ANSWER KEY to OD SHOOTOUT Part II

[scmavl]

The winner is... Pedal #3 - Subdecay Liquid Sunshine!!!

It had a strong showing last time too and is just a really great pedal. Here is what they all were:

Pedal #1 - BJFE Little Green Wonder
Pedal #2 - Danelectro FAB Overdrive
Pedal #3 - Subdecay Liquid Sunshine
Pedal #4 - Skreddy Screwdriver
Pedal #5 - Paul C Timmy
Pedal #6 - BJFE Honey Bee

Again, the Timmy placed second and surprisingly, a couple of people liked the Danelectro pedal (I think they're $20 new, this one was free). The tone was maxed out on it and it was still dark & muddy. BJFE pedals had a better showing this time, probably because there were more dynamics involved.

The poll and clips are here: http://www.thegearpage.net/board/showthread.php?t=557918

[Ben C.]

Ha! Didn't like the Sunshine last time around, but it sounded good to me this time! And consistently, I chose the Screw Driver as my second choice this time (almost a tie for first), and it was my first choice last time...
BTW - I want it noted that in the poll I called #4 as the Screw Driver ;)

That Fab OD though... wow - I thought it was the worst of the bunch my a LOT. Surprised that the Dano sucked that badly. I've had the original 90's FabTone and Cool Cat Chorus and they were good pedals.

[tonedover]

you work for Subdecay...



:facepalm:

[Wesman61]

That LS is way underrated. AFAIK it's the only discrete pedal in the bunch. (I'm not sure about the Screw Driver).

[dudinka]

I've picked #2 as the OCD... - maybe I'll ditch it soon :-)

I have the liquid sunshine and I must say I can't seem to like it. I feel that it just sweetens things up too much. maybe I need to play with the trimpots.

[geetarman]

Damn it I picked the Timmy again and I sold mine a while ago.:(

[PaulC]

Again, the Timmy placed second

Always a bridesmaid...

PaulC
tim/timmy pedals
myspace.com/paulcaudio

[tonedover]

lol

[TheLemon]

Picked (#4) the Screwdriver this time around; no wonder I've owned them twice lol. I love it's higher gain sounds. The Honey came in second again, but I'm suprized by how good the Liquid Sunshine sounds at medium gain levels.

[pfflam]

AHA!

So last time when I said #3 was the winner I responded to the test answers for test #1 - in test #1 the pedal#3 is an OCD
here it is the is the Liquid Sunshine . . .
Hm?
Let me see, I got briefly interviewed by Brian where they make the pedals, he took one look at me when he opened the door and I could tell he had already decided I wouldn't do . . . was it the age? the sheer good-looks? the leprosy?

But they are made right close to PDX . . . can't say I like the Blackstar . . . not even a whiff
But the LS . . . I'll see about that in the future.

[Wesman61]

I've been gassing for a low gainer lately. I need to give the LS another look. I've owned it before but sold it to try something else.

[pold]

:facepalmStill don't believe you mate. On the previous thread you tweaked the Skreddy. Now on this clip the #3 was a BJF Honey Bee and you want me to believe that it was a Subdecay LS...pffff, I know how the Honey Bee really BEEhaves, and the #6 sounds really like a Subdecay LS. You don't fool me:p

[r9player]

Cool. Though this time I didn't like the sound of the Skreddy at all which was my low gain fav. I think with listening to both settings and seeing the results. My 'best buy' if I used one pedal for both situations would be the BJFE Honey Bee which came in 2nd for me both times.
Thanks again!!!

And ehm are you going to do a Hi-Gainer too??

[Nergalled]

Skreddy was first for me

BJFE was second.

I liked 1 and 2 the least.

[YETI]

Picked the Timmy again !!!

.... Just re-affirmed my love for that pedal. I believe I'll go play it right now !

[krisharmony]

Where's the original thread? This looks interesting

[Solideogloria]

wow I picked the screwdriver which I ordered!!! yes!

[dancehall]

I liked the Subdecay best, followed closely by the Screwdriver. Interesting.

[triviani]

I voted 5, timmy.. ummm. And I liked n3, liquid sunshine.

They all sound quite similar though. The only one I didn't like was number 4.

[cedjazz]

is the Skreddy Skrewdriver a Dumble clone? sounds like a Xotic AC+ to me.

[Ben C.]

is the Skreddy Skrewdriver a Dumble clone? sounds like a Xotic AC+ to me.
No, it's a heavily modified Fuzz-Face circuit.
And I've had the Screw Driver, AC Booster, and AC+... the Screw Driver is much clearer, less smooth, and more open sounding than the ACs.

-Ben

[tjmicsak]

Well that seems a little coincedental that the same pedal is top on both lists. This is interesting. Now there will no doubt be a few that wonder how we should know this is not more than a promotion for a specific pedal, as has been suggested in earlier posts.
I think this sort of sound sampling is great, but perhaps there would be a way to send the list to say 4 or 5 moderators ahead of time so that they can verify the results as impartial judges. That would pretty much serve to both varify against any question as well as give the top pedals even more value and credability.

[scmavl]

Well that seems a little coincedental that the same pedal is top on both lists. This is interesting. Now there will no doubt be a few that wonder how we should know this is not more than a promotion for a specific pedal, as has been suggested in earlier posts.
I think this sort of sound sampling is great, but perhaps there would be a way to send the list to say 4 or 5 moderators ahead of time so that they can verify the results as impartial judges. That would pretty much serve to both varify against any question as well as give the top pedals even more value and credability.

What do you mean "the same pedal is top on both lists"? The Screwdriver won the first Shootout, the Liquid Sunshine won the second one. Not sure I understand. The only thing constant is the Timmy came in second on both. I think people are actually voting on tone, doesn't seem like anything wierd to me... :huh I understand your concerns though.

[dudinka]

Well that seems a little coincedental that the same pedal is top on both lists. This is interesting. Now there will no doubt be a few that wonder how we should know this is not more than a promotion for a specific pedal, as has been suggested in earlier posts.
I think this sort of sound sampling is great, but perhaps there would be a way to send the list to say 4 or 5 moderators ahead of time so that they can verify the results as impartial judges. That would pretty much serve to both varify against any question as well as give the top pedals even more value and credability.

there's a simpler solution:
posting the results along with the test, on another thread.
that way you can't blame the poster on matching his preffered pedal to the poll results.
of course he must order the people who saw the results not to post them on the test thread.

[Uma Floresta]

Picked the Timmy again !!!

.... Just re-affirmed my love for that pedal. I believe I'll go play it right now !

Wow, I picked the Timmy again. I've been kind of dismissing it based on other people's clips, but I think I dismissed it too hastily. The LGW was very generic sounding to me, as in the first clip too. The Honeybee sounded better to me this time, and the Screwdriver sounded the worst, even though it was among the best the first time (to my ear).

The Fab Overdrive wasn't a standout pedal, but it sounded better than the LGW, IMO.

[scmavl]

Wow, I picked the Timmy again. I've been kind of dismissing it based on other people's clips, but I think I dismissed it too hastily. The LGW was very generic sounding to me, as in the first clip too. The Honeybee sounded better to me this time, and the Screwdriver sounded the worst, even though it was among the best the first time (to my ear).

The Fab Overdrive wasn't a standout pedal, but it sounded better than the LGW, IMO.

That's funny, a $20 pedal over a $400. It just goes to show, price isn't everything. Tone is in the ears of the beholder. :AOK

[Uma Floresta]

That's funny, a $20 pedal over a $400. It just goes to show, price isn't everything. Tone is in the ears of the beholder. :AOK

Oh yes. When it comes to pedals, especially overdrive, I don't believe there is ANY relationship between price and good tone. Not even a little. What counts is the design mostly, and a little wiggle room for the component quality.

[tjmicsak]

What do you mean "the same pedal is top on both lists"? The Screwdriver won the first Shootout, the Liquid Sunshine won the second one. Not sure I understand. The only thing constant is the Timmy came in second on both. I think people are actually voting on tone, doesn't seem like anything wierd to me... :huh I understand your concerns though.

Oh wow your right! I got the two confused. Sunshine, Screwdriver, Orangejuice, Vodka, hey that affirms that I like the Liquid Sunshine even more!

[scmavl]

Oh wow your right! I got the two confused. Sunshine, Screwdriver, Orangejuice, Vodka, hey that affirms that I like the Liquid Sunshine even more!

No worries! And throw some tequila in there for good measure!!! :roll

[Skreddy]

The Liquid Sunshine, IIRC, is a discreet circuit using FETs; and to me it sounds like a (very good) tweed amp emulator. The Screw Driver is a discreet circuit using a mosfet, an oldschool silicon (bc109c) and a germanium (ac127); and to me it sounds vaguely like any number of early 70's overdrive sounds (most of which were derived from similar, fuzz-based circuits).

I like the fact that two discreet circuits are giving some opamp/clipping diode circuits a good run for their money.

To me, some of the things that make a great overdrive are not things you will necessarily hear in this kind of a shootout, like the touch-sensitivity aspect, which is something you almost need to play yourself to get a good feel for. And of course versatility, which you'd need a lengthy clip detailing many knob changes and different playing styles to demonstrate. Also, smoothness is overrated for most real-world applications. A bit of aggressive bite when you dig in is a good thing! And a full sound at low volume is obviously pleasing; but in a live gig, you really want something to set your tone apart from the rest of the instruments and cut through the bass, drums, and keys--not something that covers all those spectrums at the same time.

Just thinking out loud, so to speak; rock on...
:dude

[thedroid]

The Liquid Sunshine, IIRC, is a discreet circuit using FETs; and to me it sounds like a (very good) tweed amp emulator. The Screw Driver is a discreet circuit using a mosfet, an oldschool silicon (bc109c) and a germanium (ac127); and to me it sounds vaguely like any number of early 70's overdrive sounds (most of which were derived from similar, fuzz-based circuits).

I like the fact that two discreet circuits are giving some opamp/clipping diode circuits a good run for their money.

To me, some of the things that make a great overdrive are not things you will necessarily hear in this kind of a shootout, like the touch-sensitivity aspect, which is something you almost need to play yourself to get a good feel for. And of course versatility, which you'd need a lengthy clip detailing many knob changes and different playing styles to demonstrate. Also, smoothness is overrated for most real-world applications. A bit of aggressive bite when you dig in is a good thing! And a full sound at low volume is obviously pleasing; but in a live gig, you really want something to set your tone apart from the rest of the instruments and cut through the bass, drums, and keys--not something that covers all those spectrums at the same time.

Just thinking out loud, so to speak; rock on...
:dude

+1 on all this, especially the part about needing some aggression in the mix. I would add that which amp you use makes a huge difference with some pedals. But a shootout can definitely out some bad pedals, like that FAB overdrive. I bought one cause of the price, and man did it sound bad.

[Uma Floresta]

+1 on all this, especially the part about needing some aggression in the mix. I would add that which amp you use makes a huge difference with some pedals. But a shootout can definitely out some bad pedals, like that FAB overdrive. I bought one cause of the price, and man did it sound bad.

I owned a Fab OD as well. It wasn't very good, but I thought, in this round, at least, it sounded better than the LGW. The Fab is very muffled sounding unless the gain is all the way up, though.

[Clifford-D]

I'd like to hear this test at performance level where it interacts with the amp more. That could change the whole game, eh?

Plus I'd like to hear my choice of ods for the test, but wouldn't we all :)

[kentatonic]

Damn it I picked the Timmy again and I sold mine a while ago.:(

Too funny. That's me and the Liquid Sunshine. Liked it while I had it, but moved it out to try something different. I'm thinking an encore might be in order.