I came across this fantastic video by Tippon (Taylor Barefoot and David Fisher) where they shot a overdrive shootout where Taylor plays 35 overdrives. I think to take something like this on is extremely difficult to say the least, but I appreciate how they went about it. Same guitar (Linhof Tele), same amp (Two-Rock Amplifier), same mics.. and same riffs. I also like the fact that he played a simple riff, a more complex chord riff and a lead line. All the pedals started with settings at 12o’clock and were adjusted to compliment the effect.
Each clip is short (approximately 30-40 seconds) but you get to understand the base tone each pedal has. Granted, that we’re missing out on the specific characteristics and general application, but to include that, would take days of shooting. I think this video is a great reference point if you’re starting your search for a new overdrive pedal. The video is long (35 minutes), but well worth the length. If you want to get right to a particular pedal, I created a list below with their times to make it a little easier to compare overdrives.
Also, one really cool thing about the video, they got in touch with Bill Finnegan (creator of the Klon Centaur) and he let them include a Klon Overdrive that is still in production and planned for release in the not-so-distant future.
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Black Cat Pedals OD-1 3:14
Basic Audio Futureman 3:42
Boss DS-1 5:05
Budda Zen Drive 6:47
Caroline Guitar Co Wave Cannon 30:50
Crowther Hot Cake 12:25
Earthquaker Devices White Light Overdrive 7:35
Freakshow Brown Rabbit 5:57
Fulltone OCD v4 10:45
Fulltone Fulldrive 2 8:18
Fulltone GT-500 9:03
FX Doctor OD 11:36
FXEngineering Sidewinder Open Overdrive 23:29
Ibanez TS9 Reissue 27:31
Ibanez TS808 Reissue 26:44
Klon Centaur (Silver) 15:45
Klon Centaur (Gold) 14:54
Klon overdrive (new) 16:46
Landgraff Distortion box/Classic Overdrive 18:25
Lovepedal Kanji Eternity 14:01
Lovepedal Kalamazoo 13:09
MXR Classic Overdrive M-66 20:01
Paul Cochrane Tim (Hand Wired) 24:13
Paul Cochrane Tim (PCB) 25:06
Paul Cochrane Timmy 25:55
Rockbox Boiling Point 21:06
Rodenberg Gas 808 21:56
Skreddy Screwdriver 22:41
Wampler Paisley Drive 28:22
Wampler Plexi Overdrive 29:14
Wampler Black ’65 Overdrive 30:02
Xotic AC Booster 31:43
Xotic BB Preamp 32:31
Xotic RC Booster 33:20
Zvex Box of Rock 34:04
Let me know what you think of the video! Do you own any of the pedals mentioned above? Any of these pedals on your wish list?
