Are you making this mistake with Distortion & Overdrive pedals?

A common question I get quite often is "How should I set my pedal controls" in order to achieve a desired sound. Sometimes I also get messages or emails where a viewer has watched a youtube video, tried the same settings on their rig and had less than optimal results. In this video I'll dig into why this is, the simple solutions to fix it, and why suggested settings in a manual aren't actually all that helpful.

[jatin]

It's almost like Brian is suggesting we use our ears and move the tone knob(s) to get the sounds we want instead of inundating the Wampler support folks with emails. It's a bold strategy, Cotton. ;)

[brendancarbone]

I hear everything you're saying in this video, but where exactly do I set my gain, volume, tone cut, bass, treble, mid shift, mids, and presence controls on my 1993 pedal to get the tone at the beginning of the 1971 bootleg live led zeppelin cassette I have? For reference I'm playing the billie eilish electric ukelele into a danelectro honeytone. unsure if pedal is true bypass.

[johnballantyne]

This video just confirms why I love the Blues Driver so much. Truly one of the best overdrive pedals ever. Yes, it’s bright. Just turn the tone knob down, don’t be scared. Tweak with thine ears, not thine eyes.

[GearOfDarkness]

Those "suggested" settings helped me get into sounds though, when I bought my first pedals and had no clue about anything. I like to see them as invitations to play around and from there, your ears will take you on a journey. Great vid as usual!

[rjc]

I always thought the Blues Driver had a surprising amount of gain for an overdrive pedal. When you're were jamming on that Dokken riff with that pedal, that's what really made my ears perk up!

[rafsbio]

Brian, this frequency response analysis might be my second favorite thing there is on the internet right now.

[stapeld]

My go-to when dialing in pedals and amps is a looper pedal. Play some chords and single notes and just let it play back while I tweak knobs. Easy.

[henningcurtiswalter]

Everyone who thinks, that Boss Distortions sound bad, might have turned the tone knob and the ammount of distortion way too high, as I did, when I was 14. Set the amp clean right before it starts to break up and roll the tone in from dark to high with gain at 9 o clock. I think, that‘s a very good start for a great dirt sound 🤟😎 Great Video again!

[stallownedstallion]

When you riff Dokken....all pedal settings sound decent.

One of the better pedal channels on YT.

[photosandajamtrack]

I'm still learning the guitar and videos like this are great. I don't need anyone to tell me exactly where to put the knobs. Videos like this help me understand what the knobs are really doing when I turn them. I don't want to spend my time randomly twisting knobs to look for the tones I want. When I understand what the knobs are really doing I can find the tones I want much quicker. When I hear a guitar tone in my head I want to be able to find it quickly and start playing.

[pronumeral]

"The amount of emails I get" sounded like "The amount of females I get"

[tommypizzo]

I love the MD-2! It even makes your rig sound better when the distortion and gain are all the way down. Great pedal!

[ricklachaine]

I see videos on YouTube all the time where people are demonstrating very expensive gear and still manage to make the gear sound like crap. This is a very well made video, very informative for those starting out, and I can appreciate that. The bottom line is really get to know your gear and use your ears to achieve whatever tone you're after. Oh yeah, another thing, spend less time watching YouTube and use that time playing your guitar instead :-)

[Tone-Quest]

Just wanted to say, I'm super enjoying the comparisons using the Spectrum Analyzer....and it never hurts my feeling to hear some Dokken. Thanks Brian !!! Keep up the good work!

[eliasfigueroa]

Got mine MD-2 since 2004 ! I used to run with a Boss OD-2R boost. Congrats on your Cheers from Viamão City - RS Estate 🇧🇷🇧🇷🇧🇷

[willwolfinger]

Boss Mega Distortion prices skyrocketing in 3...2...1...

[FantasticF]

Hey Brian, loved the video, thanks for your effort putting this together. That Metal Distortion is actually a nice surprise. There are accepted ways of running signal chains, but I love it when people experiment with gear in ways it wasn't necessarily designed to be used. There's no right or wrong answer in artistic expression. Stay safe everyone 😉

[alangreenway]

I bought a MD-2 in my 20’s. Barely used it as it squealed uncontrollably so I put it in a cupboard. Now in my 40’s I’ve figured out it sounds a lot better when you turn the knobs down.

I have learned ‘mega’ is not a description of quality, it just means lots.

[danielhunsinger]

Boss makes great Pedals. They have for decades. This pedal is one I also overlooked as I didn't see a need. But after hearing this video, I can hear some useable tones in there to be discovered. I think backing off the gain on this pedal might be a sweet spot.

[kampfkustomer]

This is VERY important. Many older pedals were specific to amp types: a DS1 or Dist+ were designed to run into Marshalls. TS9 into a Fender (which is why Mesa guys love them, similar tone stacks).

Not to mention add this to say what a given designer thinks a "Marshall In A Box" should sound like. I have various clones of the Riot, Sansamp GT2, a Line 6 Butler Tube Driver on my M13, GT500, had a Pinnacle Deluxe, and just rebought a Joyo British Sound (Tech 21 British) to get me back where I want to be.

The Riot & GT500 sounded E P I C through a Brown Eye clean channel or various clean tube Marshalls. Through my Quilter TB201 I couldn't get that back, despite the Lead Channel being extremely similar to a clean JCM800.

Woods > Strings > Pickups > Effects > Preamp > Power Amp > Speaker > Mic. No matter what you choose, these are all stacked, and have to do so well. At least to your ears.