Toning down a TS808...?

[Glimmer]

I've been playing with some pedals lately, including an Analogman TS808. I'm finding that even with the overdrive turned all the way down, I'm still getting very noticeable distortion. What I'm aiming for is a slightly or barely overdriven sound but that doesn't seem to be possible and I'd like to understand why. Any thoughts? To fill out the picture, I'm playing the Jazzmaster you see in my signature through a 1964 Gretsch Dual Twin amp. This happens with or without other pedals in the chain, at 9V or 12V, and at different volumes on both the guitar and amp. I'm puzzled and wondering if I need a different pedal (notice I say "a different pedal" and not "another pedal" ) to achieve the sound I'm after.

 

[mayfly]

Hmmm.  That's strange.  The Ibanez units I've used in the past can get cleanish.

Another option is the good old pro co RAT.  I know that one can go all the way to clean boost.

 

[Timmsie95]

I don't know about the Analogman, but I have an Ibanez TS808 and a TS9DX that I can get a clean tone from. I usually have the gain at 0 and the level pretty low, to get a bit of a clean boost, then crank the level up to 10 to push the amp into overdrive.  :dontknow:

 

[swarfrat]

Fresh battery? If the rails drop enough, anything can clip.

 

[mayfly]

Fresh battery? If the rails drop enough, anything can clip.

Good point that.

 

[Glimmer]

Well, having read Mayfly's first reply I went back and, fiddling around a bit more (different amp, different settings), found that I can get a cleaner tone if I back off the volume on the guitar to about 3, and up the level on the box and/or amp to make up the difference. With the guitar's volume at 7–8, which is where I usually keep it, it's definitely distorting with the overdrive all the way down, as I noted. Is that typical? Could the 1Meg pots on the guitar have anything to do with it?

Oh, and to answer swarfrat: this is with a battery, a 12V adaptor, or using a Decibel Eleven Hot Stone Deluxe at 9V or 12V (just got the latter – it's pretty damn nice).

 

[zebra]

If you're considering swapping out pedals, the Voodoo Lab Sparkledrive allows you to blend between drive and clean boost, so you can get those finer degrees of pushiness-without-actual-distortion.  I liked it.

 

[Glimmer]

Thanks, zebra, I'll look into the Sparkledrive. Am also thinking of checking out the Strymon Deco, which has a tape saturation and echo effect. A little bit more than I need but interesting nevertheless.

One final thought: could it be that the amp needs very little to push it into overdrive/that it breaks up too easily?