Amp and distortion questions and issues

[I ZoSo I]

Hey, I just have some questions about my gear that have been bugging me recently - any help appreciated, thx!

For starters I'll list a bit of my gear:
'65 Fender Twin Reverb amp (original)
Boss PW-10 Wah Pedal (multi-wah effect pedal)
main axe is a '76 les paul custom

Now, what's bugging me - As for the amp, I love it, it really sounds awesome. My only grudge is that the 'onboard' distortion/gain it has is slightly dull (it does have a bite, but I want a bit more) - even while using my bridge pickup. I've tried alot of bass/mid/treb configurations on the amp, but it's being a prick . So I plan on buying a distortion pedal. I've never bought a dist. pedal before, and I know there's ALOT out there. What I'm looking for is a decent 'bright-bite/treble' type of distortion, if anyone could recommend me a product I'd be gratefull .

My second question is if I do buy a distortion pedal, will this amp be able to handle it (keep in mind it is a 65....). I only ask because on my wah pedal, there is a distortion nob, but when I turn it up (a quarter of the way) the amp sounds like it's going out-of-phase (very muddy sounding). I can't tell if it's the amp, or the shitty distortion.

As I said, any help appreciated, thanks!

[Melodic Dreamer]

What type of tone are you wanting? Crunchy overdrive, smooth lead like sustain?

Radial Hot British Tonebone is a great distortion pedal. "Think Satriani, Slash, Neal Schon or Jerry Cantrell." This pedal sounds beautiful.

When you say "bright-bite/treble' type of distortion" I think of the Maxon SD-9 which is faily cheap, or the Xotic AC Booster.

[miker]

analog man Sun Face distortion pedal... they're pretty cool. yah.



This is pretty much a direct replacement for the old vintage Dallas Arbiter Fuzz Faces... guess no one here is into them. Eric Johnson... Jimi Hendrix type distortion.

[I ZoSo I]

Thanks for the replies.

I googled them all - the Tonebone sounds very promising for the tone I'm trying to get. Pretty pricey, but seems worth it . Thanks alot.

[RAR!]

I think the biggest problem is that your trying to get good high gain sounds from a Fender amp.



Fender makes fantastic amps, but only CLEAN tones! If you want good overdrive, your going to have to look to another tube amp for a good, solid, thick overdrive.

Its just a fact, Fender amps just arent built for clean. Its like trying to go off roading in a stock corvette, it just. . . .isn't built for it.

[guitar_man_6]

...the Tonebone sounds very promising for the tone I'm trying to get...

The best distortion on the market (unless you have a Legacy, Rectifier or JCM 800)...

[Big Bad Bill]

Personally I wouldn't introduce a solid state device into a tube driven signal-it's counterintuative! If you've tried 'scooping' the tone controls without success you might consider changing your speaker(s). I played my 5150 through a Marshall, Celestion loaded cab and was pretty happy with it until I bought the 5150 cab and heard the difference! The Celestions sounded mushy in comparison to the crystal clear clarity of the 'Sheffield' speakers in the 5150 cab. It made me realise how important speakers are in terms of tone.

[I ZoSo I]

Well I just pulled this amp out of my closet after 6 years of just sitting in there. I thought I'd fix it up and start playing with it again, but now that I think about it, for it's age I really don't want to screw anything up. Time to pull out my p.o.s Crate again ;-/.

Thanks for helping though, I may buy that dist. pedal for my Crate though.

[wickedbaron]

I suggest trying out a Mesa Boogie Dual Rectifier, and a Triple Rectifier head. Those have some great gain.

[Logic]

I would like to add a question to this thread.
Whats a good stomp box style pedal for that death crunch from hell metal tone with extra crunch?? I would like to have one for a toy.

P.S. not a joke.

[guitar_man_6]

MT-2 without mod...that way you won't be able to hear the notes with the screeching feedback...

The Dallas-Arbiter Fuzz Face might suit you well (reissue). It gives the strings an even distortion and if you're into blues-rock, you could get some good sounds out of it.

[962]

Logic, you need to try an Ibanez Smash Box. It is THE daddy. I have tried mine through a 10watt practice amp and through my Legacy and it sounded awesome through both! It actually has so much fat, metal crunch that I still ocasionally find myself laughing when I switch it on.

It's got a "void switch" in it, which is basically a sort of intelligent compression. When combined with a nice fat palm-muted groove or riff it sounds absolutely divine. But you can also play a slinky funk rhythm with a Strat's neck pickup and it'll still sound great.....there's no limit to the fun you can have with a smash box.

Also, it means you can shred away 'till 3AM at minimal volume without keeping the neighbourhood awake, and still have an awesome time!

[Logic]

Well you certainly sound like you know what I am talking about!
Or asking about. I will look around for one. Question? Is trhis something I will have to look for used? Or is it still in production? I know I could look it up but thats no fun..

[962]

The SM7 (Smash Box) is very much still in production. I saw it in my local shop yesterday for 69 quid, which basically means about $75 for you (you lucky sod, hehe).

It might take you an hour or two of fiddling to find the settings you like best, but it's so worth it! Here's my settings:

Drive: 10
Lo (EQ): 10
Hi (EQ): 8
Level (that's just volume...it's on 1.5 at the moment! haha)

Void: 2 - void switch positions are Off, 1 and 2
Edge: Sharp - Edge switch positions are Sharp and Smooth. You gotta go with Sharp, then you can spend three hours repeating on Surfing With The Alien

[guitar_man_6]

Well you certainly sound like you know what I am talking about!
Or asking about. I will look around for one. Question? Is trhis something I will have to look for used? Or is it still in production? I know I could look it up but thats no fun..

You should be able to get one for less than $50...