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Recommend me some Overdrives

3K views 25 replies 19 participants last post by  7 Dying Trees 
#1 ·
I've got an MXR Wylde Overdrive that has been one of the cornerstones in my rig forever, I love it but I'm wondering if what it does is totally appropriate for my current project. It makes my chugs really clear and pronounced and dare I say it, slightly Djenty, which may not be totally appropriate for a more trad Metal/Rock band with Black Metal influences.

So recommend me some overdrives that can help add saturation and clarity without getting overly djenty. I'm aiming for a thick, dark sound that still retains good clarity.
 
#2 ·
Throwing my vote behind the MXR M77 Custom Badass Modified O.D. Pedal. Bump switch is awesome and the mid sweep is a great feature. Super versatile and I like it for the exact reason that it doesn't make my tone Djenty. Is able to nail a thick and crunchy tone and it helps that you can find them relatively cheaply (especially if you pick one up second-hand).
 
#9 ·
I had a Chaos-modded Nobles ODR-1 for awhile and it was definitely more on the dark side of the tonal spectrum, but it definitely did a clean boost without getting Djenty. I think they are a modified Rat circuit from what Joe was telling me when I bought the pedal. Dunno what stock ones go for these days but it shouldn't be too outlandish pricewise.
 
#15 ·
Looks pretty fancy

Lately I have been loving the Highwind Direwolf and it is always hard to beat the good old bloody murder, but good luck finding one of those.
I had the half rack switchable BM many years back, I didn't feel like it did that much but I suspect it was my rig at the time

Maxon 808 or the Mesa Grid Slammer. I like the classic tubescreamer sound, but I also like it slightly darker, and these two pedals fit the bill for me. I've been using a Grid Slammer on my board for about 4 or 5 years now and no other overdrive has replaced it.
The Mesa's been at the back of my mind to check out for a while, purely because it's Mesa and has a cool name. Now I can justify that it might also do what I want.

I dont know why this never gets mentioned...



I have this with an mxr custom badass od right next to this and I always end up going with this maxon. I also have the OG Maxon as well but still used the x version all the time.
Alright, that has been top of my list for quite a while but I wasn't sure if it was still going to get a bit Djenty.
 
#25 ·
I've just been through a very similar hunt to you, and have come to this conclusion; Before going through a shitload of overdrives, first look into what type of overdrive circuit you're getting. 99% of overdrives out there are just Maxon OD808 clones, with varying tweaks and extra knobs, but in reality it's the same circuit doing the same thing.

I was in a position where I really wanted to get away from the "mid-boosting overdrive" sound, as it's just not always useful, unless you're wanting a surgically tight tone (which these days, I'm not).

I went down the whole "clean boost" path, where you're literally just adding volume to the front end of the amp. In theory I thought that's what I wanted but upon trying a couple it just isn't. It makes the transients of your pick attack really exaggerated and makes the amp "chirp" in a way that's really unmusical and unpleasant.

So I arrived at the "Klon" type of overdrives. I didn't give a fuck if it was anywhere near the real thing, I just knew that the Klon circuit (and those who copy it) tends to be a way more full type of tone than the bass-cutting 808. It retains the full spectrum of the guitar going through it, and gives you the option of colouring the tone or not.

I got an EHX Soul Food and couldn't be happier. It can be thick and dark if you want, I got a sick stoner tone from it, but the way I have it set up is that it's basically not altering the tone of the amp that much, it's just juicing it up and adding some grind/saturation, but flicking the pedal on/off makes barely any tonal difference.

It's also £69, vs the ridiculous prices these boutique builders ask for their copies.
 
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