# Which OD Pedal for EVH 5150 III 50W for the 'br00tz'? Or don't bother?



## aprilia4life (Jul 27, 2014)

I am considering getting an OD pedal for my EVH 5150 III. I know it's an epic metal amp stock, but adding a little extra grind/chunk/versatility etc can't hurt now can it? It's my first pedal, and I live in Australia and will be buying online (so testing is quite difficult/impossible), I would like it to 


be versatile
be popular (i.e. easy to source in Australia)
be cheap(ish)
not cut bass (I hear that some OD's do this? Ibanez TS?), if anything I want more bass punch
not add silly amounts of noise
have a true bypass
not compress/choke tone
not boost the mids too much (the EVH does this quite well on its own?)
not require mods for it to sound good (sourcing mod parts in Australia can be difficult (understatement))
Brands/models I have considered so far...


Ibanez TS'
Maxon OD's
Way Huge Green Rhino
Have I missed anything worth considering?
I am leaning toward the Green Rhino for it's versatility, I hear it has a true bypass and doesn't cut the bass (if anything you can boost it). 

So, what does everything think when it comes to boosting the EVH5150 50W? Some people have said there's no point to an OD for the 5150 III, others say it turns the blue channel into a monster. What sonic differences does the addition of a booster add to EVH 5150, is there any point in doing it? Can the same results be achieved by turning the gain up a bit (there's a LOT to play with on the EVH) Everyone's comments/ suggestions/ advice/ feedback are much appreciated.

Thanks!


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## Thanatopsis (Jul 27, 2014)

Personally I love my SD-1 w/C6 mod.


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## TheWarAgainstTime (Jul 27, 2014)

I'd go with an OD808 or OD9. I've used them both with my EVH mini and they both add that extra "something" to it. The OD9 is true bypass and cuts less low end than the Ibanez TS9, which is non-true bypass.

I personally didn't like the Green Rhino I had  it was a lot more transparent than the Maxon pedals and starts to sound kinda thin when you cut the bass. There's also a bit less "grind" in the highs/mids and less punch in the low end.


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## aprilia4life (Jul 27, 2014)

Sorry, that's another thing I forgot to mention, no mods (unless I can do it at home with a screwdriver, some wire and a soldering iron. Or, get the required parts shipped to me in Australia without it costing more than the pedal)


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## aprilia4life (Jul 27, 2014)

TheWarAgainstTime said:


> I'd go with an OD808 or OD9. I've used them both with my EVH mini and they both add that extra "something" to it. The OD9 is true bypass and cuts less low end than the Ibanez TS9, which is non-true bypass.
> 
> I personally didn't like the Green Rhino I had  it was a lot more transparent than the Maxon pedals and starts to sound kinda thin when you cut the bass. There's also a bit less "grind" in the highs/mids and less punch in the low end.



Hmm, yes transparency is a bad thing, what's the point on forking out $200AU for a pedal if you can hardly hear the difference. Less punch and less grind is also a big turn off.

Adding 'grind' to the mix is appealing to me, so the Maxon get's a +1 in my book, and low end punch is a massive + also.

Between the Maxon OD's, which one makes the EVH 5150 meaner, dare I say more 5150/6505 like? I bought the 5150 III for the versatility, but it would be nice to turn on a pedal to get the original 5150/6505 sound.


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## TheWarAgainstTime (Jul 27, 2014)

The differences between the OD9 and OD808 are subtle, but I think the 808 would be better for what you described. It has a little bit more punch, and is a bit less smooth in the highs than the OD9, which is closer to the less refined character of the 6505


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## aprilia4life (Jul 27, 2014)

Thanks uh&#8230; TWAT

I hear there is a new Maxon OD808X available, do you think that would be the pick of the bunch?

Might be a long wait before it makes its way to Australia (by canoe apparently&#8230


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## Insinfier (Jul 27, 2014)

I would just get a Maxon OD808 if you have the money now.

And TWAT.


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## mniel8195 (Jul 27, 2014)

The red ch does not need a boost at all and in fact i think it makes it sound worse even with lower output pickups. I own a maxon 808 and a suhr koko boost reloaded and i feel like after testing both i like the suhr koko boost more. It has a great buffer in the pedal which can be switched on and off a normal clean boost and three mid voices which makes for great options when recording. Besides that the build quality smokes any of the other pedals you mentioned!


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## Sean Richardson (Jul 27, 2014)

note I am from Melbourne so understand the tyrany of distance.

I have in my house the following amps and overdrives:

6505
Orange Jim Root Terror 
Mesa Mini Rec

OD808 (Maxon)
Seymour Duncan 805
MI Audio Cross Over Drive (OZ made)
Frederic Effects Zombie Klone 
Boss OD1 (Analogue Man TS808 mod) and SD2 (dual overdrive) stock
Protone Bulb Deluxe 

If I could ONLY have one overdrive...

The Seymour Duncan 805. These are only new (Sweetwater will send them) but they are a real sleeper pedal. IMO the BEST amp boosting overdrive. 

the next fav would be the 808... bear in mind that both are easy to get sound fantastic and are CHEAP compared to some of the others listed ...


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## MikeSweeney (Jul 28, 2014)

I got a GH for my 5150 mini and it crushes my 2ed channel it so chunky.


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## Shimme (Jul 28, 2014)

Any tubescreamer type pedal will cut out some lows, but keep in mind that (counter-intuitively) this is actually a really desirable thing if you want a tight aggressive sound with chunky palm mutes, while really helping to get some separation between guitars and bass. It depends on the style you're playing really.

That said the Green Rhino (which is a tybe screamer) kicks ass if you want a transparent, versatile pedal that can be used from getting some old school rock distortion to putting some brass knuckles on a br0talz amp.

Edit: I'll add that cranking the 100hz boost on the Rhino using a recto model instantly put me into stoner metal territory. Definetly not a one trick pony.


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## aprilia4life (Jul 28, 2014)

MikeSweeney said:


> I got a GH for my 5150 mini and it crushes my 2ed channel it so chunky.



Sorry is that a typo meant to be GR (Green Rhino)? Or does GH stand for something else?


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## mniel8195 (Jul 28, 2014)

i personally feel like the 5150 III is too tight for a ts type overdrive. At least one that you can't dial in the the low end cut. I feel like i have had more success complimenting the mids and just juicing it a little bit. When i was using the maxon i was constantly messing with the eq to get the a good mid and bass balance. Since i got my koko boost i have not really touched the eq and that includes the gain on the blue ch. All i do now is to adjust the presence and the treble depending on how loud i am playing. The koko boost kind of boost the entire signal and fills it in so its more of the blue ch on steroids instead of altering the eq a ton.


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## aprilia4life (Jul 28, 2014)

Unfortunately, the Suhr Koko is quite expensive down here (~$300), and I can get the 808 for ~$180.


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## TRENCHLORD (Jul 28, 2014)

Any of the maxons. (808, od9, 9pro+ ,820, vop9)

The "best" choice depends on all the other variables, like guitar, pickups, string-tension/tuning/gauges, amp and cab, ect......
I'd go with an od808 first since it's a good standard reference tool.


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## Gryphon (Jul 28, 2014)

Boosting the red channel makes it sound worse, but the boosted blue channel > red channel IMHO.

I've used the Maxon OD808 and currently use the OD820. Both will get the job done.


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## Jacksonluvr636 (Jul 28, 2014)

I would vote Maxon 808 but if you still want more bass than idk.

However, how many preamp tubes have you tested?

Those can make a huge difference as well. I would not rule out an OD but I would also try to find a box of mixed 12ax7 variants and start swapping tubes.


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## JordanStGodard (Jul 28, 2014)

I +1'd the Ibanez TS because I love it with my 5150 III. A lot of SSOers love the Maxon OD808. However, the OD808 did not sound any different to my ears from my TS808 when I heard a friend use his. I have not messed around with the OD808, so I can't personally vouch for it.


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## TRENCHLORD (Jul 28, 2014)

JordanStGodard said:


> I +1'd the Ibanez TS because I love it with my 5150 III. A lot of SSOers love the Maxon OD808. However, the OD808 did not sound any different to my ears from my TS808 when I heard a friend use his. I have not messed around with the OD808, so I can't personally vouch for it.



I believe the current Ibby ts808 is identical to the current maxon od9 in circuitry, and the current od808 is identical to the original Ibby ts from way back.
Either way there's only a very little difference in tone.

Current Ibanez ts9 is another story, and IMO inferior, unless of course it makes ONE'S amp sound better, which is really all that matters.


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## HighGain510 (Jul 29, 2014)

I agree with several of the folks saying boosting the red channel wasn't really necessary (or at least wasn't always beneficial). The stock tone of the red channel was pretty damn tight and sounded great IMO. That's my most-used amp profile on my Kemper anymore (found one that sounded nearly-identical to the tone IN THE ROOM, which was shocking to hear the first time I jammed on that patch! ) really, it was just a snapshot of the red channel on the 5150 III 50w without a boost in front. I've tried several boosts with the 5150 III 50w before included a Bloody Murder (TS808 clone, IIRC?), the Bulb OD and the Rockett Holdsworth OD/Boost. Out of all of those, the Holdsworth set to boost was my favorite honestly, they all sounded good, but that being said I often found myself turning ALL boosts off when running the red channel because it sounded so good on it's own. The gent who designed that amp (can't recall his name offhand, he posts/posted on TGP a lot in the EVH III threads) did a stellar job with that amp, IMO. The only improvement I can think of for that amp would be if there was a third EQ and a separate volume for the blue channel on the 50w version, other than that it's a sick amp!!!


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## wheelsdeal (Jul 29, 2014)

I would try the new Maxon OD808X.


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## SkullCrusher (Jul 29, 2014)

wheelsdeal said:


> I would try the new Maxon OD808X.



Yeah I'm going to!


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## atticus1088 (Jul 29, 2014)

I've got a mini and an OD808.

I'm in the boat that sides that the sound gets worse with a boost. This was using it with the old school method of gain 0, and volume to taste.
OD's work really great with some amps, but I don't feel like this is one of them.

It's extremely subjective, but I just found that it just added noise.
The tone is already brutal and tight on the red channel. 
Also, I'm not a fan of the OD thinning out the sound (removing bass and thump), which I like a lot. 

On the other hand, the boost can sound pretty good with the blue channel, but I still prefer the blue channel without it.

Toss that money towards some pickups, imo. Unless you already have what you want.


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## karjim (Jul 29, 2014)

Custom Od 909 for me...Only on the blue channel and I agree with below
Blue + Od > Red for the real chugging. The red get lost in the mix (even with the gain at 9-10'o clock). It hasn't enough low mids and it's too compressed. It's the perfect lead channel and adding an Od brings shit
The 6505 players know what I mean, if I want the chainsaw 5150 big crunch, it's the blue with the gain at 5-6 + Od (gain min level and tone max). More opened, more grind more 5150 block letter craziness.


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## WarMachine (Jul 29, 2014)

I havent had the pleasure, but if it's anything like its big brother, i'd say not to even bother. Set right the 5150 series can get as nasty and tight as anything on the planet, all by itself


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## Guitardude (Jul 29, 2014)

I have also been looking for a new overdrive pedal for my 5150ii... After watching videos and researching, I'm pretty sure I'm going to go with a Maxon 808. I have heard mixed reviews about the Green Rhino, but most people seem to really like the Maxon OD and Ibanez TS pedals.


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## Eliguy666 (Jul 31, 2014)

Wait just a second here, if anything, cutting bass with an OD adds more punch! I run my Green Rhino with maximum bass cut and turn the bass up on the amp, which tightens it significantly while retaining volume.

My vote is definitely for the Green Rhino, it's much more versatile than most things on market right now, and just sounds good. I use it through a Peavey Triple XXX and I can get just about any death metal tone I want.

Boosting the bass with the Green Rhino, any amp will turn into a drone metal machine.


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## Nihilum (Jul 31, 2014)

I've always preferred the Fulltone OCD over the Maxon. Here's a comparison by Mr. Fluff (for the record, he preferred the Maxon himself so I might well be in a minority here):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZQ4m_m-Szqw


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## Riley (Aug 1, 2014)

Nihilum said:


> I've always preferred the Fulltone OCD over the Maxon. Here's a comparison by Mr. Fluff (for the record, he preferred the Maxon himself so I might well be in a minority here):
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZQ4m_m-Szqw



To me the OCD doesn't work well with the 5153 because it adds dirt even with the gain all the way down. OCD works great with amps that could use a bit of a gain boost but it doesn't do the tighter and clearer thing like an 808. 

The OCD sounds incredible when adding dirt to a clean or lower gain channel...but I don't think that's what op wants. I have one myself just for that purpose.

I only use an od as a boost on the blue channel myself. The red channel is dang near perfect as is.


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