I've got a MXR Microamp that I've being using that sounds cool but isn't quite extreme enough. I don't want clean cleans anyhow so I have been running the volume about 1 o' clock with the MV bypassed for my clean sound and then slamming the front with everything the MXR's got and playing really hard for my dirty tone. It is not quite giving me the amount of OD I would like to get without turning up and soiling the clean tone.

I am looking for something fairly transparent with a decent amount of gain. I want something that sounds "big", and probably am not looking for a TS type pedal as a basscut/midboost is probably not what I am looking for with the way my guitar and amp are set up.

Of course, I would suggest the Fulltone OCD. Transparent enough to leave the amp toan shining through. Lots of gain and output. No bass cut/midboost. Tone control & HP/LP switch are useful. Runs about one bill, maybe a little more. Works well with a Vox. I preferred it to the Fulltone Fulldrive. Cleans up nicely with the volume knob, too.

Noted. I know that one is pretty renowned for big rawk sounds, which is what I am looking for. I will probably dial it in to be mildly woofy. I might need to get a closed back extension cabinet for my amp. I love the nasty, ugly sound it makes when it's running loud as fuck. It also has that wonderful "bloom" characteristic on rung out chords people talk about. It's just that I want it to have a little more tight bottom end chugginess. Not a lot, no more than I imagine including a closed back cab would bring.

Use LP mode for woof, methinks. It's darker. HP mode seems very transparent to me. Tone control if you want to tighten things up a bit. It'll never sound like a TS-type midboost/low-cut. Note the OCD has a lot of gain on tap; it will take an edge-of-breakup Vox and get it sounding pretty heavy. With the AC15 cranked, you'd have a very interesting take on "metal" tone, methinks. I tended to use very little volume boost on the OCD and just turn the gain up as necessary.

A light crunch from the Vox, loud, + OCD + Fenders is a noise I'm pretty familiar with. I think that's a pretty good rocknoise, as far as rocknoises go.

I've been curious about the Bogner pedals, too- though they're more a preamp than a plain ol' dirtbox, and they're pricey.

Also, a Vox on top of a Vox cab would look really sweet.

I have 3 OD's i go to all the time.

Timmy - I feel this is a must, I have it on all the time, I run the Bogner green channel clean and then the Timmy is set very low gain it put me in the Keef range for OD, like Honky Tonk Women, I use it mostly for enhance tone.

Second I use King Of Tone, I was kind meh on this pedal for a long time, now I love it, 2 sides, they work very well independently and great stacked.

3rd, Wampler SLOstortion, does a very nice job of sounding like and SLO. Never harsh sounding, a little dark even.

Add clipping diodes to the MXR yo.

That would, also, basically almost-make it into a Marshall Guv'nor, if my mind recalls the schematics correctly. EDIT: my mind was wrong. Actually, this would make it into a flatter eq version of the MXR distortion+ or DOD OD250, depending on what diodes were used. It wouldn't be as weedy as those pedals though, more just a crunchier version of the microamp. Might cut the output volume too much, which is why when folks added clippers to most other pedals, they went with designs more like the guv'nor, tubescreamer, etc.

The guv'nor is also super-related to the Suhr Riot. You would only be using the lower range of the dirt knob on a riot methinks.

Another option would be the Bluesbreaker, which is less bass-cut/mid-sy than a typical tubescreamer, with a similar dirt level to a TS.

As snaxo states, the OCD is good at lower dirt setting too.

I personally like the Crowther Hotcake, maybe too much. At one end of the dial it is a nice flattish clipping boost, at the other end it gets kind of crazy. Honestly, for what you are talking about, that might be where i started.

Also, the Timmy has the eq controls that make it possible to dial in for more or less most of whatever you are looking for, frequency content-wise. That one is perhaps my favorite dirty boost of all. I use mine bright, but it don't have to be, at all.

What is the going rate on a KOT these days? I have always wanted to try one, due to the thing's general basis in the Marshall Bluesbreaker, which i find swell.

I suppose that i will just have to build one some day. I suspect that i would like it.

I am definitely gonna have to hit the local cool guitar shop and look around for some of this stuff and see what I like.

Not sure of the resale on them. Last i recall the KOT was reselling about $15 more than the waiting list price. I waited for mine and wasn't thrilled with it at first, but i really grew on me.

Brought this guy home today. It fought against an MXR Custom Badass OD and a Way Huge Fat Sandwich. Serial No. 17, pretty dope. They are a very new thing that I guess are only available at Tommy's Guitar Shop right now, thing is rad. Fattens up my Tele without killing that nasty KERRANG! characteristic I love about it. The MXR was a little woofier and loose than what I was looking for and the Fat Sandwich was maybe even more so. The Fat Sandwich had a very interesting almost fuzzlike character with the gain maxed. Cool, but not what I was looking for. There was no OCD there to mess with unfortunately, but I imagine that thing is probably a lot like this or atleast in the same ballpark. I am quite pleased with this thing though, sounds real angry. I have no idea what is going on with the circuitry, by the way.

What's the inside look like? Izzit gooped?

No goop, but the junk is installed in a way that it is kinda tough to get a good look see without removing parts. However, this was the best shot I could get:



I don't know if that really gives you anything to go on though. Means more or less nothing to me.

Thing is fucking angry and rad. It's doing exactly what I wanted with the fatness+horriblyterrifyingskronk thing. With the AC15 running through the internal GB and the Fender 2x10 it is actually fairly crushing sounding. I was very, very impressed. Snappy and tight bottom end that still has that sort of amp exploding characteristic to it. I am running the AC15 at about 11 o' clock with the MV disengaged, it is just entering the range of medium gain when I fucking wail on the strings. When I kick on the pedal it gets pretty saturated and compressed but still nice and dynamic. Shit is great for pinch harmonics without being overly gainy and producing feedback issues. So far, I am digging this thing.

I was going to obnoxiously suggest you try a tubescreamer anyway, but it looks like you've found something neat anyway. Dem pedals... with the distorty sounds... so collectible.

Man, this pedal seriously fucking rules. It's so fat yet transparent. It's exactly what I was looking for and I am 100% pleased with it. Makes my AC15 with a Telecaster sound like a chug machine. I have taken to running into the Top Boost channel with the Cut knob near wide open and running the amp as loud as it will before really breaking up hard and using that for my clean tone and then taking a lot of what it on tap in the pedal (but not quite all of it) and backing it off for certain songs. It gets really saturated and percussive, love the fucking thing.