What's your favorite pedal to push a driven Marshall into tonal nirvana?

[blong]

Title says it all. I'm about to pick up a DSL. I was gonna get a TSL b/c I like to push the drive channel into massive, dripping, gooey sustaining chewiness, and the third channel gives me that at a stomp, but I really love the sound of the DSL at a local shop. Problem is, it does not allow me to switch between gain 1 and 2, just from clean to gain. So, I'd like to put a pedal in front.

What do you use?

Bob

 

[mxk116]

Bearfoot Sparkling Yellow OD1 with more headroom or Sparkling Yellow OD2 for more compression.

 

[sixty2strat]

I use JMP's so may not be the same, never owned a marshall made after Ford was potus. That said the beano boost , Ts808 , old Si Fuzzface and a klon clone all do fantastic but different jobs. Most natural is my mike battle tubeplex cranking the output drive the amp

 

[imguitardan]

I'm a certified Lovepedal hater but still nothing sounds better into my '73 Superlead than my HW Eternity. Sounds like a (mean) extension of the amp.

 

[UncleLarry]

TS-9

 

[Ides of March]

I have a DSL, and I use the Green Rhino to push it, also I use the Xotic Ep booster and a timmy. Not all at the same time of course. I am still working with my board at the moment.

 

[RussB]

Timmy. It just kills it with my 1987 or 2204 (4010 combo)

 

[blong]

Thanks for the suggestions. Tube screamers are out for me. I just don't like any of them, and never have. At least the Ibanez TS's just haven't done it for me ever in the past 30 years. I do like the Bad Monkey set up as a clean boost with just a little hair sometimes. I have several OD's, distortions, and fuzzes for different tastes, I'll have to run 'em all into the amp to get my favorite. I'm usually a plug and play, straight into the amp, kinda guy.

I like the OCD for these purposes, so I can try that.

Thanks, again,

Bob

 

[SinkingShip]

Hoof

 

[Coldacre]

RAT

 

[FuzzFaceJ]

I don't have just one, but FUZZ mostly, bender, muff, fuzz face, etc!

as well, the Rat is great for this

 

[vintage66]

Thanks for the suggestions. Tube screamers are out for me. I just don't like any of them, and never have. At least the Ibanez TS's just haven't done it for me ever in the past 30 years. I do like the Bad Monkey set up as a clean boost with just a little hair sometimes. I have several OD's, distortions, and fuzzes for different tastes, I'll have to run 'em all into the amp to get my favorite. I'm usually a plug and play, straight into the amp, kinda guy.

I like the OCD for these purposes, so I can try that.

Thanks, again,

Bob

Before you say tube screamers are out, what amps have you tried them with? I have a Dsl50 and use a Maxon Od808 in front of it on the green channed/crunch setting and I've never felt the urge to try any of my other overdrives with it and I have quite a few-I use the rest with my other two amps.
Actually I take that back, the Keeley Ts9dx 4x2 is also great with it-tried it when the 808 was velcroed to my board.

 

[blong]

I actually like the Maxon OD-820, I think it is. I've not tried the Maxon OD808. I guess I should specify that I don't like the Ibanez TS pedals. I do like the Bad Monkey, as well as the Hardwire from Digitech that has the switch on it. Those were nice little boosts or goose-it pedals for several of my amps. I'll have to check out the Maxon 808 version.

Thanks,

Bob

 

[vintage66]

I actually like the Maxon OD-820, I think it is. I've not tried the Maxon OD808. I guess I should specify that I don't like the Ibanez TS pedals. I do like the Bad Monkey, as well as the Hardwire from Digitech that has the switch on it. Those were nice little boosts or goose-it pedals for several of my amps. I'll have to check out the Maxon 808 version.

Thanks,

Bob

You could try the Od820 or the Bad Monkey with it to see if you like that general sound-I'm sure the 820 is as good as the 808. I was just saying the DSL really likes tube screamers so give it a shot.

 

[Stratoben127]

I use a Timmy and a Fulldrive with my Plexi. Not sure about DSLs though. I prefer the Timmy by far with a Strat, and really only use the FD2 as a boost before the Timmy with my Les Paul. If I need more than the Timmy into the semi-dirty amp with a Strat, I prefer Fuzz. I would get a Timmy and see how you like it if you can, but a Fulldrive has really good options that sound good into a Plexi amp, especially if you like a little push in the mids.

 

[jgyn]

Zvex Box Of Rock or Distortron. Gain @ less than half.

 

[Stu Cats]

Xotic BB Preamp

 

[gtrbarbarian]

an SD-1, preferably analogman modded.

On a side note: I owned a DSL 50 and 100... I never met 2 amps that crapped out more often... they would run so hot that I would periodically have to re-flow the solder on the tube sockets (mounted on the pcb)...because the solder joints started to go bad with flux all around the joints. Techs hate to work on these amps, but love the paycheck...just look at how many schematics there are...lots of pcbs and ribbon cables in there I would instead recommend a JCM 800 or JMP 2203/2204....

Of course YMMV Schematics

 

[blong]

I doubt I'll find a JCM 800, one of my favorites, for the price I got this DSL. The DSL sounds amazingly good. I mainly play a Rivera Rake that is built like a tank, but I wanted a Marshall in my stable and found an incredible deal on this one. I'll be trying out some pedals in front of it, but I figured out what I like about it, how to dial it in so I may not need a pedal. I like the clean channel with the crunck in and gain on about 5-6. When I switched to the ultragain 1, it was a little thin sounding, but I popped it into ultragain 2, turned down the gain and there it was, the same tone of the crunch but with a little more gain for leads, just what I wanted. Still, I'll be experimenting with pedals for fun.

Bob

 

[gtrbarbarian]

Sorry...not trying to burst your bubble, just sharing my experiences...I will say, the drive on these amps is a beast...!