Favorite boost/overdrive/distortion suggestions for Morgan AC20

[dscuyamungue]

After searching through a few forums I have assembled a few suggestions for usable boost/overdrive/distortion on AC30 type amps(see below). I'm eager to try out a few of them on my new AC20 Deluxe and would like to solicit your opinions/experiences in this area, specifically what you're hearing when using these pedals.

I've already got an adequate boost (an underated DOD BiFet Preamp) and nice Tube screamer variations in the Menatone Fish Factory, as well as several Fuzz options in a Line6 M13 though I'm not sure of their quality,,, they are producing some decent, tight OD tones but I'm wondering if there is anything out there a little smoother, etc, or maybe something Marshallesque,,, just looking to see what the best options are.

thx~


Rockbox BP (Boiling Point)
King of Tone (-)
Timmy
Lovepedal Cot50
Lovepedal Tchula
Gaspedals Carb
Crowther Hotcake (Bluesberry)
Full-Drive 2 (-)
Fulltone PlimSoul
Rockett Blue Note or Animal
bjf emerald green distortion machine
Crunchbox
TRex Moller
Vox big ben overdrive
MI Audio Blue Boy Deluxe
CATALINBREAD DIRTY LITTLE SECRET
Plextortion

 

[dscuyamungue]

Speak of the devil,,, a Rockett Blue Note just popped up and I snagged it. One of the TGP posters that comments regularly on the Morgan amps said he thought its voicing matched well even though it's supposed to be a plexi pedal,,, sounds exactly like what I'm looking for, I'll reply back after trying it out!

 

[Truxton Spangler]

Fulldrive 2 mosfet and king of tone do not jive overly well with vox amps in my experience but I have not tried them with a Morgan

Best regards -T

 

[miteemike3]

I've heard recordings of the Hotcake and Timmy through an AC15 and they work exceptionally well.

 

[mcarte07]

I've tried a few of these pedals through my Morgan 10PM with a 12ax7 preamp. It's the 10 watt version of the AC20.

King of Tone (no high gain, v4)- I managed to coax some OK sounds, but as a whole it didn't match up especially well with the Morgan. After playing with the switches inside, I found that I liked the yellow channel best as a kind of treble booster, and this sounded good. The red side, however, didn't work for me. The best I could do was set it up as a higher gain drive, but it was always kind of dull. Also, this one added a lot of noise to my signal.

Timmy- It's good at doing what it's supposed to do- drive your amp's front end to give you more of what the amp already sounds like. Works well, but don't expect much versatility.

Lovepedal COT50- This is a real cool one with the amp. What I actually have is a Morgan Shadow boost which Joe described to me as a COT50 on one side, and a Super Hard On on the other. The COT50 matches very well with the voice of the Morgan. Can get you to a nice crunchy rhythm tone but not a ton of drive on tap. Very articulate and clear. Super Hard on is great too!

Fulltone Fulldrive 2- If you just use it as a low drive boost, it's fine, but otherwise they don't get along. Timmy would be better.

Other than these I have a Rockett Animal on the way. Looking forward to trying it out as a little heavier driver with some sustain. If it doesn't work out, I'll probably be back for the Blue Note which I've heard very good things about with Joe's AC type amps.

 

[Cooters23]

I use a Barber LTD SR and a Rockett Flex Drive. I love them both.

 

[deluxe83]

ZVex Distortron and/or Barber Small Fry. Been through quite a few and these work best for me...

 

[eric10]

Here's my thoughts on some of the dirt pedals I've tried on my AC20

Blue boy deluxe by MI Audio,
good, but did not wow me much.

Classic distortion by MI Audio,
did not sound very good on AC20 but sounded great on other amps.

VOX brit boost and big ben,
average sounding to me..

Kingsley Jester - Organic, pure, and magnificent, extrememly touch sensitive,
sounds great as a low to mid OD, boost side is also great sounding on my AC20, especially after fuzz pedals, really smooth things out and make everything fuller and more organic sounding. only complaint is that it's alittle too bright on Voxy amps, even with treble turned all the way off. Must further tame it with tone knob on guitar. Also it's slightly noisier than some of the other OD pedals(may be due to the fact that I'm using unregulated power and that it's a V1 Jester).


Blackout effectors Mantra - sounds fantastic! Has alot of character.
Fat and raw sounding, although not as organic as the Jester but still dynamic as hell.
does have that "brown" feel to it, really complements the vox voicing of AC20.


Morgan Shadow fuzz - sounds beautiful with the AC20. I like it better with reverb.

Retro Channel fuzz - Tonebender MK2 silicon version, sounds great on dark mode, also sounds good on bright mode with cut quarter of the way. Can get that vintage Led zeppelin/ Yardbird sound.

Swaptronics BC108 fuzz - sounds raw and ranchy, but alittle noisy if gain is set max, I do like the sound though.

Hope it helps!

Eric

 

[huckleboogie]

KOT and Fulldrive dont work well for me.
definitely Lovepedal COT or Tchula are great with this amp but my absolute favorite is the Kalamazoo....workin the glass knob in combo with the dark setting on the Morgan yields awesome results!

 

[mcarte07]

Tried the Fulltone PlimSoul, and it has that unpleasant spike in the top end that you just can't get rid of without dialing the drive way way back. If that wasn't there, the pedal would be a nice match up- maybe someone can mod it?

 

[telepunk]

Dude, with a Voxy amp like that you have to try the Blackstone Appliances Mosfet Overdrive. It's so killer. It has little marshall character, but it's not "amp in a box." It just smooths out the chime without killing it. It has two channels, so you get a low gain and high gain channel in one really small pedal. I can't tell you enough how much I like it with my AC15. I use it alongside a Cusack Screamer for a brighter, TS style sound (which it is not), so it would complement your fish factory well. It knocked all other dirt I have tried off my board (Barber Small Fry, Catalinbread DLS, Lovepedal Kalamazoo, Musket Fuzz, AC Booster, etc)

 

[codyj84]

My FD2 (Non-Mosfet) KILLS through my AC20TB... The FD2 plays VERY well with VOX-style amps...

 

[mcarte07]

I've found it guys! I've gone through so many OD's looking for the med-high gain drive that fits the sound of my Morgan AC style; the DMB STELLAR DRIVE is it! With the clean knob dialed back you can get a really raunchy compressed/smooth drive that borders distortion (not my thing, but it's there if you want it), but kick some clean into the mix and articulation and chime are restored. It is FANTASTIC with my 10PM (AC20)! You've gotta try one.

 

[NewarkWilder]

Naga Viper > Timmy for me. Amp does the rest

 

[Aran]

Lovepedal Tchula

 

[mcarte07]

Got another one; has a Tchula(^) mode, so maybe similar to that, but the Lovepedal Les Lius is VERY nice with the AC20 circuit