direction and somebody has already figured out how to solve this for easy changes, please let me know.

Thanks

Mike
Click to expand...

What I use is a Boss GT-10 set up with the "4 cable method". This allows me to set up the GT-10 comp/OD/amp model blocks to be positioned in front of the Rebel preamp (using the GT-10 fx loop), and the GT-10 delay/chorus/reverb blocks to be positioned between the Rebel preamp and poweramp (using the Rebel fx loop).

I have been setting the Rebel preamp just high enough to feel it. This works well for both clean and high gain settings. The Rebel preamp adds a good fatness to the GT-10 and does a great job at killing the high frequency harshness from the GT-10. The GT-10 reverb and delay sound good as well in the Rebel fx loop. You can store the various drive levels with each GT-10 patch, so you get the automatic levelling you are looking for.

As an added bonus, I can control the level returning into the Rebel poweramp from the GT-10, which gives me more control of the master volume at bedroom settings. I am able to turn the "watts" control on the Rebel all the way up, which sounds and feels better to me.

Overall, I'm really please with the results, and I feel the Rebel is a better setup than an Atomic for a modeller, since you get the tube preamp as well as the multiple output tubes.

If you are strictly an analog pedal guy, never mind ..... ;)

John W.
 
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