choosing a pedal with best sustain and distortion

Orochimaru · #1 02-06-2009, 07:05 PM

I look for to buy a pedal for my guitar.

I want a pedal with very much sustain also I want it to have a bit of distortion or overdirve. Also I want it to make the sound of my guitar a bit fat and warm but not muddy.
Also I like it to be a bit sensitive so I can do taping easily.

I have a Ibanez S320 with Humbucker From Hell in the neck and Evolution in the bridge. I chosen these pups because they allow me to play clean very well. I always play on the clean channel because I the pups I have sound good on the clean channel and I want to bypass the pedal sometimes for some clean sounds.
This pedal I will buy will be the only source of distortion for me and it will be played exclusively on a clean channel.

I looked at the Satchurator and it tempts me. Another pedal that tempted me was the Mega Distortion from Boss. I liked the massive low end of the MD II but the distortion is a bit fuzzy for me. I want some smoother distortion. Somewhat like Satriani or Gary Moore.

There is also a particular sound I heard and i want to get out of my guitar with the new pedal. It's on the dimario website and it is at the sound section at the Super 3 pup. It is called "Get It Darlin'". That is the kind of tone I love very much.

So... Anyone any idea?

Silverburst · #2 02-06-2009, 07:36 PM

Satchurator and Mega distortion are 2 different things. Satchurator is made to push an already overdriven preamp if I'm correct, like an overdrive/tubescreamer pedal, and if you like the massive low and of a MD-2, I don't think the saturator will get that out of your clean channel unless you have a JCM800 or something

. The MD-2 is a distortion pedal.

What kind of amp do you have in the first place ?

rgr · #3 02-06-2009, 07:57 PM

Try the Radial Tonebone pedals, the Hot British or the Classic or maybe one of the new "Bones" series, www.tonebone.com It sounds like you want a pedal that will give you another channel on your amp, so I would get something with better tone than the Boss. I don't know much about the Satchurator but I do know that Joe uses pedals into his clean channel alot so it might work for you. The best thing to do is go try some. A modified DS-1 might work for you also. Check out the modded pedal clips at www.monteallums.com.

**elcid** · #4 02-06-2009, 08:05 PM

+1 on the tone bone classic. The only reason I got rid of mine was the stupid 15 volt power supply. I couldnt use it with my pedal power and I didnt have room for the included wall wart on my pedal board. I may check out the Bones series though.

Orochimaru · #5 02-07-2009, 04:21 AM

WOW

Tried a tonebone classic and every seting sounded good.

Unfortunately my friend who has it does not sell it and no shop sells that pedal in Romania. Plus, the price is a little bit too high for me at the moment.
Maybe some months later. Anyway this is the best pedal anyone recomended to me.

Orochimaru · #6 02-07-2009, 05:00 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pmike

Satchurator and Mega distortion are 2 different things. Satchurator is made to push an already overdriven preamp if I'm correct, like an overdrive/tubescreamer pedal, and if you like the massive low and of a MD-2, I don't think the saturator will get that out of your clean channel unless you have a JCM800 or something

. The MD-2 is a distortion pedal.

What kind of amp do you have in the first place ?

My amp is Vox AD50VT. Anyway I want to use it for playing it into a mixer too.
I heard Satriani uses this pedal into the clean channel.

Orochimaru · #7 02-07-2009, 06:59 AM

Considering the availability of the ToneBone Classic and the price I think I am caught between DS - 1 and Satchurator.

I am interested which one provides me with the best sustain and less noise.

I forgot to mention one thing. I use 11 strings with 1.5 steps down tuning. So I already have a bit of a full tone.

Petie · #8 02-07-2009, 07:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Orochimaru

Considering the availability of the ToneBone Classic and the price I think I am caught between DS - 1 and Satchurator.

I am interested which one provides me with the best sustain and less noise.

I forgot to mention one thing. I use 11 strings with 1.5 steps down tuning. So I already have a bit of a full tone.

I've never even tried the Satchurator and I can already tell you that based on your needs, the DS-1 is not what you're after. The DS-1 sounds a bit thin and barky to my ears. I use a DS-1 for certain sounds and it's great for those sounds, but it doesn't have particularly good sustain and it seems to work best with an already overdriven amp.

dark_void86 · #9 02-07-2009, 09:34 PM

With the track you mentioned on the dimarzio website the rhythm sound is pretty much a basic kinda crunch. However i am sure you are talking about that nice trebly and bouncy, tubey lead sound. I love the sound of a tube screamer by itself on the clean channel of a loudish valve amp and you can get a very nice trebly, bouncy sound that way. My suggestion would be a brown mod modded 808 one from analogman.

However something else i might suggest for a more modern vibe is the zendrive II which i was trying out the other day which has a valve in it. A very nice pedal with some sweet spots to die for on an amp with a very nice clean channel.

Orochimaru · #10 02-08-2009, 06:37 PM

Zendrive 2 is another good recomendation. Very nice one.

GLG421 · #11 02-09-2009, 02:08 PM

Satchurator is not an OD pedal. I use mine on a clean channel. It sounds like crap as an OD.

If you are after a Satch-like tone, and you like playing clean and are wanting quiet pedal, Satchurator may be the answer for you. Very quiet pedal. it is not true bypass, as one of the design specs was to keep the volume the same when engaged or not. It is also produces very good sustain. I am very happy with mine.

If you're looking for Death Metal chugga chugga distortion, I would suggest looking elsewhere.

Orochimaru · #12 02-09-2009, 06:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by GLG421

Satchurator is not an OD pedal. I use mine on a clean channel. It sounds like crap as an OD.

If you are after a Satch-like tone, and you like playing clean and are wanting quiet pedal, Satchurator may be the answer for you. Very quiet pedal. it is not true bypass, as one of the design specs was to keep the volume the same when engaged or not. It is also produces very good sustain. I am very happy with mine.

If you're looking for Death Metal chugga chugga distortion, I would suggest looking elsewhere.

This one was very helpfull. Maybe I'll end up buying the Satchurator because it is available in Romania.

I was about to give up searching compact pedals. I like the Satriani sound a lot. I am a big Satriani fan.

I'm really happy. Thank You very much.

sleepyone · #13 02-11-2009, 07:55 AM

Give the Digitech's Hardwire Valve Dsitortion a try, it has incredible sustain and clarity, good crunch and a nice amount of gain. I have one and all I have to say are good things about it (beats the cr@p out of the Stchurator IMO, I've paired them)

Orochimaru · #14 02-11-2009, 09:47 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sleepyone

Give the Digitech's Hardwire Valve Dsitortion a try, it has incredible sustain and clarity, good crunch and a nice amount of gain. I have one and all I have to say are good things about it (beats the cr@p out of the Stchurator IMO, I've paired them)

Do you use that pedal on the clean channel?
How about the noise?
(In Romania these two pedals are the same price.)

Both Satchurator and Valve Distortion sound good. I don't know which one should I buy.

Orochimaru · #15 02-11-2009, 04:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dark_void86

With the track you mentioned on the dimarzio website the rhythm sound is pretty much a basic kinda crunch. However i am sure you are talking about that nice trebly and bouncy, tubey lead sound. I love the sound of a tube screamer by itself on the clean channel of a loudish valve amp and you can get a very nice trebly, bouncy sound that way. My suggestion would be a brown mod modded 808 one from analogman.

However something else i might suggest for a more modern vibe is the zendrive II which i was trying out the other day which has a valve in it. A very nice pedal with some sweet spots to die for on an amp with a very nice clean channel.

I talk about the sound of the solo in that track.