Tech 21 Tri-O.D. Overdrive Pedal

This pedal is really easy to use and the sound is very realistic. I have been using it plugged directly into a PA system with an Ernie Ball volume pedal to control my sound and it works great. I have had a couple of people come up to me and ask what I am using cause they really like my sound so it must be working good. The manual is a bit on the light side, but you don't need much to use this unit. You could almost use it without a manual. The only minor complaint I would have is that if you are using more than one sound (for example Fender and Marshall) you have to toggle through three positions to change from one to another. (Fender, marshall, bypass, Fender, marshall..etc)

The sound quality is great. I can go from Fender clean to Van Halen Marshall dirty with the push of the button or even to a bypass mode. My only complaint is that the sound could clean up just a bit more when you turn the gain knob to zero.

I have had NO problems and battery life is excellent and I do use it without backup.

Yes, I would buy this unit again or other units from the same company. I have really been impressed with this unit.

The pedal sounds great immediately. The switching is easy because I only use one channel into a clean amp head. So, it's Drive and Clean Bypass.

Very quiet unit. Almost no need for noise reduction units here. The EQ is active and is very effective for sonic sculpting, especially when used in conjunction with an amp's tone controls. The differences between the EQ power on different channels is severe, though. Having the EQ sounding great on "British" will sound like total fuzzmud on California, to me. The Tweed has a tnedency to be a bit bassy, too. The ripping midrange and treble of the British setting have to be heard to be believed. Total SLAYER thrash tone.

Never a problem for over a year. Absolutely refuses to screw up on me. Battery lasts a LOOOONG time with great sound. I'd estimate close to thirty hours before the LED's start to dim and the sound craps out. A lithium battery has lasted me six months so far with near everyday use. Though I do use the power supply for recording and such.

Never needed it.

I would buy this pedal again, yes. The Sans Amp 2 would probably work just as well for me, though, considering I set it one way then bypass it for a clean signal. I've never used the speaker simulator with another pedal but direct to a recording console it sounds great with just a touch of reverb. The sound is very tube-like, far better overall than a Tube Driver with an actual 12AX7 in it, as a matter of fact. Just one channel is enough to get a great variety of tones. Lack of a mid control is not a problem, since the EQ is active and boosts the highs and lows while scooping the mids and vice versa. I use it with a Randall 150-watt head and I like it better than a friend's Crate Blue Voodoo and the Marshall JCM-900's I've heard. Plus I don't need to crank the volume to get great feedback and sustain. I think any fan of Sabbath, Metallica, Pantera, Slayer, Judas Preist, or even death metal bands would be extremely happy with this unit. It has enough gain to pull the guitar right out of your hands with squealing feedback. The coolest thing is that it doesn't compress the signal too much until you get into the furthest limits of the gain settings. That is, you can play softly with your guitar turned down and get a clean sound. Great, great pedal.

Very straightforward.

The sound quality of all three channels is great. Nice warm fat distortion abound.

Although this is a great sounding pedal, there is one MAJOR problem with the design. There is only 1 switch for 4 modes. Therefore, you have to "surf" through the channels sequentially just like on a TV. This is a real problem when you are on channel 3 and want to get back to channel 2. You have to tap the switch 3 times! This could be a disaster onstage, especially if you've had a beer or two. Although you can turn off channel 1, there is a bypass mode that cannot be turned off, so youl would still have to tap the switch a minimum of 2 times to go from channel 3 to channel 2. They should have a dedicated switch for each channel so you can press the switch of the channel you want to go to instead of surfing sequentially through the channels. I wonder which bonehead thought of this inflexible switching scheme. This brings the rating down considerably. It's great for a direct recording tool because of the great sound quality, but as a stage pedal, it fall short of its intended target.