Tube vs normal overdrive pedal? Pedal into SS and tube amp, difference in crank ?

[IbanezFreak]

Hi guys, i just got myself a nice tube overdrive pedal. Its a Vox Brit Boost pedal. Its huge.. But i've got two questions. Firstly, whats the difference between a tube pedal and a normal pedal, in terms of sound? Will it actually add tube tone to my hybrid amp? (Kustom tube 12A. Single 12ax7 )

And, will an overdrive pedal crank a tube amp harder than a solid state amp? What if the overdrive pedal is a tube pedal, will it crank a tube amp harder?

Its because i've seen this video demo of the brit boost. The person uses a strat with Bare Knuckle Pickups, through a marshall 800jcm...which is a full tube amp? Anyways, i'm not able to get as much crank as him. What could be the difference? I play mine through a Gibson lespaul custom (borrowed from my friend...its really old..pickups are a tad muddy) and the Kustom 12a...yet, i can't get as much crank as the person in the video...is it because he uses a tube amp?

Thanks guys!

 

[mightyboy88]

I think overdrive pedals whether tube or not when being used as a boost create an additional gain stage for the overdrive/distortion unit it is trying to boost.

The difference may be due to the drive characteristics or the Marshall and your kustom.

I think that your kustom amp definately should have the kind of tube tone as there are tubes in the preamp section or drive section.

What kind of genre do you wish to play? I think your setup should be good for like blues to classic rock. The brit boost with jcm setup could be more versatile as it should cover all areas up to 80's metal.

 

[Godspeed64]

Okay so here's the deal.
Overdrive pedals and distortion pedals uses clipping to produce their sound, be it using LEDs, Mosfets, op-amps etc. Once in a while a manufacturer comes along with a tube in their product. For these tubes to be truly effective in the clipping stage, the pedal has to operate at a higher voltage. 9V just won't clip the tubes hard enough to give you a fairly distorted sound. If the pedal has an internal step-up transformer, likelihood that the tubes do make a big difference in sound. Eg. B.K Butler Tube Driver

Add 'tube' tone to your Kustom? What is 'tube' tone anyways? Your solid state amp is a solid state amp. It does what it's supposed to do. Like all solid state amps they don't start to overdrive at higher volumes. As for tube pedals, the amount of dirt and volume on tap will affect your signal and push your tube amp into overdrive. If the clipping is harder in a conventional dirt circuit w/o tubes, then it will push the tube amp harder won't it?

You're comparing a Marshall JCM800 and a Kustom tube 12a. It's night and day. Playing your amps at different volumes will obviously have a different effect. The louder your amp, the bigger it will sound. Plus the JCM800 is a monster for gain. Think Smashing Pumpkins (op-amp Muff into KT88 JCM800).

PS: I'm a bit biased against hybrids. I got nothing against solid state amps as they sound really pristine and are a good base for pedals but hybrids tend to sound reallllllllyyyy bad to me.

 

[IbanezFreak]

yeah turning up the volume on the amp makes the pedal come out much more...

 

[subversion]

that should happen...

 

[IbanezFreak]

well oops then...ugh, i really don't have much experience in electric stuff...more of an acoustic guy for the past couple of years

 

[subversion]

a tube-based pedal will not guarantee a tube tone when it's amplified unlike the drive/disotrtion channels of a full tube amp. the inclusion of tubes in the pedals are to enhance the drive/distortion in terms of voicing and/or intensity. what you finally hear coming out from the amplifier may/ may not be likable.