Couple of New Ones

[gball]

Picked up a couple of new pedals over the weekend. Have only been able to put maybe an hour and a half in on each one, but they are both working out well

A Wampler Dracarys and a Ramble FX Marvel Drive 3



Both do exactly what they were billed as: The Dracarys is a very modern-sounding ultra high gain job and the Ramble Drive really sounds like a Plexi.
The Dracarys Is really tight and controlled high gain, which is exactly what I wanted - its not wooly at all and the note definition is remarkable for something with so much broots going on. Seems to work best in front of a completely clean amp.
Ramble really, really hits the spot for that clangy old-school Marshall grind. Its amazingly touch-sensitive and handles the clean-up-with-the-guitar-volume trick just like you would expect an amp to. I could see this one becoming a go-to.

Just though I needed to break away from all the Boss stuff a little, and had a credit at Sam Ash so went for it. Lots of fun.

 

[smitty_p]

Picked up a couple of new pedals over the weekend. Have only been able to put maybe an hour and a half in on each one, but they are both working out well

A Wampler Dracarys and a Ramble FX Marvel Drive 3

View attachment 73629

Both do exactly what they were billed as: The Dracarys is a very modern-sounding ultra high gain job and the Ramble Drive really sounds like a Plexi.
The Dracarys Is really tight and controlled high gain, which is exactly what I wanted - its not wooly at all and the note definition is remarkable for something with so much broots going on. Seems to work best in front of a completely clean amp.
Ramble really, really hits the spot for that clangy old-school Marshall grind. Its amazingly touch-sensitive and handles the clean-up-with-the-guitar-volume trick just like you would expect an amp to. I could see this one becoming a go-to.

Just though I needed to break away from all the Boss stuff a little, and had a credit at Sam Ash so went for it. Lots of fun.

Nice review.

These sound like interesting pedals.

 

[jtcnj]

Nice!

 

[gball]

Nice review.

These sound like interesting pedals.

They are both really different but both really really good at what they do. The Wampler has to be played to be appreciated - the level of gain is absurd but nothing ever gets mushy and there is plenty of bite in the low end with the neck pickup. I fiddled around with some drop-d stuff and it absolutely excelled. As I mentioned, definitely works best into a clean amp as the sole source of distortion. Very much reminiscent of a "modernized Rectifier" if that makes any kind of sense.

And the Marvel Drive is just really one of the best MIAB pedals I've used. Very impressed with how amp-like it feels, and the interaction of the High and Normal channels really does mimic the sound of an actual 4-hole Marshall in a very convincing way. This one can be more easily used as a boost but also seems to shine into a clean amp. Of the two I think this one will get a lot more use.

Generally I am an overdrive guy and don't use distortion pedals much. What got me to thinking about distortion boxes is I was recently just playing with my DS-1 into the clean channel of my amp and was having such a blast I figured why not get some other flavors. My favorite OD sound of late is the Angry Driver, which really probably leans further toward being a JCM-800 inspired distortion than just an OD already.

Nice!

View attachment 73630

Its a pretty apt visual for how the thing sounds. Evidently the inspiration for it was Ola Englund's tone, so that'll give you some clue. It definitely chugs.

 

[smitty_p]

And the Marvel Drive is just really one of the best MIAB pedals I've used. …. Of the two I think this one will get a lot more use.

From your description, that would probably be the one I’d use the most, too. At only around $180.00, it’s a pretty reasonable price for a decent pedal.

I’m curious about your use of the Boss DS-1. When I had one, I didn’t care for it very much. I thought it sounded better after I installed the Monte Allums Tri-Gain mod, but I still never really warmed up to it. I don’t know if you remember the pass-around box thing that we did a few years ago, but I put that pedal in the box. I don’t know who ended up with it!

 

[gball]

From your description, that would probably be the one I’d use the most, too. At only around $180.00, it’s a pretty reasonable price for a decent pedal.

I’m curious about your use of the Boss DS-1. When I had one, I didn’t care for it very much. I thought it sounded better after I installed the Monte Allums Tri-Gain mod, but I still never really warmed up to it. I don’t know if you remember the pass-around box thing that we did a few years ago, but I put that pedal in the box. I don’t know who ended up with it!

It's absolutely worth the money. Been messing around with it this afternoon and it's fast becoming one of my favorites.

I've never really used the DS-1 that much but I actually do like them. I've kind of always had one around off and on for decades but only used sparingly. I picked up the black anniversary one when they were available, which has the old-school discreet components instead of the SMDs the current ones use, and I could hear a small difference between the two. The anniversary one is a bit sweeter and more "natural" sounding, so of course I sold the regular one and kept it.

Personally I have found that the only way the DS-1s sound good is with the pedal level control below unity gain and into a clean or damn-close-to-clean amp. Tone at 9-O'clock and the distortion knob up between 4 and 5. Control the output with the guitar volume. I can get killer 70's Rock crunch out of it that way, but the trick, at least for me, is to keep the pedal level just a tick under the amp level or it starts getting shrill and hard to control, which I know is kind of the opposite of common dirt pedal wisdom.

 

[smitty_p]

Personally I have found that the only way the DS-1s sound good is with the pedal level control below unity gain and into a clean or damn-close-to-clean amp. Tone at 9-O'clock and the distortion knob up between 4 and 5. Control the output with the guitar volume. I can get killer 70's Rock crunch out of it that way, but the trick, at least for me, is to keep the pedal level just a tick under the amp level or it starts getting shrill and hard to control, which I know is kind of the opposite of common dirt pedal wisdom.

All of that actually makes really good sense. In all honesty, it’s entirely possible I was using it “wrong”. That was in my early days of using distortion pedals and I may have been trying to force too much from it. A lot of times, the “less is more” principle works best.

 

[gball]

All of that actually makes really good sense. In all honesty, it’s entirety possible I was using it “wrong”. That was in my early days of using distortion pedals and I may have been trying to force too much from it. A lot of times, the “less is more” principle works best.

For $55 bucks (or a lot less used) you may as well try another one!

 

[smitty_p]

For $55 bucks (or a lot less used) you may as well try another one!

I‘m hoping that when my Rivera amp comes in that I won’t need to!

Seriously, I’ve had that amp on order for nearly two months. Well…maybe only six weeks. I’m getting a little antsy!

 

[gball]

I‘m hoping that when my Rivera amp comes in that I won’t need to!

Seriously, I’ve had that amp on order for nearly two months. Well…maybe only six weeks. I’m getting a little antsy!

Oh I hate the waiting. Did you buy direct from Rivera or through a retailer? If from them they are great to deal with - Paul Rivera Jr. usually answers the phone and is a straight shooter.

For me mostly the dirt boxes are just to get a different tone in the moment. There are plenty of times that I use the amp gain then just use an OD for some boost and nothing more.

 

[smitty_p]

Oh I hate the waiting. Did you buy direct from Rivera or through a retailer? If from them they are great to deal with - Paul Rivera Jr. usually answers the phone and is a straight shooter.

For me mostly the dirt boxes are just to get a different tone in the moment. There are plenty of times that I use the amp gain then just use an OD for some boost and nothing more.

I ordered through Sweetwater. According to them, C0vid delays are slowing everything down. I do believe that. I am seeing the same thing at my job with ordering equipment.

As for using an OD, I do pretty much the same with a Tubscreamer. I’ll use it to add a little hair to a clean channel or to add a little more saturation to a dirty channel.

 

[smitty_p]

Oh I hate the waiting. Did you buy direct from Rivera or through a retailer? If from them they are great to deal with - Paul Rivera Jr. usually answers the phone and is a straight shooter.

For me mostly the dirt boxes are just to get a different tone in the moment. There are plenty of times that I use the amp gain then just use an OD for some boost and nothing more.

I ordered through Sweetwater. According to them, C0vid delays are slowing everything down. I do believe that. I am seeing the same thing at my job with ordering equipment.

As for using an OD, I do pretty much the same with a Tubscreamer. I’ll use it to add a little hair to a clean channel or to add a little more saturation to a dirty channel.

 

[gball]

I ordered through Sweetwater. According to them, C0vid delays are slowing everything down. I do believe that. I am seeing the same thing at my job with ordering equipment.

As for using an OD, I do pretty much the same with a Tubscreamer. I’ll use it to add a little hair to a clean channel or to add a little more saturation to a dirty channel.

Does seem like everything is delayed. Hope you get it soon.

I pretty much use a TS with the Marshall and usually a Blues Driver with the Mesa. Sometimes the mid hump a TS can be a bit much with the mid-forward sound of the Mesa, but sometimes that's exactly what I want.

 

[TheToneDig]

Wampler is great. Ever since I used a Tumnus I have been meaning to look into more stuff from them. I was actually GASsing for that Marvel pedal and the Pinnacle but then I just went ahead and decided to get the SV20h.

Your Rivera should take those pedals like a champ. Top shelf boutique amps.