Dos Distortion Pedals?

October 7, 2006 9:12 AM

Hello guitarists! Technical question here: Is there any advantage to having two overdrive/distortion devices in my signal chain?

I've been running with the following signal chain for the past two years:

gtr-->Boss Tuner-->MXR Super Comp-->BOSS DS-1-->BOSS AC-2-->Dano Vibrato-->Dano Echo-->Amp

I just purchased a Voodoo Lab Sparkle Drive which is essentially an overdrive with a clean boost. I play country so this pedal seems more appropriate than the buzz-saw BOSS distortion. Would it hurt if I left the BOSS distortion in the signal chain and dropped in the Voodoo Lab pedal? You think I should just dump the BOSS altogether? I'd prefer to leave it in the chain but I'm worried about signal loss and other unforeseen issues. Any advice, personal experiences welcome. Thanks!

posted by KevinSkomsvold to Media & Arts (9 answers total)

I had a Boss Metal Zone that didn't have a true bypass. It used a small amount of battery power even when it wasn't active, and if the battery ran down it would stop passing the signal through.
posted by fuzz at 9:28 AM on October 7, 2006

It's all about getting a sound you like, and if any concievable combination of boxes gets you there then go for it. Sometimes I randomly combine different fx to see if something surprises me, and often it does. Two dist. boxes set low to med. will get a different sound than one set med. to high.
posted by gallois at 10:48 AM on October 7, 2006

You should be fine. Keep the BOSS if you'll use it, dump it if you won't. I used to sometimes run both my Sovtek Big Muff Pi and in-amp distortion at the same time, both at full, and it would give a sound that just sounded like gurgling death. I loved it.
posted by The Michael The at 11:31 AM on October 7, 2006

Best answer: If the BOSS doesn't have a true bypass then keeping it in the chain and not using it can have an effect, yes. It sounds like you're wondering if it's worth using two different distortion stages at the same time, though, and of course this is something that can be done. Like The Michael The does, lots of people use a distortion box combined with amplifier distortion and even MORE common is to use a distortion box while pushing an amp into the breakup stage.

I don't use a lot of distortion when I play. I have an overdrive pedal but I mainly use it to push my amp.

The thing I find odd about this question is, you HAVE both of them sitting there right? Plug it in, try it out. If it sounds good, it sounds good, if it doesn't, it doesn't.
posted by RustyBrooks at 11:39 AM on October 7, 2006

I agree with everyone else.
posted by ludwig_van at 11:52 AM on October 7, 2006

And I'll also add that Rivers Cuomo reportedly achieved many of the guitar sounds on weezer's Pinkerton by going through multiple distortion boxes, if that means anything to you.
posted by ludwig_van at 11:53 AM on October 7, 2006

Response by poster: Wow! Some great answers here! To clarify a bit:

My main concern was degradation of the signal chain. Only the Voodoo Lab Sparkle Drive has true bypass.

My secondary concern was in regards to possibly wrecking something. Up until a couple years ago, I didn't even realize you need to out the chain together in a certain order so I'm somewhat of a newb when it comes to this stuff.

Oh Rusty.. I actually do not have them sitting here. All our gear is locked away in a rehearsal space downtown. I'm still too poor to have a rig at home as well. :/

I did get a chance to try out the combination of the Boss and the Voodoo pedal. Out of the box, it sucked. I'm feeling like I'd like to keep the chain as pure as possible and don't want to sit and diddle for the magic settings.
posted by KevinSkomsvold at 12:46 PM on October 7, 2006

why not diddle for the magic settings? ... you never know what you'll find ... be adventurous
posted by pyramid termite at 2:15 PM on October 7, 2006

Best answer: Stevie Ray, as you probably know, relied on two Ibanez TS-808 overdrives chained in series for part of his sound (or, at least, so we think; the guy's dead and we can't ask him.) They were both turned on, however.

It's pretty clear that Boss pedals aren't true bypass and that they add noise and distort the signal a little when they're not turned on, especially if you're powering them off a transformer or a weak battery. So if you're not planning on using it I'd take it out of the signal path. But that's just me.
posted by ikkyu2 at 4:02 PM on October 7, 2006