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Post by VomHalen on Nov 24, 2005 20:07:23 GMT -5
i'm not sure if "ampliFIRE" from Harmony Central is a member here (if he is he goes by some other name) but i wanted to thank him for recommending the Maxon OD-9 pedal...this pedal flat out ROCKS, it gives you just enough oomph to kick it up a notch and is very quiet...it blows away my keeley modded SD-1...go figure...
anyway, thanks man!...i was looking for a smidge more gain...i need it for some songs we do...and this totally delivers...i'm guessing this is what 3rd gear kinda sounds like...
i'm psyched!
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Post by shreder75 on Nov 24, 2005 20:29:29 GMT -5
he's a good guy for sure =)
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Post by jimbax on Nov 24, 2005 23:07:33 GMT -5
I know sound is VERY subjective....but, I DEFINITELY prefer the OCD by Fulltone, I had a Maxon od9 and ran it in front of an early seventies Marshall 4-input 50 watter and it sounded sweet but SQUISHED the tone into a midrange HUMP....the ocd by Fulltone adds a TON of gain/boost and leaves your original tone pretty much alone....it works GREAT in front of the Splawn QR 1/2 stack o' mine...I have a Keeley baked ts9 (almost identical circuit) and it sounds HORRIBLE in front of the QR...again 'subjective' (the Ibanez TS9 and maxon pedals work great in front of a Fender or Matchless amp (still produces mid-hump) but I can't believe guys put it in front of Marshall types...it's very difficult to tell unless you A-B the pedals side by side....then the difference is VERY evident! If you like that 'Stevie Ray' thing then it's cool, but, I didn't get a modded Marshall type amp to play Texas blues licks on it...a Fender is much better suited for that type o' gig.
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Post by Hacksaw on Nov 26, 2005 2:57:37 GMT -5
Jimbax, have you tried a Keeley mod'ed DS-1 Ultra? I was hoping you could compare that to the Fulltone OCD, as I am running the Keeley with great results with a bogner shiva. I havent tried it yet with the splawn.
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Post by jimbax on Nov 26, 2005 10:17:01 GMT -5
I owned the Keeley 'Seeing eye Ultra' but I ran it in front of a Bad Cat amp. I had the same problem as with a Tube Screamer type (mid hump, Keeley changes the op amp chip in the DS-1 to that of a tube screamer (4558)) the only difference is that the 'mid-hump' was shifted to a lower mid frequency I loved the 'growl' it gave but couldn't stand the squishing of my tone. Those pedals work really well in front of Fender amps for the 'Stevie Ray' Texas style thing. The ONLY pedal that I have used in the tube screamer type that was 'OK' is AnalogMan's silver TS9....it is very transparent and the mid hump has been 'rounded off' a little, not as apparent, it keeps most of your original tone....the only drawback is that it is a little lower gain than even a stock TS9 which is a little whimpy to begin with (I bought 2 AM silver TS9's $400 plus and ran them in tandem both gained out in front of the Matchless DC30 and Bad Cat Black Cat 30r) very 'sweet' and smooth tone for blues but I wanted a more aggressive sound.....so I got the QR Any gain pedal you put in front of your amp (except a clean boost) is going to 'color' your tone and reduce the frequency....if you leave the pedal on all the time it isn't noticeable because people's ears will acclimate only to what it hears....if you switch between a wide frequency spectrum for a clean/crunch sound and then 'squish' your sound into a tube screamer/distortion for a solo sound you will significantly lessen the impact of your solos...so, make sure that there isn't any signal robbing going on when you switch into a higher gain sound (some players reduce their clean frequency sound like Pearl Jam's guitar player McCready?? he puts a modded 808 in front of a plexi Marshall and because there are 2 guitar players he gets away with it, Steve Vai uses a DS-1 Ultra from Keeley but leaves it on all the time so your whole orientation of his sound is set to that frequency (he seems to like it)...I guess what I am saying is.....don't squish your tone when you have a overdrive/boost/distortion pedal to kick you into higher gain for solos...this will lessen your impact when you turn it on (especially in front of a QR) if you like the sound of the DS-1 Ultra and don't mind leaving it on all the time, that is what Vai does. I don't really want anymore distortion with the QR only a little more boost/fattness to help with my lagato style where I'm not picking every note, the OCD does this without a NOTICEABLE drop in frequency responce (there is a slight rounding of the top and bottom end) I found that Splawns 'Solo' function is a bit to 'bright' for me as a solo boost by itself...
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Post by Axemane on Nov 26, 2005 10:31:15 GMT -5
I am going to have to try the OCD in front of the QR.I played one through a Two Rock and a Dr.Z and it was a gain monster.Sounded really good.Fat and crunchy like a Marshall.At the time I thought it might be too much for the QR,as it has plenty of gain already.
FWIW- I get great results with a Sparkle Drive in front of the QR.Just to boost it up a little for solos,feedback,etc..It sounds very good with the QR.
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Post by jimbax on Nov 26, 2005 11:15:38 GMT -5
the sparkle drive is another op amp 4558 chip device....do you notice a 'significant' drop in lows and highs when you kick it in? I run the OCD in 'HP' mode and set volume at 9:30 o'clock, tone at 3 o'clock and gain around 2 o'clock...I can sustain for months and not lose note articulation and still keep the QR growl intact. You can drop the gain and use it as a great clean boost pedal too....alot of folks use the sparkle drive on their boards for a 'crunch' pedal in front of a clean amp...my pedalboard set-up: Fulltone Clyde Deluxe Wah---Prescription Vibe-Unit---OCD---AnalogMan Clone Chorus---Ernie Ball Volume (Split to StroboStomp Tuner and to amp QuickRod 1/2 stack) I run a Diamond Pedal 'MemoryLane' analog delay in the effects loop.
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Post by Hacksaw on Nov 26, 2005 11:48:55 GMT -5
Tnx Jimbax. Appreciated the info. I have read other forums about the fulltone. but sometimes we get a little " used to reading great reviews " all the time. glad to hear it from your point of view. ordering online :-)
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Post by jimbax on Nov 26, 2005 13:07:15 GMT -5
sound is ALL subjective...if I had a handle on what most people liked soundwise I would probably hate it....go figure (I ALWAYS remember what Carlos Santana said: 90% of YOUR sound is in your hands and in your heart the other 10% is your gear...) I always sound like 'me' even if there is a mid-hump pedal in between...the only time I don't sound like 'me' is IF a sound guy MAKES me use a Line 6 amp (any) then I sound like a chessebag playing through a transister radio (sorry to Line 6 fans... I HATE their amp stuff...) Truly, to my ears the OCD adds a 'fat boost' dimension to an already awesome (QR) set-up!! and doesn't rob the top or bottom EQ (very slightly if any...MUCH less than any 4558 op amp chip device)...I know there are alot of tubescreamer fans that disagree with me...BUT if we jammed, side by side and we both ran our amps the same and pedal levels the same the OCD would noticeably outperform the TS pedal (IMHO, try it yourself!) I have a Keeley 'Baked' TS9 that works great for Texas blues in front of a Fender amp but sounds like 'cardboard' when lined up next to the OCD and into the front of the QR...(keep in mind that the QR ALREADY has a significant mid-boost just in the way Splawn 'voiced' the amp )
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Post by Shawnee on Nov 26, 2005 14:42:17 GMT -5
OK so if I understand this right, the OCD is what I'm looking for to get more sustain (compression) for legatto licks to come through? I love the Quick Rod but I only set my gain to 9:00 or 10:00 o'clock. When I play lead stuff it sounds fine and has enough harmonics and grit, but I have to pick every note. I played my TS-9 through it once and it worked pretty well. I would like to try to OCD.
What would a clean boost do? Would that give me more sustain? The Quick Rod is so dang loud already!
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Post by jimbax on Nov 26, 2005 20:32:16 GMT -5
does 'legato' have 2 't' s (oops..guess I should start using spell check) anyway....it depends on your style, I like a Marshall type amp to have monster gain....I think, to keep more frequency response, the OCD is a better suited pedal for the QR....IMHO. (because of all the reasons stated previous...) Don't get mad at me if you don't like it!
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Post by Hacksaw on Nov 26, 2005 22:34:14 GMT -5
LOL,, I know I wont get mad! I have a guitar gear collection, if it doesn't do it for me, it will be used on the JTM45 if nothing else! IF i dont like it! But after playing this afternoon, I do need a tad more at times. Thanks for the advice, either way, I try it. nothing to loose but money right? :-0 thats how I ended up with a splawn, a guy said "you sound like you need a splawn" . so I tried it. I am glad I did! listening to sounds clips gave a great idea of what it would do. but now in my hands, I am still happy. Jim did you get to try it before buying?
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Post by Shawnee on Nov 27, 2005 9:33:42 GMT -5
Jimbax- I just looked up the word and you are correct. Legato has one T. Don't I look stupid now! Anyway, since I do like the way the "legato" notes come through with the TS-9, I feel sure that the OCD would be great. The same effect with better equalization from what you are describing. Thanks man.
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Post by jimbax on Nov 27, 2005 10:24:27 GMT -5
No, I didn't try it out before buying...listened to the sound clips and got my wallet out!!!! I played an outdoor gig in August with a Chritian guitarist "Jimmy Bratcher" a blues guy...well, besides a poor PA set-up my amp (Bad Cat Black Cat 30R) decided to sit in the back row of the stage and just feedback....didn't do it during rehearsal or sound check, I just had too many DANG OD/Distortion pedals that I used to get the thing humming...it didn't like that stage set-up for whatever reason??? FEEDBACK CITY!!! and very EMBARASSING!!! so I said to myself:...self, I'm going back to the Marshall's I'm used to and ditching these pedals !!! Well, as I was looking at Marshalls I remembered Scott's website that modded them...listened to some clips....decided to call him....he suggested I try his QuickRod....I bought it....LOVED IT!...ordered his 4X12 cab a week later....LOVE IT!!! ditched my OD/Distortion pedals (most of em anyway...) and am well on the road to recovery!!! HALLELUJAH!!! Played the QR 1/2 stack at a jam session a coupla weeks ago and all I have to say is: I'M HOME!!! Major FAT GAIN and no (unwanted) feedback! perfect amp for me!! The thing is built MUCH better than any Marshall to boot...HEAVY cabinet though (a good thing).
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Post by Hacksaw on Nov 27, 2005 16:45:38 GMT -5
I dumped the Tc Gmajor out of the loop and put my pedals up. now its a lot better to play at bedroom levels. The Keeley mod'ed DS-1 worked great, added a hump of bass, but that was controlable.
Thats my next thought, Cabs. I have the standard marshall vintage 30 cabs and a older 1960 with the gt12-75's in it,. I tried the X-pattern which was cool. but now I am wondering what the splawn cab will do to the sound compared to where I am at. with the vintage 30 cab I am getting some very cool remininates of the masters of the 80's. its been pure joy.
ya, hahaa when it happens on stage live, its freaky, GET ME OUTA HERE! LOL.. can I hide behind the drummer while they solo so I can figure out my stuff!!! When I melted a amp once, I just stood there.. disbelief.. you know your done for the night.
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