Opinions wanted: Good RockBilly overdrive
- Thread starter The Gator
- Start date
Feral Feline
Well-known member
Well, the Brain Seltzer would be pretty good, ie the pre-amp for the Roland Space Echo.
Whether you like Brian Setzer or not, it's a great sounding pedal.
You could try any of the many preamps from PPCB, such as the Doxy (Fendery Victory Duchess) or a pre from a film projector (Projectile) or an old pre for a modulation effect (Celsius):
www.pedalpcb.com
Whether you like Brian Setzer or not, it's a great sounding pedal.
You could try any of the many preamps from PPCB, such as the Doxy (Fendery Victory Duchess) or a pre from a film projector (Projectile) or an old pre for a modulation effect (Celsius):
You searched for preamp - PedalPCB.com
www.pedalpcb.com
Alan W
Well-known member
The Nordland seems to be really popular in Nashville. I built the Aion Andromeda Deluxe and, especially given how little I tend to like most overdrives, think it’s a really solid sounding drive. Very articulate, although I also have a Cattle Driver and a Pot and Kettle slowly under construction that both seem to offer similar “almost clean into mid gain” territory along with the good tone controls that the Andromeda has.
Harry Klippton
Well-known member
I really like the paragon
Feral Feline
Well-known member
Find the schem over here:
Compare that with the original schematic in this service manual PDF.
I bet @HamishR would have some good circuit-suggestions for the thread.
I'd even posit that the PedalPCB Chop Shop (Barbershop) would be a good fit.
The Gator
Well-known member
You say that, but I actually do not like they way some of my overdrives sound with my gretsch. I'm not looking for an overdrive to "get by" or suffice with, I am curious to hear what others, who are into Rockabilly, are enjoying using.
I think midrange response is important, and good dynamic response. Really to me, it's a good blonde bassman tone.
I have a Roland Space echo. I don't take it out anymore. Used to take it out on gigs.
I have a few other echo/ delays I use now.
So I'm good there.
I think midrange response is important, and good dynamic response. Really to me, it's a good blonde bassman tone.
I have a Roland Space echo. I don't take it out anymore. Used to take it out on gigs.
I have a few other echo/ delays I use now.
So I'm good there.
Funny you should ask, and @Feral Feline is right - I played in various rockabilly bands over the years and it was trying to get the right sound from my Gretsch 6120 which led me to building amps and then pedals. I don't know about you but what I want is a clear, twanging low end with enough bite to cut through, and big fat trebles. The midrange is key too, depending on your guitar, amp and pickups. What kind of sound are you looking for? My goal was usually in the Brian Setzer/Rev Horton Heat area - generally fairly low-gain so that I could Travis Pick or play lead. I also wanted the low string boogie runs to have clarity.
There are a few stock pedals which get close for me. It obviously depends a lot on the amp, but pedals I have used in the past which have worked for me and which you can build from PCBs here would include the Mammal (especially if you use a lower-value gain pot), Timmy, Danae, MDMA, Pro-10 Blue and Tweed Sound. But being a tweaker and lover of using vero I have a few custom designs which I love. Right now it seems that Timmy variants are working well.
The Danae is a Timmy variant which can work, and I modified it to where it has become a real favourite for me with a Gretsch and a tweed amp. It should probably sound pretty good through most amps (I hope!) https://forum.pedalpcb.com/threads/timbre-man-slightly-modded-vemuram-tsv-808.15011/
Things like TS don't work for me so well because there isn't enough low end, and what low end there is sounds a bit soggy. They're also too compressed. You don't want anything too fuzzy or loose IME unless you are going for more of an early Cramps or Charlie feathers kinda vibe.
I hope this helps!
There are a few stock pedals which get close for me. It obviously depends a lot on the amp, but pedals I have used in the past which have worked for me and which you can build from PCBs here would include the Mammal (especially if you use a lower-value gain pot), Timmy, Danae, MDMA, Pro-10 Blue and Tweed Sound. But being a tweaker and lover of using vero I have a few custom designs which I love. Right now it seems that Timmy variants are working well.
The Danae is a Timmy variant which can work, and I modified it to where it has become a real favourite for me with a Gretsch and a tweed amp. It should probably sound pretty good through most amps (I hope!) https://forum.pedalpcb.com/threads/timbre-man-slightly-modded-vemuram-tsv-808.15011/
Things like TS don't work for me so well because there isn't enough low end, and what low end there is sounds a bit soggy. They're also too compressed. You don't want anything too fuzzy or loose IME unless you are going for more of an early Cramps or Charlie feathers kinda vibe.
I hope this helps!
Alan W
Well-known member
now that’s much more to my taste in drives, and I agree, I think it’s got a lovely voice.
Chuck D. Bones
Circuit Wizard
HamishR & I have collaborated on a few pedal mods. Check out the Timbre Man and modd'ed Animals Diamond Peak over in The Boneyard.
tegendemuur
Well-known member
So, which one did you go for in the end? 
Having no tweed drive yet, I put the Indiana Tweed (Tweed 57) on my wishlist... (Glad my little local J201 source still has stock, as this one needs six). I do remain curious if something else hides beyond my attention...
Update: There's the Tweed Man Overdrive (Catalinbread Formula 5F6) which gets a lot of love as well, which has taken the number one spot now.
Having no tweed drive yet, I put the Indiana Tweed (Tweed 57) on my wishlist... (Glad my little local J201 source still has stock, as this one needs six). I do remain curious if something else hides beyond my attention...
Update: There's the Tweed Man Overdrive (Catalinbread Formula 5F6) which gets a lot of love as well, which has taken the number one spot now.
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tegendemuur
Well-known member
Why is there no PCB yet for this classic?Well, the Brain Seltzer would be pretty good, ie the pre-amp for the Roland Space Echo.
Whether you like Brian Setzer or not, it's a great sounding pedal.
You could try any of the many preamps from PPCB, such as the Doxy (Fendery Victory Duchess) or a pre from a film projector (Projectile) or an old pre for a modulation effect (Celsius):
You searched for preamp - PedalPCB.com
I had an original Brain Seltzer when Tavo first came out with them. I've built a few too, in the hopes that I was missing something when I bought and sold the original! It's just a Roland Space Echo preamp. No mojo except maybe it helps drive a long cable. Whenever I've tried it all it has done is add noise. I can find absolutely no tonal benefit from this pedal. After all, it was designed to be invisible.
I'm yet to find a pedal which can help me sound as good as Brian Setzer. His sound on songs such as Stray Cat Strut or Runaway Boys is incredible. The one song I can get close to I discovered by chance. I'm pretty sure he used a Tubescreamer on Rumble in Brighton because if I play my Gretsch 6120 SSLVO through a TS, slapback delay and my tweed amps I get a very similar sound. But mostly his sound is a 6120 and a LOUD blonde Bassman with Celestion V30s in a closed back cab.
Of course there are other rockabilly players... And just this last week I discovered that a lightly modified Royal Blue OD sounds perfect for rockabilly - at least the styles I play - with a Gretsch or hollow-body Gibson. Pretty darn good with a Strat too.
I'm yet to find a pedal which can help me sound as good as Brian Setzer. His sound on songs such as Stray Cat Strut or Runaway Boys is incredible. The one song I can get close to I discovered by chance. I'm pretty sure he used a Tubescreamer on Rumble in Brighton because if I play my Gretsch 6120 SSLVO through a TS, slapback delay and my tweed amps I get a very similar sound. But mostly his sound is a 6120 and a LOUD blonde Bassman with Celestion V30s in a closed back cab.
Of course there are other rockabilly players... And just this last week I discovered that a lightly modified Royal Blue OD sounds perfect for rockabilly - at least the styles I play - with a Gretsch or hollow-body Gibson. Pretty darn good with a Strat too.
The Gator
Well-known member
I feel like a lot of times that something sounds good with a strat it sounds good with my Gretsch as well. There are some overdrives that I just absolutely do not like the way they work at all with a strat or a Gretsch. And I guess when I say the word Gretsch, at least for me, I mean filter Tron pickups. I don't have anything with dynasonics, although I'm really wanting to get a guitar with them. Recently I pulled half the pole pieces out of a filtertron and it gets pretty close to a dynasonic, but not the same. although, it is a cool sound and hum canceling!
I ended up making a pedalpcb super Stevie which is a Love pedal version of a Timmy. I modified it just a bit and called it the Stratodrive. I noticed right away I really like that with the Gretsch for rockabilly. When I'm talking about sounding like Brian Setzer I actually don't mean the early stuff. You kind of don't really need an overdrive for that in my opinion. I'm talking about the sound on the Guitar Slinger, Dirty Boogie albums. Lil more grit to them.
I ended up making a pedalpcb super Stevie which is a Love pedal version of a Timmy. I modified it just a bit and called it the Stratodrive. I noticed right away I really like that with the Gretsch for rockabilly. When I'm talking about sounding like Brian Setzer I actually don't mean the early stuff. You kind of don't really need an overdrive for that in my opinion. I'm talking about the sound on the Guitar Slinger, Dirty Boogie albums. Lil more grit to them.
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Feral Feline
Well-known member
Gator, what about P90s?
The Gator
Well-known member
I'm glad you mentioned this, and I should start a new thread to talk about it, but I do not have a guitar with P90 pickups or Franz single coil pickups.
However I have been experimenting with removing the adjustable pole pieces from paf humbuckers to get a P90 sound, with a much less 60 cycle hum. A PAF humbucker takes the same amount of wire used on a P90 and divides into sets of coils with one reversed polarity to reduce noise. If you remove the pole pieces from one of the coils, that coil no longer picks up the string vibration, but the coil still reduces noise. It is slightly quieter than the original volume of the humbucker, and sounds like a P90.
I am really liking the tone I'm getting with the pole pieces removed on both my stock humbuckers in my SG standard definitely a great middle tone.
I replaced the pole pieces with nylon screw to keep debris out of the holes. PAF pickups use 5-40 threaded screws, but 4-4-40 threaded nylon fits nicely and are to loose.
This allows me to get a tone I like for rockabilly, blues, swing, with a guitar that is light and plays great. I did not have to buy P90s, a new pickguard, or sacrifice hum canceling, just a little bit of volume.
This sounds great with the Stratodrive and even better with the soon to come...Gatordrive!
However I have been experimenting with removing the adjustable pole pieces from paf humbuckers to get a P90 sound, with a much less 60 cycle hum. A PAF humbucker takes the same amount of wire used on a P90 and divides into sets of coils with one reversed polarity to reduce noise. If you remove the pole pieces from one of the coils, that coil no longer picks up the string vibration, but the coil still reduces noise. It is slightly quieter than the original volume of the humbucker, and sounds like a P90.
I am really liking the tone I'm getting with the pole pieces removed on both my stock humbuckers in my SG standard definitely a great middle tone.
I replaced the pole pieces with nylon screw to keep debris out of the holes. PAF pickups use 5-40 threaded screws, but 4-4-40 threaded nylon fits nicely and are to loose.
This allows me to get a tone I like for rockabilly, blues, swing, with a guitar that is light and plays great. I did not have to buy P90s, a new pickguard, or sacrifice hum canceling, just a little bit of volume.
This sounds great with the Stratodrive and even better with the soon to come...Gatordrive!
