Warm beefy Distortion pedals for solid state amps?

  • Thread starter Thread starter veji
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veji
veji
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I tried some distortion pedals with my Marshall mg 100
And they all sound harsh and brittle and thin. I'm looking for a warm, thick and beefy distortion pedal? Any advice?
 
The cards are stacked against you with that amp. I'd look at replacing the amp first. Lots of affordable tube amps out there. That's where I would start.
 
+1 for trying a different amp head. If this were a hypothetical situation where it is impossible to change the head, I'd recommend a Damage Control pedal. I used to have one for a situation where I had to plug into the PA with no amp. They're better than your average stomp box. Why? They have tubes. :) just be sure to replace the stock tubes, as I found them to be a bit muddy.
 
love my mg100 - but only as a power amp with FX

mg100's do not take dirt pedals - its inherent in the SS preamp design - every pedal sounds like crap
thru a mg100 , its just the way it is

believe me I've been there done that :doh:

now running my amp sims thru my mg100's power amp is a different story :thumbsup:
 
The pedals you tried sound harsh, brittle and thin cos' it's the amp that's making them sound that way. If you were to have tried the same pedals through say a Roland Jazz Chorus, I'll bet anything that they would've sounded WAY better.

MG's are shit amps for dirt boxes. I know from first hand experience. I had to play a gig where the backline was one of these MG amps and fuck me, my tone never sounded worse.
 
New amp for the absolute win here. You can even pick up a Bugera for great prices or a 6505 or something awesome and tube filled for low dollars. Start there.
 
True, if you're really constricted re: cost try an older Marshall Valvestate. They have a tube preamp circuit and SS poweramp. Not ideal but sound good, especially considering the cost, and take pedals pretty well.
 
Maybe try an eq pedal in the loop or after your distortion pedal to shape your tone.
 
Yeah- I've played that amp at rehearsal studios and could not make it sound pleasing.
Tried all my dirt boxes in front of it (Suhr Riot Reloaded, Carl Martin Plexitone, BOSS SD-1) and could not get a good sound.
Results were always as you said: harsh, brittle, & thin. :/
 
veji":xm6n5my7 said:
No hope?
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Nope.

I mean, we all could blow smoke up your ass and tell you to try a buttload of pedals and ultimately waste your time and get your hopes up for nothing. Would you rather we do that?
 
maybe one of the AMT preamp pedals into the FX return ?

http://amtelectronics.com/products/

i'll echo what most people have said tho, save the money and get a better amp, can get some ridiculous cheap tube amps these days that are really not too bad
 
I'd honestly rather just use the amp's gain. I don't think there's a decently affordable pedal that will give you a good sound.
 
university81":35dnlpx4 said:
maybe one of the AMT preamp pedals into the FX return ?

http://amtelectronics.com/products/

i'll echo what most people have said tho, save the money and get a better amp, can get some ridiculous cheap tube amps these days that are really not too bad
Click to expand...
My first thought as well.. :thumbsup:
 
veji":3hm0pxky said:
Changing amps iisnt an option,... How about suhr riot?
Click to expand...


Bulsht. Changing ANYthing is ALWAYS an option

One better option is making the best with what you have. But...if you are gonna btch about it...then you need to make changes, No one said it would be easy.

So you sell your Marshall and you buy a Traynor. Now you don't have to buy a pedal.

If you want to talk about this like an adult...fine. There are options. Might be hard to do but rarely is anything worthwhile free easy or without effort. But don't act like a petulant spoiled child.

Tough talk is tough...sometimes one needs a slap in the face.
 
Ventura":11lewdyu said:
Condolences on the "solid state" amp bit :aww:
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Again..to be honest...sometimes a solid state amps is what's needed. Rush and Iron Maiden (and Death and several metal bands) have used solid state amps on their professional recordings. If you don't dig it that's cool.

But if you aren't happy with the BASE tone...stop crying a river and fix it. A pedal isn't gonna fix it.
 
university81":17py90wu said:
maybe one of the AMT preamp pedals into the FX return ?

http://amtelectronics.com/products/

i'll echo what most people have said tho, save the money and get a better amp, can get some ridiculous cheap tube amps these days that are really not too bad
Click to expand...

Yeah AMT pedals are pretty awesome!

I had the B-Drive as well as the P-drive. (Bogner and Peavey wannabe's) Both sounded good for a 70/80 euro pedal! Bang for the buck, sounded great at low volumes too.
 
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