Drives

Spent some time with these darlings (L-R):

1. Seymour Duncan 805 OD
2. Digitech DOD OD/Preamp 250
3. Maxxon OD808

There is very little to separate them in terms of fundamentals; all overdrives & we know there's not much intensity to be had here. 

The 805 is a surprise in this aspect for its ability to manifest some proto-intensity with all controls maxed out. There's not much to be had in terms of tone tailoring but the in-your-face drive is there for your considerations. 

The OD250 on the other hand is the senior citizen here, but the fact that it's a repro of its ancestor disqualified it from being one. The GAIN control has some pre-determined EQ as you dial it up. At lower settings, it's a mild dirt with a little hint of touch sensitivity (only when you play loud!). Midway, it's a crunch monster retaining much bottom end inclination. Maxed out, the 250 adds fuzz into the mix & it's rather apparent, please take note. Also, at max gain, you'd hear more top end so the overall voicing is a raspy fuzz-induced drive with lots of top end definition.

The 808 will always be my little darling. It's not quite the Ibanez manifestation albeit the obvious association (& Maxxon manufacturing the Ibanez at a point in history), it's a sweet sounding overdrive with loads of clarity. No midrange bump at upper gain settings but more saturation instead, fantastic for someone with a light touch & need for speed most of the time. The 808 is the most outstanding member used with an already driven amp so that's the reason it's my gem. :-)