What are the 'must-try' list of low gain overdrives

Lebarque · June 2023

Tim/Timmy

markj · June 2023

After a great deal of low to medium gain pedals I’ve had a V2 Timmy is fantastic.
Also a MP Sweet Honey OD deluxe is very good but the Timmy has that 10% more.

AntonHunter · June 2023

Yorkie said:

The Sweet Honey Overdrive circuit is a cool one.

Maybe, but it's annoying how people abbreviate it to SHO, thereby confusing it with the Zvex SHO boost. Something to consider anyway.

JCA2550 · June 2023

Tim, Timmy, Rat (or lil Rat) and Jetter GS 124. I've tried and really enjoyed others but was slightly underwhelmed by the KTR, Fulltone Fulldrive 2 and Liquid Sunshine pedals.

Fishboy7 · June 2023

I really like the Hudson Broadcast as a low gainer.

Jazzy_Jake · June 2023

BJFE Baby Blue OD - genuinely one of the only ODs I have ever used that actually sounds very different from most others (to my ears anyway).

The One Control version is easily available.

andy1839 · June 2023

I've got probably three or four times as many drive Pedals as any other type.

My favourites of my current ones would be:

Vemuram Jan Ray
Vemuram Shanks ODS-1
1981 Drv
Mesa V Twin V2 (some really great low gain sounds in it)
Demon Pedals Shifuku Kondo(D Style amp-in-a-box)
JRAD Archer (prefer the silver for Boost, gold for gainer stuff)
Duellist V2

I love threads like this, my wish list grows exponentially after reading them.

Danny1969 · June 2023

I don't like ultra clean sounds so I have a Caline Pure Sky pedal permanently on .... this is a Timmy clone and cost about £26. I got it from someone on here and what a great buy it was.
Someone lent me an MXR Timmy and I tried both ... the MXR isn't any better in MHO

Sporky · June 2023

Liquid Sunshine was my favourite by some margin. I've only had the original version though, Nd ice heard that the later ones aren't the same.

The Zoom Power Drive has a good reputation but felt a bit flat to me. I should probably sell mine claiming it's really upsetting to be moving it on but blah blah.

Devil#20 · June 2023

Surprised nobody has mentioned the Keeley Red Dirt. Whatever setting it's on it just makes everything sound better. There are no stupid extremes that you are never going to use like you have on most pedals. Nothing worse than overdone effects. Less is often more.

Gassage · June 2023

Kingsley Page- daylight- the rest.

personalnadir · June 2023

I tend to cycle back and forward between the Empress Distortion and the Hamstead Comet

thefez · June 2023

Peacekeeper for sure. Fantastic job by Thorpy

TimmyO · June 2023

Gassage said:

Kingsley Page- daylight- the rest.

One day I’ll try one - never heard a bad word

sweepy · June 2023

Kermon Ridge, ridiculously good

markslade07 · June 2023

Danny1969 said:

I don't like ultra clean sounds so I have a Caline Pure Sky pedal permanently on .... this is a Timmy clone and cost about £26. I got it from someone on here and what a great buy it was.
Someone lent me an MXR Timmy and I tried both ... the MXR isn't any better in MHO

How do you have yours set @Danny1969 ? I’ve just got one, and not had much time with it, but I’ve got this constant ‘fizzyness’ at most settings going into my TMTR. I ‘think’ it’s better into a slightly pushed amp rather than a clean pedal platform, which is how I’m using my Twin, so maybe I’ll try and push it a bit more

Danny1969 · June 2023

markslade07 said:

Danny1969 said:

I don't like ultra clean sounds so I have a Caline Pure Sky pedal permanently on .... this is a Timmy clone and cost about £26. I got it from someone on here and what a great buy it was.
Someone lent me an MXR Timmy and I tried both ... the MXR isn't any better in MHO

How do you have yours set @Danny1969 ? I’ve just got one, and not had much time with it, but I’ve got this constant ‘fizzyness’ at most settings going into my TMTR. I ‘think’ it’s better into a slightly pushed amp rather than a clean pedal platform, which is how I’m using my Twin, so maybe I’ll try and push it a bit more

A lot of pedals are totally different in how they sound into different amps. I'm using mine into the clean channel of a Fender Hot Rod for gigs. I have the volume and tone on unity with the bypassed sound but the gain set enough to even out my ham fisted clean playing in terms of dynamics.

tone1 · June 2023

sweepy said:

Kermon Ridge, ridiculously good

Isn’t that a Clint Eastwood film?

JohnPerry · June 2023

Gassage said:

Kingsley Page- daylight- the rest.

This. Although the Minstrel V3 covers the Page territory too.

The Peacekeeper and the Tim were the best of the gazillion low-gainers I had before that.

markslade07 · June 2023

Danny1969 said:

markslade07 said:

Danny1969 said:

I don't like ultra clean sounds so I have a Caline Pure Sky pedal permanently on .... this is a Timmy clone and cost about £26. I got it from someone on here and what a great buy it was.
Someone lent me an MXR Timmy and I tried both ... the MXR isn't any better in MHO

How do you have yours set @Danny1969 ? I’ve just got one, and not had much time with it, but I’ve got this constant ‘fizzyness’ at most settings going into my TMTR. I ‘think’ it’s better into a slightly pushed amp rather than a clean pedal platform, which is how I’m using my Twin, so maybe I’ll try and push it a bit more

A lot of pedals are totally different in how they sound into different amps. I'm using mine into the clean channel of a Fender Hot Rod for gigs. I have the volume and tone on unity with the bypassed sound but the gain set enough to even out my ham fisted clean playing in terms of dynamics.

Cheers Danny, I’ll give that a try

selexis · June 2023

I've also tried dozens of pedals over the years but I keep coming back to the Crowther Hot Cake. I owned several incarnations of that one and are currently playing a double Hot Cake. Kind of strange no one mentioned it yet.
Others I tried and really like:

Electronic Audio Experiments - Halberd
Barber - Ltd.
Okko - Twin Sonic (the old one, even though Mk2 is great as well)
SS/BS - Mini (one of the best pedals ever made, I use it mainly with a little more gain)
Analogman - King of tone

downbytheriver · June 2023

When it comes to BB style pedals (my favourite) I currently possess, in order of my preference

Prince of Tone (clean, clear, fabulous).

Marshall BB reissue (just what you’d expect!).

Browne Carbon (on some days, depending on my hormones or something, this is the best of the lot - really crisp).

Mooer Blues Crabb (if the above didn’t exist I’d still be very happy with this!).

I had the Jackson Golden what’sitsname - great sounds, super programmable etc but I was intimidated by all that and the PoT probably sounds better! Got shot.

King of Tone. Obviously sounds fantastic but in terms of my use I get just as much, of the same quality, from the Prince. Sold to a mate for a very reasonable price!

I ought to try the Duck of Tone (esp. as I have great affection for MXR pedals), but I can’t convince myself there’s any point!

GazAus · June 2023

Another vote for Crowther Hotcake, have had my for 15yrs + and worked with all my amps easily.

26.2 · June 2023

Yeah I meant to say Hotcake a few days ago. Great at low to mid gain and NOT just for Vox amps.

Hattigol · June 2023

They all sound pretty much the same after a while so just pick one in your budget that looks cool.

Dominic · June 2023

GazAus said:

Another vote for Crowther Hotcake, have had my for 15yrs + and worked with all my amps easily.

I loved mine but it was too bassy ......(which is why it sounds so good with a Vox )

MCluer · June 2023

You can’t go wrong with a Lightspeed. I also have a Decibelics Golden Royale which, to my ears sounds incredible.

chromatuna · June 2023

downbytheriver said:

When it comes to BB style pedals (my favourite) I currently possess, in order of my preference

I ought to try the Duck of Tone (esp. as I have great affection for MXR pedals), but I can’t convince myself there’s any point!

Exceptional for that in-between Strat ‘quack’ I assume?

TimmyO · June 2023

MCluer said:

You can’t go wrong with a Lightspeed. I also have a Decibelics Golden Royale which, to my ears sounds incredible.

I have to agree about the Lightspeed. It seems to deliberately sacrifice being able to make all kinds of different sounds in favour of a “fonz” approach of just sounding ace.

I’ve fallen in to the trap of A/Bing it and thinking ‘oh it doesn’t have enough bottom’ or ‘that other one has a more pleasing gentle mid bump’ or some such but then 10 mins later I realise I’ve just been playing away with the Lightspeed and really enjoying it. Great pedal.

TimmyO · June 2023

But there’s actually one that is even more “fonz” (as in, just sounds amazing and I never mess around tweaking I just play” and that is Mad Professor Royal Blue Overdrive*

it’s definitely a very similar kind of thing (sound wise) to the Timmy but it is like the Lightspeed in that it just sounds right at all kinds of settings.

You know that thing where a drive pedal can sound a bit like a drive and a clean sound at once? This is the most opposite of that - which I know is an odd description but it’s just how it seems.

* I don’t actually have the MPRBO I have the MP Supreme - the left side of it is apparently the Royal Blue but I can’t guarantee that it’s completely identical

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What are the 'must-try' list of low gain overdrives

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