A good Overdrive pedal for jimi style sounds

[harkkam08]

I was also looking for a overdrive pedal and came across a few which I liked. Im going for jimi's live sound BOG, woodstock etc

Here is a list of a few things I looked at:

1. Rothwell Hellbender
2. Love Pedal Purple Plexi
3. Plextortion from Wampler Pedals
4. Zvex box of rock
5. Zen drive 2
6. Catalinbread Dirty Little Secret
7. Carl Martin Plexi Tone


My two favorite is a rothwell hellbender and the box of rock...what do you guys think? What is gonna put me the closest to Live jimi.


Thanks guys, sorry for all these posts dont mean to be a pest

[Roe]

the axis fuzz or the voodoo-axe can be used as a overdrive or a booster. just try high volume and low fuzz/distortion

[harkkam08]

I dont know but for some reason the axis fuzz doesnt seem to sound like what jimi used. I listened to alot of youtube vids and it doesnt sound the same, it sounds flat and fizzy and doesnt have that singing voice.

[Roe]

I do not have the same experience with my voodoo-axe. its much easier to get that singing voice if you play loud like jimi did. also, you can run the axe/axis relatively clean or turn down you volume control

many youtube demos are of little help to me. you just don't get close to jimi's sound without some of his playing style (not at least the vibrato and some of the attack),and a real plexi at high volumes

[heybanna]

Axis Fuzz

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DDxx5xJV4vo" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[Tone Slinger]

Most of that 'singing' tone was the product of sheer volume. The Marshalls output tubes were clipping real good. This (output tube distortion) is singular, you either have it or dont. No pedal can reproduce this. You can either crank a old super lead head, use an attenuater, or to some extent use a ppimv, as it sorta gives the charector of power tube distortion.

Now, if you've got the above 'cranked' superlead, all you need is a stock, or slightly modded Fuzz Face (axis) circuit, that isnt cranked too high, like mentioned earlier. That is the REAL way to go.

Now if your looking to reproduce it using a non output clipping superlead, good luck .

The guy that makes the real Univibe clones, an that Gypsy Fuzz, Kevin I think his name is, might have something to offer in this regard.

[zackd]

Impossible to tell sound quality on youtube. I can say that the axis if you get a good one ,
sounds just like Hendrixs berkley fuzz to a t and also sounds like axis instrumental on the box set. It really comes closer to those tones than any fuzz I have heard or had. I have owned many fuzz faces new , old , and imo the axis really does nail it . I just sold my axis as I scored one of E.J.'s fuzz face's and like it a little more. Only complaint with axis is that I heard a some bad ones but just like any other make's of fuzz's you try a few if you can.

Just crank a plexi till it is just starting to break up a bit. Maybe go for a attenuator . Just my opinion.

[Tone Slinger]

Agreed. Gotta have a tube amp (particuarly a Marshall in this case) being pushed a bit. Because if your power amp section (hopefully tube based) is running at managable 'clean' operation (like most modern Hi gain amps are desighned, they rely almost completely on the Preamp stage for dirt), then the preamp needs to have a more 'tubelike' natural sounding sound, 'cause a Fuzz Face will sound real trashy, and NOTHING like Hendrix's, if the power amp isnt 'clipping'.

BUT, since the power amp section is further down the circuit than the front/preamp section, when you push the power section it compresses everything BEFORE (ex. fuzz face) it, thus making the very gnarly, hick uping sound of the fuzz face that true singular 'singing' sound.

Combining a fuzz face with preamp gain doesnt do it either, this get's even trashier than the fuzz face alone.

[antosimoni]

ProCo RAT

[Eugene Martone]

A rat will not get give you Hendrix sounds!!! It sounds nothing like a crancked jtm100 or a fuzzface... Or any mayer octavia, axis ods. Not that the rat isn't ok for medium drive but it woun't sound like hendrix. It sounds a lot more preampdistortiony to me .

[Tone Slinger]

You dont want to get TOO linear of a distortion/od for Hendrix. You want BIG headroom for sure. Also something that will clean up on your guitars volume knob.

I'd go to the source, as far as a good distortion sound goes. That would be an MXR Distortion +. ALOT of pedal's are pretty much based on this circuit. The DOD Overdrive/preamp 250 (not the inferior Yngwie 308 type) imo, will get you the best Hendrix vibe though. It has ALOT of headroom and isnt as compressed as it's older brother (Distortion +).

Obviously, these werent what Hendrix used, but they can do real well when your not after 'verbatum' exactness. I'd argue that Hendrix himself would have used these pedal's had they been available to him.

[basile865]

I agree with everyone here. The truest way to chase that comes with the fact that you need to kick that amp hard! High volume. After that - a lot of overdrive/distortion pedals will get you in the territory.

I have an MXR distortion + that I'll bring to all the open mic's I hit up. You never know what kind of amp you're going to play through, and with my weak single coils I need something that can boost the hell out of me. The MXR has a TON and then some. Only thing I don't dig about it is that it has sort've a mid scooped sound a little bit. The tone itself is just not that great. I think I'll always be experimenting trying to find the most transparent tube amp sounding pedals.

I recently bought an Xotic RC booster and love it. It really does sound like its part of the amp and your tone, it does not hinder it, it only enhances everything. You can add bass too. Its not really going to dirty up your sound much though.

Bottom line is, if you're in your bedroom or in a small gig and you need something to get soaring I think you're just going to have to experiment with different distortion pedals until you find something reasonably priced and that you like. Just go to a guitar center and try everything you can. Its not going to sound the same but you'll get there.

[Blues Rocker]

I am not a Hendrix expert. I was just learning the craft of performing when Mr. Hendrix was at his peak.
All I know is that after all of the pedals, amps and guitars I've owned over the decades, when I play through my Zvex Box of Rock into my JTM-45
and crank it I swear that Jimi would smile at the tones when I play his songs (though while heartfelt, hardly doing him justice!).

[Doug H]

I haven't done this personally, but I'd look into stacking a fuzz into a COT50 or one of those medium gain plexi style pedals