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Super OD: based on BOSS SD-1 Super OverDrive
Dating back to 1981, this pedal still is one of BOSS' best-selling pedals. And rightfully so. It is the successor to the legendary '77 OD-1 (also yellow), which supposedly was the first "overdrive" pedal on the market, following all fuzz boxes, and preceding the Tube Screamer.
Contrary to the Tube Screamer, the SD-1 features asymmetrical clipping, which is the type of clipping that occurs in tube amplifiers. It's often said that because of this, the SD-1 complements the amplifier, instead of changing it. The pedal doesn't provide much gain, it isn't a distortion pedal. You can use it to drive a clean amp into blues territory or to push a higher gain amp. Because, besides being an overdrive, the SD-1 is also very popular as a boost for rock and metal amps. From JCM 800 to Rectifiers. With Drive turned down (all the way) and Level up, the SD-1 tightens, fattens and focusses the amp's distortion (esp. bass). And it does so admirably. This was soon applied by Zakk Wylde and many hard rock players.
Also contributing to its popularity is its amazing cheap price. You can buy it for 50 dollars or euros, and get a tone that competes with boutique overdrives.
No bad points? Yes, it is a little noisy (it bleeds). And like the Tube Screamer it sucks bass (but that's easily solved within Fractal Audio's model: adjust Low Cut). This explains why there are many mods for the SD-1 pedal.
The SD-1 has three controls:
About CPU:
Link to the list of published threads
Super OD: based on BOSS SD-1 Super OverDrive
Dating back to 1981, this pedal still is one of BOSS' best-selling pedals. And rightfully so. It is the successor to the legendary '77 OD-1 (also yellow), which supposedly was the first "overdrive" pedal on the market, following all fuzz boxes, and preceding the Tube Screamer.
Boss:
"The SD-1 Super OverDrive pedal produces the warm, natural distortion of an overdriven tube amplifier while maintaining the subtle nuances of a player's picking technique. This is one of BOSS' more subtle and smooth overdrive pedals, perfect for blues and rock."
"Unique asymmetric overdrive circuitry for a classic, natural tube amp growl."
"The SD-1 Super OverDrive pedal produces the warm, natural distortion of an overdriven tube amplifier while maintaining the subtle nuances of a player's picking technique. This is one of BOSS' more subtle and smooth overdrive pedals, perfect for blues and rock."
"Unique asymmetric overdrive circuitry for a classic, natural tube amp growl."
Bossarea.com:
"The OD-1 didn’t have a tone control so the engineers felt that the tonal range was limited because of this. As an answer to the problem they came up with the SD-1. Comparing the two circuits reveals that they are very closely related and using the exact same overdrive circuit. When comparing the sound of the two pedals side by side, it is however obvious that they’re not identical. Opinions are divided when it comes to the question, which one sounds best, but there is no doubt that they’re both legendary overdrive pedals."
"The OD-1 didn’t have a tone control so the engineers felt that the tonal range was limited because of this. As an answer to the problem they came up with the SD-1. Comparing the two circuits reveals that they are very closely related and using the exact same overdrive circuit. When comparing the sound of the two pedals side by side, it is however obvious that they’re not identical. Opinions are divided when it comes to the question, which one sounds best, but there is no doubt that they’re both legendary overdrive pedals."
Contrary to the Tube Screamer, the SD-1 features asymmetrical clipping, which is the type of clipping that occurs in tube amplifiers. It's often said that because of this, the SD-1 complements the amplifier, instead of changing it. The pedal doesn't provide much gain, it isn't a distortion pedal. You can use it to drive a clean amp into blues territory or to push a higher gain amp. Because, besides being an overdrive, the SD-1 is also very popular as a boost for rock and metal amps. From JCM 800 to Rectifiers. With Drive turned down (all the way) and Level up, the SD-1 tightens, fattens and focusses the amp's distortion (esp. bass). And it does so admirably. This was soon applied by Zakk Wylde and many hard rock players.
Also contributing to its popularity is its amazing cheap price. You can buy it for 50 dollars or euros, and get a tone that competes with boutique overdrives.
No bad points? Yes, it is a little noisy (it bleeds). And like the Tube Screamer it sucks bass (but that's easily solved within Fractal Audio's model: adjust Low Cut). This explains why there are many mods for the SD-1 pedal.
The SD-1 has three controls:
- Drive: controls the amount of overdrive (model: Drive)
- Tone: controls the tone (model: Tone)
- Level: controls the output level (model: Level)
Personal note:
I had a SD-1 on my old pedalboard for a loooooong time. I had it modded for less noise and more bass and made it "true bypass".
I had a SD-1 on my old pedalboard for a loooooong time. I had it modded for less noise and more bass and made it "true bypass".
About CPU:
- Fractal Audio's Drive models take up varying amounts of CPU. The Super OD model takes up about the most of all models!
- When a Drive block is engaged, CPU percentage will rise during playing, because CPU usage is "amplitude dependent".
Link to the list of published threads
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