Boutique Pedals

[scott58]

I'm really starting to itch to experiment with some of these pedals through my VJ3.

Specifically, the Wampler Plextortion and Skreddy Topfuel. Considering how the Vj

takes to pedals. Anyone using the highend pedals through their Vj?

[tunghaichuan]

I'm really starting to itch to experiment with some of these pedals through my VJ3.

Specifically' date=' the Wampler Plextortion and Skreddy Topfuel. Considering how the Vj

takes to pedals. Anyone using the highend pedals through their Vj?[/quote']

 

Just my $.02:

 

Before you spend a ton on boutique pedals, you might want to have a look around this forum:

 

http://www.freestompboxes.org/

 

Lots of boutique pedals are nothing but exact copies of famous circuits (i.e., the Tube Screamer). Many of the pedals that aren't exact copies just have a few tweaks to make them slightly different. Add a fancy paint job and graphics and make up some oddball name, and you have a boutique pedal.

 

Not to slag Wampler or Skreddy, I'm sure they make fine pedals.

 

The one thing that boutique pedals have over mass produced ones is that boutique pedals are often (but not always) built better than the pedals they are copies of.

 

tung

[scott58]

Can't believe no one has tried higher end pedals with a Vj. Guess i'll let

you guys know early next year how it shakes out.

[m-theory]

Can't believe no one has tried higher end pedals with a Vj. Guess i'll let

you guys know early next year how it shakes out.

 

I'm sure many have. I roll my own, ala the website mentioned, among others. I really like the clay jones OD, the Lovepedals Eternity, the MI Audio crunchbox, the Crowther Hotcake, the Fulltone fatboost, the Zvex SHO/Catlinbread hot chili picasso, and a bunch of others that I've built and tried.

 

The amp takes well to pedals, and the cork sniffer pedals tend to be vast improvements over more traditional circuits, so pretty much anything booteeky that you get would sound better than a traditional, mass-produced pedal of similar design. Whether or not that translates into $200-$300 (or more, depending upon availability, of course...CJODs go for as much as $1200 on Ebay, unbelievably, and plain old 808 tube screamers fetch $800+) is entirely up to you, your playing style, and your ears.

 

If I were you, and really wanted to know but didn't want to roll my own, I'd probably lurk some of the common pedal forums, including the above-mentioned site, to get a feel for what each particular pedal is like to other's ears. Then, once I'd sort of zero'd in on a pedal that I thought might suit me, I'd consider heading on over to a nearby music store with my guitar, locking myself in the magic room o'sound, and cozy up to that particular pedal, played through a Vlv Jr. Most places will let you buy and return within some period of time, if it turns out that it just doesn't blow your hair back the way you might've thought it would.

[scott58]

I hear ya. Some of these pedals are like collecting baseball cards. I was really interested in the

skreddy pink flesh and now that it's mo longer made you can't find a used 1 for less then $500.

After listening to several clips, My main interests are in the topfuel, lunar module and wampler

plextortion. really just trying to exceed my POD by a few miles. I did have a tubescreamer 808

for a couple of months, but actually liked the POD model better. Fortunately some of these pedals

are easy to sell (got rid of the 808 in less then 2 days).If nothing else it will be a good learninig

experience.

[TWANG]

you may not have gotten replys. but I've read lots of post about using different pedals..

and so far, the only bad reports were if they didn't like a particular pedals sound through the vj. IOW personal taste came into play.

but the pedal is as much to blame as the vj, I'm sure.. otherwise I wouldn't be so aware of how many people love pedals through this amp.

pods and racks have been used and lots of good comments.

 

TWANG

[SlagJones]

Anyone got opinions on the DOD 250 and the MXR Distortion +?

I have tried the DOD 250 and I really like it. I have read the 250 and Distortion+ are similar circuits. Do they sound the same?

[scott58]

I should have just said pedals. Doesn;t have to be boutique. i've got an mxr 10 band

that's outstanding with the Vj. The combo actually seems to like it better. Plus a

Dyna comp compressor that's pretty cool. Anybody got fuzz, flanger, chorus whatever

experience list them out. Lot of decent mass produced ones out there too.

[rybass]

The DOD 250+ reissue is my favorite overdrive at the moment. I sold my ts808 after it was blown from the water. Where is shines for me is infront of a heavier dostortion. I run it infront of a sovtek green muff pi and it ups the highs and mids and gives it more definition with the same overal fuzziness. It ran me $20 used at sam ash and the salesman actually said "good luck getting any tone out of that thing" No clue what he was smoking but it rocks.

 

I also run a ehx metal muff, boss ds-1 modded to seeing eye/ ultra, boss bd-2, byoc tonebender fuzz, byoc tremolo, wooly mammoth fuzz clone, boss hf-2 flanger, ehx english muff'n and ehx small clone into my evj head and cab. It loves every pedal I've thrown at it.

 

Boutique pedals are a waste to me. They seem to be more about the bragging rights than the tone and once you learn how to clone or make your own pedals and see the amount it actually costs to produce it's hard to spend the cash on the actual thing. IMHO

[spaaarky21]

The DOD 250+ reissue is my favorite overdrive at the moment. I sold my ts808 after it was blown from the water. Where is shines for me is infront of a heavier dostortion. I run it infront of a sovtek green muff pi and it ups the highs and mids and gives it more definition with the same overal fuzziness. It ran me $20 used at sam ash and the salesman actually said "good luck getting any tone out of that thing" No clue what he was smoking but it rocks.

 

...

 

Boutique pedals are a waste to me. They seem to be more about the bragging rights than the tone and once you learn how to clone or make your own pedals and see the amount it actually costs to produce it's hard to spend the cash on the actual thing. IMHO

 

Ditto on the DOD 250. I also gave up my previous favorite after getting a DOD 250 reissue. Sounds great in front of my Epi Blues Custom amp and plays well with all of the pedals I use with it. To me' date=' the 250 gives you a really "open," full (maybe a little bright) sound instead of really narrowing what you hear like many other distortions tend to do. It really let's everything come through in a great way.

 

The DOD 250 and MXR Distortion+ are about as identical as they could be without being the exact same pedal. The schematics are VERY close. They aren't 100% the same but then again, look at how many versions there are of a single pedal like the TubeScreamer or EHX Small Stone.

 

The 250 reissue cost me $40 new but MF doesn't sell it anymore. It seems like DOD has been half-closed for years and their pedals are getting hard to find new but there is a Yngwie Malmsteen signature model you can still pick up for $30. I modified my own 250 to use low tolerance resistors and added true bypass with an on/off LED. I also replaced that goofy vintage 1/8" phono-style power jack with a standard power jack.

 

I also agree about boutique pedals. I could never justify spending an extra $100 or more just to get a common design with a couple tweaks. Seems like it's more about snobbery than anything else.

 

-Brandon

[SlagJones]

 

 

 

The DOD 250 and MXR Distortion+ are about as identical as they could be without being the exact same pedal. The schematics are VERY close. They aren't 100% the same but then again' date=' look at how many versions there are of a single pedal like the TubeScreamer or EHX Small Stone.

 

 

[/quote']

 

Have you ever had the chance to play the DOD 250 and MXR Distortion+ side by side? How close are they in sound? Just curious since I haven't had a chance to hear the MXR and with the DOD becoming more scarce, is the MXR a worthy option if you are looking for the DOD 250 sound?

[spaaarky21]

 

Have you ever had the chance to play the DOD 250 and MXR Distortion+ side by side? How close are they in sound? Just curious since I haven't had a chance to hear the MXR and with the DOD becoming more scarce' date=' is the MXR a worthy option if you are looking for the DOD 250 sound?[/quote']

 

The Distortion+ is "worthy" and neither would be a bad choice but I'm not sure why someone would be drawn to the Distortion+ over the 250 when you can still pick up a 250 (or YJM308) for less than half the price. It's not that I am against the MXR (I like my MXR Super Comp) but the two really are quite similar and that seems to be the general consensus everywhere.

 

Design-wise, the two are so similar that you can build either one with the same circuit board. A component or two might be slightly different but like I said before, you can't really assume that any two of the "same" pedal will be completely the same. For example, there are 8 versions of the EHX Small Stone and at least 19 different versions of the three-knob TubeScreamer. None of them are 100% identical to one another!

 

A new 250 might not sound identical to a new Distortion+ but then again, a new 250 won't sound identical to a vintage 250 and a new Distortion+ won't sound identical to a vintage Distortion+ either.

[spaaarky21]

By the way, I don't know how well they show up in everyone else's browsers but my last couple posts had links in them. One of them was to buy the DOD YJM308 (signature model 250) for $30. If you do a Google Products search, you should be able to find the YJM308 for $30 or the 250 re-issue for $40.