Best Transparent OD for Matchless Clubman?

[fmwill]

Hi - really looking for players who play the Matchless Clubman to chime in on which OD effects they use. Its a whole different beast than the EL84 Matchless amps. I'm absolutely in love with the natural OD tone of the amp, but due to volumes, it's hard to get there practically. I've tried attenuators to not much effect. Ive tried using a clean boost pedal (Earthquaker Black Eye) to not much effect. I currently own a Wampler Clarksdale. It's good, but not quite. Perhaps you can suggest something more transparent and in line with the natural overdrive of the amp? And yes, I've tried the Matchless HotBox, but it's too much real estate on the board and way too expensive for what it claims to do.

I should also mention that I am aware of how power tubes affect tone... I am just hoping to stumble on something closer to amp tone at this point than the Clarksdale.

Thanks, and sorry for opening up this can of worms...

 

[NielsM]

Timmy

 

[creepyarticle]

Amp 11

 

[lgehrig4]

Personally, I really really liked the Honey Bee with the Clubman.

 

[papersun]

Timmy, Mayflower

 

[Grayson Clifford]

Another vote for the Mayflower!

 

[amphead777]

You want the Timmy. The best I've found.

 

[fmwill]

Figured I'd report back. I've acquired the Timmy, and I enjoy it quite a bit. Using that and the Clarksdale as a lead boost works nicely. I'm still looking, though. The Timmy is very transparent, but not quite the same as the amps natural overdriven sound. I will check out the Mayflower; never heard of it. What's the Honeybee?

 

[datguytim]

Fulltone OCD - with a Clubman - match made in Heaven.

 

[lgehrig4]

Figured I'd report back. I've acquired the Timmy, and I enjoy it quite a bit. Using that and the Clarksdale as a lead boost works nicely. I'm still looking, though. The Timmy is very transparent, but not quite the same as the amps natural overdriven sound. I will check out the Mayflower; never heard of it. What's the Honeybee?

Made by BJF and I think the original circuit was created by Mad Professor. It's an overdrive that can be used as s boost or a light overdrive. I thought the tone of it worked perfectly with my Clubman. Definitely worth a try. I can't imagine anyone not being satisfied with the tones I was hearing.

 

[fmwill]

lgehrig4 - What type of application (stylistically and practice/gigging) are you using the HoneyBee for?

 

[lgehrig4]

lgehrig4 - What type of application (stylistically and practice/gigging) are you using the HoneyBee for?

I play at home. I like mainly classic rock/blues and in this case I was trying to stay in the ballpark of Black Crowes. I was able to use the HB to just make the amp louder. I could also thicken up the mids and make it sound like a gain boost that reacts like the boost switches that are built into amps. To me this pedal felt like it was made for the Clubman. It's not as transparent as the Timmy but it sounds like the amp would sound if you just turned the volume up more but you can add more saturation and compression which makes the notes ring out.

I never bonded with my Timmy. I had it for years and would try it with every amp I purchased, and that was a lot, but it always sounded sterile. I guess it did what it was supposed to as far as being transparent, but I like a little color. Why not just turn up the amp otherwise and use your guitar volume to control things? I know you can use it as an overdrive too but the end result never did it for me. If you feel the same about the Timmy with your Clubman then I have a feeling you would like the HB.

 

[fmwill]

I appreciate the detailed description! Just out of curiosity, what cab were you running your Clubman through?

 

[lgehrig4]

Clubman is gone but I had it going through 4x12 Scumback M75s or a Matchlesss 2x12 with whatever Matchless puts in their cabs. I plan on getting another one.

 

[DCMC Worship]

I never bonded with my Timmy. I had it for years and would try it with every amp I purchased, and that was a lot, but it always sounded sterile.

Unfortunately, I can't relate. Timmy is the one pedal that sounds great with any amp I use (Blues Deluxe, AC15, or Marshall TSL60). It also stacks very well with all my drives. Goes to show we all have different interpretations of what our sound is, which is cool!

 

[lgehrig4]

When I say that I didn't bond I don't mean that it doesn't sound good, just not right for me. I could appreciate it for what it does and it's clearly a quality product.

 

[DCMC Worship]

Absolutely! Life would be simpler, but more boring, if the first choice was the right choice every time. Also, my sound changes periodically, so what's great for me today may not fit with the sound I'm after tomorrow.

 

[lgehrig4]

My story is much different than most here. I started playing at 30yrs when I got married because I realized that I needed a hobby. I knew nothing about gear aside from the big massed produced names. I purchased a Les Paul, American Standard Strat and Line 6 Pod. I thought the Pod was the greatest thing but then was turned on to other options, first through Harmony Central then here.

That was the beginning of my gear obsession. I set out to purchase the individual amps that were modeled by the Pod and I've done that 10 times over since then. Even built a few amps, pedals and guitars.

I might not contribute musically, but I've done more than my share of keeping the used gear market active.

That said I've slowed down considerably and have settled on gear that I'll probably never sell.

 

[DCMC Worship]

I used a POD XT Live then the HD500 for a while but I really learned a lot when I started building my own boards, soldering, and figuring out what makes each pedal tick. It's been a fun process.

 

[ShredTheGnar]

Getting my first Clubman this week so this thread was helpful, thanks! I currently have a Timmy and Jekyll&Hyde on my board so I'm thinking I should be fairly set drive-wise.