Hi again Rudy: it's a perfectly reasonable question. Because there's many flavors of drive, after all.

Here's a suggestion: amongst my pedals I have one called the DigiTech Distortion Factory. It models the sounds of a whole bunch of famous drive/DS pedals. Not as good as the real thing no doubt, but good for a look-see.

Why not ask in a guitar shop if they have one of those pedals to demo? It's a popular model so there's a high chance they will. Then you can hear many different drive tones one after another at the flick of a switch and begin to focus in on what you like.

That pedal has a couple of sounds I would never have thought would be for me - and yet I like 'em. So it's a handy experiment. And a shedload cheaper than buying all those individual pedals and finding you don't like most of 'em.

Pedal drive as an addition or alternative to your amp's drive sound is a respectable way to go. Many top players do the same.

Good luck on your search! - C

I'm not too familiar with that amp, but a quick google gave me this demo that sounds pretty darn good without additional pedals, especially since you're into blues :


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jLZVX66BP8w

The tone at 1:44 is a great blues tone IMO.

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Being able to play and enjoy music is a gift that's often taken for granted.

Don't leave home without it!

I have a 5-Watt Swart Space Tone that I can't turn up past 2 most of the time (I know, it's a crime... one of these days I'll get to enjoy it at its natural sweet spot more, I promise!); I've ended up with entirely too many varieties of dirt, but they all have their place. Like Twelvebar, my amp doesn't have a master volume so I can't get much breakup happening at low levels.

I have another Swart item -- an OC44 Atomic Boost pedal (same germanium-based circuit as an old Dallas Rangemaster) -- that is great for blues work. It can be a slightly gritty boost up to about 3-4, a pronounced overdrive up to around 7 and then all-out craziness between 8 and 11. Germanium treble boosters do colour your sound, but it's a shade we all know and love from the British Invasion.

When I can't even turn the amp up enough to make the best use of the treble boost (it doesn't sound too great going into a completely clean amp), I run it into a tube-based distortion box such as a Mesa V-Twin or an old B.K. Butler Real Tube pedal. These are both capable of producing a wide variety of sounds (particularly the three-channel V-Twin), but unless I want to fiddle with three to six EQ knobs to get the best rhythm and lead sounds I'm better off setting up a good dirty rhythm sound and stomping on the treble boost pedal for leads. Anything with tubes in it seems to respond well to that treble boost!

Sometimes I replace the Atomic Boost with a Cusack Screamer (everything good about a Tube Screamer with some added gain), but I use it the same way: Great on its own into an amplifier that's on the verge of breakup, otherwise just as good driving another distortion pedal with murky tendencies.

I recently acquired a Boss OD-20 pedal and it models quite a few popular distortion / overdrive pedals (22 to be exact). I suggest you try one out at a music store if you can. I got mine in a trade off craigslist and I like it a lot. It works well for me at low volume which is good because I live in a condo.

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before i knew how to use my amp correctly i used overdrive and distortion pedals. turn the guitar up, turn the pedal up, turn the amp down. worked for me with my fender frontman 212r and my boss ds-1. but if you have a tube amp.. listen closely... turn the volume up, and the master volume down! i promise this works!

i refuse to own a pedal that alters my tone. i use effects that USE my tone to make the sound, but i WILL NOT use a drive or distortion pedal.

delay, flanger, level boost, gate, tuner. thats my board right there.

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Guitars: American Standard Strat, American Vintage 52 Tele, Gretsch Power Jet

Amps: Frontman 212R, Hot Rod DeVille 212 w/ Vintage 30's, AC30 w/ Greenbacks

Pedals: Boss Tuner, XOTiC AC-Booster, MXR Phase 90, Line 6 DL4

I use both a Fulltone GT500, which is both an OD and boost pedal, and an EMMA ReezaFRATzitz. They sound different but work well together. The EMMA is incredible just by itself.

I was playing the Carol-Ann the other day...no pedal necessary, just nice, rich distortion using the pre-gain, TMBs, gain, and masters. Volume knob is around 1-2...any more than that and the neighbors will complain.
Diana, the TW Rocket clone, is very similar but the volume around 3.

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Current Gear: Ron Kirn Barnbuster Tele,
Marshall: 1971 SuperLead 100>1997 1960-TV, bunch of pedals
and a 1987 Porsche 911 Carrera coupe named Veronica

The Mesa is a great amp. Think of OD pedals as a tonal option - you can play through one with your amp on clean, or use it with your amp pushed into distortion and lay a pedal on top of that.

On my board:
Dunlop Wah, modded with true bypass and Fasel inductors
Boss Tu2 tuner
Keeley Compressor
Barber Direct Drive - I love this pedal. Everything from just subtle dirt to massive overdrive, either with rolling off volume or setting knobs
Keeley Katana Boost - great clean boost to push the amp into distortion or louder lead
Mike's Tone Garage Twin Bypass Looper

Loop A - Keeley modded Ibanez Tube Screamer (worth the upgrade), Ibanez AD9 Delay (original from 84)
Loop B - Phase 90, Ibanez Super Stereo Chorus, Boss DD6 Delay.

All powered by Pedal Power and George L cables.

Coming soon - a Timmy pedal. Very transparent, but very good!

Experiment! Get several different pedals. Try the Xotic Effects pedals, or the Lovetone pedals - you've got a great amp, so don't skimp on cheap pedals!

Hope I'm not nudging as this stuff is rocket science to me, but yes it will help as my Bro Mike plays his strat through a little amp with one effects pedal (don't know which one though) and it sounds amazing.

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you can save the world with your guitar one love song at a time it's just better, more fun, easier with a fender solid body electric guitar or electric bass guitar.

Well, I decided to take a chance and try a Boss Blues Driver overdrive pedal and it does help at low bedroom volumes. It took a while to figure out how to get the most from it, but I do consider it worthwhile.

Note to people considering a rig for low volume bedroom playing: Don't spend as much money as I did on an amp. Get a more basic tube amp like a Fender Champ, and put a pedal on it. You will save money and get better results.

The volumes I am talking about are just a bit louder than normal speech.

I use an E-H Germanium OD pedal for a grimy sound, I like it a lot. I recently ordered a Boss Overdrive/Distortion pedal also.

But as mentioned early on, the Danelectro pedals are really good for their price, especially their value packs. I don;t think they would stand up to gigging, but for fiddling around def. something to look at, though a few friends I know have been turned off by their visuals.

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