Pedal Choices(Distortion)

[guitar141]

Hi all, i was looking at two pedals, Visual Sound Jekyll and Hyde and the MI Audio Crunch box. How do you guys find the two, and which do you think is better?

I play classic rock, punk, hard rock - bands like guns n roses, jimi hendrix, zeppelin, ac/dc, blink 182 etc.

Thanks for the help

 

[Avidaxis]

If ur really determined for only those 2 pedals, go for the crunchbox, it will do the job fine.
I would recommend a proco rat. im using one and theres a lot of tones u can get from the rat =] just my 1cent worth. Cheers.

 

[ungauged]

I've been searching for the best distortion pedal that money can buy and I personally think Sansamp GT-2 is really worth the money. It's not expensive and it can produce alot of distortion sounds.

You should give it a try and compare it with the other pedals you've short listed. But based on experience after spending alot of money, get a good amp head as nothing beats that. But if you gig regularly and need a distortion pedal, I strongly suggest the Sansamp GT-2.

 

[Godspeed64]

J&H has more tones to it.. Just don't like that there's no "mids" knob..
Crunchbox sounds horrid to me.. Maybe cause I tested it along with Seekz Punchtone..
It's like trying a cheap knockoff followed by a boutique one.. So Seekz is da man for you man! :mrgreen:

 

[kerplunk182]

Kimjawbetta Rutt!

 

[malaysian]

i hav a crunchbox, n it's my most satisfied purchase ever.

 

[remy]

yeah, crunch box should do the job.

 

[kernelspy]

Crunch box set as low gain coupled with anothe MI Audio Blues Pro pedal = Tone

 

[joshuak]

A pedal that sounds good with one guitar may not perform as well when partnered with another.

But I am of the opinion that the Crunchbox would be better than JnH anytime. Both in terms of sound and reliability (quite a few users have had problems with the durability of the JnH footswitch).

 

[Pedal-itis]

if were talking bout these two, id say crunchbox. if we talkin wider, you could do soooooo much better

 

[guitar141]

Haha cool, thanks for the quick replies. I'm probably leaning more towards the crunchbox atm, but what are the other good pedals you guys know of?
I'm probably sticking to the same budget of $200+

BTW: My guitar is a Les Paul BFG and my amp is a Peavey Envoy 110 if this will affect what kind of pedal i need. Thanks!

 

[leecs]

Your amp will affect everything even you use the best boutique distortion pedal available.

 

[joshuak]

Your amp will affect everything even you use the best boutique distortion pedal available.

He's right! Get a good enough guitar, then a good enough amp, then a good enough pedal.

A good pedal can't make crappy guitar and amp sound good.

 

[guitar141]

Alright thanks for the comments, just looking for something to amplify my amps gain. I find both pretty decent but will probably get a tube in the future.

 

[Cartoon]

prefer Crunchbox... combination with blues boy or blues pro sounds great...
i once own a JnH...maybe sucks... i don't like the sound no matter how i set it...

if money no objection..tonebone classic do sound nice too...but not my cup of tea...

 

[ungauged]

Totally agree with Leecs there.... It's all down to what amp you're using....

 

[EugeneSmasher]

I'd choose the Crunch Box, but I'm a bit biased (I really like the Crunch Box's tone, though!)

I don't like Visual Sound very much. Had unpleasant experiences with one of their products :mrgreen:. But truthfully I've heard the Crunch Box and it owns a lot of distortion pedals out there.

I'd advise you to be gentle to your pedals since both pedals have a kind of footswitch that breaks easily. (One of my pedals has that kind of footswitch, and the footswitch broke.)

 

[leecs]

crunch box is basically a modded ds1

 

[sepultura]

You will get as many recommendations as there are OD/dist's, but personally, I'd look at other OD's. I haven't had good luck with the visual sound units in terms of sound quality.

With a gibson, my favourites are the Barber series (ltd, direct drive, small fry, etc) and the T C Jauernig pedals which pwn everything else. I use a Gibson LP with a Barber LTD in series with a TCJ - the tones are absolute killer. Even with my pansy 15-w solid state bedroom amp.

The LTD alone gives me the classic Angus AC/DC rhythm tone, nothing else came close.

 

[Danelectrico]

If the crunch box really is a modified DS1, then it sounds worlds apart in response and dynamics from the Keeley modded DS1 I used to own. I've played the crunch box through many different amps and I think if you have a clean tube amp with lots of headroom - a 65 reissue Fender Twin Reverb for example - and you're playing at gig volume, it's an excellent mid to high gain Marshall-voiced pedal. For example I thought that through a clean Ceriatone JTM45 and Mesa cab, loud, it sounded every bit as authentic as any cranked Marshall amp I've heard.