Mxr Custom
What's a good heavy, yet smooth, distortion pedal?
I'm currently using a Little Big Muff, and it's too crunchy for me - notes are sometimes indistinguishable, and there are no dynamics as far as palm-muting goes.
I also have a Boss DS-1, which has great dynamics but a gritty, hissy tone that remains however I attenuate the tone knob.
I've been considering either the MXR GT-OD, the MXR Distortion III, or the Radial Tonebone Classic (a little too pricey for me, though)...
I'm playing through a custom handmade Telecaster (with a high-output Seymour Duncan humbucker, and a Seymour Duncan PAF single-coil neck pickup), into a Fender Jazz Chorus.
My distorted playing style ranges from metal, to punk, to hard rock; my band is an electronic dance band, with industrial elements maybe comparable at times to Ministry or The Faint...
Whaddya think?
The best pedal for very smooth sustain is the HM-2 Heavy Metal by Boss. Big difference compared to the DS-1. I have to admit that I changed my pickups for Seymour Duncan which made a big difference in the cleanness in the sound.
With your setup, this is weird because I often record with my old Roland Jazz Chorus vs. you having a Fender Chorus LOL.
You should get a helluva of a good sound with the HM-2 definitely. Why I know this is because I do lots of studio work with many different types of amps and pedals and what I hear through the recording determines if the pedal is quiet or noisy once recorded.
http://filters.muziq.be/model/boss/compact/hm2
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Next up in the MXR Custom Badass line is the Modified Overdrive-a classic overdrive circuit with modern modifications for improved performance and versatility. For added flexibility, we've added a 100Hz cut and boost control that allows for a more focused EQ when cut, or a beefier tone when boosted... |
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MXR and Custom Audio Electronics founder Bob Bradshaw - two names that have shaped the tones of the world's greatest guitarists - join forces to bring you a dynamic new line of pedals. The Boost/Overdrive and Boost pedals are the first offerings in the series produced by MXR, featuring the unique sonic stamp of legendary designer Bob Bradshaw... |
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How to install a Pedal into a Guitar Body?
I have seen Mathew Bellemy of Muse has a MXR phase 90 and a Fuzz Factory installed into all of his Manson guitars. I know these were custom made, but if anyone knows how to do this or link to where i can find instructions how to do this, it would be much appreciated.
The simple explanation is that the guts of the pedal are removed from the casing, the knobs are relocated to the outside of the guitar (obviously requiring new holes drilled into it), the input and outputs are wired appropriately, and a 9v battery is wired in as the power supply.
The main issues, from my perspective, is that there isn't much space inside most guitar cavities - you are limited as to what you can put inside. I think that the most practical way of doing this would be to re-build the circuitboard into the smallest possible space... this would actually take a degree of skill, as it would require pretty compact circuitry to fit two pedals like that into the space of most guitar's cavities.
Then again, I suppose it depends on how much space you can route out, right?
Usually the more complicated pedals aren't installed onboard - usually its more straightforward effects, like EQ, boosters, distortion, buffer preamps, that kind of thing. The more complicated the effect, ie the more it can do, the more circuitry is required, which means more things to cram into a smaller space, and that means you have to make a very tight layout in terms of your components - can't waste space in your PCB layout, that type of thing.
I've included links to things that *are* typically installed - ie relatively straightforward, and you don't have to build anything from scratch. Notice how none of them involve chorus or delay effects?
Anyways, all that said, I did actually find a page that talked about wiring pedals into a guitar. Link is below, along with a Phase 90 schematic if you need it for reference.
It isn't a straightforward process... I personally would prefer to keep it simple, and stick with things like buffers and EQ, since the component count is small and the power drain is relatively small.
Anyways, I'm surprised I managed to find a page about it - it took a while, and I found it more or less by accident.
Hope it helps!
Saul