Favorite overdrive pedals

[mrpinter]

I'm still in search of a "Favorite Overdrive Pedal", To me, they all sound fake. They're all a valiant effort to make an amp sound as if you've got an overly-hot guitar or an amp turned up to the point of distortion, but they generally fail in their mission.

Then maybe you haven't tried one of the better, and more transparently voiced ones. For example, the Speaker Cranker pretty much sounds like another gain stage in the amp - to my ears very "natural" (as natural as an overdriven amp can sound anyway).

 

[Cagey]

I'm sure there are better units out there that I haven't tried. Best luck I've had in the past has been with just what you describe - another stage of gain, either via pedal (like EH's LPB-1) or amp modification. However, these days I'm hopelessly spoiled by the Axe Fx II, so I don't do pedals at all. Don't need to. The thing is magical.

 

[KaiserSoze]

Took some time with the Catalinbread 5F6 and the DLS pedals this weekend.  Both are really tasty but leaning toward the 5F6 for the styles my band plays.  The 5F6 is very good with my strat.  Sadly I can only buy one right now. I'm curious how it will play using my Soul Food as a clean boost…Should be fun to find out.  the joy is in the journey.