Spectrum 34 Junior Electric Guitar W/ Mini Amp Review

Overdrive and distortion

The marketplace overflows with overdrive and distortion pedals. It can be a tough challenge to decide and to find pedals that suits your rig and purpose. In this characteristic we’ll look at a handful of models and how to incorporate these in your rig, with David Gilmour’south tones and bedroom setups in heed.

Overdrive and distortion isn’t simply about getting noise and gain. The wrong pedal for your amp and guitar, can do more harm than good and cause a lot of frustration. On the other hand, an pedal that’s selected to friction match perfectly with your amp and taste, will make your tones shine and bring out the best in your setup.

Do yourself a favour when you’re buying proceeds effects and ask yourself these questions: How will I be using the pedal â€" stage or rehearsal, studio or bedroom? Do I want boost, overdrive, distortion or fuzz? Will I exist using ii or more proceeds pedals at the same time?

Know your amp!

Overdrive and distortion pedals can exist divided in ii categories. Transparent and mids scooped and on the other side of the spectrum, compressed and mids boosted.

The transparent and mids scooped models were originally designed in the late 60s and early 70s to bulldoze large tube stacks into distortion. These pedals can audio horrible on an uncompressed, mids scooped Twin or smaller chamber amps, but flossy and polish on a compressed and mids boosted Marshall.

Pedals with a noticeable mid range and compression, similar the Tube Screamer, started to appear in the late 70s. The idea was to capture the tone of those huge tube stacks in all their glory in a minor box. The design with new technoligy, was besides more relieable than the previous silicon and germanium transistors.

In other words, knowing what amp you lot have, is crucial for understanding how overdrive and baloney pedals works and ultimately sound. Read more about how to cull the right pedal for your amp here.

Stacking pedals

David Gilmour, and others like him, ofttimes combine or stack ii or more gain pedals. This can either exist to produce a volume or gain heave for solos or, like David does, to blend the grapheme of ii pedals, for more saturation and sustain.

Large Muffs often audio better with a transparent booster placed after it, set for a very mild boost and EQ enhancement. David often does this with either a Muff and Powerbooster or Tube Driver.

Boosting with more than mids additional and compressed pedals, similar the Tube Screamer and OCD, tin can often make a Muff sound muddy and almost choked. Try placing the overdrive pedal in front of the Muff simply be conscientious with the full corporeality of gain and volume.

Stacking should only exist washed if it’due south needed. Some Big Muffs, similar the Sovtek models and clones, are often best alone. As can distortion pedals like the Rat and like, like the Buffalo Evolution, TopTone G2 etc.

Stacking 2 or more pedals, is like cooking upwards the finest sauce. The perfect blend will produce a corking tone. Too much, and everything sounds similar crap. Trust your ears and know your gear.

All pedals listed beneath were tested on a Stratocaster featuring D Allen Voodoo 69 neck and center pickups and a Seymour Duncan SSL5 bridge pickups and a Radix Deluxe PRS model with Seymour Duncan Phat Cat P90s into Reeves Custom 50 and Laney Lionheart L20h tube stacks.

Transparent boosters and overdrives

David’s Colorsound Powerboost/ Cornish ST-ii (1972-1983) and Chandler/BK Tube Driver (1993-present) are typical vintage fashion boosters/overdrives with a classic bright, mids scooped tone similar to the early Marshalls. Smaller, typical sleeping accommodation setups are often better matched with overdrives with more midrange and compression.

Colorsound Powerboost/Overdriver

It doesn’t really become more Dark Side, WYWH and Animals than this. The Powerboost’s unmistakably super transparent tone, glassy highs and fat lower end, sat the standard for all other overdrives. Exist aware though that this pedal demands a loud tube amp and can sound a bit apartment and fizzy on lower wattage and book. The 18V has more headroom compared to the 9V, although both delivers a broad range of tones from clean boost to near fuzz.
Sleeping room setups: vi/ten
Gilmour tones: ObC, DSotM, WYWH, Animals, DG 78, Wall, FC
Gilmourish.Com score: 10/x

Electronic Orange Bananaboost
The Bananaboost has that vintage flavour of the original. It sounds huge, with tons of headroom and a massive low end. You can easily crank it up for polish almost fuzz-similar tones and the powerful 2-band EQ makes it easy to tailor the tones to match your amp and guitar. Of all the Powerbooster clones out there, I detect this to exist the almost authentic sounding, with much of the same character and mojo equally the original. See my full review of the Bananaboost here.
Bedroom setups: 6/10
Gilmour tones: ObC, DSotM, WYWH, Animals, DG 78, Wall, FC
Gilmourish.Com score: 10/10

Buffalo FX Power Booster

Like all Buffalo FX pedals, the Powerbooster is a faithful replication of the original, with a few modernistic tweaks. It has a huge headroom but can easily be set up for some prissy overdrive and fuzz tones. It's slightly darker and the top terminate noticeably smoother, making this an excellent choice for smaller amps and bedroom setups. See my full review of the Power Booster here.
Bedroom setups: 8/10
Gilmour tones: ObC, DSotM, WYWH, Animals, DG78, Wall, FC
Gilmourish.Com score: 9/x

Vick Audio Overdriver
As the name implies, this is a clone of the U.s. branded Powerbooster, the Overdriver. It has a distinct vintage flavour and of all the clones out there, peradventure the smoothest fuzz tone of them all. It is also slightly more compressed than most models, which can be catchy on already compressed amps merely on the correct amp, you'll get a very smooth and well balanced graphic symbol. See my full review of the Overdriver hither.
Chamber setups: vi/ten
Gilmour tones: ObC, DSotM, WYWH, Animals, DG 78, Wall, FC
Gilmourish.Com score: 8/ten

Throbak Overdriveboost

The Overdriveboost was one of the first Powerbooster clones to hit the market and it'south all the same one of the best. Of all the clones listed hither, this one has the nigh headroom, with an about twangy character. The pedal is packed with modern features, including a germanium gain stage and pre-proceeds. Use information technology as a stand lone overdrive pedal or as a clean booster to add together life and character to your amp and pedals. Run across my total review of the Overdriveboost hither.
Bedroom setups: 8/10
Gilmour tones: ObC, DSotM, WYWH, Animals, DG 78, Wall, FC
Gilmourish.Com score: 9/x

Effectrode Fire Bottle tube booster

This is not a booster in the traditional sense but rather a tool for maintaing the pure betoken from your pickups and enhancing the tone from your tube amp – much like plugging your guitar straight into a tube amp. A mini toggle switch allows three different frequency stages – apartment for make clean heave and two with a loftier frequency gyre off making single coils sound closer to P90s and humbuckers. The Fire Bootle is an incredibly dynamic pedal that tin make your guitar and amp audio like a million bucks and bring out nuances in your tone and playing that you idea never were there. If you're looking for a booster for your Muff, then look elsewhere. If you want a powerful tool that will probaly change your conception of tone and so this is information technology. Meet my full review of the Burn down Bottle hither.
Bedroom setups: ten/10
Gilmour tones: suitable for any tone
Gilmourish.Com score: 10/10

TopTone Shine Boost
Clean book boosters doesn’t do much for your tone other than, apparently, boost the volume, which is what you frequently desire for a solo just equally important is mid range. A scooped tone can drown completely and boosting the volume doesn’t aid. Add a mids boost and your guitar will cut through the mix similar a sharp knife. The Shine Boost offering both. A crystal clean volume boost and, by the flick of the switch, book boost and mids boost similar to the EP booster. This pedal is an awesome tool for calculation life to your amp and for boosting fuzz and Big Muffs, that frequently has a scooped character.
Chamber setups: 10/10
Gilmour tones: suitable for any tone
Gilmourish.Com score: x/x

Custom Pedal Boards Mini Commuter
The Mini Commuter is a versatile booster featuring controls for volume and gain. Employ information technology as a transparent volume booster or, add a scrap of dirt for tube-like compression and dust much like the EP preamp. The Mini Driver can either be used to boost other pedals, drive your tube amp or every bit a stand lone mild overdrive. Excellent culling to the Colorsound Powerboost or for merely adding a bit of life and sparkle to your tones.
Bedroom setups: 10/10
Gilmour tones: all eras
Gilmourish.com score: ten/x

BK Butler Tube Driver

The Tube Driver has a classic Marshall grapheme, similar to the JTM and JCM. The tube makes a huge difference compared to most other overdrives, adding a unique warmth, compression and dynamics. Similar the Powerboost, this one demands a loud tube amp. Not a lot of headroom, although lower gain settings allows a nice, crunchy clean boost. The electric current 2006 model also has a chip more than top and proceeds, compared to older models, such as the Chandler. Using different tubes, like a 12AU7, can change the gain structure dramatically and add lots more than headroom and warmth.
Bedroom setups: 6/ten
Gilmour tones: Delicate/PULSE/Gdansk/Rattle
Gilmourish.Com score: 8/10

Buffalo FX TD-X
The TD-10 from Buffalo FX is an effort at recreating the tone of the Tube Driver, without a tube and with a few modest tweaks to arrive more amp friendly. The Tube Driver tin can often sound a tad fizzy in the elevation terminate and flabby in the lows but the TD-X sounds perfectly balanced and the top end in particular, sound shine and nicely rounded off for an overall warmer and more than dynamic character. Similar the Tube Driver, the TD-X has a nice headroom and plenty of gain, when you lot crank information technology upwardly. To me, the TD-X sounds much smoother and maybe more linear when you fix it up for distortion tones, which makes it more versatile for most setups. Highly recommended for David Gilmour’s Tube Commuter tones and both phase and bedroom setups. See my full review of the Buffalo FX TD-10 here.
Bedroom setups: x/10
Gilmour tones: Delicate/Pulse/Gdansk/Rattle
Gilmourish.Com score: ten/x

Electro Harmonix Crayon
The Crayon is a versatile full range overdrive very similar to the Tube Driver. Like the Tube Driver, the Crayon tin can deliver anything from make clean heave to tube-similar overdrive and distortion and its two EQ controls allow you to shape the tone to any amp. The Crayon can also exist tweaked for more vintage tones like to the Colorsound Powerboost that David Gilmour used during the mid 70s. Dont’ become fooled by the 2 designs. The circuits are identical!
Bedroom setups: x/10
Gilmour tones: Delicate/PULSE/Gdansk/Rattle
Gilmourish.com score: 8/10

Having problem using the Tube Driver with your sleeping accommodation setup? Attempt Eric Johnson’due south settings! The agile tone controls makes the Tube Driver very brilliant and ambitious, simply scroll them all the way down, like Eric does, and increase the gain for aTube Screamer-ish overdrive with lots of compression and midrange!

Wampler Plexidrive

As the name implies, the PlexiDrive is based on the archetype Marshall JTM45. It has a transparent, bright tone with lots of tube-like compression and warmth and a gain graphic symbol ranging from clean boost to distortion. What I similar about this pedal is that the more y'all increase the gain and tone, the more compressed it gets, which ways that it will never get sparse and fizzy. An splendid alternative to the similar sounding Tube Driver, peculiarly for sleeping room setups.
Bedroom setups: ten/10
Gilmour tones: Frail/PULSE/Gdansk/Rattle
Gilmourish.Com score: ten/ten

Boss BD-2 Blues Commuter

Capable of producing anything from clean boost to nearly fuzz, the BD2 is an incredibly versatile pedal that works equally well with larger amps as with typical sleeping room setups. It’s transparent, mids scooped tone and fat lower end makes it a great alternative for the Colorsound Powerboost and BK Tube Driver. I strongly recommend the Robert Keeley modified version for a smoother and warmer tone.
Bedroom setups: 9/10
Gilmour tones: Delicate/PULSE/Gdansk/Rattle
Gilmourish.Com score: nine/ten

Overdrives

David has always relied on vintage style transparent boosters and overdrives or the occasional amp gain but for a more versatile setup and for your bedroom rig, you might want overdrives with a chip more than mid range and warmth.

Ibanez TS9/Maxon OD 808

The original Tube Screamers. Nothing really beats these two in terms of smooth, creamy overdrive and endless sustain. Non anybody appreciates the lack of lower cease and proceeds but yous can’t discover a more versatile and easy to set up overdrive than these 2. Of all the dissimilar Ibanez and Maxon models, the TS9 and OD808 are the best sounding. Check out some of the many clones available besides, like the MJM Phantom Overdrive and Manner Huge Green Rhino for a bit more lower cease and gain, besides equally a few more than features.
Bedchamber setups: 10/10
Gilmour tones: Frail/PULSE/Gdansk/Rattle
Gilmourish.Com score: 8/10

Buffalo FX Carrera
While the TD-X is based on that classic Tube Driver pedal, with a typical tube amp character like to the early Marshall plexi models, the outcome for some is that there isn’t enough mid range for the pedal to cut through properly. At least not with the typical Gilmour settings. The Carrera accost that and offer the same tube amp tones and graphic symbol, with more mid range and compression. This pedal is extremely responsive and dynamic and ideal for chamber setups and scooped amps. Encounter my full review of the Carrera here.
Bedchamber setups: 10/10
Gilmour tones: Delicate/PULSE/Gdansk/Rattle
Gilmourish.com score: 9/10

Vick Audio Tree of Life
The Tree of Life is based on two classic overdrive pedals, the OCD and Zendrive. Both are more or less based on the elusive Dumble amp, which had an enormous corporeality of mid range. The Tree of Life blends both pedals perfectly together, creating a versatile mix of depression finish, mid range, headroom and proceeds. Yous can easily use this pedal for beefing up a irksome make clean tone, boosting other pedals or as a dedicated overdrive or distortion. The high corporeality of mid range makes it fit almost any amp and bedroom setup. It works specially well for David’south Pulse and current tones but information technology can hands cover pretty much the whole bridge from the earliest days upward until today. Meet my total review of the Vick Audio Tree of Life here.
Sleeping accommodation setups: 10/10
Gilmour tones: Delicate/Pulse/Gdansk/Rattle
Gilmourish.Com score: ten/10

Lovepedal Dover Bulldoze
Based on the Tube Driver, the Dover Drive is teaked towards Eric Johnson's tones, with a pronounced mid range, rolled off low cease and countless sustain. Not an obvious Gilmour pedal perhaps just the Dover Drive easily covers all of David's contempo overdrive tones, from Division Bell to present. It'south impossible to dial in useless or harsh tones with this ane. It's just creamy sugariness all the way and personally, this is my new go-to overdrive for recording sessions. See my full review of the Dover Bulldoze here.
Bedroom setups: x/10
Gilmour tones: PULSE/Gdansk/Rattle
Gilmourish.Com score: 7/10

EHX Soul Food
The Soul Nutrient is EHX's take on the legendary, and ridiculously overpriced, Klon Centaur overdrive. Like the original, the Soul Food provides a wide range of tones, from fat, transparent cleans to flossy overdrive saturated with warm mid range. It can audio a bit boxy and dull on its own only it cuts nicely through a dense band mix and pairing with a cranked amp will produce the sweetest sustain. An excellent selection for whatever amp and bedroom setups in particular.
Chamber setups: 10/ten
Gilmour tones: PULSE/Gdansk/Rattle
Gilmourish.Com score: 9/10

Fulltone OCD

The OCD is basically a hot wired beefed upwards Tube Screamer with the typical mid range boost and dark, creamy overdrive. The pedal has lots more gain and lower end though, which makes it piece of work but every bit good as a distortion with a RAT-ish tone. A toggle switch allows you to add a fleck more acme terminate and presence, taking the pedal towards a Tube Driver. An incredibly versatile overdrive and nifty alternative for David’s 90’s and present overdrive tones on sleeping accommodation setups.
Sleeping room setups: 10/10
Gilmour tones: Frail/PULSE/Gdansk/Rattle
Gilmourish.Com score: nine/10

Electro Harmonix Glove
An splendid version of the popular and versatile Fulltone OCD. The Glove offer the aforementioned huge tones, with a singled-out tube-like character, fat lows and a smoothen mid range that will match whatever amp. The Glove has plenty gain on tap to serve either as an overdrive or distortion and it’s an first-class alternative to David’s more contempo Tube Driver tones.
Bedroom setups: ten/10
Gilmour tones: Delicate/PULSE/Gdansk/Rattle
Gilmourish.com score: 8/ten

SviSound OverZoid
SviSound creates some stunning looking pedals and the OverZoid sounds as proficient equally information technology looks. It’s hard to compare this ane to anything that’s out there but think of a mix betwixt an Klon, OCD and Rat and you’re pretty much there. There’s tons of mid range and gain here, so don’t wait any lush cleans, but the harmonics and sustain this pedal is producing is hard to trounce. Highly recommended for bedroom setups and mids scooped Fender and Vox amps in item. See my full review of the SviSound OverZoid here.
Bedroom setups: 10/10
Gilmour tones: Frail/Pulse/Gdansk/Rattle
Gilmourish.Com score: 8/10

Strymon Deco
Perhaps an odd pick for your Gilmour tones but this pedal has so much to offer. The Deco replicates the compression, saturation and overdrive you lot would get from plugging your guitar into those erstwhile record machines. Either every bit a stand up alone overdrive or as a booster, the Deco provides super smoothen tones from clean to moderate overdrive, nicely compressed and with enoygh low end. Similar those old tape machines, the Deco also offer amazing sounding flanger, chorus and delay. Highly recommended for boosting and David’s more contempo Tube Commuter tones. See my review of the Deco hither.
Bedroom setups: 10/10
Gilmour tones: Fragile/PULSE/Gdansk/Rattle
Gilmourish.com score: 10/10

Baloney

Although David always favoured the vintage fuzz and Muffs, he did use a RAT in the 80s and 90s for some of the songs. His 1989-90 setup also featured a Tube Screamer. It’south also worth noting that the Cornish G2 featured on the 2006 bout has a similar tone as the RAT. Depending on your amp, in nearly cases you’re probably better off with a category two baloney (more mid range and compression) for your bedroom setup.

ProCo Rat

Zip beats the RAT when it comes to classic distortion. This has always been my go to pedal and it works perfectly on whatever setup for whatsoever genre. The tone ranges from warmth overdrive to creamy tube-like distortion to screaming fuzz. Information technology has a pronounced mid range and all the sustain in the earth. There are many clones on the market, with dissimilar modifications, but the old black box keeps up with most of them.
Bedroom setups: 10/10
Gilmour tones: Delicate/PULSE
Gilmourish.Com score: 8/x

Arc Effects Soothsayer
Since its introduction in the late 70s, the RAT has been one of the most versatile distortions on the market place, with it’s smooth character and sweet sustain. The Soothsayer is based on the old archetype and the LM308 fleck and in addition to covering the original tone, you tin besides switch between different clipping modes. The RAT tin can appear a flake boxy and lack low stop but the Soothsayer has a much more open up tone and nicely balanced lows. Definitely one of the better RAT clones out at that place and a smashing option for typical sleeping accommodation setups. See my full review of the Soothsayer here.
Bedroom setups: 10/10
Gilmour tones: Delicate/PULSE
Gilmourish.Com score: 9/10

CostaLab Dirty Angel
The Dirty Angel is based on the archetype Rat excursion, with lots of gain, compression and mid range. In addition to the familiar controls, the Bad Angel feature a heave switch for a second gain stage, allowing more of pretty much everything on solos and heavier parts. Compared to the Rat, the Bad Angel has more low terminate and more of that tube amp-like character, with more compression kicking in at college gain settings. At lower gain settings, the pedal also doubles nicely as a warm overdrive. Excellent culling to the Rat and similar clones and especially recommended for smaller sized bedroom setups and scooped amps. See my full review of the Bad Angel here.
Bedroom setups: x/10
Gilmour tones: Frail/Pulse/Gdansk/Rattle
Gilmourish.Com score: 9/10

Buffalo Evolution
Although David Gilmour is perhaps mostly associated with the Big Muff, he also use distortions like the RAT and Pete Cornish G2. These accept more than mid range and an overall more saturated character. The Evolution is based on the G2, with much of the same character just Buffalo FX has addressed some of the bug every bit well, like designing a more linear gain stage and an overall warmer sounding character. The result is an incredibly versatile distortion, with a tube amp like tone, sugariness singing sustain and a very low noise level. Run across my full review of the Evolution here.
Bedroom setups: x/10
Gilmour tones: Frail/PULSE/Gdansk/Rattle
Gilmourish.Com score: 10/10

TopTone DG2

The DG-ii is loosely based on the Pete Cornish G2. Not really a Large Muff but closer to the classic RAT with a warm, creamy germanium tone and tons of sustain. Compared to the Cornish, the DG2 is actually noticeably quieter and fifty-fifty a scrap smoother. An splendid choice for a versatile setup and for bedroom setups. Run across my full review of the DG2 here.
Bedroom setups: 9/10
Gilmour tones: Fragile/PULSE/Gdansk/Rattle
Gilmourish.Com score: ix/ten

Vick Audio Five-2
The V-2 taps into the Cornish G2 territory but unlike the TopTone G2 and Buffalo FX Evolution, the V-2 sounds closer to a Muff, rather than a Muffish Marshall. There’s lots of gain, mids and low cease here but what sets it apart, is less pinch and more harmonics. The V-2 can hands cover David’s more current lead tones, produced past the Cornish G2 but likewise double as a Muff and fifty-fifty a fuzz, with some tweaking. The 5-2 sounds all-time lone, without a booster, and works equally well on smaller bedchamber amps and bigger stage rigs. See my full review of the Vick Sound V-ii here.
Sleeping room setups: 10/10
Gilmour tones: Fragile/Pulse/Gdansk/Rattle
Gilmourish.Com score: eight/10

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