I know there are many different threads out there like this one, but I really need your guys help. I have a Peavey VTM head and it does not have nearly enough distortion. It sounds almost like Frank Blackfire's sound on Persecution Mania, only even less crunch. I use a MT-2 but it doesnt sound that great, it sounds real weak and thin, and it makes so much fucking noise. I would like a throatier sound, more like a 5150, or even a Kerry King-ish tone. I will fork over 300 bucks to get a real good pedal, but I dont want to waste money on something as sub-par as the MT-2. Also, I'm using an 81 85 set (I DON'T want to hear it BLS) so thats not the problem.

Another question, I use a Boss noise supressor before my MT-2, and my question is, if I put another ns after it, will it quiet the MT-2? I have used the noise supressor after the MT-2 and it only works at very low volume.

Any help with either questions would be much appreciated!!!

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mesa makes a pedal with tubes.its actually a preamp for the floor.i c em go on ebay for like 250$.engl also makes a tube pedal.ive only seen one on ebay though.

The tube pedal sounds interesting, never heard of that. Ill look into that. The VTM is a tube amp, and the saturation part sounds good when its turned up, its just the crunch that i have a problem with. thanks man!.

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Mesa Boogie Bottlerocket, H&K Tube Factor, theyre both two good tube pedals that would add some crunch, alot. Otherwise you can try the boost pedals from Duncan or Fulltone. And one more thing, check your tubes and try getting something gainier in the preamp.

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you say you'll fork out $300 for a pedal? why don't you take that $300, sell the vtm, and buy an actual head with great distortion like a 5150? they only go for like $500 used.

the vtwin pedal is a preamp, i used to own the origianal rack version which is quite a bit better than the pedal version... awesome preamp. only like $300 used... very recto-ish in overall tone, though i think it slays the recto in cleans and has alot more balls(less gain, but still more balls, and plenty of gain).

the bottle rocket aint bad, actually pretty good. it's a nice tube stompbox. the vtwin is a preamp that can be used as a stompbox.

the akai shred o matic is suprisingly good for how unpopular it is... it has a tube in it. i wonder why more people don't use em'.

the guyatone mm-x metal monster is a fucking brutal tube pedal too..

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Well from my expeirence with Distortion pedals the best one is the LINE 6 DM4

it is expensive for a distortion pedal but it is really good, on the Heavey distortion patch it is soo noisless. plus if your innovative enough you it can double as a lead boost pedal

i swear by it, although if i get that crate i imagine ill use the distortion on it

I have new 6L6 GC Svetlanas and AX7LPS sovteks in my amp that are about 3 months old.

As for selling and getting a 5150, I might very well do that. The only thing is that they are not terribly versatile in their tones. I will look into those tube pedals, they sound pretty cool.

As for pre-amps, what do they do? Do they make your amp louder or are they mostly for tone?

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ok think of it this way.in an amp head you have a preamp and a power amp mixed together.when you get a rack setup you buy them separatly.the preamp has everything to do with tone.it shapes it all.the power amp just pushes the speakers(sorta).all those nobs on your amp change frequencies(spelling)thats the preamp part.

Ok ok, I'm kinda getting it... I meant when bands use preamps outside of a head, for example, King uses a JMP-1 outside his marshall 800, now does that change his tone only??

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my thoughts exactly

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i don't know about that... i never heard of him acctually using the jmp-1... it's an awesome preamp n' all, but i just know kerry plays his dimed out jcm 800's.

when you say "outside of his marshall 800" what do you mean? before the preamp? side by side with the preamp? fx loop? after the preamp? after the head?

there are many ways you could set it up.

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ArGGGG it's so fucking confusing how all that shit is used. I just read somewhere that he uses them, they didn't say how.

If I bought a Mesa preamp or the JMP-1 to put before my vtm would it change the sound enough to get as much distortion as a 5150? Would a preamp like the jmp be a proper substitute instead of a tube pedal?

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if you have a noise gate, (boss white noise sopressor)
use the loop in it.
see those extra plugs called send&return?
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amp -<-|out put input|--<--guitar
| (NS-2) |
--<-|send return|-<-|
| |______________| |
| |
| |
|---->---(effects)---->---|


but yeah get a decent amp with distortion.

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-Proco Rat
-Ibanez tube screamer
-rocktron metal planet

more expensive ones

Koch floor-preamp
H&K tubefactor

and theres more. or sell your amp and get a better one

bugger
revised diagram:

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if you're going to buy a preamp like a mesa(not sure which one you're looking at) or jmp-1 i think you should just sell you vtm and buy a poweramp... it'll be easier and sound better.

i guess you could slave the head as a poweramp...

so you'd go guitar --->preamp--->fx loop return on head

that would bypass the preamp on the head and allow you to use it like a poweramp.

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Thanks man!! That will definately help!! I have tried using the loop on the ns-2 but never knew what it was for.

Many thanks to everyone who has contributed to this thread, I now know much more about all thins stuff and I am pretty sure I know what im gonna do now. Im gonna look around and give the Line 6 dm4, Bottlerocket, and Tube Factor all a shot.

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i know its kinda late but if you want that mesa preamp for the rack its here
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dl...3765468592&rd=1

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You'd be surprised, with an Extra EQ you can get quite a variety of tones from a 5150, not as much as other amps but more than most people give it credit for.

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I'm almost positive Soldano makes a tube pedal, I can't remember what it is called but you can find it on their website. It is basicly just the pre-amp circuitry from the SLO100 jammed into a little box. Obviously it isnt the exact same, but you know...

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awww, fond memories

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