I have been looking online for several days. There must be 500 different distortion / overdrive pedals!

I want a super tight distortion pedal. I don't want the fizzy, fuzzy, spread out, chain saw, overdrive distortion.

Remember the old Rockman units. They had decent packed tight distortion.

Right now I have a Butler Tube Overdrive, Jekyll and Hyde overdrive / Distortion, Hendrix Fuzz Face, and Voodoo Lab Sparkle Drive.

I am missing a really tight distortion. I don't care about the scooped mid sound. The Jekyll and Hyde will do it!

Do you have any suggestions?

Below is a diagram of my current setup!


http://www.atlanticplumbing.net/mikesignal.jpg

wow.....let's compare that to my guitar diagram:

Strat--->Noisegate---->Amp

My setup is pretty simple when you follow each signal path. I have three different paths. The only effects I use anymore is distortion/overdrive, chorus, delay, and reverb.

I just have routed them to several amps because I play about anything from country to heavy metal. There is no way to get great country or jazz music out of a Laney or Marshall. You gotta have a Fender Twin for country. I have never been able to get great heavy metal out of a Fender Twin. It is just too clean. One type of distortion box can't do everything. One type of amp or guitar can't do everything. If they did every band and guitar player would sound exactly the same on every song and CD.

I'm having a hard time picturing the sound you're after. Are you wanting to simply have a more overdriven sound? If so, have you looked at the Tube Screamer?

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All guitars modified except acoustic.
Jackson DXMG - Dimarzio Air Norton / Norton
Kramer Striker FR 422SM - Seymour Duncan JB JR / Lil Screamn' Deamon / Screamn' Deamon
Mutt - San Dimas Alder Body + Duncan JB + Peavey Neck (my baby)
Epiphone - DR-500M Acoustic

You know, I gotta agree with that.
My old 1968 Kustom solid state is a GREAT sounding amp clean, I can tell it would make one HELL of a country amp.

BUT, for me and THIS amp, to get that great hard rock / heavy metal sound, I have to resort to my Keeley Modded MT2 Metal Zone. I also have a keeley modded DS1, but that is just a bit too midrangish for my taste and find myself always going back to the MT2.

__________________
All guitars modified except acoustic.
Jackson DXMG - Dimarzio Air Norton / Norton
Kramer Striker FR 422SM - Seymour Duncan JB JR / Lil Screamn' Deamon / Screamn' Deamon
Mutt - San Dimas Alder Body + Duncan JB + Peavey Neck (my baby)
Epiphone - DR-500M Acoustic

My favorite has always been the Boss Turbo Overdrive OD2. Many folks say that it is without character but the pedal is what you put in to it. My feeling is that, you, the player making it do 'it's stuff'. So, the pedal reacts to the dynamic you put in. My suggestion is to have it in line with an EQ and a tish of compression. By itself, it can sound a bit flabby but if you tweak the tone and tighten it up a tish it becomes a monster.

I'd mentioned about my Frankenstein rig before back in the 80's but it was this:

Kramer Baretta w/ EMG 89 >> BOSS OD2 >> Crybaby (full treb setting) >> 70's era Peavy Classic SS/Tube hybrid >> 4x10 generic cab

Very odd rig, I know but it was capable of massive, tight overdriven tone. Call it the sum of junkpile parts but it worked very well.

The point is that at the heart of all that was the OD2 and getting a little compression and ad hoc EQ from the Wah. The other stuff by itself sounded horrible but with all the pieces, it was a little hard to believe it sounded like it did.

The OD2 provides a good backdrop in a chain that allows you to use another tool or two to harness abilities. I found it reactive to my playing but would not make tone for me, it represented my playing versus 'made my sound' for me.

My two cents...