Lap Steel overdrive pedal (light/transparent?) suggestions

[Mark Evans]

I realize a mountain of info is out there in the Google/DuckDuckGo sphere… but thought I’d quiz the choir first.
I play sorta ambient/quasi Psych folk rock instrumentals with a couple other players. So much fun. I use New and old six string laps, single coils into (currently) a Quilter 101Reverb -> Block Dock 10. Volume pedal-Delay-Looper->Spark -> fx loop. When I run off on some single note lines, I’m thinking a wee bit of ‘hair’ around my tone would be sweet (my clean tone has been pretty well tweaked). I’ve tried TCE MojoMojo, Spark boost(which I keep at low, always on to fill out tone w/o distorting) and the distorted channel of an Attack/Delay.

I’d like to just add a smidge of hair to the edge - NOT over the top gnarly fuzz scream.
I’m also NOT interested in dropping $2-400 bucks on high end boutique. Something in a normal or mini form factor (board real estate is dwindling, and I’m using the limitation to maintain simplicity). Tone control knob probably a must.

Ideas? Experiences? What ya got?
Thanks
Mark E
In Denver

[Greg Forsyth]

A Xotic EP booster does it for me, and not pricey.

[John Seebach]

Overdrives are very much a matter of personal taste. I really like variants of the Nobels ODR-1 circuit, particularly ones with a variable bass cut (Nobels ODR-1 mini 2, Wampler Belle, or Aion Andromeda if you like soldering and want to build one yourself). I find that it pairs really well with my amp (a fender Princeton Reverb clone with a 12" Weber California speaker).

I keep it on all the time it with both guitar and steel. I set it for the amount of overdrive I want (typically not that much), and then roll back the volume on my instrument until I get my clean tone. You can also pair with a really simple boost pedal if you want to be able to have a couple of levels of overdrive on tap.

There are a million different ways to do it, but this is the one that seems to work for me.

[Allan Revich]

EHX Soul Food might be a good place to start. Inexpensive, reliable, and not overly aggressive.

[Twayn Williams]

I'll second the Nobels 2 Mini. Your best bang for the buck.

OTOH, if you want to spend quite a bit more and don't mind a much larger form factor, look into the Browne Protein v4. It's got a Blues Breaker on one side and an ODR on the other.

[Brad Bechtel]

I've used a friend's EHX Soul Food overdrive and liked it quite a bit, but not enough to buy it.

I'm currently using a JHS NOTAKLÖN DIY Overdrive kit. It doesn't use a battery, but the local Guitar Center had a box of power adapters that work well with it. It gives me exactly the kind of light/transparent setting you described.

The Nobels ODR-1 is a great pedal as well. A lot depends on what type of lap steel and what amp you're using.

[Peter Jacobs]

My always-on light overdrive is a Timmy. I have an original from the builder, Paul Cochran, but I’ve read great things about the MXR version (he was involved in the design). It’s a mini pedal and there are plenty of used ones out there for under $100.

[Glenn Wilde]

Fuzzface

[Joe Burke]

I learnt about Sarno's Earth Drive here on the forum. It's designed for steel guitar. I love mine.

https://www.sarnomusicsolutions.com/pro ... drive.html

[K Maul]

I mostly use an Xotic BB Preamp and/or AC Booster. Also the tiny Grass pedal by Hotone. Boss OD pedals are good too.

[Mark Perrodin]

Tubesteader Lightkeeper V2. powered by a 12ax7. i swapped in a 5751 and couldn't be happier. i subscribe to the buy and try method of pedal collecting. for me this is a keeper after 5 different preamp pedals and a dozen or so overdrives. it's been a deathmatch on my pedal board and this is the winner. the rest went up for grabs. there are a bunch of good youtube vids to check it out. hope you find the pedal that works for you.

https://youtu.be/ciFAxMz-J-s?si=edExUgiPWVnX30cw

https://youtu.be/8WmH0E1a8bY?si=zwjrytuhuwAXFGs4

[Henry Schuellerman]

My vote is the Boss BD-2 bluesdriver. You can dial it in to be super light and nearly transparent, or crank it and get some pretty heavy distortion. Insane versatility and quality for the price... it's popular for a reason

[Bob Hoffnar]

The Earth Drive mini might be in your budget. It is exactly the same as the bigger one just without the battery compartment. It is perfect for the function you are talking about. I use mine all the time.