Best "Always On" Pedals That Clean Up With Guitar's Volume Control?

[Lewguitar]

Not being much of a pedal using kinda guy, I probably missed out on quite a few prior to discovering the Klone and the Klon Circuit.

I used a vintage Rat for years...had a KoT for a while. Liked things about both of them.

I also like the Xotic EP Booster, and the overdrive capabilities of the older EH Memory Man units.

Now I use a PCE Aluminum Falcon and like the Soul Food too.

What else is there that I can leave "on" all the time and get both searing rock overdrive tones and clean rhythm tones using the Strat's volume control and my hands or pick?

 

[Serenity]

I've had the Catalinbread Fn5, Lovepedal Kalamazoo Gold, Machinehead 72 degrees and all clean up really nicely with the guitar volume. Just ordered a Blueline OD, which is based on the Marshall Bluesbreaker Mk1 (KoT is based on this too), and from the description in sounds like it will clean up well.

 

[Heady Jam Fan]

TS9's and a Rat

In the past, I've used a Fuzz Face, but I didn't like how scooped that type of pedal was. It always sounds awesome, then I turn on my TS9 and the FF sounds a bit muddy and indistinct, to me, comparatively.

 

[Lewguitar]

I've had the Catalinbread Fn5, Lovepedal Kalamazoo Gold, Machinehead 72 degrees and all clean up really nicely with the guitar volume. Just ordered a Blueline OD, which is based on the Marshall Bluesbreaker Mk1 (KoT is based on this too), and from the description in sounds like it will clean up well.

Yes, I've read that the KoT is sort of like two Bluesbreaker pedals, both in one box. It's more than that of course, but that's the way it's sometimes described.

 

[guitargod2u]

just about any ts style, flat style,fuzz,compressors whatever. Most you just have to pick softer or turn the volume down on the guitar a little and boom clean sound. I have 4 drive type pedals on my board. I set them all so indiviually i can either pick softly or roll volume down little on guitar to have my clean sound. They include custom built fuzz face clone with bc108b transistors,way huge green rhino, boss bd-2 blues driver, and wampler euphoria.

 

[GuitarGuy510]

One pedal I like leaving on all the time on both clean and high gain amps is the boost side of the Rockett Allan Holdsworth boost/OD. Just adds an extra bit of sparkle and clarity that I love but still cleans up well!

 

[Lewguitar]

TS9's and a Rat

In the past, I've used a Fuzz Face, but I didn't like how scooped that type of pedal was. It always sounds awesome, then I turn on my TS9 and the FF sounds a bit muddy and indistinct, to me, comparatively.

I don't find the TS9 or even the TS808 to be "always on" type of pedals.

Neither clean up well enough when I lower my Strat's volume control that I can leave them on and start playing chords.

The Rat does...though it only cleans up well enough for Rock Clean...not Jazz Clean or Country Clean or "Americana" Clean.

I used a Fuzz Face for a while too but it didn't clean up well enough. It was more of a stomp it on for a solo and stomp it off when the solos over kind of pedal.

 

[cubistguitar]

TC Spark, its boost, but has great color options and will distort very pleasingly. Cleansup pretty good as that tapers the "big bass" in bass mode, etc. My favorite stacker with the fuzzes, the Soul Food runs a close second. different tones from the SF too, not the same stuff

 

[Heady Jam Fan]

I don't find the TS9 or even the TS808 to be "always on" type of pedals.

Neither clean up well enough when I lower my Strat's volume control that I can leave them on and start playing chords.

The Rat does...though it only cleans up well enough for Rock Clean...not Jazz Clean or Country Clean or "Americana" Clean.

I used a Fuzz Face for a while too but it didn't clean up well enough. It was more of a stomp it on for a solo and stomp it off when the solos over kind of pedal.

They don't clean up as well as a Rat or FF, but using a TS as an 'always on' is fairly common practice for people who play Jam (a la Trey Anastasio of Phish). With the dirt knob under 12 o'clock, I can get a nice semi-clean tone (just a little grit on top) by rolling my guitar's volume back and adjusting my playing dynamics. There are also boutique TS's that have more headroom, or swapping the diodes for LEDs (which some boutique TS's have), though I prefer the tone of a stock (vintage) TS. However, I should admit, this week I've been using my PQ9 eq'ed like a TS9 for my clean. Sometimes I prefer the EQ, sometimes the TS (usually depending on how loud I'm playing and what I'm playing).

I find my Rat cleans up really well, but I don't use it with the distortion set high. I set it for a mild crunch, hit it with a TS if I want more, or role back my volume to clean up. I can get great Jazz tones with it, a la John Scofield. When I'm playing Sco tunes, half the time I leave the Rat on and just adjust how hard I'm picking (soft for clean chords, hard for overdriven melody). I've used it as a completely clean tone-shaper and I do like it in that application too, but probably not great live (it adds some focus to the bottom end, which is why I stack it with a TS if I want to use it for higher-gain).

What FF were you using? Did you have a buffer before it? Those are known for how they clean up, a la Hendrix!

Interesting though - different strokes, right?

PS - oh yeah, I almost always have dirt>comp so my volume stays more consistent as I clean up my signal.

 

[Couloirman]

zendrive for me

 

[gigs]

Fulltone FDII (comp cut) and OCD

 

[Lewguitar]

What FF were you using? Did you have a buffer before it? Those are known for how they clean up, a la Hendrix!

It was Mike Fuller's take on the FF...his '69 pedal. I really liked it.

Great for Hendrix tone - especially with Mike's "Clyde Deluxe" Wah Wah pedal.

Wasn't my tone though. Made me sound to much like Jimi.

 

[veendog]

RC booster works great, probably the best,
and I also like the overdrive side of the Fulldrive 2, and also find the Jan Ray works nicely too.
RC booster does not sound like a pedal at all, works for any application, i even use it at hollow body jazz gigs.

 

[Heady Jam Fan]

It was Mike Fuller's take on the FF...his '69 pedal. I really liked it.

Great for Hendrix tone and with a Wah Wah pedal.

Not quite the right tone for me though.

I agree, I had both the Fulltone Fuzz pedals and could see why people liked them, but they seemed tame or something. I had them after I had the Skreddy Lunar Module though, so I was a bit spoiled

I thought I remembered the Fulltone Fuzz cleaning up well though? It was a few years ago probably... The Skreddy didn't clean up quite as well because of its buffer (and maybe higher-gain circuit). I always thought "Little Wing" was the volume knob rolled back to clean up an Arbiter Fuzz Face - one of my favorite slightly gritty clean tones.

 

[ajoep]

Rook Overdrive. Definitely

 

[thisday1]

I know it doesn't get much love around here, but I've found the EHX Double Muff to be very good at this. I leave it on the single channel and roll back my guitars volume for a twangy clean tone that reminds me of a cleaned up fuzz face. If I put my guitat volume all the way up, I get gritty, thick lead tones.

 

[MilwMark]

Nobels ODR-1.

 

[Nork]

I use the JDrive for exactly that.

 

[jgharding]

That's how I use e OCD, cleans up well

 

[playthecray]

I am surprised no one has mentioned the Blackstone yet. I have a couple of pedals that really clean up well:

PTD Minibone
Monsterpiece Ge
AM Astrotone
Skreddy Screwdriver
Lumpy's Jelly Roll