zendrive v burn unit

[hahavishnu]

i have the BU (one of my fav pedals) would it be a waste of time/money in buying the zen..are the two pedals too similar to merit such an outlay?..thing is the hype 'bout the zen is getting to me,curiosity or GAS as it is called on these pages will be the ruin of me.

[Bluewail]

I have both and no, they are not the same. The Burn Unit has it's own character - edgy (in a good way) overdrive with the ability to open up the Dynamics control and get a good singing tone without a lot of compression. The Zendrive is smoother and has that elusive dumble-like chirp to the the overdrive. The Zen is better at low gain tones than the BU also. I keep them both because they are different-from not better-than one another

[popsongsmith]

I've owned both, although not at the same time, so I couldn't do a head-to-head. Based on my considerably flawed memory, the BU had more gain on tap, and was capable of a smoother, more compressed tone. The ZD was a bit more sensitive to pick attack, and had a very cool midrange voice, which was quite tweakable as well. I also thought the ZD was more transparent at lower gain setiings.

Ultimately, I sold both, not because they were deficient in any way. I just go through pedals like Larry Craig goes through boyfriends.

[GuitarsFromMars]

I use the Barber SF to push the Zendrive...

[gtrnstuff]

I have both, and the Zen does a nice amp-like compression in the mid gain zone like no other pedal I've had. For hi gain lines I like the Zen into a ToneBone set low to medium gain.

[Flyin' Brian]

Sorry for the slight hijack...is the Small Fry basically half of a Burn Unit?

[GuitarsFromMars]

Originally Posted by Flyin' Brian

Sorry for the slight hijack...is the Small Fry basically half of a Burn Unit?

the front half of a BU,b...

[Flyin' Brian]

Thanks

[GuitarsFromMars]

you're most welcome...

[ruger9]

Originally Posted by GuitarsFromMars

the front half of a BU,b...

yeah, but doesn't also have the 3-way toggle, as well as FOUR trimpots inside?

[Axe-maniac]

Yep. I love the Small Fry, very versatile.

[Bo Faulkner]

is the small fry comparable to the original Burn Unit? I had one of those and loved it.. the one that had stickers instead of paint. I always wished it had a seperate switch to boost the "dynamics"

[Axe-maniac]

With the toggle switch to the very left, the Small Fry will sound exactly like a Burn Unit. I have had both, still have the Small Fry. I just find the SF to be voiced more to my liking, it can get a bit nastier than the BU which I like, but is still a very nice, smooth & warm o/d. I pretty much keep the toggle switch to the right all the time. Great for chords and leads without having to change any settings.

Hope this helps.

[iamspartacus]

Originally Posted by Axe-maniac

With the toggle switch to the very left, the Small Fry will sound exactly like a Burn Unit. I have had both, still have the Small Fry. I just find the SF to be voiced more to my liking, it can get a bit nastier than the BU which I like, but is still a very nice, smooth & warm o/d. I pretty much keep the toggle switch to the right all the time. Great for chords and leads without having to change any settings.

Hope this helps.

This is my experience too. Both are great smooth pedals with their own character, but the SF is just better for me.

[jpagey]

Originally Posted by popsongsmith

I've owned both, although not at the same time, so I couldn't do a head-to-head. Based on my considerably flawed memory, the BU had more gain on tap, and was capable of a smoother, more compressed tone. The ZD was a bit more sensitive to pick attack, and had a very cool midrange voice, which was quite tweakable as well. I also thought the ZD was more transparent at lower gain setiings.

Ultimately, I sold both, not because they were deficient in any way. I just go through pedals like Larry Craig goes through boyfriends.

Sounds about right. I like the BU for british drive tones and the ZD for low gain, bright, cutting tones.