A good "Light Distortion"

[AdamO]

Hey guys,

I own a Barber Direct Drive, and love it. My main OD for sure. But lately I've been playing some heavier material and found that it doesn't really cut for those kinda stuff.

Still, I DON'T want any high-gain-metal pedal ala metal zone or anything like that.. I am looking for a "light distortion" (or high gain OD?) that will have more gain than the DD, but not over-the-top metal tones..

Bonus points if it's not pricey and hum-free

EDIT: Oh yeah my fuzz needs are covered so strictly dist-OD suggestions please

 

[Agreed]

The Barber DD takes a boost or overdrive or treble boost pedal up front really nicely, have you considered picking up an inexpensive but good booster and running it that way? It's basically more of what you already love. I like mine with an TS9 or SD-1 style OD up front, mainly hitting it harder with level and shaping the input more, but getting some crunch too.

Edit: No idea why I said "Liked," I still like it that way

 

[flantrax]

I really like my Jetter Tritium for that...pretty much gain but not Metal...

 

[AngryGoldfish]

Lovepedal Purple Plexi. It has a great Sonic Titan sound to it, but with a more Marshall-y midrange, instead of the low-end chunk that the D*A*M exudes.

Also, the Rothwell Hellbender is pretty tasty for a high gain overdrive pedal... there are loads in fact.

 

[AdamO]

The Barber DD takes a boost or overdrive or treble boost pedal up front really nicely, have you considered picking up an inexpensive but good booster and running it that way? It's basically more of what you already love. I like mine with an TS9 or SD-1 style OD up front, mainly hitting it harder with level and shaping the input more, but getting some crunch too.

Edit: No idea why I said "Liked," I still like it that way

I have been doing this with the transparent overdrive before it..
I guess I should add I'm looking for some different character, but I can't really define it..
Goosing the DD gives me a DD with more gain, and while that is handy it's not what I'm looking for currently. Plus, it get's noisy

 

[Agreed]

Ah, okay. Understood. Hmmm. Hey, have you tried running the DD into the Transparent Overdrive? Just a thought

Any kind of amp style sound you're after?

If you want a really cool generalist higher gain OD that can do good stuff that's not just rrraargh metal, but CAN get really high gain when used properly, you can stick within Barber's lineup and check out the Dirty Bomb. Great EQ on it (passive two-band Baxandall plus a switch to change the midrange, so you have a ton of control over the tone shaping). I know you've said you don't quite know what you're going for, but you do know that it's not "like the DD but higher gain," and the Dirty Bomb definitely isn't that.

 

[AdamO]

Ah, okay. Understood. Hmmm. Hey, have you tried running the DD into the Transparent Overdrive? Just a thought

Any kind of amp style sound you're after?

If you want a really cool generalist higher gain OD that can do good stuff that's not just rrraargh metal, but CAN get really high gain when used properly, you can stick within Barber's lineup and check out the Dirty Bomb. Great EQ on it (passive two-band Baxandall plus a switch to change the midrange, so you have a ton of control over the tone shaping). I know you've said you don't quite know what you're going for, but you do know that it's not "like the DD but higher gain," and the Dirty Bomb definitely isn't that.

I'll check it out, thanks for the help man!

btw, I have tried DD-->transparent overdrive. Did not like it.. It just became really muddy and oddly lost a lot of treble all of the sudden.
I guess it failed to clone the timmy in that area
Maybe one day when the money comes I can get the real deal..

EDIT: holy crap has the dirty bombs price went up! I remember the introductory price of 89$ (or was it 99$?) and it's now 129$!! Guess it means high demand then!

 

[Agreed]

It was $99 to start, but he mentioned that it was an introductory price. $129 isn't unfair, imo, given the sophistication of the pedal, the quality parts used and the competent workmanship. You can get a Vox Satchurator, or a Barber Dirty Bomb - don't get me wrong, I like the Satchurator, but it's pretty much just a Japanese DS-1 with a cool little voltage switch to goose the clipping. There's a lot more going on with the Dirty Bomb to make it worth the price - in my opinion.

Anyway, gives you something to check out, at least.

 

[tyl0r_r]

I got a Rat today and it pulls off light distortion a lot better than I thought it would, to be honest.

 

[bkahuna]

Lunar Module is what I use if I need more than Tim or LTD sr.

 

[JUSTJOB]

Check out a Blackstone.

 

[voojo]

Ah, okay. Understood. Hmmm. Hey, have you tried running the DD into the Transparent Overdrive? Just a thought

Any kind of amp style sound you're after?

If you want a really cool generalist higher gain OD that can do good stuff that's not just rrraargh metal, but CAN get really high gain when used properly, you can stick within Barber's lineup and check out the Dirty Bomb. Great EQ on it (passive two-band Baxandall plus a switch to change the midrange, so you have a ton of control over the tone shaping). I know you've said you don't quite know what you're going for, but you do know that it's not "like the DD but higher gain," and the Dirty Bomb definitely isn't that.

The Dirty Bomb is simply a great pedal! I love it. Tons of tones and it cleans up way better than any high gain pedal has a right to! As Agreed said, you can use the three way switch to get a myriad of tones. I think the Dirty Bomb is very underrated. Plus you don't have to run it all out, you can get vintage tones out of it for sure, especially in the left or middle toggle position.

 

[oxtone]

AdamO - have you tried the Barber 1/2 Gainer? I used mine last night, and it is one of the most amp-like pedals ever. It reacts to your picking, like a good tube amp. It's not over-the-top overdrive, but it will rock when you dig in. I use it for R & B, Blues, Funk, etc.

 

[Grizz_Lee]

jhs angry charlie. some many different sounds out of this pedal! anywhere from a really light overdrive to some pretty heavy distortion, and everywhere in between.