Tech 21 Tri-O.D. Overdrive Pedal

You guys will get a chuckle out of this. This is an update to a review I left years ago. I recently purchased a Mesa Boogie Mark III. I've been tinkering with front ending the amp with various overdrives to get a decent lead sound, as the Boogie doesn't have enough ooomph on it's own in that regard. Anyway, the clean channel is spectacular on the Boogie, as is the first overdrive channel. So I've been trying all of these different pedals, including a lot of Boutique pedals, but NOTHING was sounding good to me. Fulltone OCD, nope. Catalibread SCOD, nope. Ibanez TS9, nope. MI Audio Cruncbox, nope. MXR distortion plus, nope. They all just sounded either too buzzy, or didn't provide enough punch. I started wondering if it was the amp....until I plugged my Tri-OD into the Rhythm 2 channel of the Mark III. I set the bass and treble on the TRI-OD at 12 O'clock and gain at about 50%. OH MY GOD! The amp came to life and ROARED. Beatuful organic, woody sounding tones came out of the amp. No Buzz, No fizz. Just tone for days! Carlos Santana would have been jealous!

Then I tried plugging the TRI-OD into the effects loop return, and while the clean channel sounded better, both the British and California channels sounded thin, and they amp sounded like it had a blanket over it. Same with plugging it into the front of the amp and playing it through the clean channel. While it sounded OK, it was substantially thinner sounding. Setting the Rhythm channel just before it starts to break up and then running the TRI-OD through it provided GORGEOUS tones.

Been using the tri-OD for about 10 years now. very easy to get the the sound you want for each of the three amps : tweed, boogie, and marshall. even though there is one master EQ, it works well for all the amps. i like it. less is more. too many choices in this crazy world.

on the boogie setting, i can get the "Still Got The Blues For You" and bob seger "Mainstreet" sounds NAILED!!. On the marshall, i can get ZZ top sounds really well. I mostly use the Tweed for my clean sound for jazz chords, but if you drive it, you can get a clean/ with a little dirt version of "Sweet Home Alabama"

chorus does not sound good with the tri-od. i suggest using a splitter and running chorus clean, not thru the tri od.

one must remeber that the tri od is not actually a preamp. so i reccomend using a preamp pedal before the Tri. maybe like this:

preamp - compressor- Tri-OD- reverb/delay in that order

super dependable. will not break. only nibbles at batteries. does not eat them. seriously, one 9 volt lasts a LONG time in the Tri. keep it in your guitar bag at ALL TIMES. if there's a sound system where you are, you can play!

never had to repair it!

i play jazz, but a bit edgier than what most people refer to as jazz. i experiment with different sounds via delay and looper. the Tri OD allows me to switch sounds quickly.

Very simple device. Not a whole lot to figure out.

You can get the sound of Jimmy Page. The overdrive in "fender" mode (or whatever it's called, the third one) is a joke unless you want to be playing experimental radio static type stuff. But the mock marshall and the "california" glam-rock type mode are both AWESOME. I've recorded direct with it into my computer and it sounds like I've three marshalls. NO JOKE. The "california" is actually more of a fuzz mode than a glam rock thing and sounds better than the fuzz on "purple haze." it's a little finer and less noisy, but PLENTY loud.

I depended on this puppy for three years, but after a year of no use it went bad. It just wouldn't turn on, even with a new battery.

I play sort of folk-rock, and this thing is on my christmas wish list EVEN THOUGH my last one died.

It's very easy to get your sound. It's already pre-voiced and i think it's perfect for plug and play situations, You just need to tweak your eq which also boost and cuts your mid. Switching is fine for me, I used to have a Sansamp PSA-1 with a footswitch and i'm used with the switching.

This is the sound i'm looking for, very flexible. I'm using it with my Trademark 60 amp and this thing really shines with it. I guess you just need to have the right amplifier to play with it. My amp have a Celestion speaker. Fender amps are nice too. It has a little background hissing but it's normal to have it on high gain settings, I have a Noise Supressor and it helps. It sounds perfect, Fender, MESA/BOOGIE and MARSHALL tone on compact pedal. I also have a Sansamp Classic and GT2 right now, I compared it to each other and my TRI-OD wins it. I'm sending back my used Sansamp Classic to Guitar Center, lol.

Very dependable unit. If i can get a cheap price for it again i would buy it for a backup. Solid Tech 21 fan!

The best customer support i've dealt with. Lloyd is very helpful and answers my question very quickly by e-mail. I had my GT2 repaired with them and it only costed me $25.

I play lots of lead stuff like Satch, Vai, Petrucci, and this thing is really perfect for my style. It's a perfect match for my gear, I've been playing for 12yrs and i had a lot of effects that passed through my hands, this one is definitely a keeper.

This is simple to use, it's analog, no menus or any such stuff. No need for a manual really. It's made as a stompbox for in front of an amp, but I get good results recording straight with it too.

I like all Tech 21 stuff. The distortion sounds very natural to me, with no digital artifacts. There are three channels , Tweed - California - and British. The only thing I don't like is that the master EQ section really isn't sufficient for on the fly channel changes. But the sounds are in there, and they are very, very good!

Solid as a rock.

I've never had to deal with them.

I play blues, classic rock, metal, country, and experimental. This pedal is a very good match, especially in front of my one channel Fender Amp. If it was stolen, I would buy the succesor to this pedal, the Tech 21 Tri-A.C. I compared this to Ibanez, Boss, and several other pedals. This was by far my favorite. This is also great as a bass pre-amp.

3 channels : tweed, mesa and marshal with independent drive controls and eqs -- pretty simple operation, no need for extreme tweaking. only problem lies in the channel switchin dept, you have to turn the other channel off if you want to alternate between clean and dirty sounds--and then there's the off switch somewhere in between -- can get confusing sometimes

the best for it's price range and portability, better than most digital muli-fx's distortion settings, great bass pre-amp too, perfect for recording direct

Yes definitely for recording.

For gigs, you would really have to rehearse your cues and settings

from Carcass to the Cocteau Twins and everythng in between
6 Years
I wish i could get a new one if this were stolrn but sadly this product is already discontinued by tech 21

Doesn't get much easier than this... 3 modes, one footswitch, metal box. It would be nice if it had a bypass switch, but if you turn off one of the modes, you've got your bypass.

Pretty impressive, for what it does. I've had really good results using the tweed mode in front of my stock '63 Princeton and other low powered amps (go figure), but in front of my high powered music mans the tweed mode just sounds muddy. I don't own a marshall, so I don't know how the Tri-OD emulates that, but I will say it does a pretty good job immitating my Mesa V-Twin. Not spot on, but no one really notices that sort of thing at a gig anyway, and you can't beat the portability factor. Agree with the other reviewers, forget the speaker simulator or direct recording, IMO that's pretty weak. The treble and bass controls are a nice touch, but what sounds good in one mode doesn't really sound good in another.

Bought it new, still works the same as it did 15 years ago. Can't complain.

Never had to call, thankfully. That's a 10 in my book.

Good pedal, between this and a tube screamer, I have most of the high gain bases covered. If you are looking for a solid, dependable distortion pedal without any frills, this is a good match. Destined to be a classic.

The layout is simple to understand and the manual answers any questions you might still have. The biggest catch is balancing the three channel volumes with the overall master volume. There is some compromise with only one set of tone controls for all three channels.

The Tweed channel is pretty weak-very muddy and muffled. Don't expect to get crystal clear tones at all. The Marshall channel is nice for a fairly distorted tone. The California channel is OK for medium distorted tones, not going to do the Dual Rectifier stuff.
However, there are lots of unpleasant overtones at high distortion settings, and the pedal is missing the definition and transparency of the GT-2 or Classic Sans Amp.

All Tech 21 stuff is high quality

They are outstanding with answering emails and providing good answers to all your questions.

Bought as a simpler to use version of the GT-2. But it just doesn't have the exceptional tones of the GT-2. The GT-2 takes alot more time to really explore all the tones and variations, but even with the added cost it is the better way to go. The Tri-OD lacks the punch and flexibility.

All knobs, one switch, what could be simpler?

What it does, it does well. If you want the distortion sound of a fender, a marshall and a boogie, you get that. Very solid, very smooth. This is a very refined distortion, nothing more. There's no noise, no hiss, no digital pixellation and the sounds are very consistent. But there's ONE EQ for all of these. And it's BASS and TREBLE. The speaker simulator sucks. I'll say it. The sansamp classic is way better as a direct recording tool. If you want to use this to run straight into your deck LOOK ELSEWHERE.

This thing is SUPER solid. Near indestructible.

never dealt whith them, no reason to.

As a live tool, this is a nice touch. None of the tones are totally out of the box, but then, they're much more fleshed out versions of three classic distortions than most modelers offer. It's not pixel crispy, and has a nice fullness.

BUT

The one speaker sim it has SUCKS. The distortions are fairly stock and without a different eq for each one, it's like playing a vintage amp in a crowded music store. It sounds really nice, but it might not be quite what you were after. As tantalizingly close as you are, you can't tweak it.

This is very easy to use.. Treble, bass, on off, etc.. Just use your head..

I've owned tube amps of all kinds, and every type of distortion box on earth it seems, and this is the best! The Best.. This thing just sings.. I love it.. I played it thru a marshall head / post amp valvestate and into a 4x12" marshall cab.. Just rocks, and I've played it right into the PC.. Rocks! This thing is like the energizer bunny!

So far, so good.> This thing is made of what most things that are mechanical should be made of.. METAL!

So far I've asked several questions, and Lloyd has been great..

I play everything from Little Wing to Paul Gilbert to Saliva, and it rocks.. This thing is hard to beat.. Now I just need a great wah wah and reverb and delay pedal and I'm finished! Go buy one.. Tech 21 stuff is just great.. I can't wait to buy about 15 of the 60 watt engines to stack everywhere. I'm going to breed them! Then when the kid down the block comes by with the BOOM, BOOM, I'm a rapper with all chains and no brains, I'm going to blow his nuts thru his windows!