Real Tube Overdrive Pedals [Current Faves Vs Thorpy Electric Lightning & CTC Space Charged]

[@gejskelly]

Glad you touched on people hammering UK and USA builders over their prices when they're providing jobs, paying a proper wage instead of scraping their employees for every penny, and manufacturing with quality components. It's really frustrating that people are so aggressive/negative over what is ultimately a non-essential purchase, a pedal being expensive does not mean you will be starved to death or lose your house, it just means you have to save for longer or you don't buy it! There's so much affordable gear now that if certain items are unaffordable, there are plenty of great alternatives. There's simply no need to attack builders for setting a price that they feel is fair value for their product, if they get it wrong then it won't sell and will come down in price, if they get it right then clearly there's plenty of people who agree that it's fairly valued. Anyway, moving beyond my own mini-rant, enjoyed the show as always! Have a good weekend guys!

[@andycrowe905]

Very well said

[@ThatPedalShow]

Thank you for this!

[@Thatbobguy8]

Spot on!

[@matthewcollis-long5233]

@@gejskelly exactly. I’m actually happier spending my GAS money on quality gear from small businesses close to home (within reason). “Fenner”, “Gobsin” et al don’t need my money.

[@hugowasalreadytaken]

I still can't believe this content is just available on the internet for everyone to see. So much knowledge, high quality of production and sound and most of all just pure FUN!!! Cheers guys, I wouldn't be the player I am today without your videos! Thanks

[@ThatPedalShow]

Thanks so much mate 🤓🙏

[@jimhart1959]

I love that you guys still use actual amps to demo pedals, rather than amp sim /IR pedals. Thanks!

[@ThatPedalShow]

Yah. The day we use amps sims is the day we come off the air.

[@michael_caz_nyc]

@@ThatPedalShow Love it. Nothing like Real Tubes.

[@joethrelfall6370]

​@@ThatPedalShowwhat did you think of the hx stomp xl as used on Chris Buck's board?

[@kellymckenzie4865]

Tubes into tubes into tubes

[@Wadey1960CS]

Thought the opening bit where the amp was turned up to 10 was a story told in itself. dB meter topped out about 101-102 which shows the amp just got more saturated instead of unbearably loud. Very nice!

[@ThatPedalShow]

Totally that! Doesn’t get any louder past about 5

[@michaelfowler3187]

Sometimes I stop listening for the tonal nuances and seem to be more sensitive to how Mick or Dan are responding to the pedal.. I know it's about personal taste but I can hear when they are inspired by the sound and that's what gets my attention. Also I just like to take a moment every now and then on these videos to appreciate the quality of their playing as it's developed over the years. The confidence with which they play and the stability etc of their intonation - plus the recording quality, it's top notch and you guys should be so proud. The value we get out of these videos has been amplified through the years. Thanks. I mean cheers.

[@ThatPedalShow]

Thank you Michael, that is a very thoughtful comment, cheers!

[@chr15tree]

So glad to see a TS5 featured. It was my first pedal back in the earky 90s, and I still go back to it, frequently.

[@nonleodog]

"Utterly ridiculous question to ask, right? So let's ask it..." This is why this is the best channel. Hands down.

[@ThatPedalShow]

Hahahaah! Thank you!

[@igordemoraeslenzi]

I absolutely loved the brief discussion on the pedal price! Utterly important and urgent discussion we need to have (not just in guitar world - but everywhere). We need to support companies that pays fair wages, respect employees rights and respect our environment. That will come with a cost and perhaps we will not have the money to buy 10 different cheaply made overdrives. I see a lot of complaints about how companies treat their employees and we continue to employ their services (Amazon being a prime example). Thank you for that!

[@SS-gx7tg]

I lived on the road for the majority of 96-2004 touring, mostly US, Canada, Mexico and South America with a few European legs and a handful of shows in Russia and Japan. My entire road rig for those 8 years was nothing but those little black plastic ladybug looking Soundtank pedals by Ibanez. Despite nearly a decade of constant abuse, I never had a single one croak on me. Seeing one of them pop up just now on a TPS thumbnail brought back so many great memories. The value those pedals offered was insane. The Echomachine, Black Noise and CrunchyRhythm need to be revived, they were my favorites but all of them were great. For 'budget' plastic pedals, they were surprisingly durable and the effects themselves were incredible.

[@SS-gx7tg]

PS: to anyone who has an issue with the footswitch on these being finnicky, I had the same issue at first too then our first time in Europe we played in Belgium and one of the sound guys showed me the design flaw, Ibanez made the pedals so that it looks like you're supposed to press where the 5 dots are but this isnt' where the actual mechanism is inside.. actually you wanna aim your foot to push down as high as you can on that foot switch area, above the 5 indentions/dots, just below the battery cover (where the colored label is that says the pedal name), it's sort of an awkward feel under the foot to press down there but you'll get a 100% success rate switching on/off the pedal, promise

[@spiltmilk615]

I love my Tube Driver. A rare drive pedal that works equally well in clean (how Gilmour uses it) and dirty amps (how EJ uses it). Though I’d happily use any of these other options.

[@JohnDoe-tx6uy]

Kingsley makes the best pedals. So squishy and touch responsive. I also like the Radial stuff, but Kingsley is undefeated.

[@jaybirdgoody]

In my young age, I played in a Zeppelin cover band, mostly playing the tunes from the first album, the majority of the set was my tele into my cranked deluxe reissue, with a Danelectro as a backup. That sound is just intoxicating

[@JasonT-xp3kh]

Hell yeah! I plug my tele into a little vox ac4 with some fuzz in front, pretty much nails that tone from the first album. I have a lot of fun with it.

[@PPIMV]

Great show guys. Love the Electric Lightning - sounds awesome - great job Thorpy! Thanks for including the Harlot...small note: as it is a V1 Harlot it does not have any low end control. The leaning out of the low end is totally available on the V3 with it's 3-way Lows switch. All the best and keep up the great work!

[@cadenbenton6235]

I’m glad you guys came through on this one! I have a Roland Jazz Chorus and was looking for some tube pedals to get a more tube amp sound sometimes but there wasn’t an extensive guide until now! I actually am running a tube preamp thing someone gave me for free a while back for fun right now to get some breakup.

[@horizontalblanking]

I used a Chandler Tube Driver pedal for years in the 80s with my JC-120H (in stereo of course). Then moved to their rack version… such a glorious sound!

[@rhythmofblues]

hi guys. I was part of the Sequis team all those years ago and still use a Richter and Motherload. Choices....no speakers and awesome tone, speakers and attenuation. 1971 Plexi and 1967 Marshall 4 x 12. Such beautiful tones ......another choice for you :) We took it to Andy Brauer and it is still in use by some great acts. And it's not digital!

[@alexledford4747]

I would love for Dan and Mick to get ahold of some Tubesteader pedals. They seem like just the sort of thing the guys would dive into

[@patrickhaslam3332]

“We digress…” “welcome to TPS”. Hahaha

[@weschilton]

Its the best part!

[@RobertSaxy]

That should be the under title of the name of the channel

[@rickysleeper]

I just got off the phone with Simon (ordered a Harlot!). Thanks for bringing this delightful pedal to my attention. All great new information I learn seems to come from TPS these days! Thanks for all you do! P.S. I thanked Simon for all he does as well!

[@pkflash2004]

Great show today guys! I've been using a Page TS lately, followed by a Blackstar Dept 10 Boost in the chain and it sounds ridiculously good through Vox AC15 and Marshall Plexi. I've got a lot of other non-tube overdrives that only manage to make the subs bench these days! My take on the pedals today - Electric Lightnng sounds like a Thorpy pedal (in a good way, if that makes sense)- lots of high fidelity and glassiness. The Harlot, again has SJ's signature sound. The Kaluna was the big surprise for me today - it sounded like the best of valve and solid state combined.

[@stanislavmigra]

That CTC stole my heart. Also the information from maker, that you can change the tubes to get more or less gain is golden. As it start with 12AY7, you can easy get gainier with 12AX7 or less gain with 12AT7. And oh my giddy aunt, does it sound awesome. Not like the other pedal not, just this one has the grit in the places, where I want them to be. PS: so which one do I like the least? None of them, that will be unfair, they are all stellar.

[@nickm.9474]

I worked for a band that would run the deluxe reverb into a Marshall 4x12 with greenbacks. Sounded great!!

[@aronthompson778]

I love this! Thank you guys for your thoughtful, humorous (and I dare say educational) dialog. This will be my new home for all things pedals. The electric lightning is my favorite. I think they are plenty justified for charging $499 new, I just can’t afford it😢

[@LewWelchThePoet]

🤘👍🏿 Kingsley kills it. I’ve got the Page v2 (thanks TPS for that bit of GAS), Artisan and Mason now. Such a rabbit hole.

[@Adammorris23435]

I like how clean the lightning sounds. I usually like just a tiny bit breakup.

[@Kruser_75]

Deluxe on 10, sitting around 100db. “We use pedals to get that sound at lower volume”…. the rest of the show at 105db 👌😂

[@TheToneWork]

I find this fascinating for the simple fact that, to my ears, none of these pedals had that ozone, fried bacon high-end harshness that I hear with modelers. That seems like the sweet spot for tubes or even analog generated tones. Thanks for another great video.

[@aaroncurtis4476]

Had a couple Kingsley’s in my life, was never how they sounded but rather how they felt. Magic.

[@kennygame]

Thanks for this video! I forgot how great my Ibanez Tube King sounds with my PRRI. Its going back on the board!

[@oscarlanza-galindo3004]

Thank you for placing final thoughts on addressing the Thorpy pricing. I agree 100% that it is an unfair and unrealistic criticism when it is manufactured under fair living wages and working conditions.

[@Fastguitar]

Bk butler The copper wrapping. inside. Is like artwork. Eric Johnson fave.

[@MRxr400]

one legendary valve over drive is the mesa v twin. would love to have a listen to one again.

[@gtmuse329A]

First, I love my tube overdrive pedals almost to a Pokémon level (got to catch ‘em all!), but on the point of a fully cranked Fender having awesome overdrive…I had a Fender Quad Reverb (mega amp) and one gig I had a fail in my pedalboard right on the big finale so I ripped out my cable, ran it straight into the amp, then ran my palm over the amp controls putting everything on 10. It must have been louder than the hounds of hell but it sounded incredible and the audience went nuts! Rock and Roll Heaven. 🎸

[@astewart9410]

I saw Everclear at a festival in the 90s and the guitarist did that same move to start the show! Sounded huge.

[@periloustemple8290]

I love these tones! I love the lineup. There were no losers in that lot! Excellent tones, playing and insights as usual. I also love every tangent and digression! Thanks for making this Friday magical!

[@gregtoolson1606]

I have a real tube overdrive pedal; THE ‘Real Tube’ by Tube Works. I think it’s a variation of the Tube Driver because it’s also designed by BK Butler. It does that punch at the front of the pick attack that Dan loves really well.

[@JezKemp]

I went from OD/dist pedals to TC Tube Pilot to the Friedman Fuzz Fiend - a huge jump both times in getting closer to the sound I prefer. Friedman Fuzz Fiend is more of an overdrive, incredibly warm and responsive. TC Tube Pilot needs the valve/tube replacing, and it's still low voltage so less dynamic, but still good value.

[@tjallingdejong9645]

Watching you guys for a few years now , it's quite the show with very nice and helpful demo's wich got me on course with my own pedalboard as just an average guitar player here in the Netherlands , but also gotta say : most of the tone in the end (cliche) is in the hands and that really is something to be heared with you guys , great job , as always

[@ThatPedalShow]

Thank you! Yep, it’s true. The player has the tone at the end of the day. All the rest of the stuff is enablers.

[@robertprice5039]

The symbiosis effect of an overdrive and a tube amp is something that I really love, and much prefer it to an "amp in a box pedal" or the dimed tube amp, due to the eq effect of the overdrive.

[@JezKemp]

Great thing about valve/tube pedals is that preamp valves are removable components, you can safely switch them out for ones you prefer. Eg a 5751 provides about 70% of the gain of a 12AX7, allowing more headroom; also different brands will give a different response (JJs, TungSol, TAD etc)

[@ThatPedalShow]

I keep meaning to try something different in the Tube Driver, and never quite get around to it!

[@JezKemp]

@@ThatPedalShow Maybe an opportunity for a mini episode, if you've got 2+ of the same pedal available, do a science switching between them at the same gain. Or maybe 2 of the same amp with different V1. I've seen plenty of tube comparison videos, some of them good, but not seen a big pedal/gear show cover it yet. (PS you could maybe confirm/dispel a few myths about if it's okay to run a 12AY7 in a 12AX7 slot!)

[@otherworldsnaps]

I got home from work and found a new TPS episode waiting for me! My god, that Electric Lightning sounds incredible! Thanks for all you do, guys!

[@ikbogle]

Plugged in my proper wired headphones for this episode (often use Bluetooth out of laziness) wow the show is sounding so good, great job, great episode. Fav was Kaluna with Dans Red and Crazy Tube for the Lester. Have a great weekend catch ya Monday for VCQ

[@phishfan]

Man, I'd have a hard time choosing between the Harlot and the Lightning. Incredible.

[@scottcurry4116]

Great show again! I have a Minstrel v3 for the same reasons you mentioned about the Harlot. It has a clarity that allows my guitars to sound like themselves. The others sounded great too. There are so many good choices out there. Thanks.

[@ABlaine21]

The Space Charged Les Paul combo was epic.

[@danottley2627]

Thank you leg-ends. Tones and tangents! Increase and persist!

[@TheVoiceofUnreason]

I have nothing of value to add except, Screaming tubes & lightning very very frightening me, Mick & Danno Mick & Danno Magnifico oh oh oh oh 🧐

[@bluesful]

That Space Charged sounds fantastic.

[@matthewcollis-long5233]

Gentlemen, thank you for this episode. Once again you’ve hit the nail on the head for me as one of the questions I would have brought to you had I been able to come to the Experience Day yesterday was “do I need a Thorpy Electric Lightning?” And yes, yes I do. This has been a very good substitute for a day at Schwangri-La. See you soon❤

[@ThatPedalShow]

Hahahah! Ah mate, sorry to have missed you yesterday Matthew. Hope you recover fast!

[@matthewcollis-long5233]

@@ThatPedalShow thanks man! On the up and up 👍❤️

[@benrudge3408]

Yup - get well soon! I was there yesterday for the experience and had an incredible day with three of the nicest hooman beans on the planet (and Rosie of course!!). Hope you get to do it soon 👍🏻🎸💪🏻

[@matthewcollis-long5233]

@@benrudge3408 thanks dude!!! I’m on the up & up

[@billywright8252]

Love seeing Dan's smile when he's playing Red.

[@Rockstar_Guita_Effects]

FYI, Kaluna V2 is out now feature a three way toggle for Low, Standard and High Gain modes

[@uwedasler425]

Correct, and FWIW, I can absolutely confirm that it is awesome (in all caps)!

[@glennw3909]

I was just taught a new term for reverb. “Splangy”. I’ll file that one away for future use 😉

[@alguitarchristie]

I have the Kaluna. It's simple and easy to use, love it. And the tone stack is so similar to an amps tone stack.

[@devilslide01]

That electric lightning sounds phenomenal with the LP

[@taviswardlaw]

I was really surprised just how tight and together the thorpy is. Loved the harlot for how much of the string and clarity came through. As a fellow tube driver owner I love what it can do but sometimes the ‘flub’ can be a bit tricky, especially with humbuckers. The bias control on the five knob helps a bit for me, or running it into something klon/ts style to carve out some of that low end and give it a little more poke. And it is always nice to hear a deluxe turned up a bit!

[@ulfdanielsen6009]

Btw: TS5 going into the Kaluna was sonic bliss incarnate. For a second there it sounded like the late great Gary Moore himself had been resurrected. I NEED that pedal,- like now!

[@VeniceKing1]

This is going to be a great episode. About to go down the valve pedal rabbit hole and wonder if i should skip the intermediate steps and go straight to the finale - The Juggler 😅

[@mattelder9147]

I’ve been fortunate to spend significant time with the Page, Harlot, Maiden, Jouster, Jester, and a Troubador and they are pretty awesome. I’m a simple man and found myself trying to push them all to a narrower set of eq that I wanted/drive level.. part of the tone journey…ah that’s me. Got an Analogman Red Dot Sunface and it had me right in there right where the fuzz starts to cleanup a bit. I ended up selling the Kingsley Pedals because I found my sound. I miss them from time to time, but ultimately I now know where home is located. Personally I think I could go with any of them,but possibly settle on the jester V2 with sizzle

[@joeschmidhofer2674]

I’ve had almost every Kingsley pedal and I always come back to the minstrel.

[@dantahoua]

Always amazed how a Deluxe Reverb is sweeter than a Princeton Reverb when pushed to 10! We compared two of the same years in the same cab, and the DR is always sweeter!

[@menamestom]

Yeah, Princetons tend to fall apart and get a bit ratty as the OT, phase inverter and speaker struggle to keep up. I think they are sweeter to a point, i.e. sweeter more forgiving cleans, but at higher volumes the DR takes over as it pushes the power tubes better. You can convert Princetons to long tail PI and bigger OT’s for better overdrive, but they lose something in the cleans imo.

[@DeanFeeney138]

Wow. Think I need a valve overdrive now. Great stuff. Thanks as always Maurice & Donald.

[@deicidalmaniac]

I had a blackstar GUS G blackfire ht pedal that sounded absolutely fantastic, before it eventually broke. To bad its too expensive to get fixed, it was glorious

[@christophervincent8420]

Yeah. That electric lighting pedal is absolutely amazing

[@timchalmers1700]

Great sounds !! And much appreciation for the editorial comment on the cost of Manufacturing plus Research and Development

[@crumpred805]

Tube Driver and Space Charge[d] seemed like pedals that make you guys want to play. I really liked your chops with those two pedals.

[@ianestevens7888]

New T-shirt: That Pedal Show: We digress.

[@ThatPedalShow]

Awesome 🙌

[@zachsmith3376]

The radial made "tonebone classic" is hard to beat! I also love the old tube drivers

[@2Plus2isChicken2013]

The Radial Hot British is a favorite of mine. The Classic is great, too. They’re weird about power, though. I got a GigRig El Paso since it seemed to be what my Hot British needed and it wouldn’t work. I had to resort to the original power supply.

[@OilCanHarry2U]

I own a BK Butler Mini Matrix (was originally named Mini Boogie) that I bought at an Op Shop for $10.00 Australian. Spicy little number, that one.

[@Megamando93]

Best sounding Tubescreamer I've heard on TPS, honestly

[@sroelit]

What a great episode. I thought all the pedals sounded great-including the TS5. I think if you start with a solid foundation-great playing through great amps-you greatly enhance the possibility that the pedals you add will sound good.

[@ThatPedalShow]

This! Yep!

[@MrSackett7227]

What timing as I just got the Page DS and couldn’t be happier.

[@adamloake]

The Deluxe Reverb and Lester takes me straight back to TPS Experience Day, 'twas epic!!

[@ThatPedalShow]

Hello Adam!

[@gedification]

Deluxe on 10 thanks. I’ve had a Harlot V3 and it really does have a whole load more EQ options than Dans older version. Time to plump for an upgrade Dan…

[@elliotgreen987]

The Electric Lightning sounds the best to me by far, but a used Kaluna for under £300 is the one that's realistically tempting to me Not that there is anything wrong with Thorpys pricing, I get it I just can't afford it!

[@michaelschneider7590]

Really enjoyable episode! Some of Mick’s best playing ever!

[@RobertBakerGuitar]

27:43 thats the tone right there!

[@YMESYDT]

Another wonderful show gents! I hope you two get a Kingtone Rise on the show soon, pretty ridiculous pedal

[@BlackofAzur]

The Harlot sounds perfect

[@druwk]

Been much more into picking the right guitar, right amp, and using the guitar volume for dialing in the gain. Overdrive/Fuzz/Helpers are great for color, EQ and presence. I’m definitely more into low/medium gain for regular guitar parts, and Fuzz for color. I wonder if a good EQ might be a better option? Just taking out a bit of the frequencies that are muddying the sound.

[@popdufc4139]

I went budget. TC electronic Tube Pilot. Proper valve distortion and you can upgrade the valve. Like an old amp foot switch.

[@Nightpants]

Leaning toward a Kaluna as the price is a little more friendly for me and it has a Mid control which is nice. I feel like it's the dark horse and I am a dark horse kinda dude. I don't play guitars in a live setting, only home recording, so it fits my situation. That Electric Lightning pedal was pretty awesome though, I must admit. Thanks for making me feel like I need to sew up the holes in my pockets! Guess I'm gonna be selling some stuff on reverb this weekend!

[@joeliswhere]

A TPS video to start my Friday. Thank you gents - best part of the week!

[@TheNathanMChannel]

I really like my Behringer Tube Monster. Not by itself, but to be fair there's no distortion or overdrive that I like by itself. Gotta have pre and post EQs in there. The Tube Monster bass breaks up moreso than in solid state pedals I've noticed, which gives it some extra grease.

[@Onetinsoldier]

I really like mine too. Did you change the tube in it?

[@TheNathanMChannel]

@@Onetinsoldier Nope, stock tube.

[@jamesemerson4102]

Space charged sounds FANTASTIC

[@gordonrankin3995]

Dan I want to see the power setup on this board. Mick I have the NU-Tube Tube Screamer works best at 18V. I don't really consider the NU-Tube a tube since it's vacuum display, ok guess the name makes it kind of a tube. Mode switch on the Harlot adds more input JFET gain in one direction and the other adds a HF cap across the output. You really need a good DAC/Headphone to really appreciate the sonic difference of these. I still would like basic info on what the requirements for power on each of these. Yeah I agree with the price of the Thorpy stuff, you take development time, design, protos etc... $429 is a deal! Thanks guys, great shows, Electric Lightning for me as well.

[@mattelder9147]

Watching on flight to Hawaii. Thanks for continuing to share the music, life, and gear journey.

[@Kaisermb1]

Sweet. The quest for overdrives never really dies does it? Although after getting my Harlot it very nearly did. Fortunately I was able to resuscitate it.

[@jash500]

Deluxe Reverb @ 10 in the same room is a pinnacle guitar experience. I suspect if you were to run it through a hot plate, and attenuate that cranked load to “reasonable” levels, some of that sensory magic would be lost. I think at the end of the day, after all the modelers, pedals, and amps have been played… I come to the conclusion on Mick’s shirt 😆

[@ThatPedalShow]

Yeah baby! Totally that.

[@Joely_dubbya]

Going full Segeborn on the Kaluna there, Dan.

[@mattelder9147]

Man the electric lightening was coming off more like a clean boost…glassy

[@proteusswarm7291]

Deep dive down the tube driver versions would be fun!3knob 4 knob and also the "real tube" by bk butler.

[@EricNielsen85]

Some great tones here.

[@dww0902]

19:00 CTC boost gain is pre, volume is post - for more saturation, more level or both.

[@blues62751]

I also own a TS5. Other than the temperamental footswitch.. it’s a good pedal. I have the box!

[@kodykindhart5644]

Just wanna say thx for the amp sim videos I love loud guitars too

[@JasonT-xp3kh]

I remember a time when there were a plethora of tube overdrive pedals on the market. Maybe late 2000's? Companies like Electro Harmonix, Vox, Blackstar, Seymour Duncan and a handful of others had offerings. It seemed like all the rage, then it just kind of went away.

[@whoopwhoop2089]

There is a Kaluna 2 now. I just got it and compared to the first version there are way more sounds in it, especially the feeling under the fingers change with the different settings. You should check it out…

[@Frankie_Holt]

My two favorite KZbin guys, Donald and Mack 😅

[@ThatPedalShow]

Hahahah!

[@CorbCorbin]

Donald Dan and Steamboat Micky

[@ShinyShinyBlack]

@@CorbCorbin - lol!

[@StevenHadfield]

Donald Pleasence (or is it Presence), aka Blofeld. The nemesis of 007 decibels.

[@joakimflinck8208]

I think i gotta see this again, the sounds...wow

[@evilgrussler]

Don’t know if anyone mentioned it (and it’s way overkill ($) just as an overdrive/distortion), but my Audio Kitchen Big Trees is my best sounding od/distortion pedal. Also, my best sounding boost. Great-sounding in its natural setting as an amp too. I even use it at unity gain in digital environments to add in some real tube warmth. Super versatile, so maybe not too $!

[@Bfguitar19]

They’ve got to bring the honk horn back!!!

[@Grant_Ferstat]

I didn't love the Electric Lightning with a Tele into my Voxy backline. It worked a lot better with the TV Jones T90's in my Gretsch Jet thought it sounded particularly great with the SG here. Ultimately it returned it as I'm mostly a Tele guy. I'm looking forward to getting my Kingsley Mason to supplement the Page that has been such a big part of my rig for the last couple of years.

[@Mistertbones]

Love your videos, guys! And these OD pedals sound amazing.