So I got to try a Bogner Ecstasy Red pedal last night in class...

Mark Wein

Mark Wein

Grand Poobah
Staff member
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One of my students brought it in...My first issue is that is has so many friggin controls on it. It sounds pretty good through my Suhr Badger 30 but it really only gets one sound, kind of similar to my Wampler Pinnacle Deluxe although it has a slightly more modern edge. Not a bad pedal but not really something I need. It definitely was perfect for playing The Attitude Song by Steve Vai though :tongue:
 
Am I crazy in that I prefer to get my dirt from my amp and save my pedal money for delays and choruses? I see people spending so much money on overdrives and distortions. It's like- don't you like your amp? I might be a little hypocritical here in that I own several dirt pedals myself, but they're all ones I've gotten for next to nothing. Still, none of them compare to my amp. Why spend a grand or two on a good amp only to spend another 300 on a distortion pedal? Doesn't make sense.
 
It depends on your application. I can't play loud enough to get dirt from my amp on most if my gigs and then I have no clean sound for other stuff since I have to cover so many styles of music. That's why there are 4 dirt pedals and a boost on my pedalboard. I need the flexibility at any volume and I really dislike the clean sound on most channel switching amps.
 
Gotcha. I know I keep going back to this, but that's why I use the amps that I do. My main amp is the Legacy 3, which has a true master volume and 3 channels. All 3 channels sound exactly the same at 1 or 5 on the volume. I use a Line 6 Duoverb for other stuff which gives me 4 channels. It doesn't sound right until you get it past 2, but it gives a pretty wide range of volume from there. I love the sound of a cranked Marshall, but it's like having a Lamborghini. What good it to have a car that does 202 mph when you'll barely ever get it over 80? The Lambo will get you a few more chicks than the Marshall, though.
 
My problem is that I would like a really good dirt pedal to bring on the road when I can't bring an amp, in the hopes that I can get close to the sound of my Bogner amp. Still waiting to find a pedal that can do that.
 
Muppet said:
Gotcha. I know I keep going back to this, but that's why I use the amps that I do. My main amp is the Legacy 3, which has a true master volume and 3 channels. All 3 channels sound exactly the same at 1 or 5 on the volume. I use a Line 6 Duoverb for other stuff which gives me 4 channels. It doesn't sound right until you get it past 2, but it gives a pretty wide range of volume from there. I love the sound of a cranked Marshall, but it's like having a Lamborghini. What good it to have a car that does 202 mph when you'll barely ever get it over 80? The Lambo will get you a few more chicks than the Marshall, though.
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Yep! My Suhr Badger 30 sounds like a pretty good cranked Marshall when I can wind it up but that doesn't happen very often. In a perfect world I would have a clean amp/dirty amp setup but I would still use some pedals because I do like them.

Psychotronic said:
My problem is that I would like a really good dirt pedal to bring on the road when I can't bring an amp, in the hopes that I can get close to the sound of my Bogner amp. Still waiting to find a pedal that can do that.
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I'd think that would be a pretty tough thing to do.
 
Never spent 1, or 2 grand on an amp. Everything I have, I prefer the pedal's distortion. When I buy an amp, number one thing is, what does it sound like clean. Nothing else matters.
 
Muppet said:
Am I crazy in that I prefer to get my dirt from my amp and save my pedal money for delays and choruses? I see people spending so much money on overdrives and distortions. It's like- don't you like your amp? I might be a little hypocritical here in that I own several dirt pedals myself, but they're all ones I've gotten for next to nothing. Still, none of them compare to my amp. Why spend a grand or two on a good amp only to spend another 300 on a distortion pedal? Doesn't make sense.
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I have never played an amp (and I can't even begin to count how many I have owned) that sounds great clean and distorted on its own. When I was younger I gigged with 2 amps one for each. I am too old for that now and since they don't make a "clean" pedal, I have to get an amp that sounds good clean and get my dirt with a pedal.
 
Muppet said:
Am I crazy in that I prefer to get my dirt from my amp and save my pedal money for delays and choruses? I see people spending so much money on overdrives and distortions. It's like- don't you like your amp? I might be a little hypocritical here in that I own several dirt pedals myself, but they're all ones I've gotten for next to nothing. Still, none of them compare to my amp. Why spend a grand or two on a good amp only to spend another 300 on a distortion pedal? Doesn't make sense.
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I'm really, really fickle on distortion sounds. I pick an amp based solely on its clean sound because I'm guaranteed to get bored with its distortion.

My Mesa DC-3 has a good distortion sound that could be really good with some work but -- after searching far and wide -- I prefer the Fulltone Plimsoul. It's just "tighter" and it responds nicely.

But I'm already bored with that. I spent last night thrashing a crappy Russian Big Muff, having an obnoxious blast, and thinking maybe I should look into an Earthquaker Hoof Fuzz or a Mojo Hand Iron Bell or.....
 
Muppet said:
Am I crazy in that I prefer to get my dirt from my amp and save my pedal money for delays and choruses? I see people spending so much money on overdrives and distortions. It's like- don't you like your amp? I might be a little hypocritical here in that I own several dirt pedals myself, but they're all ones I've gotten for next to nothing. Still, none of them compare to my amp. Why spend a grand or two on a good amp only to spend another 300 on a distortion pedal? Doesn't make sense.
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I float on this. I have an Egnator Tweaker, and for the most part, I'm happy with the gain sound. That said, I like to start off with a good clean sound and then layer on top.
 
Bob411 said:
Never spent 1, or 2 grand on an amp. Everything I have, I prefer the pedal's distortion. When I buy an amp, number one thing is, what does it sound like clean. Nothing else matters.
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Yep. And I think that channel switching amps compromise the clean tone. Hence the pedals. That said, there are very few high gain pedals that I like. They always fall short somehow. The high gain sound I'm digging right now is the Pickle Drive with the gain maxed, and slammed with the Angry Troll.
 
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