Compression On Evos

[Thrash]

Will a compression pedal tame the high end if the Evo's in my Jem. Not that they are really bad, just want a bit more rounded tone.

How many of you use compression pedals?

[Mr. Clean]

I wouldn't think it would...
I'd try different stomp boxes maybe.

[Epicus Furor]

It's all down to personal preference and what your set-up is like. I play my 7vh jem into a Dod YJM Overdrive preamp boost pedal, this then goes straight through to my ENGL Powerball. Due to the High gain structure of the powerball, i lower the gain settings on my powerball and turn the gain 3 quarters of the way on the Dod preamp boost. This gives my Evo's a much more 'rounded' and fuller sound at loud volume levels and cuts out the often 'shrill' top end of evo's. The preamp boost pedals only work however if you are using a proper all tube valve amp, if used with a solid state amp it will just make your sound very sterile and trebly. I'm sure there are other ways of improving the sound of your evo's but for my set-up, a preamp boost really gives me a much fatter, fuller sound at fully cranked levels.

[Thrash]

Originally Posted by Epicus Furor

It's all down to personal preference and what your set-up is like. I play my 7vh jem into a Dod YJM Overdrive preamp boost pedal, this then goes straight through to my ENGL Powerball. Due to the High gain structure of the powerball, i lower the gain settings on my powerball and turn the gain 3 quarters of the way on the Dod preamp boost. This gives my Evo's a much more 'rounded' and fuller sound at loud volume levels and cuts out the often 'shrill' top end of evo's. The preamp boost pedals only work however if you are using a proper all tube valve amp, if used with a solid state amp it will just make your sound very sterile and trebly. I'm sure there are other ways of improving the sound of your evo's but for my set-up, a preamp boost really gives me a much fatter, fuller sound at fully cranked levels.

Have you compaired the YMJ overdrive to the Boss SD-1? How are they different if you have? Thanks

[nickcoumbe]

I play mine through a rack compressor, and that makes quite a difference.

I have the boss and it is pretty useful. I think that it is a must have for anyone.

[Epicus Furor]

'Have you compaired the YMJ overdrive to the Boss SD-1? How are they different if you have?'

I have tried an SD-1 in my set-up, although it did tighten up my overall sound, it sounded abit sterile at high volume, maybe this is because it's a distortion pedal and not an overdrive. Remember, when using a pedal to compress your signal and tighten your sound, you should essentially be looking for something with very little gain such as a boss ds-1, rat e.t.c as you don't want to be 'adding' more gain to your tone. It should be transparent. As far as the YJM goes, It's crucial that you already have a good lead sound to start with as this pedal simply accentuates it. It's an overdrive, not a distortion pedal. Sounds very clear, retains all of the original tone and timbre of your guitar- its great for boosting the signal level of a guitar or 'rounding' off the sound. Some other ones to look out for are the Ibanez Tube Screamers, MXR ZW44 Zakk Wylde Overdrive, ProCo Rat e.t.c.

[BigBazz]

Gotta Disagree there, The DS-1 and Rat are distortion units where as the SD-1 is an Overdrive pedal.

[southpaw_lefty]

When I feel like I need to take the edge off of Evo, I just roll the tone knob on my guitar back some. It works for me.

[Thrash]

Originally Posted by BigBazz

Gotta Disagree there, The DS-1 and Rat are distortion units where as the SD-1 is an Overdrive pedal.

I agree.

[Praetorian]

+1, although the Rat is a lot more round than the DS-1. Also, I heard good things about the ZW overdrive so I went ahead and bought one...yikes. It sounds like a bee buzzing in a can, and I tried it with multiple amps, solid state and tube. I ended up giving it to my brother for a bass overdrive (which it actually does quite well...lol). I STILL haven't gotten to try out a Keeley modded DS-1 yet, I really love the sound clips of it and the Rat too. Haven't tried out the SD-1 yet but I think I'm more partial to the DS-1 anyway.

[nickcoumbe]

I tried that ZW overdrive.

Pushing a clean valve amp it does have some good sounds. But it is easy to over-do, and not particularly versatile.

[Shredcows]

On the topic of a DS1... its just that it has this unique flavour of tone that makes it so special. Oh yeah, it would tame that hi end, but why would you want to do that? Your tone would cut less.

I got a stock ds1 long time back... I liked it as a booster, how it made the tone rounder, fatter and sustain longer. But I hated the noise, and the fuzz (DS1 is Boss' take on the Big Muff) that made it un-usable for tight rhythm.

So I had it modded to Keeley specifications.

Now, the ds1 turned into a super booster.. its dark on it own, but thats where it shines, where your normal rhythm tone can be sharp and piercing, when the keeley ds1 kicks in, it goes uber fat and thick, with a very round kind of tone. However, the ds1 lost its "ds1 vibe" ... it did not sound much like a ds1.

Analogman does a mean ds1 mod that upgrades the ds1 TOTALLY into what it should be. Its the best ds1 mod that still retains the ds1 vibe IMO. However, it still has the noise (inherent in DS1 circuitry) so as a booster, wel, there's better.

So yeah.. haha... i realised I went off topic.

Tame the hi end... doesn't Vai use a 250k tone pot.

[Praetorian]

Hmm, I don't know what pot he uses. I do know that if I ever decide to get a booster (and I haven't had the need for one yet), I'll probably end up getting a Tonebone Classic. Tubes all the way!!

[Shredcows]

hmmm.... check out www.skreddypedals.com

The Screwdriver.

Then drool and lie in bed unable to sleep, only to finally place an order and go without proper food for a week or so.