Overdrive/Distortion pedal for Rhodes, Organs & Moogs' sound

[spybar]

Hola mates,

I'm thinking of adding an Overdrive / Distortion pedal effect to my synths gear, mainly to add some Overdrive / Distortion to Rhodes, Organs & Moogs sounds.

I've read that the Boss BD-2: Blues Driver has a warm character, so I thought it could fit to the sounds above.
http://www.bossus.com/gear/productdetai ... ductId=126

I'd be grateful for your help.

1) What do you think about Boss BD-2?
2) Do you have any other recommendations?
3) Does a Bass guitar overdrive/distortion would fit more than a guitar overdrive/distortion?

Any tip would be welcome!

Thanks you!

SpyBar

[nvining]

For the Rhodes: get a TubeWorks Real Tube II rack mount. Nothing better for a Rhodes; use the clean channel for producing pure, sparkly bell-like tones (the Dyno-my-Piano sound, or more of an early 60's Bitches' Brew kind of a thing) and then fire the thing into double stack mode when you want dirty nasty distortion. You can get 'em for about $100 if you know where to look, and they're worth having in your rack.

Can't speak for how it sounds on a Moog or Hammond though.

[tallowwaters]

Threads about FX go in "sound production"

Well, what is your budget?

Personally I would pick up a few pedals, or at least one more versatile than the run of the mill boss c**p.

[nathanscribe]

Never tried the BD-2, but I can say this:

Don't bother with the Boss DS-1: the recent models, at least, sound pretty harsh on keys. From the gear you mention I presume you want something rounder, smoother, thicker than the brittle edge the DS-1 has.

I found a Yamaha DI-01 distortion pedal recently - that's nice. Good tonality. I cloned a fuzz-face with old-style parts and that sounds good too, but it's pretty full-on. The EHX Big Muff is similarly OTT, and you'd probably want a noise gate for it (Boss NS-2 does for me). I also cloned the MXR Distortion, and that's OK but not great... haven't tried an original, but I used the same bits, so I doubt it's too far off.

You might want to fudge a distortion by grabbing an EQ pedal and pushing some of the frequencies right up/down and cranking the pedal's gain. Hey presto, frequency-selective crunch.

One trick is to mix a dirty channel with a clean one, rather than just go right through a pedal - you can dial in a subtle amount of grunge to complement the original tone - not all distortions allow you to do this in-pedal.

I also agree with Tallow - try several. They're all probably fine for different jobs, but nothing's going to do it all.

[Clavier]

I also agree with Tallow - try several. They're all probably fine for different jobs, but nothing's going to do it all.

I totally agree. In fact, I can guarantee that it's true.

[Stab Frenzy]

Best overdrive ever is the Crowther Hotcake. Sounds incredibly thick and creamy, pretty much every band I work with owns one, once you hear it you've got to get one.

[Alex Hamilton]

Best overdrive ever is the Crowther Hotcake. Sounds incredibly thick and creamy, pretty much every band I work with owns one, once you hear it you've got to get one.

Every time there's a thread asking for a distortion pedal, Stab gets in to say the Hotcake just before I do! So yes, I echo the above opinion. Immensely versatile, can go from a little richness, to sharp bite, to fuzzy wool, and anywhere in between.

The Klon Centaur also has a formidable reputation, but is more expensive (and I don't know how well it works with keys). Boss make some great pedals, but none of those are distortion IMHO - the BD-2 sounds fine until you play anything better, then you realise it's c**p. Analogman (google it) make brilliant pedals, but there's quite a waiting list for some - totally worth it though. I've never really liked any Carl Martin stuff, but other people rave about it, so see if you like it. Anything by Z Vex will be much more OTT than you seem to be looking for, the pedals are very individual.

[etcetera]

I've found that an old Aria diode based fuzz pedal from the 70'ies that I have sounds amazing on monosynths.
For organ I've taken another route. I have built an effects insert in both my organs, and here the thing to do is to use a valve overdrive. I've had fantastic results using a Vox Big Ben valve overdrive, as it lets all frequencies pass through.

[Carey M]

One more time, a vote for the Hot Cake. I've used it with Wurlie, Rhodes and guitars (!) and always with good results.

- CM