NPD: Origin Effects Halcyon Green Overdrive!

[Caevan O’Shite]

I figured, I may as well post this as it's own thread; and, I probably shouldn't have run on at the virtual mouth so badly on p90jr's "OD Pedal advice for a '65 Twin reissue"-thread...

I am pleased to report that in initial trials, the Origin Effects Halcyon Green Overdrive DE-LIVERS AS PROMISED... !

To those who may not know, the OE HGOD is initially based on the venerable Ibanez Tube Screamer, and the TS-808 in particular. The input impedance, buffering, and general quality have all been greatly improved, but better still, some special, even unique features such as Adaptive dynamic-response have been added. I believe that between this and one other TS type pedal that I have, I will never, ever look for another.

 Now, I was never that crazy about Tube Screamers and TS types, anyway, despite how very well they served the likes of Stevie Ray Vaughan; they just didn't suit me.

This one DOES.

I am using it with my Les Paul, which has exceptionally hot passive, ceramic-magnet humbuckers. For now, fed into a Strymon Iridium Modeler/IR unit, and a pair of full-sized AKG headphones.

I can set the Halcyon Green OD up for fat rounded lead-tones and overdriven riff 'n rhythm chunk, taking deliberate advantage of that classic and oft ill-reputed TS "mid-hump"; and then get very satisfying clean-tones with any pickup selection just by rolling back my guitar's volume-knobs and adjusting my "touch", with nary a stomp or a twiddle.

Roll-back to clean-up and a little pleasant brightness and thunk reappears, responding nicely to my fingerstyle picking. Switching from my bridge-humbucker at full blast and bite to the 'middle' position with both pickups rolled-back for a clean chirpy tone is a pure pleasure.

Switching from 808 Mode to Mod Mode raises the middle of the "mid-hump" further toward upper-mids, which sounds great with humbuckers for more aggressive, biting overdrive for riffs; still, I'll likely leave it set to 808 Mode most of the time.

I find that I like it best paired with the Iridium's "Punch"/Marshall "plexi" Mode. Its "Chime"/Vox AC30 Mode works well with the OE HGOD, too. If I spent some time tweaking the Iridium's settings with its "Round"/Fender Deluxe Amp Mode and speaker/cab IR's, I expect that I would probably find some great results, as well.

This really is the closest to an "always on" drive/dirt pedal for me that I've ever come across! Well worth the price (*though I did manage $50 off) and a keeper, for sure. I am certain that it will always have a place on any 'guitar to amp/modeler' pedalboard that I'll ever put together.

It'll be great to start fiddling around with fuzzes, octave-fuzzes, and boosts and my wah in front of the HGOD, and my BumbleBee for swells. And later, I'll haul out my old Carvin Vintage 33 1x12 combo-amp and give it whirl with THAT.

*(I ordered a fully warranted open-box demo specimen that was reduced by $30.00, and then took advantage of a PayPal offer for another $20.00 off.)

[Larryz]

Congrats! Here's a demo:  😎👍

 

Loved the Les Paul at the end!  😎

[Caevan O’Shite]

7 hours ago, Larryz said:

Congrats! Here's a demo:  😎👍

 

Loved the Les Paul at the end!  😎

Oh, yeah, I'd seen and closely listened to that, and a few others; that further induced me to buy this pedal. I wish it had been avaliable a good ten or thirteen years ago, when what it does was something I'd imagined when I was striving to get the perfect "play the amp" clean to OD to Distortion tones for a band I was in, using only my guitar's volume-knobs and my "touch" instead of switching channels on an amp and/or too much pedal-stomping... !

Andy's demos are especially handy, ehr, I mean, pertinent for me as he plays without a pick most of the time, like I do.

[Larryz]

@Caevan O’Shite Andy always does exceptional demos and gets some great sounds without needing a pick and I'm sure you do too! I had to go out and find this pedal on YouTube after you said this was one pedal you could leave "always on".  I really liked this demo and was hoping you had seen it. I thought maybe all of the Forumites that have used the Tube Screamer and the Blues Driver back in the day would like to hear this pedal...😎

[Caevan O’Shite]

6 hours ago, Larryz said:

I had to go out and find this pedal on YouTube after you said this was one pedal you could leave "always on".  I really liked this demo and was hoping you had seen it. I thought maybe all of the Forumites that have used the Tube Screamer and the Blues Driver back in the day would like to hear this pedal...😎

I've often used a tube-amp set so hat I could get all of my clean, overdrive, and verge of out-and-out distortion tones using only my guitar's volume-control and my fingerstyle "touch", instead of switching channels on the amp and stomping on OD and Dist pedals.

I can now use this pedal to get an even fatter, rounder OD tone for playing lead-lines and the like, when my guitar's volume-knob is all the way up, and roll back for cleaner tones that sound great without any additional footswitch-stomping. I can add fuzz, octave-fuzz, or other dirt 'n drive pedals 'to taste' all along the way, to vary the clean tones or go all the way to "Beam me up, Scotty!"    

I myself had never really liked Tube Screamers and their like. However, I love the Origin Effects Halcyon Green OD!

This pedal is a HUGE improvement on the Tube Screamer, no mere clone; in fact, while it's perfectly capable of nailing a classic TS-808 sound and feel, OE has said that it's not the same circuit, but one made to sound the same if desired. Beside that, its input-impedance and output buffering are much improved.