What ODs Are You Guys Using in Front of Your Marshalls

[Barry A]

EHX Big Muff with Boss Ds1 up front, distortion at 9:00 and volume at 3:00 for solos. Play on Origin 50H and Origin 212 cab. I’m not a fan of the tone of the ds1 though.

Sadly, my ooooooold SD1 puttered our before I got my Origin half stack, so I havent had a chance to use an SD1 up front, but I just ordered a new one to try out!

 

[El Gringo]

None. High gain Marshall's do not need them.

This is my exact sentiment and the perfect reason why I love my 2555X's so much .

 

[IOSEPHVS]

After several months of experimenting with solid state distortion devices in front of my Marshall, I am returning to my life without them. The only exception is my EHX Graphic Fuzz (Graphic Distortion would be a better name) which I use solely for its EQ section. Although, I have to say it has the best sounding distortion of everything I have tried.

 

[Len]

Light OD - Timmy
Medium OD - Custom Modified Badass OD
Heavy OD - Fullbore Metal

 

[jwoods986]

Yes , those are close to the GT-OD, which I had also.
They are in the family of a Boss SD-1 from my exp, also had the switch inside like yours.
The M77 is also asymmetrical clipping plus the 100hz, and bump button for more botom end.
All very nice pedals. The Joyo Vintage OD hangs pretty well with those too, but there is something about the voice of the M77 that keeps me coming back to it, even compared to expensive handmade boxes.

Hmmm, turns out mine doesn't have a switch for some reason? Opened it up yesterday and I don't see anything resembling a switch -

IMG_1475

• jwoods986
• Jun 29, 2020

 

[Matthews Guitars]

I only use a clean boost in front of my Marshalls. I use a Seymour Duncan Pickup Booster.

I don't put overdrive/distortion pedals in my signal chain. My attitude is that the amp's overdrive should be so good that a pedal is pointless.

I won't have an amp whose overdrive is so bad that you'd use a pedal for distortion instead. Just not my thing.

 

[Acvox]

Hi guys, this is my first post on the forum..be gentle.. ..
A great thread, and so many classic pedals mentioned. I'm surprised that my
current favourite wasn't mentioned, so I'd like to throw the Crowther Hot Cake into the mix.

A superb pedal with all the level to push the front end of our Marshalls and a gain character that changes subtly as you increase the drive.
The, 'presance' control is curiously misnamed, as it functions much like the treble control on my old AC30. Increasing warmth and midrange as you turn it clockwise.

This allows me to 'voice' the pedal to the amp I'm playing matching the two almost seamlessly. I've had this thing for yrs and only now am I realising what a valuable and versatile tool this pedal is.
BTW The current models have a switch so you get both versions in the one pedal..

 

[Sg-ocaster]

Boss sd1 gain off vol almost cranked....for Marshall's ........Boss ds1 dist off....vol 7 for fenders.

 

[crossroadsnyc]

Lately, my favorite boost is the one built into my YJM100, which I think is based on the YJM308 (which, I believe is a derivative of the DOD 250?) ... either way, it has me kind of gassing for an old school grey box DOD 250.

Why do I like the boost built into the YJM? It sound very natural and a part of the amp. I don't know if this has something to do w/the placement of the boost w/in the amp or not, but it just kicks the amp into a new territory that feels more like an extension of the amp than a pedal.

 

[crossroadsnyc]

Oh, and short of my new fetish, I've always just liked an SD-1 into a Marshall. Just a good pairing to me. I'm sure there are better boxes out there though.

 

[Mitchell Pearrow]

Hi guys, this is my first post on the forum..be gentle.. ..
A great thread, and so many classic pedals mentioned. I'm surprised that my
current favourite wasn't mentioned, so I'd like to throw the Crowther Hot Cake into the mix.

A superb pedal with all the level to push the front end of our Marshalls and a gain character that changes subtly as you increase the drive.
The, 'presance' control is curiously misnamed, as it functions much like the treble control on my old AC30. Increasing warmth and midrange as you turn it clockwise.

This allows me to 'voice' the pedal to the amp I'm playing matching the two almost seamlessly. I've had this thing for yrs and only now am I realising what a valuable and versatile tool this pedal is.
BTW The current models have a switch so you get both versions in the one pedal..

To the forum
Cheers
Mitch

 

[Mitchell Pearrow]

Oh, and short of my new fetish, I've always just liked an SD-1 into a Marshall. Just a good pairing to me. I'm sure there are better boxes out there though.

Oh, and short of my new fetish, I've always just liked an SD-1 into a Marshall. Just a good pairing to me. I'm sure there are better boxes out there though.

I too am a fan of the SD1.
Thanks

 

[Sustainium]

I too am a fan of the SD1.
Thanks

I hear so many recommending the SD1 that I just ordered the iconic yellow box to see what I’m missing.

 

[Mitchell Pearrow]

I hear so many recommending the SD1 that I just ordered the iconic yellow box to see what I’m missing.

It does a great job on Marshall amps !!
Cheers

 

[Acvox]

To the forum
Cheers
Mitch

Many thanks for the warm welcome, much appreciated.
I'm a little late to the party but it's great to finally join you all.. Cheers !

 

[Barry A]

I just got an EHX Soul Food pedal and it sounds so good on the Origin 50H. It sweetens up the tone and gives a lot more headroom, even if my volume is at 9:00. With the volume and gain on the head at 3:00, not much of a difference, except a lot more lower end.

So I haven’t been thrilled with the tones coming out of the DI Output on the Origin 50H. The tones are always flat, and a little muddy, and the volume output is low. Even putting a Big Muff and DS1 in front does nothing. But this morning, I used the Soul Food pedal and holy crap! Night and day! I’m not sure how this pedal effects the DI output but it sounds amazing.

Running it through my DI into my iPad and using Fiddlicator and a Marshall 4x12 IR

 

[Acvox]

You can't go far wrong with the classic pedals when it comes to really pushing the front end of your Marshall. They have survived the test of time after all. What I particularly like is that none of them will break the bank, and despite the superb boutique pedals I've a major weakness for, on almost any classic album you could name, a few pedals are referenced again and again.
The BOSS OD1, SD1and DS1. The Pro Co Rat. The MXR Dist ll / DOD 250.
Ibanez TS9 / 808. Amongst others. (I've only omitted boosters and fuzz pedals for brevity )..

 

[Acvox]

EHX rarely get anything wrong in all they do, and I'm only familiar with the Big Muff.
This EHX Soul food, seems to have won an awful lot of guitarists over like the previous poster.
What's the deal with this particular pedal ?

 

[Vesperado]

Looks like you uncovered the utility of an EQ pedal, too!

 

[Tiboy]

I hear so many recommending the SD1 that I just ordered the iconic yellow box to see what I’m missing.

Despite having a number of boost pedals on my board, I’m tempted to follow your lead for the same reason. I’ll put you on the spot and postpone my decision until you report back.