Stevie Ray Vaughan Discussion

[bluz_playa85]

ok i want to start over with a new thread. something more productive...

which pedals do you guys use for your lead tones? I've been using a Boss DS-1 for awhile and I really love the versatility. I can get more dirt out of it than a tubescreamer. I used to use both but it gave me a really muddy sound through my vibroking. So now i replaced my ts9 with a modified
Boss EQ.

For amps I usually go with a vibroking and 67 or 68 super reverb chained together. It's a loud rig but it does the job i need it to.

[Vaughanabe13]

You should really put more choices up there.

I use a Sparkle Drive, a Maxon OD808, and MJM Blues Devil

[bluz_playa85]

[UncleSalty]

Anybody use a fuzz face? I have one that's a copy of the Fulltone '69 pedal that a friend made for me. Because of the power set up it doesn't work well with my other pedals and I don't use it anymore. I'd be interested to hear if anybody uses the Diaz, AnalogMan or any of the other clones.

[bluz_playa85]

[UncleSalty]

The Dunlop fuzz faces are terrible, aren't they? Has anybody tried the ZenDrive? I'm quite interested in getting one of those with all the great things I'm hearing about it. V-13 tell us a bit more about the Sparkle Drive. How do you have it set up in your chain?

[bluz_playa85]

yes the fuzz face reissues are really horrible. awhile back i went to Austin Vintage Guitars and plugged one into a JCM 800 marshall head thinking "cool this should sound like Jimi"...boy was i wrong. It was so harsh and trebley that it killed my ears. I messed with it for a few minutes but to no avail. Dont know why they are so bad!!!

im curious about the sparkle drive too though...[/list]

[kenny74]

I picked up a Fuzz Face a while back and it gives a nice thick tone.

[Vaughanabe13]

I have a Fuzz Face as well but it's a piece of sh*t as far as I'm concerned. The tones are terrible...not even usable. There's a huge overload when your guitar volume is above 9.

The sparkle drive is a fairly new pedal for me... I've always been interested in it and finally broke down. Basically it's got the TS-808 tube screamer sound with modern features like true bypass and the clean mix. Personally, I don't use the clean knob very much unless I want just a solid clean boost. The pedal works really well for gritty overdrive without becoming overpowering like some other pedals. The manufacturer says it is completely "transparent" but that's a bunch of BS. EVERY guitar pedal will color your tone. This one just does it slightly less.

My sparkle drive is a neat little pedal, but it's not the "miracle drug" that I wanted it to be when I bought it. I think I like the Blues Devil much more and I still get more use out of my Maxon OD808

[TTrahan]

Yeah V-13, the Sparkle Drive is definitely not transparent. Its a tubescreamer more or less, so it definately colors your tone, lol.

Right now, my band-less ass is using this stuff.

Strats into -->Teese PW-->Boss TU-2-->-->Bad Bob-->MJM Custom 2 Channel OD-->Barber LTD-->Analogman Clone Chorus--->Custom Fargen Blackbird or Vibroverb, mostly the Fargen.

I've had to sell off some stuff, which is okay, because like I said, I'm not in a band right now, damnit.

Got rid of a few fuzzes and ODs, much to my regret, but whatever.

Next on list....Mojo Vibe or Deja Vibe (love to revisit the Deja Vibe) and fuzzzzzzz..


Salty,

I had the NKT-275 Sunface w/ Sundial for a while. It was sweet. A little expensive, but I liked it a lot. Doesn't work as well w/ Blackface amps as it does EL 84 or EL 34 amps, that was the only drawback for me, because I use BF amps.

I also was using the MJM London Fuzz Si version. That was the best fuzz for BF amps, IMO. But it got a little lost in the mix, unfortunately.

[UncleSalty]

[bluz_playa85]

[TTrahan]

[UncleSalty]

[Adam H]

I play my '72 Les Paul and my Mexican Tele with Bigsby into a Cry Baby (which I barely use). It's got the true bypass and Torres Engineering "fat" mod in it. I then go into a Barber Electronics Direct Drive, which is by far the best distortion box I've ever had. Only problem is it's got too much gain - they make a version called the LTD which is lower gain. On the Direct Drive, I've got the gain set to 9:00 or so, and it's PLENTY of dirt. If you haven't gotten one, they're only $100, and they are just incredible sounding. Then, it's to my '67 or '68 Gibson Falcon, which is all tube, about 18-20 watts. I use channel two, which is no reverb or tremolo. I got that amp for $150, and have re-tubed it and had a cap job done on it. It's a great amp, and very loud for the wattage.

I had a Sparkle Drive, and hated it. Before I got the Direct Drive, I had a Visual Sound Route 66, which was a very good sounding pedal, but I'm not a compression fan. Also, I had a Boss OD-3 for a while, and I really liked it, and should never have sold it.

Seriously, get a Direct Drive or the LTD. It's just perfect sounding, no coloring of the tone, pretty quiet, and you can adjust the bass manually. It also has a pull-out pot that acts as a fat switch, or as the manual says, "those expensive California amp tones", by which they of course mean Dumble, and I'd say it's pretty close. The only pedal I've ever heard that was better than this is a $400 Budda Phatman, and I'd rather buy another old tube amp with the extra $300!