Joe Using The Zakk Wylde MXR Overdrive

Epicus Furor · #1 08-22-2006, 06:03 PM

I noticed Joe uses/used the MXR Zakk Wylde overdive unit from an old magazine. Does anyone know why he uses this pedal? And how he uses it in conjunction with his amps?

Flobanez · #2 08-22-2006, 10:17 PM

Interesting....first i've heard of him using one of those. I wonder how much he uses it, I just saw him back in April w/EJ in Boston, I wonder if he was using it then...

Ozzdoc · #3 08-22-2006, 10:27 PM

I used one infront of JCM800 and it was killer, I liked it better then the DS-1 infront of it but the TS was the best...

**elcid** · #4 08-22-2006, 11:33 PM

I use it in front of my 64 Princeton and it rules, I us a TS-808 RI in front of my Orange.

Flobanez · #5 08-23-2006, 01:30 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ozzdoc

I used one infront of JCM800 and it was killer, I liked it better then the DS-1 infront of it but the TS was the best...

At one point about 4 years ago, I had acquired a JCM 900 head before I sold it to get a JCM 2000 DSL 100 (I sold that too

), anyway, I had an Ibanez Tube Screamer hooked up to the JCM 900 and was impressed. I guess I wanted the DSL 100 so I sold the 900 to get one and ended up liking the crunch and distortion enough to not use the TS anymore, a friend of mine wanted the TS so I sold it to him. The JCM 900 went to e-bay and the JCM 2000 went to a fellow sevenstring.org member.

RSVampire · #6 08-23-2006, 06:48 AM

people need to realize that the DS-1 is a distortion pedal and wasn't designed to PUSH a tube amp that's already distorting. It was designed to give a clean channel (or maybe a slightly gritty channel depending on the amp) a distortion "channel". Yes it can be used to push an amp and blah blah blah but it's not like the DS-1 is the tride and true do everything box. I'm sure Satch probably just found it somewhere someday and liked the way it sounded, bought it, and stuck it in his setup for a period of time. It's what we all do, famous or not.

Sorry for my rant it's getting late and I'm getting tierd and cranky.

Epicus Furor · #7 08-23-2006, 08:54 AM

It was just interesting seeing his pedalboard with that one though, I just wondered how he would use such a pedal seen as he's already got the JSX's Distortion channels with plenty of gain. I must admit lately i've been getting confused with different people telling me different things about the DS-1 while i've been on the look out for a new booster, i've tried it on it's own and to me it sounded sterile and fake .. then i put it infront of a tube amp and hey presto ... sounded a jem.

So would you guys reccomend the Zakk MXR? I'm replacing my DOD 308 YJM in my pedalboard, it's great for strats but sounds pretty cr@P with humbucker loaded guitar like my Ibanez's. I need something that will really Push my valve amp, i want a heavily saturated tone.

Epicus Furor · #8 08-23-2006, 09:10 AM

Btw. Can the ZK44 be powered by a Boss 9V Adapter or is it those smaller ones?

Lefty Robb · #9 08-23-2006, 09:18 AM

get a TS-808 or TS-9 it will push your amp without coloring your tone at all...

Drew · #10 08-23-2006, 02:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lefty Robb

get a TS-808 or TS-9 it will push your amp without coloring your tone at all...

Funny, most guys swear by these because of the way it DOES color the amp, givng it more midrange focus and tightening the lows (the Andy Sneap method of tightening a Recto, I guess).

I always thought Joe used the DS-1 as a primary distortion source, on the clean channel of his 6100's?

Gex · #11 08-23-2006, 06:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RSVampire

people need to realize that the DS-1 is a distortion pedal and wasn't designed to PUSH a tube amp that's already distorting.

Neither are overdrive pedals.

Overdrive and Distoriton pedals are the same. . .except that Overdrives clip softly, and Distortion pedals clip hard. The hard clipping usually doesn't blend well with a distorted amp, making it potentially a poor choice as a boost with some amps/setups. The soft clipping of an overdrive pedal blends well with most amps overdrive.

I know exactly what your saying though, dont worry.

~~~~~~

From what I read, Joe is a pedal freak and has a huge collection. IMO, the JSX sounds good with a boost, and the Zakk Wylde is a very good overdrive pedal, even if your not going to be throwing up your devil horns and ruining covers of "Crazy Train" by drowining out the melody with yanked pinch harmonics.

*runs*

Epicus Furor · #12 08-23-2006, 06:55 PM

The MXR ZK44 is advertised as a boost for your 'clean' amp. Surely that can't be correct, it would sound like absolute shi- infront of a clean amp, as does my YJM 308, it should be put it infront of a cranked valve amp to get the proper results.

I've found DS-1's in the past to sound sterile infront of a pure clean channels on both valve/solid states amps, i've always been under the impression they work better as boosts despite their 'distortion' name.

Flobanez · #13 08-24-2006, 01:08 AM

I actually like the DS-1s and I use Boss pedals and always have so naturally, I like the sound of it, I never owned one though, I tried my friend's in the past but I ended up acquiring a Metal Zone which I thought that was a little heavier and I liked it more. However, later on, my friend ended up modding his DS-1 and I ended up liking that better.

Lefty Robb · #14 08-24-2006, 02:35 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Drew

Funny, most guys swear by these because of the way it DOES color the amp, givng it more midrange focus and tightening the lows (the Andy Sneap method of tightening a Recto, I guess).

I always thought Joe used the DS-1 as a primary distortion source, on the clean channel of his 6100's?

I find my 808 to be very transparent, much more than all my other OD pedals (308, Marshall Drivemaster (rare!), Daddy-O, OD-1) but its stock, so mabie what most people are talking about are the modded ones.

Drew · #15 08-24-2006, 01:57 PM

Nah, Sneap and his followers advocate a stock Tube Screamer in front of just about any high-gain amp to tighten up the low end and smooth out the highs a bit. It's hardly transparent - for true transparency you want a proper clean boost.

Compared to the rest of your OD's, then yes, I'll grant you that it's probably the most transparent pedal in your pedalboard, however.