Zach Broyles’ denim jacket with the collar popped and sleeves rolled up is what I want my guitar tone to be. Josh Scott’s bicycle t-shirt and dad jeans is what my guitar tone is.
So true, I kicked the pedal obsession (almost) after buying about 50+ of various types. Cheap, expensive, boutique, factory, all chasing "the tone". Ultimately I found out I still sound like me through all of them. Yes, some are better than others, but in the long run, I sound better by practicing more than any pedal is going to improve my sound.
@pvbaelen...I tend to agree here. We seem to get lost in the fact that such content is really business & clouds the viewers into thinking they have to get this or that new pedal. And actually when it comes to overdrive, likely the least important pedal in terms of differentiation. So, it really comes down to ones playing. Cheers. 🎸🎸🎸
Went to see the band Big Thief play live a few days ago. What really struck me was how fantastic Adrienne's Lenkers guitar playing sounded. And she says she prefers to almost always play just guitar direct into a great amp. It was Collings guitar into Magnatone Twilighter. Apart from the tight playing, I think her choice of a particularly well-built guitar, with the P-90 pickups were another reason it sounded so good. Great projection - it sounded so crunchy and alive and pushed out in the room. So having a couple of choice options when it comes to pickups might be preferable to tons of pedal options.
One of the things I really enjoy about this channel is that you don't just play endless solos to demonstrate gear. There's actual riffs and chords unlike a hell of a lot of other guitar based UA-cam channels. Kudos.
Boss's OD-3 is such an incredibly underrated overdrive. Through the front of an Orange amp, it really opens up the dirty channel, giving it a much more prominent midrange and a tighter bottom end so much better than many other popular overdrives out on the market. Fantastic demo Rhett! Keep up the great work!
cheers mate - I am looking at an OD3 to run in front of my Rockerverb 50 MK3 as a lead tone (on dirt channel) and a good slightly dirty boost on the clean channel. I'm hoping it will be the best for this use without spending stupid $
I did not like mine when I purchased it in 10th grade, but now I love it! it sounds way better on my ac15 than it did on the cheap solid-state Crate amps I used to jam with in high school, lol
Hahahaha fantastic: "I'm moving so I need sponsorship for the bills" 😁You're totally right Rhett, good luck with it all and here some interaction for the algorithm 😉
Well why don't you sell some of that gear that you won't ever gig with Hell you use that Captor IR whatever simulations Get the priorities straight..Lovely wife Don't be selfish Get the Homestead together first Your not gonna be a rock star
The Hot Tubes is a fantastic pedal. Feels like 80% Overdrive / 20% fuzz with a very large range of gain. It's capable of very subtle low gains while always retaining an identity of its own. At higher gain the sound gets pretty thick as the fuzzy aspect gets more and more noticeable. Very unique and probably not suited for every situation but definitely one of my favorite OD.
I think considering the Crayon and Hot Tubes were in there a little shout out to the HotWax is needed. Both pedals in one enclosure. Fantastic pedal, one of the best overdrives I've ever bought and the the addition of the blend knob is just fantastic. My one and only issue with it is the shared EQ, I'd rather I was able to do them separately but sure can't win em all.
When it comes to UA-cam channels and musicians, describing the category as "over-saturated" is a massive understatement. From professional producer musicians to lifelong studio greats, to virtuosos and even future guitar legends, the amount of content at our fingertips is seemingly endless. That being said, there are individuals who stand out.. who rise above the rest. Some, because of their insane riffs and licks.. others, their attention to cinematic details and incredible audio/video quality. Who's one of my favorites you may ask? Fuckin' Rhett, man. He consistently uploads a variety of educational, entertaining, engaging, and killer guitar content.. he just gets it. I've been playing instruments longer than I can remember. I've played in all kinds of scenarios.. studios, bars, churches, weddings.. I've been writing music for decades. At this point in my life, I mostly play acoustic guitar. Somehow Rhett has caused me to purchase a resonator, a handful of slides, a Les Paul, a semi-hollowbody, and the list goes on. He's given me inspiration in musical avenues I'd never even considered checking out over the years. I truly hope there's a mass of guitarists out there who feel the same and get excited every time a new video is posted. Rhett, you're doing something great and special.. I appreciate your dedication and hard work. Keep creating and following your dreams! Sending peace & love from Missouri -Todd
Imagine you have the top comment. It’s 4 words. And permanently placed next to is a sign that says you had to literally edit one of those words. At minimum 25% or your content needed fixing. That’s more embarrassing that not having $100
The Blues Driver is my first overdrive and is still, after so many, my favorite. I can use it literally in any position I want, in any config and it will sound brilliant.
The Earthquaqer Devices Plumes pedal is the best pedal i have ever owned. Ive played for over 25 years and once I got the plumes a few years back I was just blown away. The amount of sounds is just incredible and I highly recommend it. Rock on everyone!
EHX Crayon was the winner for me after not quite getting what I wanted from a BD-2, SD-1 and TS mini. Unless you want the particular 'character' of those other drives I highly recommend the Crayon. Very versatile. Easy to dial in just the right sound. Feels like it more naturally enhances what your amp is doing instead of changing the tone too much like other drives can + it still gives you the tube screamer-like mids boost into a big muff thing. Solved all my problems.
If you're really on a budget, get the EHX hot wax. It's a single pedal combining the crayon and the hot tubes. You can use either side or stack them. I've enjoyed mine for a while now.
Your blues driver tone in the beginning was great. In the 3 series the distortion sounds great, i know this video is about overdrives but at low gain the 3 series distortion serves as a great overdrive. Also another great pedal is Joyo Baatsin. When you play by yourself it's great to get good different sounds from a budget pedal, you can't get bored with that pedal.
If you like the Hot Tubes and the Crayon you can get both with the EHX Hot Wax dual overdrive. It goes for $120 which effectively puts the price for each at $60.
I also think you really need to have the EHX Soul Food in here. It's one of the most affordable Klon Centaur-like circuits out there and imparts a very interesting tonal tweak whether you're using low gain/high volume or high gain/low volume.
@@joshuamirabal822 I had the odr1 and it isn't as versatile as the od3. I remember getting mine for about $80. It's not bad but I had a harder time foaling in a good tone
Rhett! You should talk about the EHX Soul Food! Of everyone I know, I'm the only one that actually uses it like an overdrive rather than boost but I find it's one the most kickass cut-through-the-mix kind of overdrive, super underrated and has been a mainstay on my board for years
Great lineup, with the exception of the Earthquaker ! Very reasonable priced ! I personally have the EHX Hot Tubes ,its that killer "Valve Tone- Sound " every one loves ! Push the Tone to 2:00 ,Gain to 3:30 ish, and Volume to about 12:00 ,now your cooking !😎👍✌
I have a battered old blues driver which was my first overdrive and is pretty much a stable on my board ever since. Others ODs come and go but the BD-2 is always in the mix.
I tried a few ODs a few years ago, and as soon as I switched on the Blues Driver, I knew this is it. And I still love it. Does everything from nearly no gain to almost Fuzz Face Territory. Also works fine with both Single Coils and Humbuckers. The only other 'drive' I use is an old EQ, as a booster, most of the time after the BD2
@@patricksommer3971 I had one for years it was hard dialing in a good tone. It's easier to get the tone with the od3. I gave it away to a friend of mine after it being on and off my board for a few years in and out of a few bands across genres. I hear they work better with a stratocaster than the guitars I have
Awesome pedal, super thick and glassy, cleans up really well without too much volume and clarity loss. Sounds just like my amps overdrive channel but a bit more definition. Prob my fav!
Many swear with the BD-2. Some say strat, some say humbucker. I love strats but never felt anything for the BD-2. From clean to Fuzz? Yes, pretty much. But not the fuzz I like. And the low gain retains some fuzziness. Misses something soft in between to be an overdrive. I modded an SD-1 to clipper choices and felt higher treshold clipping in such a circuit is more to my taste.
Another one I would recommend would be the MXR GT- Overdrive, extremely versatile, works well with all types of coil-pickup configuration, and guitars, and the $ is around $100.00 ! It goes from mild to in your face wild ! Peace !😎👍✌
This guy right here has just covered my entire gain stage. I have a BD-2 going into an EHX Hot Wax (Crayon + hot tubes). I like the hot wax for the addition of the clean blend.
The hot tubes is my favourite guitar pedal, period. To me it sounds very "amp like" and dynamic, I use it to add a bit of gain to my clean sound all the time, or stack other overdrives into it, to push the input stage.
How do you guys use it? I have it before a SL drive but I think I’m using it wrong, like if it shouldn’t be there if I try to use it for stacking, however each pedal on its own sounds so good, I love my Soul Food that I don’t think I could part ways with it.
the TC MojoMojo needs to be on this list. I purchased the EHX Crayon that you feature here and basically couldn't use it with my set-up. It had way too much noise and didn't sound good at low-gain / boost type settings. So I swapped it for the Mojomojo which was $20 cheaper and I'm glad I did. The Mojomojo is much more versatile and less noisy.
I had one of these for about a week. loved the sound, but the volume would cut out if i had both sides cranking, so I returned it and got a Fuzz pedal instead.
It's worth noting that the Plumes, while being similar to a tube screamer, uses only opamps giving a higher input impedance. It also runs the opamps on a bipolar supply that is -9V/9V giving 18 volts of headroom. These factors combined give it a lot more clarity than a classic tubescreamer. It also explains why it has so much output as well.
I love it when a trusted UA-camr's ears match my own experience. Stay healthy everybody... UK is now open! - I got my first gig bookings, had given up all hope of that for 2021
it’s my first pedal, just got it today along with my first tube amp. i have been playing on a modeling amp for 2y an i just got a blues jr 4. sounds awsome (i do have to buy a power supply tho before i can use the plumes , i went with a Voodoo Lab Pedal Power 2 Plus Isolated Power Supply)
I had room for 1 overdrive on my board so I had to choose between the Hot Tubes or the tube screamer type pedal I had. Then I found out that EHX makes the Hot Wax which is the Hot Tubes and the Crayon in one pedal so now I get the best of both worlds. XD
F@*king Blues Driver! First pedal I bought when I picked up a Tele. Sold it. Don’t regret it because it got sold to a friend’s guitar student. For me, it’s the benchmark OD! Even over the OD-1. Thanks, Rhett! Great and much needed video! The EHX Soul Food is another outstanding OD under $100.
Just purchased my second Digitech Bad Monkey. I think that is one that should be on the list, especially for recording ... using the mix output direct. That may go beyond what these pedals do, but I think it is worth mentioning. Can only find it used now, but worth the search. As for new gear, Sweetwater rocks!!! \m/
The Way Huge Green Rhino is another fantastic overdrive that won’t break the bank. I really love the 500hz mid EQ. You can go from a fairly unaltered boost to a super nasally overdrive/almost distortion drive tone. The Overrated Special is another favorite of mine. Very similar to the Green Rhino with a bit more mid boost and drive.
EHX Glove, Boss SD-1, and ProCo RAT for honorable mention? Killer list though all of these are amazing. Also, the EHX Hot Wax (hot tubes+ crayon combo) is a great deal
I’m also in the anti-tubescreamer camp, but when I tried the plumes, I loved it. I don’t get why EQD is pricing it so low. It’s a great overdrive regardless of the price.
Bro, one thing I like about you is your transparency. That's how I know you are legit. You don't hide your flaws, you always say if you are sponsored or not, so when you vouch for something, I'm always in.
Have to say, I’m not a big fan of tubescreamers either, so have always ignored the Plumes, but that things sounded fantastic... particularly liked the LED clipping!
I've got the Plumes, Hot Tubes, and a Keeley Super Phat Mod on my board, and couldn't be happier. Combinations of those three will get you about anywhere you want to go.
The Blues Driver is the first distortion pedal I ever had in the mid 90's when I was a teenager. Back then Boss was absolutely dominant and it seems in the recent years that the "boutique" stuff has sorta become more in vogue but I'm sure Boss is still awesome. Just an aside for Rhett, I know this is not a "budget" pedal but I'm just curious if you know anything about T-Rex. I have the Mudhoney and that thing is PHENOMENAL with my AC30. I'd HIGHLY recommend you check out T-Rex if you haven't and especially since you're a Vox fan as well.
I think it might have to do with how he is using it here. It works great as a boost into a dirty amp, but I don't think he likes it as much as a traditional overdrive. Most of the time I run my amps on the edge of breakup (so less gain than Rhett was using there) and I like the tube screamer less in that type of situation anyways. It is just a bit too extreme most of the time. I like that it tightens up the low end, but it goes really far with pushing the mids and you loose so much of the high end too. Its an important pedal to understand, but I definitely agree that it lacks the versatility that a lot of other great overdrives have.
Had 3 back in the day, sold one and gave two away, and I wish I'd kept them because they would be worth SO much now. That said I would sell them and buy something else, because like Rhett I just don't get on with em.
I bought a ts808 in 1980. Rhett is right...it doesn't work well in certain set-ups. I sold mine for a big sum. I bought a Plumes recently, and it is far better. *I'm sure I will get some hate for that, but the Plumes is far more versatile. Price wasn't a consideration. EQD got it right.
I’m not a fan of the original TS but other developers take on a TS are what I dig. Like another EQD pedal that is next on my list to buy Palisades. It’s based on the TS 808 but with 6 different versions of the 808, 2 OD buttons and a boost. Massive versatility. Way Huge Saucy Box is what I have now and it’s in that vein. Kind of a mashup of a klon, TS and a plexi. Great sound,
Boss SD-1 is my fav value pedal. Sounds amazing boosting a dirty channel with a lot of gain. Has the perfect voicing for that specifically. I got mine for like $50 and run it at 13.5v. Love it into my Laney and Marshall.
I *reeeeeeally* appreciate the review of gear that I might actually buy and use. It's always nice to see the high-end stuff in action but odds are I'll never own any of it (with a few rare exceptions). Thanks Rhett!
If you include used pedals here, the Sparkle Drive Mod is a wonderful pedal imo. I love the wet/dry blend for a drive pedal. Can regularly find it used under $100.
EHX is killing it on budget overdrives. The Crayon and Hot tubes are fantastic and the Soul Food is even better. The BD-2 is also fantastic, pairs really well with a TS9.
That's exactly what I do. Boost my bd2 with a ts9. I can't find much use for the ts9 on its own, but in conjunction with another pedal it's a must have.
The Boss OD-3 is an awesome pedal. I inherited it from my father, and at first I thought I had to spend a bag full of golden jewels from an ancient king and a kidney of mine in order to get a "high quality boutique hand-made OD pedal". But having tried a bunch, I am damn glad I did not do anything stupid such as selling the OD-3. It just stands side by side with some "boutique clean/transparent" overdrives. If I remember correctly, the Wampler YT channel has a video comparing it side by side (frequency-wise) with the Nobels ODR-1 (the green one used by all the Nashville guys) and with some more I think. It just works for what it was created to do. And also works good as well as a clean boost IMHO and experience. And if the "buffer thing" frightens you, you better do some research and learn about buffers (what they are, how they work, types of 'em...), as they are not the devil and in most cases, unless you have the highest quality cables and pedals on your signal chain (and probably even then), you would benefit from a buffer as the ones within Boss pedals. Just my humble 5 cents. Have a nice day!
@@anemaldemomusic8182 it’s not really tight enough to get a good metal tone i think. Allthough you could probably use it as a boost to tighten up an amp
@@anemaldemomusic8182 it doesn't do modern Metal but it has plenty of gain for Hard Rock up to 80s Heavy Metal. It can go beyond overdrive, into distortion territory.
Rhett I just wanna say that I discovered your channel through Rick Beato's channel and then I have been watching your backstage vlogs. Man, thanks for presenting the life on the road, a musician's life. That's the life I've been wanting to live and you're really ignited the flame in me and those videos have been inspiring and encouraging! You are my favorite youtuber now. Keep going and good wishes to you.
So what we’ve learnt is that Electro Harmonix have a really cool, really distinct sound, and that any pedal will sound good if you can play like Rhett.
I find it has way too much low end and gets dark and muddy because of it. I still have it though as Paul Gilbert simply loves it. Gives me the feeling I'm using it wrong and might still get positively surprised one day.
I run mine with the switch down, gain about 1030, bass about 10, treble at 3. Works well like that with a Fender DR at about 4-5 volume. Gotta remember the EQ is active so theres a lot of adjustment there
The Rat should get an honorable mention here too...$60 brand new, legendary tones. ***EDIT*** I know it’s technically a distortion, but I use for a low gain boost like an overdrive. Works like a charm when my Plumes doesn’t have enough gain on tap.
I've been using OD3 for 20 years now. Like Rhett mentioned, it is great as a boost or on it's on as an overdrive. To me it just brings everything together. If I'm not getting the tone I need from an amp I just turn this on, adjust, and voilà! I think I am addicted to this pedal. 🤷♂️
I just ordered one from Sweetwater. Can’t wait to check it out. Comments like yours are reassuring so I think I made a good decision. I had a bd-2 and an sd-1 until recently when I sold the bd-2. With a telecaster and a cleanish amp the blues driver just wasn’t getting me the sound I was looking for. Paired with the sd-1 it was okay but still not great. I’ve heard this od-3 works well with a clean amp so I’m hopeful it will do the trick. Between the od-3 and the sd-1 I’m hoping to get tones from Led Zeppelin to SRV to AC/DC. If I just get in the ballpark I’ll be happy. I’m just a bedroom player after all anyway. Thanks for the comment
I love the BD-2. I've bought other ODs and nothing else has taken it off my board. I used to have the Hot Wax pedal too, which is EHX's Dual OD with the Hot Tubes and Crayon together in one pedal. I liked it a lot, but I wanted to use one side as a boost for the other and it was way too noisy to use that way. Maybe mine was a lemon? Anyway, great lineup of affordable OD pedals!
Congratulations on the house purchase. Awesome video, it’s so true about the pedals. I’ve collected a bunch of boutique pedals for a few years and they’re awesome but some of the cheaper more ‘mass- produced’ pedals are also fantastic. OD-3 is also a favourite of mine along with a few EHX pedals👌🏻
Thanks to you and Sweetwater for the chance to win a pedal! Good luck with the new house, probably going to need to do a few more sponsored videos! You rock!
Yes, Sweetwater ROCKS!!! Shout out to our sales guy, Tomir! EHX makes some really cool OD's. The Hot Tubes and the Crayon are both, solid tools. I also like the Soul Food. Also not a tube screamer fan, unless, I need/want that SRV tone. OD pedals are a bit like potatoes chips, who can eat just one? The BluesDriver is a no-brainer. OD's are like having a palette of tones. Really good video presentation, thanks brother!
Great vid. All of them are good OD’s. I’ll add the Saucy Box by Way Huge as a contender. It retails at $129 but I got mine on Reverb used for $80. It’s a good mix of klon and ts. You can go from a nice low to medium gain up to full on plexi. Plus the aesthetics are killer.
Zach Broyles’ denim jacket with the collar popped and sleeves rolled up is what I want my guitar tone to be. Josh Scott’s bicycle t-shirt and dad jeans is what my guitar tone is.
In all honesty, though, that whole 3 Series is severely underrated. So good.
Lol!
What Applebee's appetizer would Zach be?
@@randolphgallagher7942 mozzarella sticks for sure.
🤭🤭🤭
So true, I kicked the pedal obsession (almost) after buying about 50+ of various types. Cheap, expensive, boutique, factory, all chasing "the tone". Ultimately I found out I still sound like me through all of them. Yes, some are better than others, but in the long run, I sound better by practicing more than any pedal is going to improve my sound.
@pvbaelen...I tend to agree here. We seem to get lost in the fact that such content is really business & clouds the viewers into thinking they have to get this or that new pedal.
And actually when it comes to overdrive, likely the least important pedal in terms of differentiation. So, it really comes down to ones playing.
Cheers. 🎸🎸🎸
I suscribe to this comment 100%.
The more I practice, my guitar mysteriously begins to sound better
Amen
Went to see the band Big Thief play live a few days ago. What really struck me was how fantastic Adrienne's Lenkers guitar playing sounded. And she says she prefers to almost always play just guitar direct into a great amp. It was Collings guitar into Magnatone Twilighter. Apart from the tight playing, I think her choice of a particularly well-built guitar, with the P-90 pickups were another reason it sounded so good. Great projection - it sounded so crunchy and alive and pushed out in the room. So having a couple of choice options when it comes to pickups might be preferable to tons of pedal options.
One of the things I really enjoy about this channel is that you don't just play endless solos to demonstrate gear. There's actual riffs and chords unlike a hell of a lot of other guitar based UA-cam channels. Kudos.
I actually found myself wishing he'd just play more power chords, but whatever.
I agree.
It's all up to how th individual plays theyr guitar.this is just his way of improvising.we all do it.who wants to write a song for each pedal
I have had the Boss OD3 for over 10 years and it has never left my board. Love it!
OD3, SD-1 , BD-2. I got an old OD-2 as well.Boss are great.( The OD-3 and SD-1 are modded )
This video is sponsored by Sweetwater... psych it’s RAID: SHADOW LEGENDS
I must have lost several days of my life simply waiting 5 seconds to skip ads for that damn game! Would not play it on principal!
Yesssss
Wait...no VPN?
Ads? LOL! Noob!
Nobody who is sponsored by these games actually play. They hand out sponsorships like free candy to kids
Boss's OD-3 is such an incredibly underrated overdrive. Through the front of an Orange amp, it really opens up the dirty channel, giving it a much more prominent midrange and a tighter bottom end so much better than many other popular overdrives out on the market. Fantastic demo Rhett! Keep up the great work!
cheers mate - I am looking at an OD3 to run in front of my Rockerverb 50 MK3 as a lead tone (on dirt channel) and a good slightly dirty boost on the clean channel. I'm hoping it will be the best for this use without spending stupid $
İ agree
The Blues Driver is amazing tbh
the blues driver is good. the angry driver is amazing.
Honestly that is the one pedal I have never played. Maybe one day :(
It really is, I wish my dumb ass thirteen year old self would have gone for it instead of the Turbo Distortion in my local guitar shop
@@GuitarJawn you'd like it does great for buckers and singles
I did not like mine when I purchased it in 10th grade, but now I love it!
it sounds way better on my ac15 than it did on the cheap solid-state
Crate amps I used to jam with in high school, lol
I got a Blues Driver for Christmas about 5 or 6 years ago and it’s never left my board. Absolute favorite pedal!
It was the first pedal I ever bought 4 years ago and it hasn't left my board yet. Currently being used as a mostly clean boost.
Hahahaha fantastic: "I'm moving so I need sponsorship for the bills" 😁You're totally right Rhett, good luck with it all and here some interaction for the algorithm 😉
Yes, let's all thank Sweetwater for helping Rhett and Tilly move out of his parent's basement.
Oh, and feed the hungry, hungry algorithm.
Well why don't you sell some of that gear that you won't ever gig with Hell you use that Captor IR whatever simulations Get the priorities straight..Lovely wife Don't be selfish Get the Homestead together first Your not gonna be a rock star
@@paulcowart3174 does he need to? He makes a living with gigging and this Channel, he partially lives of ad revenue and sponsorships
Every time you started playing I thought, I really like this pedal…and then you turned on the pedal. 😄
Yeah, I appreciate that it takes pedals well, but it’s a little odd to use a $3,200 amp to make a video comparing
@@cocodacoco3065 I wish he would do a video on overdrives for a stock blues Jr since it's so popular
@@quistador7and us the same guitar for all the clips. With the same amp settings 🤷♂️
The Hot Tubes is a fantastic pedal. Feels like 80% Overdrive / 20% fuzz with a very large range of gain. It's capable of very subtle low gains while always retaining an identity of its own. At higher gain the sound gets pretty thick as the fuzzy aspect gets more and more noticeable. Very unique and probably not suited for every situation but definitely one of my favorite OD.
Every ehx pedal is about 20% fuzz lol
Perhaps the best pedal for making a boring amp sound better. Great on bass too.
@@misterknightowlandcohaha
My first pedal back in the 70s. Was 120v. It would keep blowing up, I'd keep rewiring it, and it would sound even better. Like thunder.
Man, I love the justification for having the video sponsored. Best of luck with the new house and the BILLZ!
I think considering the Crayon and Hot Tubes were in there a little shout out to the HotWax is needed. Both pedals in one enclosure. Fantastic pedal, one of the best overdrives I've ever bought and the the addition of the blend knob is just fantastic.
My one and only issue with it is the shared EQ, I'd rather I was able to do them separately but sure can't win em all.
When it comes to UA-cam channels and musicians, describing the category as "over-saturated" is a massive understatement. From professional producer musicians to lifelong studio greats, to virtuosos and even future guitar legends, the amount of content at our fingertips is seemingly endless. That being said, there are individuals who stand out.. who rise above the rest. Some, because of their insane riffs and licks.. others, their attention to cinematic details and incredible audio/video quality. Who's one of my favorites you may ask? Fuckin' Rhett, man. He consistently uploads a variety of educational, entertaining, engaging, and killer guitar content.. he just gets it. I've been playing instruments longer than I can remember. I've played in all kinds of scenarios.. studios, bars, churches, weddings.. I've been writing music for decades. At this point in my life, I mostly play acoustic guitar. Somehow Rhett has caused me to purchase a resonator, a handful of slides, a Les Paul, a semi-hollowbody, and the list goes on. He's given me inspiration in musical avenues I'd never even considered checking out over the years. I truly hope there's a mass of guitarists out there who feel the same and get excited every time a new video is posted. Rhett, you're doing something great and special.. I appreciate your dedication and hard work. Keep creating and following your dreams!
Sending peace & love from Missouri -Todd
Man, Todd I really appreciate reading this comment. This is so encouraging, thank you.
Hell yea brother
Amen to that. Rhett is the only guitar UA-camr that I watch every video from.
You're right, .... Rhett is really good!
with a real dose of passion...
imagine having 100 bucks
Yikes, sorry bro😬
Imagine you have the top comment. It’s 4 words. And permanently placed next to is a sign that says you had to literally edit one of those words.
At minimum 25% or your content needed fixing.
That’s more embarrassing that not having $100
@@Thearcherfl “or your content” is “of your content”. Better go edit.
@@DS-nw4eq 🗿
Imagine replying to a comment 2 years later just to point out it was edited. Gay.
The Blues Driver is my first overdrive and is still, after so many, my favorite. I can use it literally in any position I want, in any config and it will sound brilliant.
Can't go wrong. I use it for light-ish rhythm gain and fat Duane type leads. Does it all.
The Blues Driver you sent me just arrived I can't wait to see where it takes me. You rock bro. I can't thank you enough! Good luck in your new home...
The Earthquaqer Devices Plumes pedal is the best pedal i have ever owned. Ive played for over 25 years and once I got the plumes a few years back I was just blown away. The amount of sounds is just incredible and I highly recommend it. Rock on everyone!
EHX Crayon was the winner for me after not quite getting what I wanted from a BD-2, SD-1 and TS mini. Unless you want the particular 'character' of those other drives I highly recommend the Crayon. Very versatile. Easy to dial in just the right sound. Feels like it more naturally enhances what your amp is doing instead of changing the tone too much like other drives can + it still gives you the tube screamer-like mids boost into a big muff thing. Solved all my problems.
If you're really on a budget, get the EHX hot wax. It's a single pedal combining the crayon and the hot tubes. You can use either side or stack them. I've enjoyed mine for a while now.
I just got one about six months ago. It stacks well with the East River Drive too.
Gonna be one of my next.
@@FunWithMastaAce I still have the hot wax, but I’ve since replaced the East River Drive with a Boss SD-1, I highly recommend it.
That is a great pedal!
@@keithpennington6141 Both those are tube screamers.
The Earthquaker Devices Plumes is really great.
The three different clipping modes are super useful.
It's like a hifi ts, way more useful.
With plumes, I like the middle toggle setting, with the gain low and volume at 2 oclock and tone adjusted to taste for a nice boost and breakup effect
Your blues driver tone in the beginning was great. In the 3 series the distortion sounds great, i know this video is about overdrives but at low gain the 3 series distortion serves as a great overdrive. Also another great pedal is Joyo Baatsin. When you play by yourself it's great to get good different sounds from a budget pedal, you can't get bored with that pedal.
If you like the Hot Tubes and the Crayon you can get both with the EHX Hot Wax dual overdrive. It goes for $120 which effectively puts the price for each at $60.
I also think you really need to have the EHX Soul Food in here. It's one of the most affordable Klon Centaur-like circuits out there and imparts a very interesting tonal tweak whether you're using low gain/high volume or high gain/low volume.
JHS Overdrive sounds great. #2 the Blues Driver. Thank you for the video
Wish the Nobels ODR-1 was on this list.
Loooove the ODR1. The mini was a near instant add to my board
It’s about $120
@@joshuamirabal822 I had the odr1 and it isn't as versatile as the od3. I remember getting mine for about $80. It's not bad but I had a harder time foaling in a good tone
Rhett! You should talk about the EHX Soul Food! Of everyone I know, I'm the only one that actually uses it like an overdrive rather than boost but I find it's one the most kickass cut-through-the-mix kind of overdrive, super underrated and has been a mainstay on my board for years
Great lineup, with the exception of the Earthquaker ! Very reasonable priced ! I personally have the EHX Hot Tubes ,its that killer "Valve Tone- Sound " every one loves ! Push the Tone to 2:00 ,Gain to 3:30 ish, and Volume to about 12:00 ,now your cooking !😎👍✌
I have a battered old blues driver which was my first overdrive and is pretty much a stable on my board ever since.
Others ODs come and go but the BD-2 is always in the mix.
I tried a few ODs a few years ago, and as soon as I switched on the Blues Driver, I knew this is it. And I still love it. Does everything from nearly no gain to almost Fuzz Face Territory. Also works fine with both Single Coils and Humbuckers.
The only other 'drive' I use is an old EQ, as a booster, most of the time after the BD2
My first pedal was the OD3 I changed to the BD and never went back.
Bd-2 is pretty much the one pedal I would choose if I could have only one.
Agree, does everything from nearly clean to Fuzz
@@patricksommer3971 I had one for years it was hard dialing in a good tone. It's easier to get the tone with the od3. I gave it away to a friend of mine after it being on and off my board for a few years in and out of a few bands across genres. I hear they work better with a stratocaster than the guitars I have
@@larrykhulmann6262 probably it did'nt work with your setup
With my amp and the Bluesdriver, it's hard to get a bad tone
Awesome pedal, super thick and glassy, cleans up really well without too much volume and clarity loss. Sounds just like my amps overdrive channel but a bit more definition. Prob my fav!
Many swear with the BD-2. Some say strat, some say humbucker. I love strats but never felt anything for the BD-2. From clean to Fuzz? Yes, pretty much. But not the fuzz I like. And the low gain retains some fuzziness. Misses something soft in between to be an overdrive. I modded an SD-1 to clipper choices and felt higher treshold clipping in such a circuit is more to my taste.
Another one I would recommend would be the MXR GT- Overdrive, extremely versatile, works well with all types of coil-pickup configuration, and guitars, and the $ is around $100.00 ! It goes from mild to in your face wild ! Peace !😎👍✌
This guy right here has just covered my entire gain stage. I have a BD-2 going into an EHX Hot Wax (Crayon + hot tubes). I like the hot wax for the addition of the clean blend.
Love the Hot Tubes pedal. Really classic, old school sound. Thanks for the opportunity Rhett.
OD 3 gets super gnarly. Great with p90s or firebird pickups
The OD-3 is the best one here
@@joshuamirabal822 totally. I really like the tone with the drive up 2/3 and the tone up half way. My guitar comes alive with that into a vox ac30
Brilliant,fat-silky single coil,heavy spongy humbucker sounds all else klon clone and ts type
The hot tubes is my favourite guitar pedal, period. To me it sounds very "amp like" and dynamic, I use it to add a bit of gain to my clean sound all the time, or stack other overdrives into it, to push the input stage.
It does some very throbby tones.
I like the Electro-Harmonix Soul Food, tbh. I don't know if it's consider "good," but it works for me.
I love my soul food, it’s great to my ears.
No better Klon clone for that price in my opinion.
Got mine alchemy modded and stack it after and old boss od. godly smooth
The Soul Food is nice and mellow without totally changing the tone. Excellent boost pedal.
How do you guys use it? I have it before a SL drive but I think I’m using it wrong, like if it shouldn’t be there if I try to use it for stacking, however each pedal on its own sounds so good, I love my Soul Food that I don’t think I could part ways with it.
Thanks for keeping it real, Rhett. The Blues Driver is my ‘always on’ pedal and I use an OCD as a second gain stage for solos.
the TC MojoMojo needs to be on this list. I purchased the EHX Crayon that you feature here and basically couldn't use it with my set-up. It had way too much noise and didn't sound good at low-gain / boost type settings. So I swapped it for the Mojomojo which was $20 cheaper and I'm glad I did. The Mojomojo is much more versatile and less noisy.
My first pedal was a Hot Tubes / Crayon pedal called the Hot Wax, been on my board for close to 4 years
Great pedal. Kinda wish it had independent tone controls for each side but it's fantastic the way it is
I've been using that on my Bass rig for a few years, the blend is a godsend and I love the option of stacking.
Hot wax is a tremendous pedal,!!!!!!!
I had one of these for about a week. loved the sound, but the volume would cut out if i had both sides cranking, so I returned it and got a Fuzz pedal instead.
@@OneTinSloth1 : the more your signal distorts the less the volume increases when stacking overdrives since distortion means compression.
It's worth noting that the Plumes, while being similar to a tube screamer, uses only opamps giving a higher input impedance. It also runs the opamps on a bipolar supply that is -9V/9V giving 18 volts of headroom. These factors combined give it a lot more clarity than a classic tubescreamer. It also explains why it has so much output as well.
I love it when a trusted UA-camr's ears match my own experience.
Stay healthy everybody... UK is now open! - I got my first gig bookings, had given up all hope of that for 2021
Ive tried plenty of tube screamers, and the plumes hands down sounds the best to me.
it’s my first pedal, just got it today along with my first tube amp. i have been playing on a modeling amp for 2y an i just got a blues jr 4. sounds awsome (i do have to buy a power supply tho before i can use the plumes , i went with a Voodoo Lab Pedal Power 2 Plus Isolated Power Supply)
As a DIYer I love the nerdy details that Zack gives! 😃
I also recommend the Marshall Jackhammer. Great overdrive pedal!
The Blues Driver in my opinion is the best value pedal ever made
I had room for 1 overdrive on my board so I had to choose between the Hot Tubes or the tube screamer type pedal I had. Then I found out that EHX makes the Hot Wax which is the Hot Tubes and the Crayon in one pedal so now I get the best of both worlds. XD
F@*king Blues Driver! First pedal I bought when I picked up a Tele. Sold it. Don’t regret it because it got sold to a friend’s guitar student. For me, it’s the benchmark OD! Even over the OD-1. Thanks, Rhett! Great and much needed video! The EHX Soul Food is another outstanding OD under $100.
I just got a 4k TV. Man, your video quality is top notch!
Just purchased my second Digitech Bad Monkey. I think that is one that should be on the list, especially for recording ... using the mix output direct. That may go beyond what these pedals do, but I think it is worth mentioning. Can only find it used now, but worth the search. As for new gear, Sweetwater rocks!!! \m/
by far my favourite tubescreamer. such an underated classic
This aged like fine wine 😂
Did you sell either of them during the craze??
@@jordanpratt3821no, I like the pedal too much to do that. Plus, I didn’t want to take advantage of someone else’s zealousness. Haha
The most negative thought I’ve ever had plugging in an overdrive is “Eh, maybe not with this guitar.”
All overdrive is good overdrive!
The Way Huge Green Rhino is another fantastic overdrive that won’t break the bank. I really love the 500hz mid EQ. You can go from a fairly unaltered boost to a super nasally overdrive/almost distortion drive tone. The Overrated Special is another favorite of mine. Very similar to the Green Rhino with a bit more mid boost and drive.
EHX Glove, Boss SD-1, and ProCo RAT for honorable mention? Killer list though all of these are amazing. Also, the EHX Hot Wax (hot tubes+ crayon combo) is a great deal
Agreed, that Hot Wax keeps seeing action on my board to this day. In and out of circulation for sure, but always finds its way back for good reason.
If I'm not mistaken, Tom Scholz was the first to use LEDs as a clipping component. At least, that was the first I heard of. Pretty ingenious.
I’m also in the anti-tubescreamer camp, but when I tried the plumes, I loved it. I don’t get why EQD is pricing it so low. It’s a great overdrive regardless of the price.
Bro, one thing I like about you is your transparency. That's how I know you are legit. You don't hide your flaws, you always say if you are sponsored or not, so when you vouch for something, I'm always in.
Have to say, I’m not a big fan of tubescreamers either, so have always ignored the Plumes, but that things sounded fantastic... particularly liked the LED clipping!
I've got the Plumes, Hot Tubes, and a Keeley Super Phat Mod on my board, and couldn't be happier. Combinations of those three will get you about anywhere you want to go.
The Blues Driver is the first distortion pedal I ever had in the mid 90's when I was a teenager. Back then Boss was absolutely dominant and it seems in the recent years that the "boutique" stuff has sorta become more in vogue but I'm sure Boss is still awesome. Just an aside for Rhett, I know this is not a "budget" pedal but I'm just curious if you know anything about T-Rex. I have the Mudhoney and that thing is PHENOMENAL with my AC30. I'd HIGHLY recommend you check out T-Rex if you haven't and especially since you're a Vox fan as well.
I really appreciate your level of honesty. Integrity doesn’t come easy today. Thank you, Rhett.
Can't decide which I love the most between the OD3 and BD2. They're both in constant rotation on my board.
I have both on my board and stack them all the time. This combo is killer!
I have the Boss SD-1 and have never grown tired of it. I had the Blues Driver back in the day and never fully appreciated what it was good for.
With the absolutely SWEET tones that Rhett can get using a tube screamer type pedal, it makes me wonder why he hates them so much
It is probably the "feel" of playing the tube screamer.
I think it might have to do with how he is using it here. It works great as a boost into a dirty amp, but I don't think he likes it as much as a traditional overdrive. Most of the time I run my amps on the edge of breakup (so less gain than Rhett was using there) and I like the tube screamer less in that type of situation anyways. It is just a bit too extreme most of the time. I like that it tightens up the low end, but it goes really far with pushing the mids and you loose so much of the high end too. Its an important pedal to understand, but I definitely agree that it lacks the versatility that a lot of other great overdrives have.
Had 3 back in the day, sold one and gave two away, and I wish I'd kept them because they would be worth SO much now. That said I would sell them and buy something else, because like Rhett I just don't get on with em.
I bought a ts808 in 1980. Rhett is right...it doesn't work well in certain set-ups. I sold mine for a big sum. I bought a Plumes recently, and it is far better. *I'm sure I will get some hate for that, but the Plumes is far more versatile. Price wasn't a consideration. EQD got it right.
I’m not a fan of the original TS but other developers take on a TS are what I dig. Like another EQD pedal that is next on my list to buy Palisades. It’s based on the TS 808 but with 6 different versions of the 808, 2 OD buttons and a boost. Massive versatility. Way Huge Saucy Box is what I have now and it’s in that vein. Kind of a mashup of a klon, TS and a plexi. Great sound,
Boss SD-1 is my fav value pedal. Sounds amazing boosting a dirty channel with a lot of gain. Has the perfect voicing for that specifically. I got mine for like $50 and run it at 13.5v. Love it into my Laney and Marshall.
My go to pedal :)
I have a Blues Driver and it's by far my favorite pedal
Joyo Ultimate Drive is one of my favorite cheap pedals of all time. Does anyone remember Freekish Blues Alpha Drive pedal LOL.
I *reeeeeeally* appreciate the review of gear that I might actually buy and use. It's always nice to see the high-end stuff in action but odds are I'll never own any of it (with a few rare exceptions). Thanks Rhett!
Hey Drew Foster is my sales engineer too! Love Sweetwater. Absolutely nothing wrong with having them as a sponsor.
If you include used pedals here, the Sparkle Drive Mod is a wonderful pedal imo. I love the wet/dry blend for a drive pedal. Can regularly find it used under $100.
Bd 2 is my first pedal ever and i love this.
Thank you. Greetings from Catalonia.
EHX is killing it on budget overdrives. The Crayon and Hot tubes are fantastic and the Soul Food is even better. The BD-2 is also fantastic, pairs really well with a TS9.
That's exactly what I do. Boost my bd2 with a ts9. I can't find much use for the ts9 on its own, but in conjunction with another pedal it's a must have.
@@jordanpratt3821 in outdoor gigs the TS9 is magical just gets the right tone to push to the front of the mix while leaving space for others.
The Boss OD-3 is an awesome pedal. I inherited it from my father, and at first I thought I had to spend a bag full of golden jewels from an ancient king and a kidney of mine in order to get a "high quality boutique hand-made OD pedal". But having tried a bunch, I am damn glad I did not do anything stupid such as selling the OD-3. It just stands side by side with some "boutique clean/transparent" overdrives. If I remember correctly, the Wampler YT channel has a video comparing it side by side (frequency-wise) with the Nobels ODR-1 (the green one used by all the Nashville guys) and with some more I think. It just works for what it was created to do. And also works good as well as a clean boost IMHO and experience. And if the "buffer thing" frightens you, you better do some research and learn about buffers (what they are, how they work, types of 'em...), as they are not the devil and in most cases, unless you have the highest quality cables and pedals on your signal chain (and probably even then), you would benefit from a buffer as the ones within Boss pedals. Just my humble 5 cents. Have a nice day!
The Blues Driver has been my staple for 20 years. I feel a lot of people dismiss it because "it's just another Boss pedal"
The keeley modded blues driver was the only pedal I had for a long time. Though it was easily available when I bought it.
I can't decide this and the SD1. The BD has more growl and gain, but the SD is sweet and nice booster.
not really I kinda dismiss because I feel like its really made for blues, which I love but idk if its good for metal, is it?
@@anemaldemomusic8182 it’s not really tight enough to get a good metal tone i think. Allthough you could probably use it as a boost to tighten up an amp
@@anemaldemomusic8182 it doesn't do modern Metal but it has plenty of gain for Hard Rock up to 80s Heavy Metal. It can go beyond overdrive, into distortion territory.
Rhett I just wanna say that I discovered your channel through Rick Beato's channel and then I have been watching your backstage vlogs. Man, thanks for presenting the life on the road, a musician's life. That's the life I've been wanting to live and you're really ignited the flame in me and those videos have been inspiring and encouraging! You are my favorite youtuber now. Keep going and good wishes to you.
So what we’ve learnt is that Electro Harmonix have a really cool, really distinct sound, and that any pedal will sound good if you can play like Rhett.
It’s CMOS based and that’s why
best honest reason for sponsorship. no shame in just payin the bills. great content Rhett. Keep up the good work.
The Mojo mojo is a excellent pedal for guitar and bass.
Is always a personal preference. I had it and sold it in a few hours. Simply hated it. Now i use a Nobels od
I find it has way too much low end and gets dark and muddy because of it. I still have it though as Paul Gilbert simply loves it. Gives me the feeling I'm using it wrong and might still get positively surprised one day.
It's a little wooly as a main od for me, but I have it now as post-mod, post-delay dirt, and for that it's absolutely perfect.
I run mine with the switch down, gain about 1030, bass about 10, treble at 3. Works well like that with a Fender DR at about 4-5 volume. Gotta remember the EQ is active so theres a lot of adjustment there
That Boss Blues Driver with the Strat sounds amazing! Sparkle and grit.
Just tracked some leads with a BD-2W this morning... Pure.
Well they all sound great. I personally love the Crayon. I have the Hotwax and it can cover every tone I need. Amazing dual OD.
The Rat should get an honorable mention here too...$60 brand new, legendary tones.
***EDIT*** I know it’s technically a distortion, but I use for a low gain boost like an overdrive. Works like a charm when my Plumes doesn’t have enough gain on tap.
i recently got a rat bc ive seen jt mentioned alot and its by far the best of any OD / Distortion / Fuzz ive tried for my sounds
You’re not wrong.
12:51 sounds almost like a Rival Sons song called Secret haha, nice. Great video, really love all these affordable options for overdrives.
Congrats on the house man!
Thank you for the demos - the JHS and ExH crayon are great out of the box .plug and play
I've been using OD3 for 20 years now. Like Rhett mentioned, it is great as a boost or on it's on as an overdrive. To me it just brings everything together. If I'm not getting the tone I need from an amp I just turn this on, adjust, and voilà! I think I am addicted to this pedal. 🤷♂️
I just ordered one from Sweetwater. Can’t wait to check it out. Comments like yours are reassuring so I think I made a good decision. I had a bd-2 and an sd-1 until recently when I sold the bd-2. With a telecaster and a cleanish amp the blues driver just wasn’t getting me the sound I was looking for. Paired with the sd-1 it was okay but still not great. I’ve heard this od-3 works well with a clean amp so I’m hopeful it will do the trick. Between the od-3 and the sd-1 I’m hoping to get tones from Led Zeppelin to SRV to AC/DC. If I just get in the ballpark I’ll be happy. I’m just a bedroom player after all anyway.
Thanks for the comment
@@brianrollins7275 I hope you find it useful. I'm not sure what amp you are using but it should pair very nicely with telecaster.
@@brianrollins7275 did the od3 work out with the telecaster?
Having insights from both a player and pedal designer was wonderfully informative. Good work!
I love the BD-2. I've bought other ODs and nothing else has taken it off my board. I used to have the Hot Wax pedal too, which is EHX's Dual OD with the Hot Tubes and Crayon together in one pedal. I liked it a lot, but I wanted to use one side as a boost for the other and it was way too noisy to use that way. Maybe mine was a lemon? Anyway, great lineup of affordable OD pedals!
Congratulations on the house purchase. Awesome video, it’s so true about the pedals. I’ve collected a bunch of boutique pedals for a few years and they’re awesome but some of the cheaper more ‘mass- produced’ pedals are also fantastic. OD-3 is also a favourite of mine along with a few EHX pedals👌🏻
The "Plumes" is badass on bass!
Thanks to you and Sweetwater for the chance to win a pedal! Good luck with the new house, probably going to need to do a few more sponsored videos! You rock!
I think that HotCake deserves it's own episode.
The hotcake was my second overdrive after a blues driver. To this day yhey are still the two drives I have on my modest board.
The Infamous HC!
Agree
Kiwi hotcakes
The Boss Blues Driver is one of the most underrated pedals out there. I think it creates a smooth, pleasing and musical distortion.
Underrated? Hardly.
Great pedals , in my opinion there is nothing more beloved than the Boss BD2 Blues driver 🤗
Yes, Sweetwater ROCKS!!! Shout out to our sales guy, Tomir! EHX makes some really cool OD's. The Hot Tubes and the Crayon are both, solid tools. I also like the Soul Food. Also not a tube screamer fan, unless, I need/want that SRV tone. OD pedals are a bit like potatoes chips, who can eat just one? The BluesDriver is a no-brainer. OD's are like having a palette of tones. Really good video presentation, thanks brother!
Blues Driver is the only pedal that has never been taken off my board
Rhett could play a shoebox with a footswitch and make it sound boutique - Love this channel! Good luck on the house!
Love the Crayon. That thing rips.
Great vid. All of them are good OD’s. I’ll add the Saucy Box by Way Huge as a contender. It retails at $129 but I got mine on Reverb used for $80. It’s a good mix of klon and ts. You can go from a nice low to medium gain up to full on plexi. Plus the aesthetics are killer.
Boss Blues Driver overall fave
I wish I could be as cool as Zach Broyles - popped collar, rolled up sleeves, Ecto-1 pin on the jacket...
Excellent video, Rhett!