I'm getting a distortion pedal and I need HELP

[Beth]

having only ventured into the non-plugged in worlds of piano and cello (and maybe one elliot smith song on the guitar when i was in high school) i need help. are there good and bad distortion pedals? i'm interested in distorting acoustic strings with contact mics. can someone help me out with a recommendation, or at least point me in the right direction?

[KickTheBobo]

here ya go:

$39.00 here: http://www.musiciansfriend.com/product/Boss-DS1-Distortion-Pedal?sku=151258

[TL]

That is a classic, KTB.  Kid eBay might scoff at the price, though...

A SansAmp might be a good idea - a lot of parameters to work with (and in this case, though not in all cases, I'd say that's a good thing).  I have what they're now calling the "classic," which you might have to buy used (I think they've stopped making them), but this newer version looks to do much the same thing:
http://www.tech21nyc.com/gt2.html


When I go overseas or know that I'm going to be using rented or borrowed amps, I always bring my SansAmp to make sure my basic sound is a close approximation of what I want it to be, but it can also just be used as a distortion pedal.  You could also just get an EQ pedal that has a volume fader - I feel like for what you're talking about, you might want to have some extra control over certain frequencies, etc.
This guy is cheap and pretty decent:
http://www.musiciansfriend.com/product/Danelectro-DJ14-Fish-and-Chips-7Band-EQ-Pedal?sku=151873

You just crank the volume fader and it acts like a boost, and then you have the EQ to work with as well.

[Beth]

yay! thanks guys

[Gilly]

They still make those Danelectro's huh? Do they still have the one that has the reverse effect? It's been awhile since I've looked at electric gear.

[congolia]

I would second the recommendation of the sansamp GT2.  It costs a lot more than the Boss DS-1, but it is very versatile.  I have used it with guitars, basses, keyboards, vocals.  You can even plug a small powered speaker into it and have a mini practice amp.

If you want to experiment cheaply, the Danelectro "Fab" series of pedals have three different types of distortions, each for about 15 bucks new.

http://www.musiciansfriend.com/navigation?q=danelectro

[Stan]

 Hopefully this is for a low volume application as an acoustic guitar with a contact mic and a distortion pedal typically produces feedback and little else.

At least at volume.

Whatever the fuck that is.

[Phantom Hugger]

[youtube]9EIQxwotn3k&eurl=http://www.poetv.com/video.php?vid=27263[/youtube]
Distortion? Awesome!

[kenkwan]

I also like the Ibanez Tube Screamers and Electro-Harmonix Big Muff. But it does seem like you are going to want more control than those or the Boss are going to give you.

[kenkwan]

Or you could try one of these in the body of the guitar.

[Beth]

it's actually for cello and violin distortion. i hope that doesn't change anything too much.

[TL]

it's actually for cello and violin distortion. i hope that doesn't change anything too much.

Right  - that's why I think people (myself included) have been saying that a SansAmp or EQ, or something that would allow you to control some of the more ..."unruly" frequencies would probably be good.  What's the nature of the project?  Is it a band, or solo, or something else entirely, or what?

[Stan]

it's actually for cello and violin distortion. i hope that doesn't change anything too much.

 What am I, Jean-Luc Ponty or something?







I kid.

[Beth]

it's actually for cello and violin distortion. i hope that doesn't change anything too much.

Right  - that's why I think people (myself included) have been saying that a SansAmp or EQ, or something that would allow you to control some of the more ..."unruly" frequencies would probably be good.  What's the nature of the project?  Is it a band, or solo, or something else entirely, or what?

my friend has a kind of light/dark weird pscyho folk project--the light side is called william hale, and it's kind of a soft neutral milk hotelish--meets john fahey thing, the dark project is called willian hate (this developed from a hilarious misspelling of his name on a marquis), and it's more of a killing joke/scary kind of thing. we thought it'd be neat to put distorted cello and/or violin on top of all the other noise (juno, guitar, drums, etc.). plus i've always wanted to try distorting stringed instruments. i have friend who does it with her band, but i asked the forum instead of her because i guess i want to do it the hard way--and i'm interested in kind of creating my own thing with it...instead of using the exact same brands as she does. i thought i could get a fresh perspective here. and i did!