Grateful Dead Music Forum

Sorry Jon ... beat you to it, but I couldn’t help myself!

So every good preamp not only needs a great reverb, but also a way to drive the signal into harmonic bliss.
Some of the preamps in the preamp thread have 2nd drive channels, but many do not.

What are you favorite overdrive pedals for Jerry tone and what eras, tones, songs, etc do they remind you of?

I paired the Shift Line Twin with the Lovepedal Blackface Deluxe and the results have been insane!!! Sounds just like 70s Jerry to me and it is adjustable from clean to a medium breakup. It is a very amp like pedal that feels soft and tube like ... I love it!

https://www.thegearpage.net/board/index ... r.1891817/

wpmartin1979 wrote: ↑Wed Feb 03, 2021 10:03 am Sorry Jon ... beat you to it, but I couldn’t help myself!

I have no copyright or trademark on "Battle of."

At present, believe it or not, my fave overdrive "pedal" is the Classic Distortion model on my Line 6 M13 multi-effects pedal which is based on the Pro Co Rat. I set it for almost no distortion (drive) and maximum clean volume (output). I keep two versions of it on my main scene (scenes are what Line 6 calls what you see on the board at any given time). One version is more mild and is for Dead. The other is (relatively) more distorted and for ABB (Dickey as is; Duane preceded by a "Boost Comp" model which is based on the MXR Micro Amp). And don't be fooled by the relative settings of the treble and bass controls. Those are tailored for my overall rig for which my preamps are set at or near the classic Jerry 10-0-5 settings.

I have an old Boss OD-2, and am awaiting delivery on an OD-1 clone as well. I love the OD-2. Killer late 80's early 90's jerry distortion, with the Turbo mode for an extra kick (Bucket, Deal end jam, etc). Really looking forward to putting the OD-1 in front of it and seeing what happens.

Was recently talking to a friend who has an ungodly number of OD pedals. He said he has recently realized - he has all these diverse pedals, but has basically dialled them all to the exact same tone (the one he likes) and is now thinning the herd. I see lots of truth in this. Before settling on the OD-1, I tried some not particularly Jerry pedals - Fulltone Fulldrive 1, DOD 250 reissue, and others, and with some subtle differences, could coax what I wanted to out of them. Surprisingly, especially the Fulldrive!
Would LOVE to try an Earth Drive though, and haven't had a chance.

Dickey Betts! One of the best underrated guitar gods! I had a chance to see him live a couple of times and get in the front row ... he handed me his pick at the end of the show and said “thanks for coming out.”

Love me some Dickey tone!

Jon S. wrote: ↑Wed Feb 03, 2021 10:26 am

wpmartin1979 wrote: ↑Wed Feb 03, 2021 10:03 am Sorry Jon ... beat you to it, but I couldn’t help myself!

I have no copyright or trademark on "Battle of."

Well, you kind of do ... I mean it was a great idea so gotta give credit where credit is due!

NeilG1 wrote: ↑Wed Feb 03, 2021 10:29 am I have an old Boss OD-2, and am awaiting delivery on an OD-1 clone as well. I love the OD-2. Killer late 80's early 90's jerry distortion, with the Turbo mode for an extra kick (Bucket, Deal end jam, etc). Really looking forward to putting the OD-1 in front of it and seeing what happens.

Was recently talking to a friend who has an ungodly number of OD pedals. He said he has recently realized - he has all these diverse pedals, but has basically dialled them all to the exact same tone (the one he likes) and is now thinning the herd. I see lots of truth in this. Before settling on the OD-1, I tried some not particularly Jerry pedals - Fulltone Fulldrive 1, DOD 250 reissue, and others, and with some subtle differences, could coax what I wanted to out of them. Surprisingly, especially the Fulldrive!
Would LOVE to try an Earth Drive though, and haven't had a chance.

I’ve always wanted to play an OD-1 for Jerry tones - closest I came is with the OD-20 which is a cool pedal in that it digitally copies all the classic distortions (Od-1, OD-2, TS808, MXR Distortion Plus, Proco Rat, etc). I used to have one but sold it a while back.
Also JHS makes the Bonzai, which has the exact circuit of the OD-1, along with every other tube screamer type pedal you can think of in it, although I’ve never played it.
Which clone did you get? Keep us posted on how the OD-1 clone ends up sounding!
The OD-1 pushing a Twin should come close to late 80s/90s tones, right?
I think part of the key to his tone was putting a EQ after the OD-1 to shape the tone - anyone know Jer’s settings on the GE-7? Lol

So my understanding is that Jerry was pretty much MXR distortion+ until early 90's (maybe late 80's?) at which point he went to the stacked OD-1 and OD-2. Some I'm hoping to hit that tone. I play my Bob (augustWest1) built "wolf"ish build into an SMS->Mosvalve->E120.
I ordered a built BYOC Clone - I think they call it the "yellow overdrive". Importantly, it has the long, 14 pin Raytheon chip that is one of the originals (there may have been one before this, but certainly the 14 pin is close, compared to the shorter ones) so it should have the original tone. The real deal goes for north of $300, so I'm happy to try the clone instead
I don't think BYOC is making more of them right now, but they can be found here and there.

I'm curious about the DOD 250 as well. I played a reissue and it was almost there. These were made in the 70's and are very close to the MXR script D+ circuit. In fact, I know that analogman will mod a DOD with a switch to toggle between DOD clipping and MXR. I bet this would be a great one.

I'll let you know how it sounds. It's somewhere in transit.

NeilG1 wrote: ↑Wed Feb 03, 2021 10:29 amBefore settling on the OD-1, I tried some not particularly Jerry pedals - Fulltone Fulldrive 1 ... and with some subtle differences, could coax what I wanted to out of them. Surprisingly, especially the Fulldrive!

Can you tell me anything more about your use of the FD1 for Jerry tones? I'll admit it, I have a love-hate relationship with mine. It's probably the most versatile overdrive I have but it rarely seems to get me exactly where I want to be. I'll never sell it, though, as it's versatility makes it my #1 "lend to the guy from out of town sitting in" pedal. Also, I almost always use it with the comp cut on. Otherwise it's just way overcompressed to my ear.

I only borrowed a friend's for a week or so. I was mostly using it on the "FM" setting. I'd dime the tone, and play with the drive between sort of 10 and 2. It gave me a really nice transparent sound with just the right bite to it. I didn't like how it stacked with my OD-2 at all though. The CC function is pretty wild - SO LOUD! First time I flipped that switch and strummed I almost had a heart attack.
I agree that the other modes are a bit compressed, but I favoured the FM over even the "vintage" setting.
Great little pedal though - as you say, very versatile.

NeilG1 wrote: ↑Wed Feb 03, 2021 12:06 pm I'm curious about the DOD 250 as well. I played a reissue and it was almost there. These were made in the 70's and are very close to the MXR script D+ circuit. In fact, I know that analogman will mod a DOD with a switch to toggle between DOD clipping and MXR. I bet this would be a great one.

It must switch between diodes, because I’m pretty sure those two are identical “hard clipping” circuits. The only difference is that the MXR uses germanium diodes vs. whatever the DOD uses (I can’t remember). I have both a 1980 Distortion + and a vintage DOD. They sound pretty close to the same but the MXR has a little more distortion when cranked all the way. There’s a lot of lore about the “script” MXR’s but it is my understanding that the 1980s block are built with exactly the same parts as the script.

The MXR (and DOD) both sound great pushing my FYD TRP - I just think the MXR is “cooler” cause Jerry had one - I wouldn’t pay $400 for a script one tho.

In comparison, the OD1 and OD2 are tube screamer type circuits (aka soft clippers). The other type of vintage OD circuit is FET (or mosfet), which is what the Stratoblaster and Fulltone have.

This is pretty much the extent of my understanding so anybody please feel free to correct me or add to what I have said here.

That is how I understand it too. Yes - the switch is between diodes in that mid I described. I understand the MXR is brighter than the DOD, but have never A/B’d them.

An MXR Distortion + is the real deal. The Boss OD-1 and 2r are gonna get you a nice array for Jerry tones. I love The SMS Earthdrive and the Solar Flare for Jerry tones as well. I am now using two Analogman Prince Of Tones for light, and heaven overdrive. I stack them for the real heavy drive tones. Very transparent overdrives. I am on the waiting list for the King Of Tone. I am also using the Love Pedal Hermida Red Zen Drive, the Ryra Klone, and the JHS Moonshine V2. There are so many options! So many overdrive so many Pedals, so little time.

I have recently discovered that the Mad Professor Sweet Honey Overdrive works really well for Jerry tone when pushing a Twin preamp. With the drive at noon it essentially stays clean with a tad of “scream” but then when you dig in to the strings it gives you that edge that Jerry had in the 70s. For 90s just turn the drive down a bit and volume up and add a bit more reverb for sparkle.
It’s quite a versatile and “transparent little box” in that it lets the tone of the preamp shine through

Searing75 wrote: ↑Wed Feb 03, 2021 8:22 pm I love The SMS Earthdrive and the Solar Flare for Jerry tones as well. There are so many options! So many overdrive so many Pedals, so little time.

So true! ODs these days for me are like baseball cards were in the 80s! The solar flare is essentially a MXR/DOD but modernized somehow, correct? Seems interesting! I ordered an Earth drive a week and a half ago so should be arriving soon ... excited to mess around with it for sure!