Learning Pedals - Boost/Distortion suggestions to learn?

[Kovie]

Hi all, I'm new to HX stomp.  I've been spending quite a bit of time working with Amp > Cab/IR > Reverb as the most basic signal chain (with a tilt eq every now and then for brightness) and learning to get some nice tones that way.  I've never been much of pedal user, so the fairly basic sound of Amp > Cab/IR > Reverb generally sounds pretty good to me for clean up through rock tones - but I'm wanting to spend some time learning the boost/distortion pedals - but there are so many.

 

I've heard of the Timmy, Tube Screamer, and Klon and have experimented some with those as boosts, but there are so many others and I was wondering if there are any standout boost/distortion pedals you like that I should mess around with for clean, overdriven and up through rock tones (though I'm not much into metal).  Are there certain amp models you like best with pedals?  Is "clean" amp preferred starting point if using distortion pedal, or do you tend to mix amp distortion and pedal distortion?   I'm assuming you normally put these pedals near front of chain, prior to amp block?  Or are there other uses?  Do you stack multiple boosts?  Is a boost an "always on" thing for you?  For more overt distortion, do you like the pedals better than amp distortion?  I guess - all sorts of questions in that regard.  Please suggest a particular pedal if there is a standout as I'm totally unfamiliar with most of those listed and/or how to best use them.   

 

TLDR:  I'm learning new features of the HX stomp - and want to learn some boost/distortion that people like and how they use them.  Suggestions appreciated.  thanks!

   

[Schmalle]

Maybe start with listening to some pedal nerds? I've looked up 2 of a gazillion videos that somewhat answer your questions:

 

[DunedinDragon]

In my experience you don't really need a huge variety of boost or overdrive pedals to get what you want.  I think most people adopt a handful that work for them and pretty much stick with them.  Over the last six years of owning my Helix I've pretty much stuck with the standards like the Teemah, Minotaur, and to a lesser extent Deranged Master, Scream 808, Heir Apparent or Tone Sovereign.  But not all presets really even need a distortion pedal depending on the style of song.  The same tends to hold true for reverbs, delays, modulations and compressors.  Everyone's going to have their favorites so you might as well try them out and see which ones you tend to favor because your list will probably be pretty unique to you.

I will say there are some amp models such as the WhoWatt which I usually turn to when I stack distortion pedals (one always on and one for leads), but that's because the WhoWatt was specifically known in it's heyday for it's ability for easily incorporating such things.  I'd also say that more often than not I can get the level of crunch I need much easier just using the gain on an amp model rather than a pedal.  This is especially true with more modern amp designs like the Matchless, Cartographer or Archetype.  For myself I've only found distortion pedals to work well before the amp and I've only stacked distortion to get very specific and identifiable tones such as those by Joe Walsh (in conjunction with a clean WhoWatt) or Brian May (which is used in conjunction with an overdriven Vox amp model).  Ultimately it comes down to what sound you're after and what best suits your ears.

[HonestOpinion]

Any approach is legitimate if you like the tone you end up with. Using a clean amp setting and applying distortion/overdrive instead of applying more gain via the amp model is a perfectly fine way to go about things although(similar to cranking the gain knob on an amp model) you are essentially getting preamp instead of power amp distortion(when cranking the master volume on the amp model). To be honest though, they can be nigh indistinguishable at times, especially in the digital world.  If you are getting a "musical" harmonic distortion(if that is even what you are looking for), who cares how you get there.

 

Sometimes I use the same approach that I used to use in the analog world. If I am using a model like a Fender for example, better known for its clean tones, I am more likely to use a pedal as an assist for an overdrive sound because in the real world, Fender IMHO never had a great dirt sound with the exception of a couple of their amps. Not that I won't tweak the gain settings on the amp as well but I find it harder on these types of amp models to get the overdriven sound I like with just the amp.  What Fender always provided was a great clean amp platform that handled pedals exceptionally well or perhaps some slightly dirty blues. Was never particularly fond of their high-gain tones. On the other hand, when I use a model like a Marshall, Boogie, Soldano, etc. which inherently has great higher gain tones built in I start by dialing in the distorted tone as best as I can on the amp and then may or may not add an overdrive, possibly with the gain set relatively low to give additional edge, sustain, or color. Pretty much what I would do with the real thing. 

 

A boost is a frequent but definitely not an "always on" thing for me, especially for a crunch tone(as opposed to a lead sound). And by "boost" in this context I mean an overdrive/distortion pedal. It is either an intentional part of my tone or used to get some extra hair on a solo. I do always have a gain(volume) block boost of a few decibels set up as well to add volume where needed, frequently on a clean tone to give it some additional girth, on a solo to help it cut though the mix, or anytime I need some additional volume to level up with the rest of the band.

 

As a younger player I gravitated more towards heavy distortion(early days with Boss Distortion(the orange box) or Metal Zone pedals) Over time and probably with changes to my repertoire and as my technique improved I came to prefer the distortion coming mostly from the amp with the addition of a subtler overdrive rather than a distortion pedal; something like a Tube Screamer, Kinky Boost, Minotaur, Compulsive Drive, or Teemah. Used to love my old Japanese Boss Super Overdrive too but I have trouble dialing the one on the Helix in to my satisfaction. Don't know if it is that Line6 did not quite nail that pedal or if my tastes have changed.

 

Was never a big fan of the MXR or Rat distortions and had almost no use for most fuzz pedals although they sure seem to be ubiquitous on the Helix. Not sure how to articulate it but these pedals always seemed to have a "coarser" sound that never really appealed to me that much. 'Course you need them for certain tunes. Experimented for a while with a Brian May approach of an amp just at the point of breakup being pushed over the edge with a treble booster as well. I love the almost vocal like quality of his guitar tone. Also like the sound of a cocked/fixed wah sound ala Frank Zappa now and then. In general, for songs where i don't need a clean sound, as long as I hear some degree of compression, dirt, and have a tone with plenty of sustain and warmth that won't die before I stop applying vibrato to the strings I'm happy. By way of contrast my old blues playing friends literally had nothing but contempt for any pedal between their guitar and the amp. Everything had to come from the amp. Damn purists :-) It really is all purely subjective and somewhat dependent on what music you play!

 

I think the repeating theme is rules are made to be broken and it is so convenient and there is no place easier to break 'em than in the digital realm. It takes only moments to stack pedals, place them in unusual locations in your signal chain, assign parameters to an expression pedal, or put outlandish combinations together that might just create a torrent of noise with old stomp pedals. When it takes longer to find the "perfect" tone at least you can save your results such that it is worth the extra effort. Even easier to retain your work since the addition of 'Favorites' and 'Defaults'. Additionally not all the same analog rules apply in the digital world, accurate as the emulations may strive to be, and sometimes that's a good thing.

[Kovie]

Wanted to followup after spending much of the day auditioning to most everything in the distortion folder on the Helix.  I ran each pedal at front of chain in front of the Hiwatt model faor;u clean with the gain at around 5.  Rest of chain was the first York Audio Hiwatt IR and then into a light 63 spring reverb to give a bit of sense of space.

 

Surely use case and style of song/playing makes a big difference - and I'm sure my ears were pretty roasted after doing this all day, but here's some of my initial conclusions:

 

Fuzzes:  I think the Legacy "Facial Fuzz" based on the Arbiter Fuzz Face might be my favorite Fuzz - better than the newer model imho.   Two others I really liked were the "Bighorn Fuzz" based on the Electro Harmonix Ram's Head Big Muff Pi, and another Legacy pedal "Line6 Drive" based on Colorsound Tone Bender Fuzz.    Several other fuzz's were nice and had some interesting use cases, but the above 3 were probably my favorites.  In the fuzz territory there were clearly some pedals that I was struggling with but then would play something that led me to see a way to make use of them.  Kindof helps me understand why some of the 60s-70s music sounds like it does - because the fuzz pedals were often pretty limiting in what they could do (ringing chords often turn to mush) - but when they found the tricks on how to play them and get interesting sounds out - a certain style of song and playing would emerge.

 

Distortions:  Broad range of sounds here.  Not sure if much of it is more usable than just appropriate amp distortion in presets/snapshots, but some pedals that I liked were: "Deranged Master" based on Dallas Rangemaster Treble Boost - just had a pleasant distortion character.   Liked "Legendary Drive" based on Carvin VLD1 Legacy Drive high gain channel.  This sounded like 80s arena rock to me.  "Heir Apparent" based on the Analogman Prince of Tone also sounded natural to me.  There were several other overdrives/distortions that I liked, but those 3 were standouts.  Thought some of the pedal options were pretty terrible here also.  Thought the Boss DS-1 based pedals ("Deez One") were pretty bad. The Boss HM-2 "Sweedish Chain" pedal seemed pretty bad also.  Some other pedals seemed barely marginal in comparison to the better stuff in the folder and I'd be challenged to find a use for some of them.  

 

Mild Boosts/Lower Gains:  Most of the boosts seemed usable to me - but I'll have to experiment to really find my favorite.  I might lean to the Timmy (has nice overdrive distortion also) and the Klon, but there were several others that I could see myself using for similar boosting/gainy purpose (like Xotic. Boss SD-1, 808 Screamer, maybe KWB could work here too?).  I do like the subtle bitey edge that these boosts can give, but the blended nature of gain seems like it can be pleasant also.

 

I'm sure there's tons of use cases I haven't understood, but those at least are my first impressions after running through everything today.