Jetter GSR high end is too "filtered"?

[WailinGuy]

GSR owners:

Is it just me, or does the upper treble response sound a bit unnatural and too rolled-off? I like the GSR's powerful, thick, and fat midrange, and it seems to have just the right amount of low-end, but I wish the high-end had more clarity. This is most apparent with notes played on the high E and B strings on the higher frets. To my ears, the harmonics sound like they're filtered out too much, maybe in an attempt to reduce fizzyness or make the tone smoother.

As a point of comparison, my Roadhouse Eternity has a clearer, more open sounding high-end, with some nice sizzle in there as well. And I think the E works better with a neck humbucker.

Anybody else notice this?

[clamdip7714]

Don't to me and if you hit the switch it livings up on top a lot. It takes some tweaking to find where you like it. I am still fine tuning it but pretty much have it nailed down now. It is getting it where I like it with both HBs and SC pups which takes some adjusting. I guess I will have to get two settings in the end but I am learning it.

[WailinGuy]

Don't to me and if you hit the switch it livings up on top a lot.
???
Not sure what you're trying to say here. By the way, I always keep the mini-switch set at "HARD".

[Macaroni]

What amp & guitars are you using, and with what settings?

[WailinGuy]

Fender blackface Deluxe Reverb and Vibrolux Reverb. Bright switch off. Treble on 6, Bass on 3. Low to moderate volume levels. I haven't done a gig yet with the GSR.

[Macaroni]

So even with the Tone control past 12:00 and the Hard setting, you're not getting a natural sounding high end?

Generally, with the amps I've used, if I use the Soft setting, I have to set the Tone around 1:00 - 3:00 depending on the guitar I'm using. With the Hard setting, I have to set the tone between 10:00 - 12:00.

[WailinGuy]

So even with the Tone control past 12:00 and the Hard setting, you're not getting a natural sounding high end?
Yes. I generally have the tone control right at 12:00 or just a hair past that. If I go any further, the tone does gets brighter, but not really any clearer; rather, it starts getting harsh. BTW, my Fender amps sound plenty bright when the GSR is bypassed; I don't need to crank the treble knob on the amps because the speakers are bright and clear 60's Jensen style (Eminence RW & B in the DR and WeberVST 10F150s in the VR).

It's not as if my GSR sounds distinctly muffled or veiled, but it does seem like it's missing just a touch of clarity. This is more apparent when I A/B the GSR against my Eternity or OCD v3.

[Macaroni]

Maybe Brad will see this thread and chime in with technical details that would explain this. Certain classic Dumble OD tones generally have that thick, chewy mid range thing going on, so perhaps that emphasis diminishes the sense of clarity that might otherwise be more prevalent with a different EQ profile.

[clamdip7714]

???
Not sure what you're trying to say here. By the way, I always keep the mini-switch set at "HARD".

"Is it just me, or does the upper treble response sound a bit unnatural and too rolled-off?"

It doesn't to me.

[stomper]

Fender blackface Deluxe Reverb and Vibrolux Reverb. Bright switch off. Treble on 6, Bass on 3. Low to moderate volume levels. I haven't done a gig yet with the GSR.

I agree somewhat with your observations at bedroom/practice levels. On the gig is where this pedal shines. The GSR will sing for you at gig volume while your OCD may seem to not cut through as well. I have both on my board. The GSR is my only unmodded pedal, and I have no intention of ever modding it. Hold your judgment until after a gig where you can run your Deluxe on 3+. They got this pedal right.

[Macaroni]

Keep in mind that the higher gain Robben Ford Dumble tones have a very similar high end tonal characteristic.

I'm now listening to some recordings of Robben playing his Dumble last year in Hollywood every Monday night - I was there many times during his 3 month gig, and the GS Red gets very close to his tones in the high end.

[Tonemeister69]

I found the same to be true for the BB preamp. Once you start pushing the treble above 12 o'clock (unity) it doesn't really get much brighter, just harsher.

I'm no expert, but I think it has something to do with the compression. Its hard to get that compression and have an open sound. They're kinda like 2 opposites.

[WailinGuy]

I agree somewhat with your observations at bedroom/practice levels. On the gig is where this pedal shines. The GSR will sing for you at gig volume while your OCD may seem to not cut through as well. I have both on my board. The GSR is my only unmodded pedal, and I have no intention of ever modding it. Hold your judgment until after a gig where you can run your Deluxe on 3+. They got this pedal right.
So I guess you're agreeing that the treble response is somewhat rolled off, compared with a lot of other OD pedals, right? I started this thread because I wanted to get some idea if my GSR is representative of other ones, or if somehow I wound up with a clunker. I've always been aware of the warning about the GSR not being designed to really "do its thing" at bedroom (or even living room) volume levels, but wasn't sure if what I've been hearing is related to that caveat.

OK, I will see what my GSR does at gig volume (whenever the next gig is, which might not be for a few months, we'll see...). It will most likely be played through either my '65 Vibrolux Reverb or my '66 Super Reverb (which does not generally get played in the house).

[rreiser]

It does seem smoother to me than other pedals on the high and thats why I like it. Its seems to have that David Lindley (Jackson Brown) type singing sound. I have other pedals that are more gnarly on the top end for that fender type sound.

[Macaroni]

I started this thread because I wanted to get some idea if my GSR is representative of other ones, or if somehow I wound up with a clunker. I've always been aware of the warning about the GSR not being designed to really "do its thing" at bedroom (or even living room) volume levels, but wasn't sure if what I've been hearing is related to that caveat.

It doesn't appear that you have a clunker. Why don't you wait for the right time & circumstance and crank up your SR at home with the GS Red and take it for a ride at gig levels?

[stomper]

So I guess you're agreeing that the treble response is somewhat rolled off, compared with a lot of other OD pedals, right? ...

Yes, and as "rreiser" noted, smoother on the top end. I've been gigging with my DRRI, Blackfaced Pro Reverb, and Boogie .50 caliber. I would surmise you will get a great tone with your amps as well. My favorite setting is the switch on soft, tone at 3:00, gain at 2:00, volume 11:00. I sometimes push it with a Red Snapper for solos.

[Dave_C]

GSR owners:

Is it just me, or does the upper treble response sound a bit unnatural and too rolled-off? I like the GSR's powerful, thick, and fat midrange, and it seems to have just the right amount of low-end, but I wish the high-end had more clarity. This is most apparent with notes played on the high E and B strings on the higher frets. To my ears, the harmonics sound like they're filtered out too much, maybe in an attempt to reduce fizzyness or make the tone smoother.

As a point of comparison, my Roadhouse Eternity has a clearer, more open sounding high-end, with some nice sizzle in there as well. And I think the E works better with a neck humbucker.

Anybody else notice this?

Jim,

Don't know what you're talking about. The GSR sounds beautiful in all respects running into my Maz 18 Jr NR into a Port City with Heritage G12-65s and TC Nova-1 Reverb in the Maz loop. The GSR has bested every pedal I've ever owned, including Xotic, Fulltone, MI Audio, Blackstone, Barber, Zendrive, 6-knob Howie, etc, etc, etc. At the first gig I used it, I had more compliments on tone than in the last 12 years in this band with any amp or pedal rig I've ever tried.

I don't detect any excessive filtering of highs. I can dial in more high end than I can use and it's all sweet no matter how much is dialed in. Have you played this thing in a live club band context yet? It's really killer.

Dave

Dave

[Dave_C]

Fender blackface Deluxe Reverb and Vibrolux Reverb. Bright switch off. Treble on 6, Bass on 3. Low to moderate volume levels. I haven't done a gig yet with the GSR.

Well, that amp setup is gonna' be tough on *any* pedal, IMO. With a NMV Deluxe style circuit, you're gonna' need some louder volumes and at least a little amp distortion.

[Dave_C]

So even with the Tone control past 12:00 and the Hard setting, you're not getting a natural sounding high end?

Generally, with the amps I've used, if I use the Soft setting, I have to set the Tone around 1:00 - 3:00 depending on the guitar I'm using. With the Hard setting, I have to set the tone between 10:00 - 12:00.

All with the Hard setting: With a bridge JB, my tone is 9:00-10:00. With a neck Kinman AVn-Trad Mark II, the tone is 10:30-12:00.

[Dave_C]

I agree somewhat with your observations at bedroom/practice levels. On the gig is where this pedal shines. The GSR will sing for you at gig volume while your OCD may seem to not cut through as well. I have both on my board. The GSR is my only unmodded pedal, and I have no intention of ever modding it. Hold your judgment until after a gig where you can run your Deluxe on 3+. They got this pedal right.

Bingo! I have a V2.0 OCD on my board for crunch rhythms with TWO GSRs for leads, one set for med gain neck and neck/middle SC tones and one set for JB HB bridge tones. The GSR has revolutionized my gig tone. What else matters? ;) But, seriously, even at bedroom volumes, the GSRs amaze...but, at those low levels, you need to re-EQ your amp and the GSR for the best tone....but, that tone is still better than any pedal I listed in my first post.

[Dave_C]

Keep in mind that the higher gain Robben Ford Dumble tones have a very similar high end tonal characteristic.

I'm now listening to some recordings of Robben playing his Dumble last year in Hollywood every Monday night - I was there many times during his 3 month gig, and the GS Red gets very close to his tones in the high end.

Much closer than the Zen and Howie 6-knob, IMO....

[Dave_C]

It doesn't appear that you have a clunker. Why don't you wait for the right time & circumstance and crank up your SR at home with the GS Red and take it for a ride at gig levels?

Yeah, man, I don't see how you can eval any pedal with a bedreoom level NMV amp.

[Rod]

The tone of my GSR's high end is one of the things I like so much about this pedal....I use 3 different amp set ups., and it excels with all of them...Alessandro, Star, Savage...........it has replaced my Mosferatu pedal forever.....

[jazzguitarplay]

I think allot of people dont turn there amps up lould enough. I think most o/d pedals need some head room and bloom. I think modelers are perfect for playing at bedroom volumes but never sound as good as analog o/d pedals. O/d pedals need to be pushed by amps to get the magic out of them. Many times, people who dont get enough volume from there amps choke whats really coming out of the pedal. A filtered high end sounds like a classic case of this. Its kinda like not turning the master volume on your P/A system up enough,so anything you plug into the channels like voices[audio] and instruments cant get enough gain and as a result the e/q chokes and you get a grainy week signal. You have to find the balance. if you live in a apartment, its hard sometimes to crank your amp lould but you gotta get into a position where you can crank your amp a little more, then make your opinion. I gotta get a GSR so I can A/B it with my Zen

[Rod]

I think allot of people dont turn there amps up lould enough. I think most o/d pedals need some head room and bloom. I think modelers are perfect for playing at bedroom volumes but never sound as good as analog o/d pedals. O/d pedals need to be pushed by amps to get the magic out of them. Many times, people who dont get enough volume from there amps choke whats really coming out of the pedal. A filtered high end sounds like a classic case of this. Its kinda like not turning the master volume on your P/A system up enough,so anything you plug into the channels like voices[audio] and instruments cant get enough gain and as a result the e/q chokes and you get a grainy week signal. You have to find the balance. if you live in a apartment, its hard sometimes to crank your amp lould but you gotta get into a position where you can crank your amp a little more, then make your opinion. I gotta get a GSR so I can A/B it with my Zen
Jazzguitarplay brings up a very good point...........another tone factor

[claptonisgood]

I think allot of people dont turn there amps up loud enough. I think most o/d pedals need some head room and bloom.

Two Thumbs WAY up!

[DonneR]

Yeah I know what Jim is talking about ...

Its that slight papery falseness that is common in Mosfet pedals - I hear it in the regular Zen and the GSR and FD2 Mfet settings and the Blackstones.....( I call it 'papery' as its about the same freq as you hear when you rub your finger on paper)

its what allows them to retain thier dynamic sound when the amp is turned up and begins compressing , the pedal doesnt have much compression itself so it doenst get mushy during ampcrank..... but it also can sound fake at unpushed levels..... :YinYang

This is why I prefer the Zen 2 as it sounds more natural at lower volumes (thanks to the slight tube compression and extra harmonic content)

[WailinGuy]

Yeah I know what Jim is talking about ...

Its that slight papery falseness that is common in Mosfet pedals - I hear it in the regular Zen and the GSR and FD2 Mfet settings and the Blackstones.....( I call it 'papery' as its about the same freq as you hear when you rub your finger on paper)Yes, that could be one way to put it.

I just tried playing my GSR again, at moderate volume (well above bedroom levels). Gain was around 2:00, Tone was around 12:00, and switch was in HARD position. No other pedals were connected. I think I can now better describe what I'm hearing. Again, it's most noticeable when playing notes on the unwound strings (especially B and high E) at the 15th fret and above. I'm hearing some harmonic dissonances within the note that remind me of what I hear when playing though a speaker that has a slight amount of cone cry. It sounds harsh and unmusical to my ears. BTW, I find switching to SOFT mode makes these artifacts even more noticeable. I know it's not my amp or speakers, because I don't hear this when playing clean or with other OD pedals engaged.

In general, I'm really enjoying how the GSR sounds when I play below the 12th fret. There, the high end sounds pretty natural and sweet. It's only when I venture past the 12th fret that things start sounding a bit funny. It's not horrible, but it's definitely there. Maybe it would be less of an issue when playing with a band, but I'll have to wait to find this out.

And... to those that really like their GSR and don't notice what I'm talking about, please don't take this thread personally!!

[Angle Loss]

I was wondering what type of circuit topology the GSR has (opamp? diodes/mosfets, jfets?). I am just looking for the general answer as these things make a difference when playing. Just to be clear, I have on my pedalboard various types of overdrives and find different ways of clipping have positives and negatives. What does the soft/hard switch change (not sound wise--plenty is writtern already--but physical components). Just curious, thanks.

[DonneR]

I dont KNOW if its Mosfets, thats just a sonic guess....

Jim, are you on batteries or supply?

Have you tried a different type/strength battery or different voltage ??

[Rod]

Yes, that could be one way to put it.

I just tried playing my GSR again, at moderate volume (well above bedroom levels). Gain was around 2:00, Tone was around 12:00, and switch was in HARD position. No other pedals were connected. I think I can now better describe what I'm hearing. Again, it's most noticeable when playing notes on the unwound strings (especially B and high E) at the 15th fret and above. I'm hearing some harmonic dissonances within the note that remind me of what I hear when playing though a speaker that has a slight amount of cone cry. It sounds harsh and unmusical to my ears. BTW, I find switching to SOFT mode makes these artifacts even more noticeable. I know it's not my amp or speakers, because I don't hear this when playing clean or with other OD pedals engaged.

In general, I'm really enjoying how the GSR sounds when I play below the 12th fret. There, the high end sounds pretty natural and sweet. It's only when I venture past the 12th fret that things start sounding a bit funny. It's not horrible, but it's definitely there. Maybe it would be less of an issue when playing with a band, but I'll have to wait to find this out.

And... to those that really like their GSR and don't notice what I'm talking about, please don't take this thread personally!!
Jeeze, I'm real sensitive to that papery sound,,,,which I don't like,..and with my Alessandro and/or Savage 15 combo, I get none of that...I keep the treble/tone control at noon...gain maxed...volume on 10/11 oclock...hard setting......from THERE, I go to the AMP and adjust treble/middle/bass....that's where the fine tuning and IMHO...the sweet spot lies. I also use beamblockers on my Scumback speakers cause I hate that high end thing so much....the Jetter GSR of all the pedals that I've owned has a much smoother high end than my old OCD rev2, Eternity burst, Mosferatu, FD2, ect.....This is the Gain Stage Red version, not the Blue....try adjusting your amp guys...and watch that presence control...just my 2 cents

[Analog Assassin]

It seems that's the flavor of the week, the Robben Ford rock-jazz tone. Who was the guitarist on the Jay Leno? Great guitarist but I hated his blanket-over-the-amp tone. I love big open sounds.

[Guitar Dave T]

Yes. I generally have the tone control right at 12:00 or just a hair past that. If I go any further, the tone does gets brighter, but not really any clearer; rather, it starts getting harsh. BTW, my Fender amps sound plenty bright when the GSR is bypassed; I don't need to crank the treble knob on the amps because the speakers are bright and clear 60's Jensen style (Eminence RW & B in the DR and WeberVST 10F150s in the VR).

It's not as if my GSR sounds distinctly muffled or veiled, but it does seem like it's missing just a touch of clarity. This is more apparent when I A/B the GSR against my Eternity or OCD v3.

I was going to say something about the brightness of both those amps, but you beat me to it. I've owned blackface and silverface versions of both and have listened to Zendrive clips from a guy with the same amps, and the treble is way overbearing and hard sounding. I undertand the natural inclination is to roll off the pedal's tone, but my experience has been doing that with practically any OD pedal does not work as well as rolling off the amp treble, or clipping the bright cap in that DR.

Also, compensating for your amp's brightness with the GSR tone control, it makes sense that you're having this issue, since part of the GSR's mojo is it's midrange bump, compared to the OCD v3., which seems to my ears to be more scooped.

[jazzguitarplay]

It seems that's the flavor of the week, the Robben Ford rock-jazz tone. Who was the guitarist on the Jay Leno? Great guitarist but I hated his blanket-over-the-amp tone. I love big open sounds.

if thats who you mean, he uses a Rat pushing a Mesa Boogie, that could explain why you think theres a blanket covering up his sound. Yea, he could probably update his gear but hes most likely a very busy guy. Hed freak over a Eternity or a more open od/distortion pedal but I still love the fact hes the only Band leader who plays guitar every night on one of the two biggest tv shows at that time of night

[claptonisgood]

Jim, two questions. Are you using single coils or humbuckers. And, this may sound strange, but since you are only playing at home, do you have a ceiling fan running in the same room you are playing?

[Guitar Dave T]

I was wondering what type of circuit topology the GSR has (opamp? diodes/mosfets, jfets?). I am just looking for the general answer as these things make a difference when playing. Just to be clear, I have on my pedalboard various types of overdrives and find different ways of clipping have positives and negatives. What does the soft/hard switch change (not sound wise--plenty is writtern already--but physical components). Just curious, thanks.

The circuit is gooped, so hard to tell, but I understand it does not use diodes for clipping.

[stomper]

... I'm hearing some harmonic dissonances within the note ....

I can honestly say I get nothing from my GSR that sounds like you describe. Maybe you are correct to assume there is a problem with the pedal. There is a warantee, and I'm sure Jetter would check the unit for you. It would be worth the slight expense to ship it and let them check it out.

[stomper]

Jim, two questions. Are you using single coils or humbuckers. And, this may sound strange, but since you are only playing at home, do you have a ceiling fan running in the same room you are playing?

Good point for any pedal. A fan near my amp drives me crazy with a weird vibrato/tremolo thing as it disrupts the sound waves.

[WailinGuy]

Jim, are you on batteries or supply?

Have you tried a different type/strength battery or different voltage ??I've tried different brands/types of batteries and a Boss PSA-120 adapter (9.6VDC). These make subtle differences, but nothing eliminates the funny harmonics I'm hearing. I haven't tried higher voltages. I know the GSR is supposed to handle up to 18VDC just fine, but I'm kind of afraid to go there, since this is not being specifically recommended.

I was going to say something about the brightness of both those amps, but you beat me to it. I've owned blackface and silverface versions of both and have listened to Zendrive clips from a guy with the same amps, and the treble is way overbearing and hard sounding. I undertand the natural inclination is to roll off the pedal's tone, but my experience has been doing that with practically any OD pedal does not work as well as rolling off the amp treble, or clipping the bright cap in that DR.

Also, compensating for your amp's brightness with the GSR tone control, it makes sense that you're having this issue, since part of the GSR's mojo is it's midrange bump, compared to the OCD v3., which seems to my ears to be more scooped.I forgot to mention that my Deluxe Reverb has the bright cap removed. Today, I played through my Vibrolux Reverb, and I always leave the bright switch off. As I said before, by keeping the treble control at around 6 (and also using good tubes), my Fender amps sound clear, but are not piercingly bright. I really don't think I'm compensating for overly bright amps, since I have the GSR's tone control set right at halfway (12 noon).

In any case, I don't even think this is an issue regarding how bright my amps are. What I think I'm really complaining about is how there seems to be (I think) some non-musical sounding harmonics being generated when the upper register notes on my guitar are played. Maybe it has something to do with the particular mix of even and odd harmonics? I have very sensitive ears and can sometimes be very picky about things, so maybe what I'm hearing would not be bothersome to a lot other players.

Jim, two questions. Are you using single coils or humbuckers. And, this may sound strange, but since you are only playing at home, do you have a ceiling fan running in the same room you are playing?I'm using humbuckers, since they are, IMO, a necessary component of the classic RF Dumble overdrive tone. Specifically, I'm playing a PRS rosewood neck McCarty, with Fralin humbuckers, no covers. There's no ceiling fan in the room I'm playing in, although there are fans usually running in other rooms (upstairs) in the house.

Brad, do you think I should send this GSR back to you to see if anything is wrong with it? I bought it from another TGPer on the Emporium a couple of months ago.

[claptonisgood]

Ceiling fans can do some pretty odd things, especially above the 15th fret on the high E string; phasing cancellations that can sound very discordant. If you haven't moved the amp(s) to another room, I would strongly suggest the experiment. Also, these cancellations can occur in a room with a lot of hard, relfective surfaces. I actually just did an experiment with the GSR in a fairly bright room with a ceiling fan running and got very pronounced and ugly overtones above the 15th fret on the high E string. I turned off the fan, reoriented the amp, and it all disappeared. Jim, I will gladly check out the pedal if you would like. Please contact me via PM.
Brad

[WailinGuy]

I think I should now take things off-line and work them out directly with Brad.

Brad, although there's no ceiling fan in it, the room I've been playing in is fairly bright. I'll try one or two different rooms (including one with wall-to-wall carpeting) and see if that improves things. I'll PM you and let you know what happens.

Thanks to everyone for taking time to respond.

[Rod]

It seems that's the flavor of the week, the Robben Ford rock-jazz tone. Who was the guitarist on the Jay Leno? Great guitarist but I hated his blanket-over-the-amp tone. I love big open sounds.
These pedals ARE NOT the flavor of the week.....they just happen to sound great.....a $450 Zendrive, or the $550 Landgraff's the flavor of the week/....

[Dave_C]

I've tried different brands/types of batteries and a Boss PSA-120 adapter (9.6VDC). These make subtle differences, but nothing eliminates the funny harmonics I'm hearing.

I forgot to mention that my Deluxe Reverb has the bright cap removed. Today, I played through my Vibrolux Reverb, and I always leave the bright switch off. As I said before, by keeping the treble control at around 6 (and also using good tubes), my Fender amps sound clear, but are not piercingly bright. I really don't think I'm compensating for overly bright amps, since I have the GSR's tone control set right at halfway (12 noon).

Jim,

Few points. I have three GSRs in the house. They all sound very slightly different, but you'd have to A/B them quite a bit to hear it. However, one of the GSRs does seem to have a slightly bit more aggressive top end and distortion profile and a touch more gain than the other two. But, none of these three have anything resembling weird harmonics. Just the opposite! They all sound glorious above the 12th fret. But, given this normal variation in a small sample of three, maybe you got one much further outside this bell curve.

Secondly, I find that my Allen Accomplice (BF Deluxe clone) is not a great match for most pedals, including the GSR, until it's quite loud and the power tubes are working hard. Even then, I never run its Treble knob above 10:00-11:00 and with the GSR far below 12:00! Get out 15 feet in front of the amp, and you'll be amazed at how quickly things become too bright. So, I'm thinking you're running the Treble on BOTH your amp and pedal far too high. I never go that high on either, even on my neck PUPs. On the GSR that's devoted to the bridge JB, its tone control runs anywhere from 9:00-11:00 depending on venue...and that's with the Maz 18 running into a Port City Wave 2x12 with broken in Heritage G12-65s, which is a much fatter, warmer and more pedal friendly rig than my Accomplice, even with a Tone Tubby! So, once again, it seems like you're running both your pedal and amp with too much Treble.

All that said, I still can't help but think there's something not quite right with your pedal. All three of mine are simply the most musical, stable, "unweird", "unfinnicky", easy-to-dial-in pedals I've ever played.

Dave

[Dave_C]

Yeah I know what Jim is talking about ...

Its that slight papery falseness that is common in Mosfet pedals - I hear it in the regular Zen and the GSR and FD2 Mfet settings and the Blackstones.....( I call it 'papery' as its about the same freq as you hear when you rub your finger on paper)

its what allows them to retain thier dynamic sound when the amp is turned up and begins compressing , the pedal doesnt have much compression itself so it doenst get mushy during ampcrank..... but it also can sound fake at unpushed levels..... :YinYang

But, at low volumes, you need to run both amp and pedal Treble down further than you would at even rehearsal levels. Fletcher Munson is involved, but it's a ton of things, the power tubes, speakers, cab. You're gonna' hear a lot more high end harmonic content at bedroom volumes than above. I never practice with distortion, but decided the other night to try the GSR at bedroom volumes while rehearsing some tunes. I've formerly only played it at rehearsal and gig volumes. I had to set up both the amp and pedal completely differently than when gigging. But, once I did, the tone was amazing...it may actually be the best low volume distortion tone I've *ever* had out of anything. Personally, I don't care at all about great bedroom distortion tones, because I always practice clean and only care about how I sound at gigs, but it is nice to know I can get them if I need them. BTW, ironically, that same night, I pulled out my Blackstone 2SV3 and it sounded like crap next to the GSR. No matter how I adjusted it, I couldn't get it anywhere into the same ballpark as the GSR.

This is why I prefer the Zen 2 as it sounds more natural at lower volumes (thanks to the slight tube compression and extra harmonic content)

Actually, it's LESS harmonic content that's required to get rid of any "papery" overtones you're describing. It's lack of those overtones that make the Zen sound flat and two-dimensional next to the GSR at band levels, but maybe better in the bedroom, I guess.

[Dave_C]

I was going to say something about the brightness of both those amps, but you beat me to it. I've owned blackface and silverface versions of both and have listened to Zendrive clips from a guy with the same amps, and the treble is way overbearing and hard sounding. I undertand the natural inclination is to roll off the pedal's tone, but my experience has been doing that with practically any OD pedal does not work as well as rolling off the amp treble, or clipping the bright cap in that DR.

Also, compensating for your amp's brightness with the GSR tone control, it makes sense that you're having this issue, since part of the GSR's mojo is it's midrange bump, compared to the OCD v3., which seems to my ears to be more scooped.

Bingo and...bingo! Agree on both points. As for the OCD, I use a v2.0 for crunch rhythm specifically because it is more scooped, while leaving the mid-rich GSRs for single-note work.

[Dave_C]

It seems that's the flavor of the week, the Robben Ford rock-jazz tone.

:roll