Best Overdrive for Single Coils?

[Buddha's Guitar Tech]

i feel like upping my game and building a two-channel amp.

i really like playing with single coils, so as the title asks, what might be some good pointers for overdrive?

[selloutrr]

The birth of single coil overdrive would be a fender circuit with a master volume or you could use a razor blade and cut the speaker cone and run it wide open. Twin reverb, Bandmaster, Bassman, Princeton, Vibroverb, Champ all great studio and time tested circuits.

If you wanted to go marshall Super lead plexi will give you hendrix. finish it off with dallas orbitor fuzz pedal and wah.

If you just want to drive a basic amp look at the Ibanez TS808 or 909, Electro Harmonix Big Muff Pi, Maestro Super Fuzz.

I'm sure I'm missing a few but that will pretty much cover 90% of the tone you have heard since the history of the single coil Fender guitar.

If you want radio head's Creep - Traynor YGL-Mark 3
Pink Floyd used Hiwatts and WEM with pedals to drive the distortion and other fx alot of that sound was studio tricks.

[Structo]

i feel like upping my game and building a two-channel amp.

i really like playing with single coils, so as the title asks, what might be some good pointers for overdrive?

How complex you want to get?

For me so far, the Dumbles are the best switching amp I've had the pleasure of building and playing through.
Good cleans with rich overdrive.

[tubeswell]

tweed fender fixed bias amp running 6V6s about 20W output with a LTP inverter with a single triode input stage in front followed by a vol and 1-knob tone control, all with a hotcake pedal in front.

[bcmatt]

If you want radio head's Creep - Traynor YGL-Mark 3

What do you mean by this?
I'm not disagreeing, just wondering where this is coming from...
I have two of these in head form; VERY clean amps.
Are you making a suggestion of a good way to get their tones; their cleans, and then add dirt pedals?

[Buddha's Guitar Tech]

Should have mentioned, i'd prefer not to use an overdrive pedal, i'd rather it was handled in the amp.

Long Story Alert: i play a Jazzmaster; stock pickup @ neck, Seymour tapped-humbucker in the bridge.

Neck and bridge on single coil: lovely clean sound.
Overdriven, that combination sounds a little wooly.

Switch to the bridge...
With the bridge in series humbucker mode, it's a little too mid-range-ish.

In parallel humbucker, it settles a little, but not enough body compared to that lovely clean sound.

Thinking on it, in my amps, i tend to put the EQ after two gain stages (to minimise insertion loss.) Perhaps, when the second triode is getting hit hard, it's in need of some EQ beforehand.
...end of long story.

Or do i need to dry my baby eyes and use a different guitar?

[azatplayer]

tweed fender fixed bias amp running 6V6s about 20W output with a LTP inverter with a single triode input stage in front followed by a vol and 1-knob tone control, all with a hotcake pedal in front.

Did sound for a friends album launch last week. He had Eric McCusker doing a guest spot (Mondo Rock)
He had a actual blackface deluxe reverb 1x12, sounded incredible with his actual 60's strat ( old fart)
And he was using a Hotcake as well. I have one and friggin hate it!
But was nice with that amp and guitar fo sho!

[Reeltarded]

I would be on the "other guitar" side of this one, and if I was planning on using a Strat, or a Tele, one channel with be Vox with Top Boost and Cut control. It so very good with a Fender.

[Buddha's Guitar Tech]

I would be on the "other guitar" side of this one, and if I was planning on using a Strat, or a Tele, one channel with be Vox with Top Boost and Cut control. It so very good with a Fender.

Interesing

[Reeltarded]

I like TB with Cut so much that I wouldn't need another channel, but if I had to have it, it'd probably be Fendery, and maybe that side has reverb.

A Telecaster is basically a Fender Les Paul. Very good rig with a Vox, especially if you cut the Helen Keller cap on the front pickup it can out-Strat a Strat.

[vibratoking]

A Telecaster is basically a Fender Les Paul. Very good rig with a Vox, especially if you cut the Helen Keller cap to the front pickup out-Strats a Strat.

I have to confess you lost me. A Tele is basically a Fender Les Paul? What is the Helen Keller cap?

[Andy Le Blanc]

those traynors, YGL are nearly a fender clone but a guitar mate YGM 3..?..
had a .001 bright cap and that treble bass section they really scream, might
be worth tinkering with, put before a master volume.

I liked that marshal jcm 800 master volume channel with a strat.
two tubes, pretty easy to simplify, brighten or darken to taste.

give your self a couple tubes to play with, that'll be four gain stages to build around.
you can put anything from a mesa to a wreck before a master volume.

[selloutrr]

If you want radio head's Creep - Traynor YGL-Mark 3

What do you mean by this?
I'm not disagreeing, just wondering where this is coming from...
I have two of these in head form; VERY clean amps.
Are you making a suggestion of a good way to get their tones; their cleans, and then add dirt pedals?

It was the amp used to record this song and one of the main stage amps used until the pay checks started coming in.
Everything Radiohead is a ton of pedals and studio tricks.

[selloutrr]

Should have mentioned, i'd prefer not to use an overdrive pedal, i'd rather it was handled in the amp.

Long Story Alert: i play a Jazzmaster; stock pickup @ neck, Seymour tapped-humbucker in the bridge.

Neck and bridge on single coil: lovely clean sound.
Overdriven, that combination sounds a little wooly.

Switch to the bridge...
With the bridge in series humbucker mode, it's a little too mid-range-ish.

In parallel humbucker, it settles a little, but not enough body compared to that lovely clean sound.

Thinking on it, in my amps, i tend to put the EQ after two gain stages (to minimise insertion loss.) Perhaps, when the second triode is getting hit hard, it's in need of some EQ beforehand.
...end of long story.

Or do i need to dry my baby eyes and use a different guitar?

you should probably look up dinosaur jr's equipment list. same guitar and tons of distortion. bush used a similar guitar/pickup rig - fender twin reverb wide open for most of the first album.

if you aren't liking the wash of the distortion versus the clarity of the cleans. it sounds like you might need two amps a wet and dry so you can mix the desired result. This is also why speaker cabinets running a 30W speaker and 75W speaker have become popular in metal. The lower wattage speaker breaks up sooner while the larger holds clarity.

[selloutrr]

I would be on the "other guitar" side of this one, and if I was planning on using a Strat, or a Tele, one channel with be Vox with Top Boost and Cut control. It so very good with a Fender.

It'll break up but it's really BRIGHT!!! EL84's are crispy little buggers on the top end and single coil just bring it out more. This would work really well in a heavy mix to get a fill to stand out. However as the only guitar in a small band or bedroom amp, personally the treble would make my ears hurt in a short time. This combination is sought after for the cut not the distortion which is more of a Fuzz. if you want the AC30 distortion you need to use humbuckers in the rhythm position. Amp dimed in a sealed room so it breathes with the player.
You would be better off looking at a marshall 18watt combo or bluesbreaker circuit for the guitar you are playing.
The vibroverb was made for the Jazzmaster.