Sometimes I wonder.................

[Xavier]

.........if I'm losing track of reality with all these DIY builds.

I brought my Dr. boogey to the rehearsal yesterday, along with my other builds like the BSIAB, and a new small stupid super-cheap Zoom G1 multifx I have bought as a backup.

This small Zoom has a distortion preset calles "extreme distortion" that basically kicks the crap out of the Dr. Boogey. It's that simple, and it costs near nothing...

Just my morning rant

[MartyMart]

"One man's meat is another man's poison" !

Whatever works for you and sounds "good" is 100% fine, DIY or otherwise, from probably
150 builds, here's what gets used ALL the time :

DIY :
Flatline compressor
Orange Squeezer
Tube Reamer
Fool Clone (TS-9)
BSIAB II
The Crank
Highway '89
Liquid Drive ( Dist+/Ross Dist etc ... )
Citrus Graphic
Bassman '59 ( me ! )
Classic 35     ( me ! )
Range Blaster
Univibed P 45
LHX2 ( JCM800 sim )
Tremulous Lune

Non DIY ( some modified ):
Pod XT
Boss DS-1
Boss BD-2
Boss PQ-4
Boss PS-3
Ibanez TS-9
Aria Chorus
Peal Chorus
Yamaha Flanger
Toadworks Death Rattle
Line 6 Space Chorus
Line 6 Roto Machine
---Rack stuff---
Marshall JMP-1
Peavey TG-Raxx
Line 6 Echo pro

A good "spread" as you can see !!
Remember that "your" sound has everything to do with your fingers/Guitar/Amp as well as
whatever is in FRONT of the amp !!

MM.

[shadowmaster]

This is also the reason why I really don't bother much on fuzz/distortion builds. I also own a Zoom multi-effects pedal that has a lot of different preset distortions which I really like. Minimal noise on high-gain settings and lots of sustain played on my crappy guitar. I have proto'd many fuzz/distortions (didn't like most...) and have built 3, two(BSIAB2 and a TS-808) of which because of its hype on this forum, and I rarely use these. So, the only fuzz/distortion pedal I have built that sometimes makes me don't wanna use distortion on my Zoom is my modded Hornet together with the Condor Cab Sim. This combo kicks @..!

P.S. I also liked Easy Drive and Bazz Fuss when I proto'd them (though no immediate plans of building them as I am being slaved by DIY modulation pedals). These two cool circuits are worth mentioning. I highly suggest these to beginners. You won't be disappointed.

[Bucksears]

To each his own.
I have yet to play a digital distortion that has the warmth of analog. I think most commercial 'heavy' distortions I've tried are usually way over the top and/or brittle or have a particular niche to its sound that I couldn't dial out (like the Boss Metal Zone, Zoom HyperLead & Danelectro FabTone), but have a ton of gain and bass on tap. I'm a bit smitten with the Dr. Boogey as it does exactly what I want it to: the maximum amount of gain I want out of a distortion (not fuzz) unit.
- Buck

[R.G.]

There is no need to wonder. If a Digital Datawhack Distort-O-Mundo sounds best to you, it is best - to you.

Which musical tone is "best" is purely a matter of taste.

There can be no disagreement about matters of taste.

[audioguy]

To each his own.
I have yet to play a digital distortion that has the warmth of analog. I think most commercial 'heavy' distortions I've tried are usually way over the top and/or brittle or have a particular niche to its sound that I couldn't dial out (like the Boss Metal Zone, Zoom HyperLead & Danelectro FabTone), but have a ton of gain and bass on tap. I'm a bit smitten with the Dr. Boogey as it does exactly what I want it to: the maximum amount of gain I want out of a distortion (not fuzz) unit.
- Buck

I agree 100% which is why I build pretty much anything Bucks puts his stamp of approval on!

[Bucksears]

Thanks, Audioguy.
My post was simply my opinion, but R.G. nails it. It's up to the user as to what sounds best to him/her.

- Buck

[audioguy]

Agreed 100%

[oldrocker]

It can go the other way too.  My guitarist used his store bought TS-9 for a while now.  I brought my DIY TS-808 to practice and we did an A-B compare.  My DIY sounded better to all of us.  So now he wants me to build him one.  It's all a matter of opinion though.  I have a
DOD G7 rackmount guitar effects preamp that has all the effects I've built rolled into one and sounds great.  Not better than my DIY's just different.

[Gilles C]

I wonder all the time...

Last week, I played with my Tonework multi-effect to get a Loonie Mack sound (vibrato-chorus?-disto) and found a couple of sound that I like. So it seems I will use it for a while.

But for boost or distortion only, nothing beats my DIY pedals.

I will try modulation circuits someday, but I still have too many things to do before...

Gilles

[Doug_H]

There can be no disagreement about matters of taste.

No, but there can be some pretty darn impressive & entertaining attempts...

[R.G.]

It's always more entertaining to get two OTHER people try to settle that little contretemps. 

Especially if you can arrange to sell tickets. 

[MikeH]

IMO- Most of us aren't here because we're in search of a better tomato.  And I don't think any of us should be discouraged because we can't build a pedal better than some company that's been cranking out thousands of pedals a year for a handful of decades.  We're here because we like to tinker with electronics and burn our fingers and create something out of nothing.  I don't think any of the pedals I've built sound better than the pedals I actually use on my rig, but it's the pedals I've built that I spend all of my time bragging about.  Besides, a pedal you build with your own two hands is always better than any pedal you buy at the store.  Because It's f*%king awesome and you made it.

[markm]

I'm old-school.
Tube amps, Telecasters, individual stompers, etc.
I don't like the modelers or multi effects units but I know plenty of people that do.
With that said, I remember back in the '80s how these same people made fun of me using a Twin Reverb with stompboxes and not having a Rack set-up. Well, they don't have the rack-gear anymore either!
Now I'm rambling so.....I'll shut-up now thanks!  

[dano12]

I spent a couple of years playing through DSP/modelling all-in-one boxes. It almost made me give up playing guitar.

Digital does very nicely for modulation/stereo/delay/reverb sounds. Everything else should be left to analog devices as God intended. Overdrive and distortion simulations are just that--simulations that are pale shadoes of the real thing.

And trying simulate cabs and specific amps is a fool's errand. I can turn dinner into waste matter, but I cannot turn lead into gold. Neither can DSP.

This is not opinion this is fact.

At least I think so.

[Barcode80]

i agree that delay and mod effects can be done better with dsp, but i think analog tank reverb and analog delay have it ALL OVER dsp effects when it comes to warmth and naturality. i disagree about cab emulation though, i think the analog fet emulation on some of these pedals is REMARKABLY close. i work in a music store and often have the opportunity to play the same guitar through a certain head and through an analog boutique emu pedal and some crappy practice amp, and the difference is noteably small.

the fact is, people like certain effects based on what music normally sounds the best TO THEM, so i could see how someone who listens to predominantly metal or progressive rock, etc, might prefer the sound of digital effects, or maybe only the versatility. but for my money, analog is where it's at.

for example, i still have an old DOD performer 585 analog delay pedal that kicks the crap out of any other delay i've ever heard, digital or analog, IMHO. But my preferences make that so, not the quality of the pedal. depending on the style of music, i have even at one point chosen a danny fabtone over a ts-9 (but only for that one style )

[Rafa]

Hii:
Do you think theres any noticeable difference when a signal digitalised with no effects or modification and then turned back to analog??
Cheers
Rafa

[Ge_Whiz]

There can be no disagreement about matters of taste.

Absolutely. Which is why I always build ROG and Tim Escobedo stuff. 

[tcobretti]

I am no opponent to digital technology, but I have yet to hear a digital fuzz that sounds good.  For that matter, almost every modern production line fuzz is disappointing.   In general, it's gotta be either boutique,diy, or vintage when it comes to fuzz if you want it to sound truly fuzzy.

[petemoore]

  If used in the right recipe', tomatoes or potatoes can be quite enjoyable.
 People who like potatoes but don't like tomatoes, are like the ones that like tomatoes but don't like potatoes.
 Raw, by itself, I prefer tomatoes.
 I certainly hope digital does stuff analog can't do exactly...
 I sure did get a big bang out of an inexpensive 2x12'' modeling amp doing a Fender Clean thang...Really Really good sounding...if you're into that clean twamp thing, I see no reason why a spellbinding distortion tone can't be wrought from digital.
 I can see how someone like me who uses the 'analog w/min.digital' [echo only IMCase, but Reverb instead for the most part, no digitals] wouldn't be the one to find a digital distorter that really excited me.
 Having had digital through an assortment of tube amps, trying extensive tests on modeling amps, and listening to many types of amps used on stages...Further testing of digital is on my backburner...left on Low, probably because I believe the type of sound I'm after isn't a digitally available/adjustable preset.