Tube pedals like Valvedrive and English Muff'n--gimmick?

Lord Trau · #1 06-05-2009, 04:07 AM

I havent found much commentary on whether or not these pedals accomplish what they set out to achieve: emulating tube overdrive.

There must be a billion pedals without tubes that claim to do the same. Can any of you who have used either of these pedals comment on whether or not they do a better job than an OD pedal without tubes in it?

Do the EBS or EHX sound more "tubey" than, say, the Sansamp VT?

**pringlw** · #2 06-05-2009, 04:10 AM

I recently got an EBS Valvedrive pedal. I love it. It absolutely gives a warmer overdrive sound than pure solid state stuff.

Personally I don't use it for overdrive so much as putting in a little tube warmth and crunch - more like a pre-amp. My amp is a Markbass which I love but this gives me a little dirt when I need it.

Great pedal IMO. The tube absolutely adds character that solid state has a hard time duplicating.

MacheteSteve · #3 06-05-2009, 04:13 AM

i got a ampeg svtmp tube microphone preamp which i run my bass through. but purchas eive done regarding my sound.

rodl2005 · #4 06-05-2009, 04:15 AM

I think we speak English in OZ??? ;-) Do U mean the Ampeg mic pre is a GOOD sound????

**TheMutt** · #5 06-05-2009, 04:40 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MacheteSteve

Best purchase I've done regarding my sound.

I'm gonna guess that was his intention.
As far as I know, all these tube pedals are not snake oil and actually do what they are supposed to. I'd guess it's akin to hybrid amps. They have a SS power section, but the preamp is tube for that nice warmth & characteristic harmonic content that it adds to the signal. Anyone who has played with SS, all tube, and hybrid amps knows that they all sound slightly different. I'd expect it to be the same for effects pedals as well. Only reason I've been staying away is due to the power requirements and large space these pedals take up.

HollowBassman · #6 06-05-2009, 04:53 AM

Has anyone tried one of these(or something similar)?

Link: Rock Block

eyvindwa · #7 06-05-2009, 04:56 AM

Haven't tried it, but it sure looks neat!

fightthepower · #8 06-05-2009, 05:05 AM

I bought a Paradriver months back, and about a week later found a mint English Muffn locally for $90 so I grabbed it just to try it out, with the intention of selling it... I don't use overdrive that much and the Paradriver sounded pretty good...

It took me about a day to decide that the Paradriver was going and I was going to have to make room for a big pedal with a huge adapter. The Muffn stayed- it sounds great!

smo · #9 06-05-2009, 05:32 AM

It's all gonna depend on the circuit you talk about, what sound you're after, what gear you use. Argh!

But I've found the tube pedals I've tried to be pretty good, and much better for OD than the plain-as-silicon alternative.
For my needs, I use tubes for OD.
I find tubes have a rounder - more full sound, and having a pleasing compression to the tone. IMHO of course.
If I could find a pedal that gave me that sound without tubes I'd buy it.
The closest I can think of, off the top of my head would be the VT Bass, but it's still not great for a full on distorted sound IMO.

I guess what we're all after is a full-of-character versatile OD that doesn't sap the low fundamental, whilst not getting too compressed, and has the ability to let some of the original signal get through to give the illusion of a transparent drive, and having a flexible EQ that allows ample tweaking.

Good Luck!

cheapbasslovin · #10 06-05-2009, 07:04 AM

I have an English Muff'n and can't kick it off my board. I've tried a couple different ways (although there are about a million more to try) but nothing has matched the way these break up. It's not just how they break up by themselves, either. It just seems to sound so much more musical with other effects in line.

The only thing I don't like about the Muff'n is that if it is placed after an envelope filter, it absolutely kills the effect. This is the only reason I turn off the Muff'n during a set.

My understanding is that some tube pedals don't get the full voltage necessary to perform their 'magic,' but I don't have any experience with those. I believe that both the Muff'n and ValveDrive have high voltages in their innards.

Gashaponcito · #11 06-05-2009, 08:11 AM

Some months ago I saw an Orange based Pedal with tubes it was the only pedal in the page but I don't remember the brand anyone else does?

RCCollins · #12 06-05-2009, 09:10 AM

Both those pedals sound great, but I like my tube pres in an amp.

Also, the Muff'n has an LED to exaggerate the glow from the tubes. THAT's gimmicky.

bongomania · #13 06-05-2009, 09:20 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lord Trau

I havent found much commentary on whether or not these pedals accomplish what they set out to achieve: emulating tube overdrive.

Seriously? Every thread on them, of which there are hundreds, talks about their tube overdrive sound.

Unless maybe you meant the perennial "does it sound like a cranked Ampeg" question, in which case the answer is no. One or two preamp tubes, at any voltage, will never sound like a full complement of power amp tubes and large transformers.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lord Trau

Do the EBS or EHX sound more "tubey" than, say, the Sansamp VT?

Again, it depends on your definition of "tubey". Tubes can make any tone ranging from the most pristine high fidelity to the dirtiest mud. Some people want tubes for "warmth", others want "a little grit", and they will say these pedals (the good pedals anyway) get them that sound perfectly. Others are trying to cop the classic hard rock P bass through an SVT tone, and they are vainly hoping that running their instrument through a single preamp tube will get them that sound.

Surly · #14 06-05-2009, 10:02 AM

Bongo pretty much nailed it. The English Muff'n does it's job and has two little tubes, a 12AXY and 12AU7. The VT pedal sounds different because it emulates 6550's distorting.

RCCollins · #15 06-05-2009, 10:09 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Surly

Bongo pretty much nailed it. The English Muff'n does it's job and has two little tubes, a 12AXY and 12AU7. The VT pedal sounds different because it emulates 6550's distorting.

funny, i don't think that's what he said at all

Din Of Win · #16 06-05-2009, 10:12 AM

I dunno if the OP was just looking for info on tube pedal overdrive... but as far as tube pedals go i LOVE the EHX Black Finger. By far my favorite compressor i've used so far.

rcubed · #17 06-05-2009, 10:25 AM

If I remember correctly, both these pedals run on 12VAC. That's not enough voltage to get the most out of the tubes. I'm no tubes expert, but from what I've read, you need to run tubes in the hundreds of volts to get the most out of them.

TrevorOfDoom · #18 06-05-2009, 10:30 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by HollowBassman

Has anyone tried one of these(or something similar)?

Link: Rock Block

i like the look of those, but a problem i have is that they keep talking about using real output tubes for their tone. the tubes they have in there are 12ax7's, same as the English Muff'n or Valvedrive, so how different could they be?
of course, the Muff'n won't power a speaker, so there's that...

cheapbasslovin · #19 06-05-2009, 11:12 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rcubed

If I remember correctly, both these pedals run on 12VAC. That's not enough voltage to get the most out of the tubes. I'm no tubes expert, but from what I've read, you need to run tubes in the hundreds of volts to get the most out of them.

You're right, but I've the belief that there is a step up transformer in them that gets the voltage up and therefore the proper response out of the tubes.

BartmanPDX · #20 06-05-2009, 11:20 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cheapbasslovin

You're right, but I've the belief that there is a step up transformer in them that gets the voltage up and therefore the proper response out of the tubes.

I think this is right and I think I've read it somewhere else. The Valvedrive drew way too much current for me to use my Voodoo pedal power with it. While the Pedal Power outputs a maximum of 250 mA, the Valvedrive adapter outputs 1000mA. I think this higher current has to do with getting the tube up to voltage.

OP:

I have both a valvedrive and a fuzz pedal on my board. The valvedrive adds that warm overdrive which is great for certain things, but does not sound quite like a tube head overdriving, as Bongomania pointed out. It is a pleasing overdrive though. The fuzz is a completely different thing tonally. It's harsh, nasty, and a better choice for a lot of the heavier stuff we do.