Pedal suggestions for two different "sounds"

ace · Post by **ace** » Mon Dec 21, 2009 9:14 pm

Hello, I am new to posting on shortscale but Have used it quite a bit for reference. I was looking for your ideas on two kinds of effects pedals.

The first is a "punk" distortion pedal.
[youtube][/youtube]
I want an early black flag type sound. I have heard that Ibanez makes a punkifier pedal, any experience?

The seond is a "spicy" fuzz ala
[youtube][/youtube]
Unfortunetly that one is $200.I heard that the pastrami overdrive from danelectro is similar. Again, any idea?

I am on quite a budget so cheap/Diy ideas are apreciated and I play mostly bass so freindliness to the low end would be nice.
All suggestions apriciated and all opinions considered. All posters thanked!

endsjustifymeans · Post by **endsjustifymeans** » Mon Dec 21, 2009 9:22 pm

For the fuzz sound, look into a fender blender. The fender reissue is good, but Mike makes one that doesn't suffer the volume drop.

For the punk sound-

Buy a JCM 800 and drive it hard. Pedals aren't punk, overdriven valves are.

benecol · Post by **benecol** » Mon Dec 21, 2009 9:29 pm

endsjustifymeans wrote: Pedals aren't punk, overdriven valves are.

*Stares hard at Ends*

Anyhow, moving on... A Rat will cover most of your distortion sounds, with overdrive and even fuzz at the extreme ends of the gain pot's travel too. Fuzz-wise, Dano make some nice udeful and yet crackers fuzzes (the coolcat, the French Toast) but most of us aren't buying new ones because the CEO is a homophobic arsehole. Plenty of secondhand ones around though. If not, the Little Big Muff does plenty as a first fuzz, plus the two pedals stack beautifully together.

analogsystem · Post by **analogsystem** » Mon Dec 21, 2009 9:30 pm

Cheap alternatives to buying a JCM800 are to look at the Peavey VTM heads. They can be had on CL cheap.

What amps do you have now and what is your guitar?
These are more important than pedals and also would greatly influence which pedal to recommend.

endsjustifymeans · Post by **endsjustifymeans** » Mon Dec 21, 2009 9:34 pm

benecol wrote:
endsjustifymeans wrote: Pedals aren't punk, overdriven valves are.
*Stares hard at Ends*

Anyhow, moving on... A Rat will cover most of your distortion sounds, with overdrive and even fuzz at the extreme ends of the gain pot's travel too. Fuzz-wise, Dano make some nice udeful and yet crackers fuzzes (the coolcat, the French Toast) but most of us aren't buying new ones because the CEO is a homophobic arsehole. Plenty of secondhand ones around though. If not, the Little Big Muff does plenty as a first fuzz, plus the two pedals stack beautifully together.

Lol, I mean the sound not the ethos. The classic 70's-80's punk sound is just tube amps with the gain maxed. All the punk bands I played with in my time in Makeway, I never once saw a pedal board. Just a classic valve amp with the gain set to "11".
Punk rock is about lo-fi rawness, and no distortion is as raw as natural tube distortion.

Noirie. · Post by **Noirie.** » Mon Dec 21, 2009 9:37 pm

For the fuzz:
[youtube][/youtube]
I'm sure Mike could make you the peppermint fuzz no bother. For a very reasonable fee

benecol · Post by **benecol** » Mon Dec 21, 2009 9:38 pm

I know, and I'd still beg to differ. Anyhow, Rat first and foremost...

Post by **Doog** » Mon Dec 21, 2009 9:59 pm

endsjustifymeans wrote:Pedals aren't punk, overdriven valves are.

No tube amps for the Flag, it seems:

Originally, Ginn used a Peavey Standard Series 260 four channel P.A. Head to create his signature tone. He simply plugged directly into the amplifier and played with the volumes turned up to the point to where the signal being produced was naturally overdriven. This procedure created a rather abrasive sound that he tuned alongside of the vocal stylings of each singer of the band. This is the sound you hear on Black Flag's Nervous Breakdown single, up to the album Damaged. Ginn later used a rack mounted Roland SIP-300 guitar preamp along with a QSC power amp until 1985 when he began using a Yamaha PG-1 guitar preamp with the same power amp until switching to a Crest PL400 power amp during their last tour. All of Ginn's amps and preamps were solid state, as he preferred them over tube amplifiers.

The earliest speaker cabinets that he used were probably marshall 4x12's. He used a Sound City 4x12 also. His earliest hand made speaker cabinets were fitted with two Peavey Black Widow 15" speakers. His later speaker cabinets were hand made, and used Electro-Voice speakers. One contained six 12" speakers, and the other with two 15" speakers. He then had two custom built cabinets with two 12" and one 15" speakers each. The type of speakers, being heavy duty and engineered for P.A. use therefore largely contributed to his notably dense guitar tone.

Currently, he uses a solid state Sansamp Preamp (overdriven) and uses a Macro-Tech Crown Power Amp with "more Wattage than I really need." The power amp drives a custom made 6x12 cabinet, which he likes a lot.

endsjustifymeans · Post by **endsjustifymeans** » Mon Dec 21, 2009 10:06 pm

I stand corrected, but still the natural gain of the amp instead of pedals.

benecol · Post by **benecol** » Mon Dec 21, 2009 10:11 pm

... which can be easily recreated by a Rat 2. Lets not get all corksniffery about punk sounds, eh?

► Show Spoiler

endsjustifymeans · Post by **endsjustifymeans** » Mon Dec 21, 2009 10:16 pm

So it's like that is it?

Are we forgetting the MC5, The Stooges, hell even the Ramones were around 2 years before Punk Broke in the UK.

chisa · Post by **chisa** » Mon Dec 21, 2009 10:17 pm

big muff and a crunchbox.

[youtube][/youtube]

[youtube][/youtube]

benecol · Post by **benecol** » Mon Dec 21, 2009 10:19 pm

endsjustifymeans wrote:So it's like that is it?

Are we forgetting the MC5, The Stooges, hell even the Ramones were around 2 years before Punk Broke in the UK.

Tee-hee - not really. Was just trying to get a rise out of you. I'm with Kim Gordon; people argue about whether it was the US or the UK that invented punk rock, but they're missing the point; girls invented punk rock.

ace · Post by **ace** » Mon Dec 21, 2009 10:29 pm

Thanks for the quick response! I will look at those heads because my next step in gear buying will probally be buying a head/cab and another bass. I have the following items in my rig:

Amp: 25watt (But VERY loud) marshall b25-mk|| Combo
Guitar: Oscar Shcmidt OB40 4 string bass. with 3 passive pickups which seem to be humbuckers.
Other pedals: Danelectro chicken salad, Sovtek Big Muff Pi.

It is a small rig but I have only been playing for 2-3 years. Alot of this stuff is pretty obscure so I am probally going to have to make a video.

endsjustifymeans · Post by **endsjustifymeans** » Mon Dec 21, 2009 10:30 pm

benecol wrote:
endsjustifymeans wrote:So it's like that is it?

Are we forgetting the MC5, The Stooges, hell even the Ramones were around 2 years before Punk Broke in the UK.
Tee-hee - not really. Was just trying to get a rise out of you. I'm with Kim Gordon; people argue about whether it was the US or the UK that invented punk rock, but they're missing the point; girls invented punk rock.

I can go with that.

Haze · Post by **Haze** » Mon Dec 21, 2009 10:45 pm

pepermint fuzz is basically a silicon based version of a fuzz face circuit. IIRC Dan from the Black Keys keeps a Pepermint fuzz handy in case his Sun Face acts up. [germanium being inconsitent]

BradK · Post by **BradK** » Mon Dec 21, 2009 10:59 pm

Johnny Ramone's tone on the first 4 albums is out of control. His amp is on the brink of exploding. I love it.

Fran · Post by **Fran** » Tue Dec 22, 2009 12:12 am

I'd try a Behringer Tube Amp Modeller for the Punk stuff, the Marshall Guvnor II is'nt bad either. You wont get Valves-in-a-box but it will sound close at 20 yards.

the isaac eaton · Post by **the isaac eaton** » Tue Dec 22, 2009 2:54 am

For punk, distortion 3 by MXR or a MI audio crunch box mentioned above. for fuzz, there are so many options, I love big muffs. Eh, try things out.

Freddy V-C · Post by **Freddy V-C** » Tue Dec 22, 2009 3:07 am

the isaac eaton wrote:distortion 3 by MXR

I found the MXR GT-OD to be extremely similar but a bit more versatile, although I guess punk doesn't require much versatility. I play in a vaguely punk-ish band and the GT-OD has been a constant in my rig since I got it in May.