FRUSTRATED with op amps...done last build... Shaka express or jok3x engl?

[screamersusa]

I am fed up and tired of lifeless dead sounding op amp od's that really need a tube amp
to sound like something. When I play through fets or mosfets, every nuance good or bad
comes out. Through op amps it sounds simply dead.   I play clean to sparkly to rock to Eng heavy.
I do alot with fingers. I can "play" the fets and mosfets, I feel like i'm suffocating and forced to
precisely copy someone else when I use opamps. Pinch harmonics are work to bring out .
Opamps are fine for inter stage and eq's but I hate them for distortion. Too damped.
I keep going back to a modded BOR and a couple of light jfets.

I only have one build left in me before I give up.....
Either a Shaka Express or a Jok3x Engl (fet version, the mosfet one didn't really work).
Is it possible to drive the Express first stage with a bs170 instead of an op amp?
If it doesn't work...the tube amp will have to go in the bedroom somehow.
(Modded Crate GTX100, fender and Boogie ch1, Engl ch2,
balanced Direct out, 2fx sends, anderton freq booster on ch2, aux in, speaker sim, headphone out)
Any suggestions would be appreciated.

I do palm mute a lot and in many different ways as additional string control.

Tried Riot, TS-7 (and modded), Deltalab rock, TC (still have one), ds-1, sd, hm2, OLC slo century (Sorry I lent it to a friend and now its gone),
OCD, Twin tube, Original zvex made BOR, Various BOR combinations and mods including additional gain stages, AMT d2 (speaker sim too dull). AMT E1, Jok3x Engl mosfet (Almost but really noisy) A ton of med gain diy pedals.  (Note: Keeper BOR modded with sub switch and switchable marshall mesa treble peaker and 10m sho in front on footswitch) I am using the cornish buffer as well alot as I couldnt get the ep-booster to be clean.
The pile of disgarded perfboard is sickening

Any rhythm clips of the Shaka express? The lead clip sounds lovely and alive and worth building just for lead.

EDIT, forgot to mention the crate has a studio monitor crammed in it instead of a guitar speaker. What I hear is what goes out the line outs.

[psychedelicfish]

What about DeadAstronaut's Spitfire? Handles the heavy side of things incredibly well, and seems to be OK with sparkly stuff. Pinch harmonics are extremely easy to bring out and palm muting with it sounds absolutely brutal...

[screamersusa]

I have a Formula 5 perf in the discard pile I could probably re configure for a Spitfire as an additional re-build.
I forgot about that one. Thanks for the input.

I think what drives me batty is the diode and led clipping. If I run the riot or deltalab without clipping diodes, while it sounds like
crap they play well. I guess I just like dynamic clipping...lol
I was going to test the blue and red bogner pedals despite my lack of love for bogners at GC but they didnt't have headphones to
run it through a modeler so I could hear the pedal direct.. I cant afford them anyway.
I've been trying to build my tone box as a floor pedal so I can run into anything and leave it under the bed.
The closest think in functional concept would be an ep-pre or cornish buffer, a fet sparkle drive with blues boost and
a boost in front, something like a bogner blue or boogie with a boost in front, an engl savage rock with a boost in front,
and a lead similar to what I heard on the Shaka demo that either switches in or can be momentary switched (hot shot mode).
I like my cleans and light od without speaker sims, my od through hell with a heavy eminence sim.

I was Using passive switching, buffered bypass and sparkle od on button 1 (Cornish, zvex eq,bor,)
Rock to heavy disortion on button 3a, Hell Engl mod 2 on button 3b,
Button 2 selects between button 1 and button 3,
Button 4 was never fully implemented but it was down stream overriding all channels
to bring in a proposed lead channel and button 5 was a momentary of button 4 to pop lead riffs in and out of rhythms..

I run my modelers with Fender clean on ch1, Engle Savage on ch2 and an eq and boost in front, no cab sims. Pedal dancing.

[screamersusa]

I realized and important piece of info that might help explain my frustration:
I am a drummer first. Much like Terry Bozzio, Tony Thompson. 
Guitarist second.
I can get tons of tones out of my fingers and hands and I prefer a heavy jazz pick or 1mm/.88mm nylon or
occasionally a Dava green. Often out of  frustration I simply play unplugged.
What I can't get is a hard distortion that can respond to that kind of playing without a tube.
It's more about dynamics and content than how many notes I can play.
I accept that I have to work without acoustic feedback in headphones or monitors however
I'll probably toss a sustainer in one of my guitars someday.
Thanks

[beeltink]

Have you ever tried Burr Brown opamps?
I had a Tube Screamer with the JRC4558 in it. Sounded dull and noisy to me. I replaced it with a BB OPA2132, which has FET inputs and is a higher quality opamp. Improvement: 500%!
Most opamps used in commercial guitar circuits are noisy cheap components (JRC4558, TL741).

Check this page as well:
http://www.rock-grotto.co.uk/opamp.htm