The Gretsch Pages: Discussions: Other Equipment: 2008 Dirt Box Shootout...

2008 Dirt Box Shootout...

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- Rated: 204 ↑
Jul 23, 2008 11:11 a.m. Proteus:

...will be coming to this space sometime relatively soon.

A number of threads in the past couple of months have raved about a few particular pedals and tried to make sense of the contenders in the mild-overdrive-to-crunch area of the pedal market.

I demo'ed a bunch of pedals last year in a same-content same-time same-amp format (thread here). But full-on screamers were compared to mild dirters there, and I want to both narrow the focus and include more of the usual suspects guys now mention.

So. I know I mentioned such a thread upcoming six weeks or so ago, and listed the pedals involved. I now can't find that thread to make sure of the lineup.

But here's what I know I'll be comparing:
• Keeley-mod Boss BD2 Blues Driver
• JB-mod Boss BD2 (tweaks by our own JBGretschGuy)
• Tim
• Barber Tone Pump
• Digitech Bad Monkey
• Digitech Screamer
• Pigtronix Disnortion
• Seymour Duncan Twin Tube Classic

These are all pedals that claim to provide reasonably transparent boost and to emulate an amp pushed into overdrive, so I'll be trying to demo their dynamic sensitivity and threshold behavior. I'll also crank them up into obvious crunch and see how they sound there.

I suppose I should test them with both single-coils and doubles. Anyone have suggestions for guitars to use?

I'm waiting for the Disnortion to arrive...so the target to get this done is end of next week.

Just a heads-up.
- Rated: 28 ↑
Jul 23, 2008 11:31 a.m. mark t:

Proteus, I've used my Bad Monkey (snicker) with my dyna firebird, dmanlow has used it with his dyna falcon, and my guitar teacher used his 6120 RHH with it, and they've all provided some pretty fantastic results with very transparent boost and flexibility with the EQ control.

I don't often geek out this much over pedals, but the digitech Bad Monkey is the best pedal I've ever purchased.
- Rated: 204 ↑
Jul 23, 2008 11:34 a.m. Proteus:

Oh I know the Monkey is well-liked. Just going to see how it fares in a straightforward compar-o-fest with others of its kind.
- Rated: 28 ↑
Jul 23, 2008 11:38 a.m. mark t:

it will win. I will accept no other conclusion.

nah, that was more of a response as to what kind of guitars you could use. I've heard good stuff from a wide variety. Even my LP with Gibsonbuckers sounds great with it. and dial in the treble a bit, turns those muddy pups of doom into something a little more sparkling.
- Rated: 204 ↑
Jul 23, 2008 11:41 a.m. Proteus:

Oh yes, I see. I'll probably do either a Gent or 6120 with Filters and the Jet with Dynas...
- Rated: 27 ↑
Jul 23, 2008 11:51 a.m. Jimbodiddley:

Maybe something like a 6120/5120 with TV Classics, since they're so popular?

Will the tests of the modded Boss Bluesdrivers also compare them with the stock sounding BD? There are those, like me, who are contemplating getting the mods.

Proteus, where do you find the time to do all these things? You da man.
- Rated: 204 ↑
Jul 23, 2008 12:27 p.m. Proteus:

Hmm, I hadn't thought of comparing to a stock BD. If my local store has one, I'll see about borrowing it. Good idea.

I DON'T have the time. I steal it.
- Rated: 39 ↑
Jul 23, 2008 12:33 p.m. JBGretschguy:

I agree with throwing a stock BD-2 in there. My nickname for it is "fizz factory". A few mods, though, and it's the shizzlenat skittle snap!
- Rated: 17 ↑
Jul 23, 2008 1:00 p.m. TwangOmatic:

Id love to hear the danelectro transparent overdrive or maybe even the dano drive.
- Rated: 204 ↑
Jul 23, 2008 1:06 p.m. Proteus:

Dammit, I knew someone was going to have to hear the Dano Trans. I don't have one. Someone should send me one and I'll include it. I'll send it back (unless it wins, then I'll buy it from you).
- Rated: 27 ↑
Jul 23, 2008 1:51 p.m. Jimbodiddley:

Proteus said: I DON'T have the time. I steal it.
A-ha! So that's where mine's been going!

My theory is that some OD pedals match up better with single coils while others match up better with humbuckers (incuding FTs, of course). Perhaps some are "universal" ODers. It's like giving blood.
- Rated: 52 ↑
Jul 23, 2008 1:53 p.m. bigalthethird:

How's about a TS9?
- Rated: 12 ↑
Jul 23, 2008 1:59 p.m. sroux:

Proteus...I have a Tim, and it LOVES my 6120 with TV Filters!

..of course it also loves my Strat, and my Reverends, and....oh hell, it's just a killer pedal all around!
- Rated: 28 ↑
Jul 23, 2008 2:21 p.m. Danman:

I agree with bigal: how about the ts9?
But also: How about the Zvex box of rock. That pedal has been mentioned here before and I can tell you it is great and I have several friends who have gotten it recently and who love it too. It is supposed to emulate the "everything on 10" sound of a classic Marshall ® JTM45 non-master-volume amplifier. Of course you can also let it rip less I don't think you can do any shoot out nowadays without including some zvex pedal.
- Rated: 66 ↑
Jul 23, 2008 3:59 p.m. Walter Broes:

I think it would be very cool if you could include a tele as a test guitar.
- Rated: 204 ↑
Jul 23, 2008 4:12 p.m. Proteus:

Walter, good suggestion. That's a universal flavor, and I have a pretty good one.

No TS-9 per se; I sold mine after the last shootout for absolute and complete lack of transparency. Thing's a through-a-glass-darkly pedal. I do have a JB-mod Boss SD-1 which can sound so close to a TS-9 you can't tell the difference across the switching process. It also sounds BETTER than a TS-9, so I kept it. It'll be among the contestants; I had forgotten it.

Also a Banzai Cold Fusion.

I don't have a Z-Vex Box-o-Rock. Again, if someone wants to loan one for the event, I'll treat it well and return it after.

And again, this is more about overdrive, front-end boost, and hot tube emulation than full-blown distortion - which is why the Rat and fuzzes and the like aren't included.
- Rated: 28 ↑
Jul 23, 2008 4:35 p.m. Danman:

I would loan you mine but I don't know if customs would like us sending them back and forth across the atlantic.
Don't you have a local guitar store that will borrow you pedals for a GDP shoot out?
well good luck anyway.
- Rated: 114 ↑
Jul 23, 2008 4:36 p.m. wenzel:

Could you throw a Proco rat in there too?
- Rated: 204 ↑
Jul 23, 2008 4:37 p.m. Proteus:

None with Z-Vex anyway! Yeah, cross-border stuff is painful.
- Rated: 39 ↑
Jul 23, 2008 6:56 p.m. JBGretschguy:

+1 for every type of guitar through every dirt box ever made.
- Rated: 15 ↑
Jul 23, 2008 7:40 p.m. AndyJ:

This post has been deleted
- Rated: 15 ↑
Jul 23, 2008 7:40 p.m. AndyJ:

Vot dis mod of the BD2?

I can't the only one following this thread who's clueless about this (I guess I could be). Can anyone spare a moment (not to be a derailer)and fill me in.

Thanks much . . .
- Rated: 204 ↑
Jul 23, 2008 8:06 p.m. Proteus:

JB, I happen to know you've already wasted your one vote on me, so I'll ignore that clearly mocking challenge.

Andy, JBGretschGuy is a pedal-whacker and he's developed a mod for the BD2 combining the Keeley mod and some other good stuff. I have both pedals in hand but haven't had a chance to compare them yet. JB's might just be better.

In other news about this so-far-hypothetical epic, I think we have a solution for the Dano Trans Overdrive.

The Rat? Man, I dunno. That's like a whole other category of pedal, ainit?
- Rated: 37 ↑
Jul 23, 2008 8:36 p.m. roadjunkie:

Guitars: Tele-Jet or DSV and or your Club with Dynas-6120 with filters and a favorite of your choice!

Amps well I only know of a few select amps that you have

Your Ampeg for sure

Some Fender or close to a Fender clean

I don't know if you have any vox like amps but something with the mids bumped up. I say that because i do think that is where the Tim really shines!

And hey don't take on too many pedals or we could be waiting 6 months for this thing to take off!
- Rated: 204 ↑
Jul 23, 2008 10:57 p.m. Proteus:

Yah, tell me.

Too many amps might turn possibilities into impossibilities. I'll probably stick with one, likely the Deluxe Reverb.

BUT.

Here's a crazy idea. Instead of my playing everything and wearing everyone out with my worn-out demo licks, how about others contributing content?

Here's how it would work. You record whatever you'd like to hear through all the pedals, as clean and flat as possible, direct into some sort of recording medium. No reverb, no distortion, nothing but a pure clean tone.

Email me the mp3, I'll load it into a looper pedal and play it through the dirtboxes.

Having a variety of approaches, touches, and guitar tones will wring more out of the pedals and show them in wider context.

Anyone wanna contribute?