Me old Maxon OD-820: love again!

[Jack DeVille]

Years ago, I bought a Maxon OD-820 "Over Drive Pro" or maybe it is "OverDrivePro"

Regardless, I ended up trading it off to cinch a trade for one of my most prized guitars: a Korean made Ibanez IC-400 Iceman.
Ever since a wild Dystopia show at Gilman in '98 or '99, I had always wanted an Iceman, specifically a set-neck model with the big headstock, and when the potential trade came up, I parted ways with my beloved OD-820 to seal the deal.

Well, about ten years later, I finally ponied up the bucks to buy a replacement (lord knows I have plenty of overdrive pedals, and a number that I have designed, personally made and truly love), and boy I tell ya: the 820 is just as good as I remember it.

Perhaps it is just the new-pedal honeymoon, but I swear this new one sounds and feels even better than my old one! There is just something about the OD-820 that does it for me, and I swear: it makes it easier for me to play. Maybe it is just new pedal excitement, but I can see why I was so reluctant to part with my old one (I offered up a TON of alternatives but the guy with the Iceman wanted the 820, and I wanted the Iceman, so...).

At any rate: what a nice drive pedal.

Anyone else have/use one? Sheesh these are great pedals!!

 

[Laurence]

That whole series of Maxon pedals are generally great. The DS-830 is awesome and way underrated.

 

[Jack DeVille]

That whole series of Maxon pedals are generally great. The DS-830 is awesome and way underrated.

I've never played the DS-830. It is great? I would expect so...

One of my all time favorite pedals is my AD-999 Pro (I couldn't care less about the 3/8, 4/8, and 5/8 toggles, and never use them), but as a simple and easy to use analog delay, the AD-999 Pro just does it for me and beyond everything else: it sounds absolutely stellar. That delay has been my metric/ruler for analog delay pedals since I got it in 2011, and nothing available has even come close to my ears (I would estimate the number of BBD delay pedals I have owned and played at approx. 80?).
If I could make a better analog delay, I would, but sheesh man, they really nailed it with that one.

Their CS-550 is next on my list. Plus I like the color.
Not that I need another analog/BBD chorus pedal, as I designed one that I believe is just the tits (even made and kept one for myself!), but I really like their "Vintage Series" in the big boxes, so I do forsee buying myself one of those in the kinda near future; when I have the discretionary funds required for a new fancy chorus pedal, that I didn't make.

The DS-830 is also amazing?

The two pedals I have from Maxon's Vintage Series are both some of my favorites and are easily some of the best effects pedals I have in my collection of 300-500.

 

[Laurence]

I've never played the DS-830. It is great? I would expect so...

One of my all time favorite pedals is my AD-999 Pro (I couldn't care less about the 3/8, 4/8, and 5/8 toggles, and never use them), but as a simple and easy to use analog delay, the AD-999 Pro just does it for me and beyond everything else: it sounds absolutely stellar. That delay has been my metric/ruler for analog delay pedals since I got it in 2011, and nothing available has even come close to my ears (I would estimate the number of BBD delay pedals I have owned and played at approx. 80?).
If I could make a better analog delay, I would, but sheesh man, they really nailed it with that one.

Their CS-550 is next on my list. Plus I like the color.
Not that I need another analog/BBD chorus pedal, as I designed one that I believe is just the tits (even made and kept one for myself!), but I really like their "Vintage Series" in the big boxes, so I do forsee buying myself one of those in the kinda near future; when I have the discretionary funds required for a new fancy chorus pedal, that I didn't make.

The DS-830 is also amazing?

The two pedals I have from Maxon's Vintage Series are both some of my favorites and are easily some of the best effects pedals I have in my collection of 300-500.

The DS-830 does clean boost all the way to old style distortion, and it's awesome. It's EQ'd a bit differently than the OD, but still very good.

 

[cameron]

The OD-820 is basically a Klon-variant, is it not? Or did they take that idea and make something more unusual out of it?

 

[rhaas]

The DS-830 is also amazing?

The DS-830 is quite good! For my taste, it has a bit too much bass early in the circuit, but you can try something like a 680nF in place of the 1uF in the feedback loop to clean that up. Actually, an OD-820 into a DS-830 makes for a fantastic lead tone. You need both, Jack!

 

[benevan]

Love the Vintage series and have the OD820 and DS830 pair. The DS830 is just so versatile as @Laurence mentioned and they are both great on bass as well.

REALLY want to get the PH350 some day...