+ 1TmcB wrote:I reckon there's a place for a flat overdrive and a mid-boosted overdrive on every board.
In my experience amp OD generally sounds richer and better but having different gain levels at your feet and better control is more useful to me. I generally want pushed clean then a low gain OD to get more of the clean channel sound without compromising it's overall vibe but with slightly more attack and then another gain pedal for solos or just a simple boost pedal.
There is a lot of sense in BGs comment about adding all the transistor bits in the front end to get the gain from your expensive hand wound boutique 5k purchase. Although on that note I'll always remember when my amp tech informed me the gain channel on my JCM 25/50 was just engaging some diodes and I was shocked!
Use your own ears to decide! Not what TGP or other popular forums tell you sounds good (learnt that one the hard way)