Legendary cheap pedals. Name your favorite budget greats

Dave · Post by **Dave** » Fri Apr 10, 2009 8:05 pm

Couldn't find a thread doing this via search so apologies if already done.

The goal is this: Name those pedals that fall into the cheap/budget category that transcend their humble price tag. In reading this forum and others I've noticed there are certain pedals of this kind (Arion SAD-1, Dano Cool Cat Transparent Overdrive, Tuna Melt et al) that garner boutique levels of respect yet come at good prices - a combination everyone likes.

The point is not just to list them a'la the 'name your fave' threads but tell us about why it is so great. What is about the tone, construction, features that make it great or original. What top end gear do they favourably compare to or even better? Post video or audio links if available. Lastly, and with an eye to those stompbox DIYers, what can be done to improve the pedal? Does it need true bypass? Rehousing in a tank?

Having never been into pedals too much I've got the addiction big time and would love to know about this shizzle in one concise thread if peeps are game for it.

I'll start:

My contribution is based more on the sheer luck of finding out that I have owned a ARION SAD-1 all these years and had no idea the respect it gets. I've simply loved it for the sound and the fact that you can twiddle the knobs and make mental noises. Great fun - it is also made in the colours of BOBA FUCKING FETT (Shadow of Seattle don't think I havn't seen your blasphemous signature...for shame!):

It does need true bypass and also rehousing - the plastic is starting to bust and I'd love to preserve it like wot this guy did:

REHOUSED ARION SAD-1

I can't really compare it to anything other than the delay in zoom 2020 multi that I owned which was really balls to be honest. More knowledgeable peeps have this to say:

ARION SAD-1 WORSHIP

ARION SAD-1 LINK TWO

[youtube][/youtube]

laterallateral · Post by **laterallateral** » Fri Apr 10, 2009 8:54 pm

Well I wouldn't call it legendary but I picked one of these up some time ago for a song and a dance.

I didn't think much of it and just wanted to mess with a cheap pedal but I was quick to find out that it totally kicks ass, in that Ed Wood kind of way.
To me, it sounds sort of half metal zone, half turbo rat with a peice of shit noise gate thrown in. No false advertisement here, folks. The DISTORTION
XTREME is in fact, rather extreme. Any deviation from the settings you see on the stock image will produce tones that are unusable in conventional guitar dirt applications, however awesome for mangling synths and vocals. With tame-ish drive and conservative eq settings and run trough the YBA, into my generic 412, it produces a gaudy 80's glam metal sound (think Warrant). At first I would play around with this just to piss off my bandmate but I've lately started to write stuff in servitude of this horrible cheeseball tone. The noise gate HAS GOT to be somebody's idea of a joke.

benecol · Post by **benecol** » Fri Apr 10, 2009 9:20 pm

Have always wanted to try a SAD-1, and gutted I missed out on one for Â£25 a couple of years ago, but my Behringer Vintage Delay salved those woes. I do love a great cheap pedal, so would like to add, for your perusal:

- Behringer Vintage Delay - if some boutique place was bunging these out for Â£100, people would still be gushing about them.
- Behringer SF300 - really good Boss FZ2 clone.
- Danelectro Tuna Melt - delicious sounding trem; took a Vibrochamp, a GigFX Chopper and a forgotten birthday to knock mine off my board (and onto my brother's).
- Ibanez DE7 - Ridiculously good delay for the money. And it'll self-oscillate.
- Ibanez PM7 - Phaser sounds, great synth sounds incredible ring-mod and downright anarchy, all in one little grey, 80's looking box.
- Danelectro French Toast - the daddy; the best cheap pedal not much money can buy. really rude fuzz.

kim · Post by **kim** » Fri Apr 10, 2009 9:28 pm

great digital cold sounding delay, feedback knob works great, has a setting where it sounds all like a robot which is cool if you're into it, which i am. awesome blue light but can be a bit tough to see wtf you're doing with the knobs because the led blinds you. tap thing i find annoying too because i'm an idiot and it pisses me off when it goes into tap mode when i don't want it and i can't get into reg mode anymore. sometimes i wish you could have presets on this i would have the 'robot' setting and then a very short fast slapback delay..could just get two but board space...

budget pitch shifter that perfectly does the job. harmony setting and then the two setting where it changes your pitch when you put your foot on it are awesome and perfectly usuable in a band. it's a copy so in that way it's nothing 'unique' but it does the job for way less money than the others.

i love both these pedals because they can make a guitar sound like anything but a guitar but also be less extreme and be regular effects

Progrockabuse · Post by **Progrockabuse** » Fri Apr 10, 2009 10:20 pm

there's been a few pedals that i've owned/still own that sound really amazing for the dollar and that i favor over more expensive units.

Danelectro PB&J Delay: without a doubt, the best delay pedal i ever owned. a simple Â£40 pedal that sounds very analogue and very little noise. compact, easy to use and
i've never got a bad sound out of it. sold it to james, but buying it back as i miss it so much.

Danelectro Chicken Salad Vibrato: great sounding uni-vibe pedal. sure it's not going to go head to head with the bigger guns, but it's sounds a dead ringer for breathe and have a cigar by pink floyd.

Behringer ultra trem: a Â£15 quid boss TR-2 clone without the volume drop. sounds really nice, though i'd still love a tuna melt.

Nick · Post by **Nick** » Fri Apr 10, 2009 10:37 pm

Nobels ODR-1. I have the grey box (the green box is definitely not a bargain anymore). They sell regularly for under $60 on ebay, I got mine for $20. Probably my favorite overdrive sound ever, and I've tried quite a few. Very transparent, and crunchy. Like a tube screamer only it's capable of nice bottom end too.

However the input jack on mine is fuxx0red and I haven't found a good replacement yet.

Haze · Post by **Haze** » Fri Apr 10, 2009 11:23 pm

dano tans od

or the behringer super fuzz/ dd600 both great

stewart · Post by **stewart** » Fri Apr 10, 2009 11:32 pm

ah... time for me to whip this out again.

no matter how many pedals i've tried to replace it with, it always creeps back onto my board. ideal for a little gritty boost, i've never found anything else that gives me that same hint of dirt without muddying up my signal. it's generally on the whole way through our set with the exception of one verse of one song where i need a clangy surfy sound. i also never have my fulltone distortion on without it, really makes it roar.

the problem with it is the plastic casing- not worth a fuck after a while, the switches start going. i'm on my second one, i think i might rehouse it soon, should be fairly straightforward. got my first one for free, second one cost about Â£15. brilliant little things.

edit: picture borked?

Mages · Post by **Mages** » Fri Apr 10, 2009 11:54 pm

and again I'll back stewart up on this one, adding that the TS7 is also a great buy. It's actually better than the TS9 because it has a "hot" switch.

EDIT: also, on the TS5 plastic case; it's worth noting that the early ones used a metal case. http://www.dirk-hendrik.com/ibanez.html#blackmetal

paul_ · Post by **paul_** » Sat Apr 11, 2009 12:51 am

Dano minis and coolcats

gaybear · Post by **gaybear** » Sat Apr 11, 2009 2:21 am

this is a cool thread

Post by **dots** » Sat Apr 11, 2009 2:33 am

stewart wrote:ah... time for me to whip this out again.

no matter how many pedals i've tried to replace it with, it always creeps back onto my board. ideal for a little gritty boost, i've never found anything else that gives me that same hint of dirt without muddying up my signal. it's generally on the whole way through our set with the exception of one verse of one song where i need a clangy surfy sound. i also never have my fulltone distortion on without it, really makes it roar.

the problem with it is the plastic casing- not worth a fuck after a while, the switches start going. i'm on my second one, i think i might rehouse it soon, should be fairly straightforward. got my first one for free, second one cost about Â£15. brilliant little things.

YESSSSSS!

i so need to get another one of these. it was my first pedal evar.

aen · Post by **aen** » Sat Apr 11, 2009 4:17 am

For tonez: Behringer VIntage Distortion. $30 big muff. However, it has a shit bypass, and breaks, quickly.

Overall: Digitech Bad Monkey. Overdrive with 2 bnd EQ, it was good. Mysteriously died on the board.

Post by **Doog** » Sat Apr 11, 2009 11:13 am

Nick wrote:Nobels ODR-1. I have the grey box (the green box is definitely not a bargain anymore). They sell regularly for under $60 on ebay, I got mine for $20. Probably my favorite overdrive sound ever, and I've tried quite a few. Very transparent, and crunchy. Like a tube screamer only it's capable of nice bottom end too.

However the input jack on mine is fuxx0red and I haven't found a good replacement yet.

The happened to my ODR-S- I just took it apart and resoldered the jack to the PCB, and BAM.

And +1 on the Nobels OD pedals, I love my ODR-S soo much, great tonez.

Thomas · Post by **Thomas** » Sat Apr 11, 2009 4:18 pm

Â£15 from Guitar Store years ago. Lovely pedal.

the isaac eaton · Post by **the isaac eaton** » Sat Apr 11, 2009 6:46 pm

danelectro Cool cat fuzz. and the EHX little big muff can be pretty cheap too.

DE7!! mine broke but they are great budget delays.

Nick · Post by **Nick** » Sat Apr 11, 2009 6:51 pm

Doog wrote:
Nick wrote:Nobels ODR-1. I have the grey box (the green box is definitely not a bargain anymore). They sell regularly for under $60 on ebay, I got mine for $20. Probably my favorite overdrive sound ever, and I've tried quite a few. Very transparent, and crunchy. Like a tube screamer only it's capable of nice bottom end too.

However the input jack on mine is fuxx0red and I haven't found a good replacement yet.
The happened to my ODR-S- I just took it apart and resoldered the jack to the PCB, and BAM.

And +1 on the Nobels OD pedals, I love my ODR-S soo much, great tonez.

That's the thing, I don't think it's the solder joints, it looked pretty tight and it works if you pull out the plug just a little bit. I think it's the inside prongs that are messed up.

chisa · Post by **chisa** » Sat Apr 11, 2009 10:57 pm

[youtube][/youtube]

i love this delay. only take 100ma too so can run off a lot of power supplies. the tape setting is fucking lush

endsjustifymeans · Post by **endsjustifymeans** » Sun Apr 12, 2009 2:56 am

chisa wrote:[youtube][/youtube]

i love this delay. only take 100ma too so can run off a lot of power supplies. the tape setting is fucking lush

It's got a sweet reverse sound too doesn't it? I wanted one of those when MF had them on sale, but I was way broke. Now I can't find them anywhere.

suede · Post by **suede** » Sun Apr 12, 2009 3:05 am

tuna melt...