What pedals are better than your amp?

[theflyingturtle]

I've been sorting some trade offers I've been getting in the emporium and while I didn't realize it at first I think I've gotten a little more discriminating since I first joined here. I've been turning down several excellent pedals with very good reputations since I know now that they're not the direction I want to go in. I also attribute this tio the fact that I got a low wattage amp that I can turn up and get the power tubes cooking. here's the catch; I've also been turning down several distortions/ODs since I don't think they'll sound better than natural, hot power tubes.

So my question is, what pedals have you tried that don't just give a different flavor but improves on what the amp is already doing?

[carljoensson]

Honeybee Overdrive. I love how it warms up my Fender amps (Vibrolux, Superchamp). Not as open and transparent as a Timmy, but somehow warmer and more glowing. /C

[psquared]

Cot50
Dirty Little Secret
Screwdriver

These are the ones that come to mind immediately.

[huskerjohn]

I would say they are better than my amp, but thay add a unique tone:

Screwdriver
HW 06 Eternity
KOT v4

I'd put fuzz in this category. A good fuzz into a marshall flavored amp is a very nice thing. I like:

Fulltone Soul-Bender
Skreddy Mayo
Dice Works Muff Diver Finale
Hartman or Analogman NKT275

[theflyingturtle]

Huskerjohn, I see you also have a Reinhardt 18. I play a PRS which while different than your LP both are set neck,mahogany bodied, humbuckered guitars. Since we have somewhat similiar set ups would all of your votes for pedals still stand if you were playing your LP through your 18 watter?

[Dave]

So my question is, what pedals have you tried that don't just give a different flavor but improves on what the amp is already doing?
A treble booster. ;)

[Kaji13]

I'll put it to you this way. I've played Gigs with a D.I. box and a Green Russian Big Muff. It is the perfect pedal to run into any clean amp (or P.A. for that matter)

[metheniac]

My Gristle King:JAM

[JeffOlson]

My two best pedals:
Kingsley Jester
Mesa/Boogie V-Twin

My two main amps:
Fender '65 Super Reverb Reissue
Gibson Goldtone GA-5

These two pedals are killer. They would probably add a lot to just about any amp.

[pseudo1]

The Keeley Katana.

Totally blew me away with how it makes everything sound better. Louder and fatter.

[huskerjohn]

Huskerjohn, I see you also have a Reinhardt 18. I play a PRS which while different than your LP both are set neck,mahogany bodied, humbuckered guitars. Since we have somewhat similiar set ups would all of your votes for pedals still stand if you were playing your LP through your 18 watter?

Yes indeed. My listing was based on my musical style and my set up. Mind you I am into classic rock, psychedelic jam and blues rock.

The Reinhardt by itself will do classic rock as good or better than any pedal with a les paul. But having these pedals really adds some texture to my tone when I need it. I do A/B my Reinhardt with a Fender amp, and my fender needs these pedals for my drive tone. But since my main amp is the Reinhardt, these pedals work very well with this amp. And fuzz into a Reinhardt is simply heavenly.

[onestop]

Klon :hide

But seriously, I've used a Klon in front of mulitple EL-84 and 6V6 amps and it just makes the amp shine that much more!

I'm also digging the Durham Sex Drive and Mucho Boosto but more specifically, the SD and what it does as the the amp :aok

[JCJones]

Any good fuzz pedal. I love my amp but it doesn't sound like a fuzz pedal..or a delay..or a vibe..etc. That's why I use pedals.

[hacker]

Well, some pedals add to the natural OD sound of my amp, but on their own, the only OD sound that I like better than the natural OD of my amp, comes from my Barber Direct Drive.

I have one of the older Fender Pro Jrs with the alnico speaker, made in USA, and the natural OD is just killer. With the volume at about 4-5, which is a nice breakup, most OD pedals actually kill the tone-lose mids, compress, etc. They add sustain and volume for sure, but its not nearly as nice as that amp opened all the way up.

The Direct Drive does color the tone, but in a very, very good way!

[Stratofuzz]

Ghetto Stomp
Dirty Little Secret (although I gotta play it loud)
Great platforms building on the core sound of my Allen Old Flame. They turn into it into a new amp.

(People have said in the past that this amp takes stomp boxes really well. I just have never used any stomp boxes before, so now I know.)

[this1smyne]

Menatone Blue Collar Overdrive (the old one) has been on my board since i picked it up. that pedal alone is the source of my 'tone'. Love it! so much more balls than a typical tubescreamer...

[PanicProne]

my amp sucks so most of my pedals beat it... the only thing it does ok is high gain but my crunch box gets me closer to the sound I want...

[slacker]

KOT-I've yet to find an amp and guitar como that this pedal doesnt work for.

Klon-loves an amp on the edge.

Fulldrive 2-sounds a bit loose with humbuckers but great with singles and a working amp.

EHX LPB1 nano-cheap as chips but great with a an amp working hard.

[Ud Reks]

Yes indeed. My listing was based on my musical style and my set up. Mind you I am into classic rock, psychedelic jam and blues rock.

The Reinhardt by itself will do classic rock as good or better than any pedal with a les paul. But having these pedals really adds some texture to my tone when I need it. I do A/B my Reinhardt with a Fender amp, and my fender needs these pedals for my drive tone. But since my main amp is the Reinhardt, these pedals work very well with this amp. And fuzz into a Reinhardt is simply heavenly.

I only have a wah attached to my Reinhardt Titan. Although when you turn up the volume, roll back on the guitar to about 6, you can get very good clean tones on the Titan, and I'd imagine that would sound great with pedals.

I've gone through lots of overdrives and boosts in the past, but the Greer Black Betty (boost and fuzz) has sounded great for me.

I have a Kingsley Jester on order.

The Reinhardt sounds so good that I got rid of most of my pedals, down to a Teese Wah and Black Betty. When the Jester comes in, I'll put it in front of a Fargen Blackbird.

[E Baxter Put]

I used to gig with 2 small amp that were turned all of the way up. They would get crunchy but not over the top. I would use an old Rat pedal to boost them into some heavy distortion.

Lately I have been gigging with a louder amp with master volume and no pedals. I've been able to dial in the perfect amount of distortion and use my guitar volume turned down for cleans. I think it sounds much better than any dirt pedal.

[shredtrash]

A treble booster. ;)

Exactly. I'll add good clean boosters as well. Those 2 types of pedals make everything better IMO. They add something that simply cranking the amp can't. :beer

[Passenger84]

Damage Control Timeline. Just can't seem to get my amp to do those delayed modulation sounds. ;)

[Toe]

I think amp distortion will beat pedal distortion most of the time. At least I never found one that I liked better than my amp. The Catalinbread SCOD is the only one that came close.

[nic'o'caster]

My Demeter Tremulator sounds better than the vibrato of any Fender amps I've ever had (silverface Twin & Pro Reverb, DRRI). Only My Victoria's tremolo sounds better !

Also, the Kot v4 make my amps sound better at low levels !

[small axe]

i only have 3 pedals, a teese wah, a fulltone 69, and an analog modded tubescreamer...but my main amp is a bogner so i dont think they are better than the amp

[Chonny]

No pedal is better than an amp.

No amp is so good that it sounds like a pedal.

This must be stupid day.

[small axe]

No pedal is better than an amp.

No amp is so good that it sounds like a pedal.

This must be stupid day.



thats what i m talking about.....its the amp not the pedal that matters....unless ur amp is bad

[IRG]

I really like my Fairfield Barbershop. I use a Fender Blues Deluxe, a decent amp, especially for the cleans. The overdrive is meh though. The BS is like what the overdrive should be. It has really nice gain to it, very natural, and the harder you dig in, the more you're rewarded. It also stacks great with other pedals.

I think this is the only pedal I own, dirt wise, that sounds better than my amp. The others aren't really comparable.