Pedal that most disappointed you vs. pedal that most surprised you?
- Thread starter daeg
- Start date
daeg
Well-known member
Biggest Disappointments
- Colorsound Overdrive / Power Boost
- This will be the perfect gritty, dusty, 70's rock, edge-of-breakup sound.
- Yikes that has a rough decay, I must have messed up the transistor bias.
- Looks like this is a known issue, just run it into an overdriven amp and it will sound fine.
- Good lord, it still sounds horrible. I don't mind the Hotcake fizzy opamp decay but this is a no-go.
- Supro Drive
- The RoG Supreux Deux and JHS Thunderbolt are so good.
- This one was made by a professional engineer working for Supro.
- He'll take what was good about those overdrives and make it even better.
- PGS Andy and Mike Hermans make it sound so good.
- It even has a transformer. There must be magic in this box.
- That's really expensive, but I'll buy one to trace it and give back to the DIY community.
- The breakup isn't anything like the JFET Supro-in-a-box pedals I liked. I better keep the box.
- The usable gain range is so narrow. How did they mess it up that bad with a dual-ganged pot?
- Why even bother tracing it? Just pull up Reverb and get this thing sold.
- Hudson Broadcast
- An original Ge / Si topology, inspired by a germanium recording console preamp.
- This is supposed to be a great one for those that don't like typical fuzzes.
- It sounds so good on demos. Time to start ordering all of the mojo parts.
- Ok all done, let me just dial in a good sound.
- ...
- Wow I really hate it.
- Proco Rat
- I have no interest in a dry, bright, harsh, 80's hair metal sound.
- But, my buddy might like that sort of thing. I'll build him an Aion Helios.
- Hey, that's not so bad. Maybe I try it on my board for a few weeks before shipping it.
- Ok, let's try some of the variants. Turbo, Fat, VFE Alpha Dog, 1981 DRV.
- Wow, they're all good. I'm never going to want anything else.
- Mad Professor Deep Blue Delay
- The PT2399 chip is so cool, but 3-Knob Delays are so boring.
- Fine, I'll build one stock then find some ways to mod it.
- Ok, all done, let's try a simple Slapback sound.
- Woah! Wait a second, it's... perfect.
Mentaltossflycoon
Well-known member
Production pedals:
-Disappointment - Fulldrive 2. I borrowed one like 15 years ago. Long before I knew it was yats (ew).
-Surprised - DOD Rubberneck dethroned my hydra which had replaced a long beloved carbon copy
DIY:
-Disappointment - king/prince of tone and related circuits (that's a lot of hype for the most vanilla drive pedal I've ever played)
-Surprised - GCI N.E.W. Bass overdrive. This is the widest gap between how much I dislike a stock pedal vs. how much I like the modded diy version.
-Disappointment - Fulldrive 2. I borrowed one like 15 years ago. Long before I knew it was yats (ew).
-Surprised - DOD Rubberneck dethroned my hydra which had replaced a long beloved carbon copy
DIY:
-Disappointment - king/prince of tone and related circuits (that's a lot of hype for the most vanilla drive pedal I've ever played)
-Surprised - GCI N.E.W. Bass overdrive. This is the widest gap between how much I dislike a stock pedal vs. how much I like the modded diy version.
spi
Well-known member
Most pedals have turned out roughly what my original expectation was.
Disappointment:
Son of Ben. Sort of disappointed only. It actually sounds great until the gain gets beyond the halfway point, where it just adds flabby fizz. I realized I didn't research this one much, I just saw it mentioned many times so added it to my list. I still use it but I keep the gain around 30-40% and am happy.
On my to-build list are the chop shop and the broadcast, but I keep postponing ordering them because they seem like they might be Son-of-ben-ish.
Surprises:
Treble booster. I play single coils, I don't need more treble... oh, so that's what a treble booster does. Really sounds great pushing into dirt.
Dirty Sanchez. "I don't need a high gain MIAB but I'll build one just to have", to "this is always on".
Fuzz Aldrin. I'm not much of a fuzz guy. I keep trying them only to confirm that I don't care for them. This is the one I actually like.
Disappointment:
Son of Ben. Sort of disappointed only. It actually sounds great until the gain gets beyond the halfway point, where it just adds flabby fizz. I realized I didn't research this one much, I just saw it mentioned many times so added it to my list. I still use it but I keep the gain around 30-40% and am happy.
On my to-build list are the chop shop and the broadcast, but I keep postponing ordering them because they seem like they might be Son-of-ben-ish.
Surprises:
Treble booster. I play single coils, I don't need more treble... oh, so that's what a treble booster does. Really sounds great pushing into dirt.
Dirty Sanchez. "I don't need a high gain MIAB but I'll build one just to have", to "this is always on".
Fuzz Aldrin. I'm not much of a fuzz guy. I keep trying them only to confirm that I don't care for them. This is the one I actually like.
daeg
Well-known member
Oh yeah, I was blown away by how good Rangemaster style pedals sound. I didn't keep any on my board, because you need to dial in the amp very murky and dark to get the right sound.
So when you bypass the Treble Booster you've got a pretty unusable tone. Plus the volume difference is gigantic. It makes sense that the two most famous users (May and Iommi) were playing into dark amps and kept the Rangemaster always on.
Laundryroom David
Keyboard Cowboy 🤠
Production disappointment:
JHS Morning Glory. Boring ear hatchet.
Production surprise:
EQD Dispatch Master. I assumed it was all hype and I was not expecting to love it. Ha! I use it constantly. So good.
DIY disappointment:
I’ve been lucky to like most of the pedals I’ve built. That said, I built a Rat from BYOC years ago that had the Reutz mod and three clipping options and I fucking hated it. Impossible to dial in.
DIY surprise:
PPCB General Tso. I knew the circuit would be cool, but I had no idea it would sound so damn good. Always on since I built it.
JHS Morning Glory. Boring ear hatchet.
Production surprise:
EQD Dispatch Master. I assumed it was all hype and I was not expecting to love it. Ha! I use it constantly. So good.
DIY disappointment:
I’ve been lucky to like most of the pedals I’ve built. That said, I built a Rat from BYOC years ago that had the Reutz mod and three clipping options and I fucking hated it. Impossible to dial in.
DIY surprise:
PPCB General Tso. I knew the circuit would be cool, but I had no idea it would sound so damn good. Always on since I built it.
daeg
Well-known member
The Reutz mod looks good on paper, but in practice it kills everything the Rat has going for it. You're better off just accepting that the Rat is going to have a biting tone and a lower-mids hump and not trying to turn it into something it's not.
Synchrony Pedalworks
Well-known member
Production-
Keeley Monterey- Disclaimer: Part of its failure might have been my set up. I was running a large pedalboard without buffers. I think an end of chain buffer might have helped it. It sounded muddy and a lack of life.
DIY-
Klon- I know I might be crazy, but I have built two of them. I hated them both.
Tuberscreamer- another crazy selection. Sounds like mud to me.
Rat- Another crazy selection, but made two of them without love.
Can’t you tell that I might be a Bluesbreaker fan!
Keeley Monterey- Disclaimer: Part of its failure might have been my set up. I was running a large pedalboard without buffers. I think an end of chain buffer might have helped it. It sounded muddy and a lack of life.
DIY-
Klon- I know I might be crazy, but I have built two of them. I hated them both.
Tuberscreamer- another crazy selection. Sounds like mud to me.
Rat- Another crazy selection, but made two of them without love.
Can’t you tell that I might be a Bluesbreaker fan!
Laundryroom David
Keyboard Cowboy 🤠
I wholeheartedly agree.
eh là bas ma
Well-known member
Industrial stompboxes disappointments :
- The first pedal i bought, recommended by some guitar shop owner in my city. He asked me what kind of music I liked.
I answered.
He sold me a Metal Muff (?!)
Couldn't do much with it at the time. Top boost sounds weird, this stompbox is hard to use for any other styles than metal. I only sart to appreciate it now, years later.
- Walrus Deep Six : It's fine but there's a big shhhhhhh noise when used with a gain effect. Only usable in clean mode, i rarely play in clean mode, so i never use it. More than 200 euros wasted. I'll wait 10 years, see if i can sell it for 1000 euros to some rich and unreasonable pedal collector.
Industrial surprise :
- Zvex Fuzz Factory. I went to somebody's home to buy a delay second hand, from a used market ad I saw online. The guy sold me his delay and also offered to sell the Fuzz Factory 120 euros. I didn't know anything about it, so we tried it. We agreed it was broken because of the typical whistling noise from the transistors leakage. I offered to take it for less than half the price : 50 euros and he agreed. Best deal i ever made, all based on ignorance. I felt kind of bad when i realized we were both wrong, it is supposed to whistle and it costs 220 euros... Now it's among my favorite fuzzes.
I don't have expensive gear, so "transparent" overdrives have no interest for me. I don't care about keeping the true sound of my amp. It's a Blues Junior 3, nothing special there... My guitars have good pick-ups (Seymour-Duncan, or EMG), but i tend to forget about them. That's probably why i've been disappointed by a few diy circuits :
-Simulcast (sounds nice but nothing more, i thought it would be great).
-Engineer's Thumb 5 knobs version (distorts so easily, almost unoticeable when it doesn't distort, can't see why i'd use it).
-Spatialist reverb (None of the patches felt good, too artificial for my taste. Sold it to a synth player, i guess it's better with keyboards).
-Tube Screamer (too much mids, boring, can't see the point with my gear, besides history lessons). When i see YATS, i run away...
-Klon is probably my biggest disappointment. Much like a Tubescreamer, Tone control works only in one position, fully CW, otherwise it's unusable. Too much mids, it's ridiculous. The gain texture is bland and dull, no interests at all. I guess it's nice with a 5000 euros guitar and a 10000 euros amp ?
Diy surprises :
Spectron (Meatball) : i didn't know enveloppe filters, built it by curiosity, it's amazing, can't get enough of it. I always use it before a gain effect in a subtle manner, to modulate the signal according to the strength of the strumming. I just started to explore the Send/ Return possibilities...
Flintlock (A/DA Flanger) : Best flanger i ever heard, and best modulation i ever heard. I certainly didn't expect it would be that good.
Echo DC (Memory Man, early version called Echo 600) : I didn't know anything about Memory man, built it by curiosity. My favorite delay, even if i didn't understood it at first.
Tweed Man (Catalinbread 5F6) : There are a lot of gain circuits I like, but this one surprised me the most, because it combines very well with everything.
I use it as some sort of pre-preamp, doing some colouring and tone shaping after another gain effect.
- The first pedal i bought, recommended by some guitar shop owner in my city. He asked me what kind of music I liked.
I answered.
He sold me a Metal Muff (?!)
Couldn't do much with it at the time. Top boost sounds weird, this stompbox is hard to use for any other styles than metal. I only sart to appreciate it now, years later.
- Walrus Deep Six : It's fine but there's a big shhhhhhh noise when used with a gain effect. Only usable in clean mode, i rarely play in clean mode, so i never use it. More than 200 euros wasted. I'll wait 10 years, see if i can sell it for 1000 euros to some rich and unreasonable pedal collector.
Industrial surprise :
- Zvex Fuzz Factory. I went to somebody's home to buy a delay second hand, from a used market ad I saw online. The guy sold me his delay and also offered to sell the Fuzz Factory 120 euros. I didn't know anything about it, so we tried it. We agreed it was broken because of the typical whistling noise from the transistors leakage. I offered to take it for less than half the price : 50 euros and he agreed. Best deal i ever made, all based on ignorance. I felt kind of bad when i realized we were both wrong, it is supposed to whistle and it costs 220 euros... Now it's among my favorite fuzzes.
I don't have expensive gear, so "transparent" overdrives have no interest for me. I don't care about keeping the true sound of my amp. It's a Blues Junior 3, nothing special there... My guitars have good pick-ups (Seymour-Duncan, or EMG), but i tend to forget about them. That's probably why i've been disappointed by a few diy circuits :
-Simulcast (sounds nice but nothing more, i thought it would be great).
-Engineer's Thumb 5 knobs version (distorts so easily, almost unoticeable when it doesn't distort, can't see why i'd use it).
-Spatialist reverb (None of the patches felt good, too artificial for my taste. Sold it to a synth player, i guess it's better with keyboards).
-Tube Screamer (too much mids, boring, can't see the point with my gear, besides history lessons). When i see YATS, i run away...
-Klon is probably my biggest disappointment. Much like a Tubescreamer, Tone control works only in one position, fully CW, otherwise it's unusable. Too much mids, it's ridiculous. The gain texture is bland and dull, no interests at all. I guess it's nice with a 5000 euros guitar and a 10000 euros amp ?
Diy surprises :
Spectron (Meatball) : i didn't know enveloppe filters, built it by curiosity, it's amazing, can't get enough of it. I always use it before a gain effect in a subtle manner, to modulate the signal according to the strength of the strumming. I just started to explore the Send/ Return possibilities...
Flintlock (A/DA Flanger) : Best flanger i ever heard, and best modulation i ever heard. I certainly didn't expect it would be that good.
Echo DC (Memory Man, early version called Echo 600) : I didn't know anything about Memory man, built it by curiosity. My favorite delay, even if i didn't understood it at first.
Tweed Man (Catalinbread 5F6) : There are a lot of gain circuits I like, but this one surprised me the most, because it combines very well with everything.
I use it as some sort of pre-preamp, doing some colouring and tone shaping after another gain effect.
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drgonzo1969
Well-known member
Disappointments:
- All the cornish stuff I have built.
Surprises:
- Solodallas Storm (PPCB Closed circuit booster). This one is my favorite boost I have built. It is second only to my Analogman Beano Boost that I Paid $$$ for. It does all the things other boosts claim to do.
-Madbean Kraken - This one sounds great but is also just hella fun to play. It's a mu-tron autowah
-Dark Rift Delay (EQD Space Spiral) - This pedal is insanely fun. It has a lot of useful and beautiful sounds and outright wacky shit too.
- All the cornish stuff I have built.
Surprises:
- Solodallas Storm (PPCB Closed circuit booster). This one is my favorite boost I have built. It is second only to my Analogman Beano Boost that I Paid $$$ for. It does all the things other boosts claim to do.
-Madbean Kraken - This one sounds great but is also just hella fun to play. It's a mu-tron autowah
-Dark Rift Delay (EQD Space Spiral) - This pedal is insanely fun. It has a lot of useful and beautiful sounds and outright wacky shit too.
eh là bas ma
Well-known member
I beg your pardon, but i would respectfully say that you are being very reasonable. You probably have good taste, or at least good ears, and you are showing some real freedom of mind.
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owlexifry
Well-known member
(all diy builds)
Disappointments:
fulltone OCD - do mosfet hard clippers normally sound this farty and fizzy?
way huge green rhino MK2 - for something that was trying to be better and more functional than an 808, it sounds diminished and worse in every way.
MXR M77 custom badass modified OD - the 100Hz control is ok, but the gain/drive texture/character colours the tone in an unpleasant manner at any drive setting
maxon OD-820 - sort of a klon-inspired 808. doesn't appear to achieve that very well. too dark and muddy. kills the sparkle and you can't bring it back without awful piercing high freqs.
Surprises:
Rangemaster - holy crap. it's just perfect for tweed amps or any dark wooly amp. it's the sound.
super tube screamer ST-01/ST9Pro+ - 808 with a mid boost (freq) control. amazing. can be wild and hot, or soft and gentle.
(not really a surprise, but i didn't expect it to be so damn good)
klon - it's not very useful to me, i feel this pedal works best for clean/edge of breakup platforms, but i'd never before heard a solid state drive pedal create such a rich, harmonically saturated overdrive/distortion tone. (this was before i tried some nice SS high gain distortion/preamps)
Disappointments:
fulltone OCD - do mosfet hard clippers normally sound this farty and fizzy?
way huge green rhino MK2 - for something that was trying to be better and more functional than an 808, it sounds diminished and worse in every way.
MXR M77 custom badass modified OD - the 100Hz control is ok, but the gain/drive texture/character colours the tone in an unpleasant manner at any drive setting
maxon OD-820 - sort of a klon-inspired 808. doesn't appear to achieve that very well. too dark and muddy. kills the sparkle and you can't bring it back without awful piercing high freqs.
+1 such a dull mediocre overdrive.
Surprises:
Rangemaster - holy crap. it's just perfect for tweed amps or any dark wooly amp. it's the sound.
super tube screamer ST-01/ST9Pro+ - 808 with a mid boost (freq) control. amazing. can be wild and hot, or soft and gentle.
(not really a surprise, but i didn't expect it to be so damn good)
klon - it's not very useful to me, i feel this pedal works best for clean/edge of breakup platforms, but i'd never before heard a solid state drive pedal create such a rich, harmonically saturated overdrive/distortion tone. (this was before i tried some nice SS high gain distortion/preamps)
eh là bas ma
Well-known member
OCD is "Farty and fizzy" ? I wouldn't say so.
Doesn't it also depends on the version of the circuit you built ? There are many versions. I built the adhd with v.2 values. It's a great sound. A bit dark at first, so i did some simple mods to get more treble, and i can't be happier with it.
reply #14 :
ADHD (ocd) : Dark sound, How to get more highs ?
ADHD (ocd) : Dark sound, How to get more highs ?
www.diystompboxes.com
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Disappointments? I've had a few!
Almost anything by Thorpy. Especially the collaborations with Victory, such as the Sheriff. I was expecting something much better than the artificial, almost plastic sound like something you's get from an old Zoom multiFX unit.
Which makes The Dane such a wonderful surprise. While not earth-shattering it is very usable, at least through my rig. Some ODs are more fun than others - the Dane is fun.
I wholeheartedly agree with Dr Gonzo - everything ever by Cornish has been massively disappointing. I guess if I liked mud more I would love 'em.
Anything by Mythos. Partly because of how ordinary they sound, and partly because of just how unoriginal the circuits are. Some manufacturers hype more than others and the hype is OTT with Mythos. On a similar level to Lovepedal.
Which is why the Tchula was such a pleasant surprise. I have tried quite a few Lovepedal designs only to find them a bit like Pringles. At first they seem good but you tire of them pretty quickly. The Tchula has lasted longer than most for me.
Friedman dirt pedals promise so much but I can never get them dialled in to sound any good to me. I have played only one Friedman amp and it impressed me a lot. His pedals? not so much.
@eh là bas ma - If you can, try to get a better amp! Sorry, I don't usually say such things because (a) it's rude, and (b) it can be rather insensitive. But the Blues Junior can be a dreadful amp. I can't recommend anything better in the price range unfortunately and am probably a terrible amp snob because I build my own. A good 5E3 biased properly can be a fantastic alternative and a brilliant pedal platform. As you are a builder it could be a great project.
As a less expensive alternative maybe just a better speaker in the BJ might help? I find that the Celestion G12H Creamback makes any amp sound better, and costs what a decent pedal might. The speakers Fender use are awful and will make most good pedals sound bad.
Apologies if this comes across as condescending, I really don't mean to be.
Almost anything by Thorpy. Especially the collaborations with Victory, such as the Sheriff. I was expecting something much better than the artificial, almost plastic sound like something you's get from an old Zoom multiFX unit.
Which makes The Dane such a wonderful surprise. While not earth-shattering it is very usable, at least through my rig. Some ODs are more fun than others - the Dane is fun.
I wholeheartedly agree with Dr Gonzo - everything ever by Cornish has been massively disappointing. I guess if I liked mud more I would love 'em.
Anything by Mythos. Partly because of how ordinary they sound, and partly because of just how unoriginal the circuits are. Some manufacturers hype more than others and the hype is OTT with Mythos. On a similar level to Lovepedal.
Which is why the Tchula was such a pleasant surprise. I have tried quite a few Lovepedal designs only to find them a bit like Pringles. At first they seem good but you tire of them pretty quickly. The Tchula has lasted longer than most for me.
Friedman dirt pedals promise so much but I can never get them dialled in to sound any good to me. I have played only one Friedman amp and it impressed me a lot. His pedals? not so much.
@eh là bas ma - If you can, try to get a better amp! Sorry, I don't usually say such things because (a) it's rude, and (b) it can be rather insensitive. But the Blues Junior can be a dreadful amp. I can't recommend anything better in the price range unfortunately and am probably a terrible amp snob because I build my own. A good 5E3 biased properly can be a fantastic alternative and a brilliant pedal platform. As you are a builder it could be a great project.
As a less expensive alternative maybe just a better speaker in the BJ might help? I find that the Celestion G12H Creamback makes any amp sound better, and costs what a decent pedal might. The speakers Fender use are awful and will make most good pedals sound bad.
Apologies if this comes across as condescending, I really don't mean to be.
eh là bas ma
Well-known member
No trouble at all, thanks for your suggestions.
I'll work in champagne's wineyards during september, with the sole purpose of making money. I'll be ready to build my first amp once i get the 2000 euros i expect to earn there. Hoping that 2000 euros will be more than enough to build something decent ?
Maybe you would allow me to PM you for advices about my first amp build ?
So far, i am thinking about a madamp kit at my usual supplier, because i don't know any better way to start this kind of project.
Madamp Tube Amp Kits
Due to the ongoing price fluctuation and shortage of some tube types, some kits are optionally available w/o tubes. The potentiometers provided with the ki
www.musikding.de
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Mentaltossflycoon
Well-known member
I've been trying to get a friend to upgrade his Blues jr for years. He finally got a HRD (I know, not a huge step up) a long time ago but almost always rocks the Jr for what I assume is weight reasons.
Laundryroom David
Keyboard Cowboy 🤠
So interesting - the only BB I like is the Pot & Kettle. But I love the Centaur, TS and Rat.Production-
Keeley Monterey- Disclaimer: Part of its failure might have been my set up. I was running a large pedalboard without buffers. I think an end of chain buffer might have helped it. It sounded muddy and a lack of life.
DIY-
Klon- I know I might be crazy, but I have built two of them. I hated them both.
Tuberscreamer- another crazy selection. Sounds like mud to me.
Rat- Another crazy selection, but made two of them without love.
Can’t you tell that I might be a Bluesbreaker fan!
With one exception, I found every Keeley pedal I’ve tried really meh. Like I’m sure he is deeply wounded by my views
but I do not get Keeley’s stuff. At all. The roto flange and chorus on the Dyno My Roto are superb, tho.
Harry Klippton
Not Interested
Bought:
Disappointments:
Beetronics Royal Jelly. I thought it was the coolest looking pedal I had ever seen, and the most expensive I had ever bought at the time. I thought it sounded awful and I couldn't get rid of it fast enough
Keeley eccos- this is the pedal that made me finally accept I don't really like delay pedals despite my best efforts
Catalinbread belle epoch deluxe- see above.
Surprises:
DigiTech obscura delay and polara reverb. Both are still on my board. The obscura was the first delay pedal I owned. I didn't realize how unique it was, so everything else has been a letdown. The polara just works and sounds right. It's hard to go wrong with lexicon algorithms anyway.
Built
Disappointments:
So so so many. Like this one. See above comments about delay.
Surprise:
Paragon. I built it just because and now I require a bluesbreaker type pedal all the time.
Simulcast and duocast. Not really a surprise because I liked them in demos but hooboy do I like these. Both are on my board.
Also probably the first time I built a fuzz face. That was great and remains a favorite
Disappointments:
Beetronics Royal Jelly. I thought it was the coolest looking pedal I had ever seen, and the most expensive I had ever bought at the time. I thought it sounded awful and I couldn't get rid of it fast enough
Keeley eccos- this is the pedal that made me finally accept I don't really like delay pedals despite my best efforts
Catalinbread belle epoch deluxe- see above.
Surprises:
DigiTech obscura delay and polara reverb. Both are still on my board. The obscura was the first delay pedal I owned. I didn't realize how unique it was, so everything else has been a letdown. The polara just works and sounds right. It's hard to go wrong with lexicon algorithms anyway.
Built
Disappointments:
So so so many. Like this one. See above comments about delay.
Surprise:
Paragon. I built it just because and now I require a bluesbreaker type pedal all the time.
Simulcast and duocast. Not really a surprise because I liked them in demos but hooboy do I like these. Both are on my board.
Also probably the first time I built a fuzz face. That was great and remains a favorite
daeg
Well-known member
I think I'm the one that traced it. Under a different name. I traced that one and Catalinbread's 5E3 circuit about 5 years ago. It turned out they were both just clever dual Mu-Amps.
They both sounded quite good from what I remember, but I got away from the amp-in-a-box thing once I learned how much more important speaker simulation is than preamp and moved onto Impulse Response stuff.
