Best Effects Units For Valve Amps...Go

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Best Effects Units For Valve Amps...Go

Post by johnny mullet »

There seems to be a school of thought out there that you don't need a distortion pedal for a valve amp, and that effects units lack originality of sound. What do the valve experts say?
I would expect a digital delay would be an important part of your signal chain.
Can you get a metal chug with valve amp alone without a distortion pedal without blowing the neighbours windows out?

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Re: Best Effects Units For Valve Amps...Go

Post by NippleWrestler »

Depends on the amp. If you're happy with the drive then you're happy with the drive. I like mesa boogie drive sounds more than most others.

Thing is every pedal gives you a different flavour of drive. They're not all the same, so if you're not huge on the amp sound you've got a whole universe to help you out.

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Re: Best Effects Units For Valve Amps...Go

Post by StratMatt »

All depends what sort of amps you're looking at. You can absolutely get a metal chug from an amp sans pedal if you get one where you can drive the preamp section and that sound works for you. What are you looking for exactly?
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Re: Best Effects Units For Valve Amps...Go

Post by johnny mullet »

The amp BG’s building the cab for has two gain knobs so should do the job. That Dave Mustaine sound on peace sells I love. The downside of using the amp for your sound though would be that you can’t switch in and out of different sounds on the fly though.
StratMatt wrote: Sat Aug 29, 2020 9:09 pm All depends what sort of amps you're looking at. You can absolutely get a metal chug from an amp sans pedal if you get one where you can drive the preamp section and that sound works for you. What are you looking for exactly?

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Re: Best Effects Units For Valve Amps...Go

Post by jimi »

Depends on the amp, and the sound you are going for, and how loud you can get.

Often getting great amp distortion requires a lot of volume. Pedals will get you most of the way there without upsetting your neighbours.

I think that school of thought was more valid 20 years ago though, pedals, digital amps, etc, have all come a long long way since the days when every highschool band was using a peavey bandit or Marshall valvestate, and crying about the lack on tone in their metal zone, or DOD grunge pedal.

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Re: Best Effects Units For Valve Amps...Go

Post by quyet »

tubescreamer 808 - low OD, high level
Sounds great if you want a light breakup sound with definition
Pretty obvious but worth mentioning :o

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Re: Best Effects Units For Valve Amps...Go

Post by jeremyb »

Valve amps are too loud, so you need an OD pedal, I also think an analog delay is a far better choice, add some texture, a digital delay is too pure for my tastes! Also some fuzz but only into a slightly dirty amp, otherwise they sound thin.
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Re: Best Effects Units For Valve Amps...Go

Post by H671 »

A two channel amp with separate EQ for each channel & a Master Volume on the drive channel. Add a drive pedal of choice if you need further shaping.
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Re: Best Effects Units For Valve Amps...Go

Post by johnny mullet »

I heard if you put your effects loop between the pre-amp and the power amp will provide the best results. This sounds interesting. May have to get a mod done.
StratMatt wrote: Sat Aug 29, 2020 9:09 pm ... drive the preamp section and that sound works for you...

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Re: Best Effects Units For Valve Amps...Go

Post by jeremyb »

johnny mullet wrote: Sun Aug 30, 2020 1:59 pm I heard if you put your effects loop between the pre-amp and the power amp will provide the best results. This sounds interesting. May have to get a mod done.
StratMatt wrote: Sat Aug 29, 2020 9:09 pm ... drive the preamp section and that sound works for you...
That's where an effects loop generally is, would be weird to do it otherwise!
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Re: Best Effects Units For Valve Amps...Go

Post by NippleWrestler »

jeremyb wrote: Sun Aug 30, 2020 1:01 pm Valve amps are too loud, so you need an OD pedal, I also think an analog delay is a far better choice, add some texture, a digital delay is too pure for my tastes! Also some fuzz but only into a slightly dirty amp, otherwise they sound thin.
You're not playing the right fuzzes then. The Fuzzboy we have will put a grin on your face. It's as thick and sludgy as you want.

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Re: Best Effects Units For Valve Amps...Go

Post by Voxshall »

I like a valve amp cranked up enough to have a bit of hair then roll guitar vol down for clean, and use a clean boost, OD with vol cranked and gain down or fuzz to take it over the top. Something about this that sounds more alive to me. I'm not really into two channel or multiple channel amps, once you get to complicated you start to lose a bit of punch, but I can compromise with cascading gain amps if they are well designed. I'm not sure what you mean by digital delay being an essential part of the chain, but I can't imagine many would prefer the tone of a digital delay over an Echoplex EP-3 into a valve amp, the EP-3 preamp is a match made in heaven with valve amps.

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Re: Best Effects Units For Valve Amps...Go

Post by johnny mullet »

Forgive my noobness. There is only one input jack on my amp. Where the heck can I put in the effects loop to slot it between pre-amp and power-amp?
jeremyb wrote: Sun Aug 30, 2020 2:16 pm That's where an effects loop generally is, would be weird to do it otherwise!

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Re: Best Effects Units For Valve Amps...Go

Post by NippleWrestler »

johnny mullet wrote: Sun Aug 30, 2020 3:38 pm Forgive my noobness. There is only one input jack on my amp. Where the heck can I put in the effects loop to slot it between pre-amp and power-amp?
jeremyb wrote: Sun Aug 30, 2020 2:16 pm That's where an effects loop generally is, would be weird to do it otherwise!
Your amp doesn't have one then unfortunately. It's something you can definitely mod in there, typically it sits after the phase inverter and before the first power tube.

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Re: Best Effects Units For Valve Amps...Go

Post by jeremyb »

johnny mullet wrote: Sun Aug 30, 2020 3:38 pm Forgive my noobness. There is only one input jack on my amp. Where the heck can I put in the effects loop to slot it between pre-amp and power-amp?
jeremyb wrote: Sun Aug 30, 2020 2:16 pm That's where an effects loop generally is, would be weird to do it otherwise!
An effects loop is part of the amp, would require modifications to add one to an amp that doesn't have one already :)

Do you have a pedal with an effects loop in it? or perhaps a loop pedal which allows you to switch in and out other pedals?
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