VHT Special 6 Handles a Distortion Pedal

On the VHT Special 6 Head and Speaker Cab:  I am seeking ways to get the most out of this small stack low wattage tube amplifier.  I know if I give it a good 7 on the tone and 8 1/2 on the volume dial, I will get some great clean tone that breaks up when my pick strikes the strings more firmly.  Great overdrive sound and round, full notes of tube-ish goodness.  The challenge is using the stock tubes and speaker to get an overdrive sound on very low volume for the sake of other family members in the home.

I was working on a friend's recording project, laying down tracks for his backing instruments on his music demo.  I wanted overdrive to just tastefully add a bit of rockin' to bring texture to the sound of his music.  Though I am trying to be a purist and stay away from digital sounds, I grabbed a 10 year old BOSS Super Overdrive Pedal we have sitting around in a closet.  I was able to get the very nice moderate distortion sound quality I was looking for, while still generating the warmth out of the 12AX7 preamp and 6V6 output tubes in this VHT Special 6 Head.   I would think the Special 6 Combo with the 10 inch speaker that I didn't end up buying would have an easier time breaking up with less head room.  This Special 6 closed-back speaker cab has a 12 inch VHT Chrome-back speaker that is able to handle the drive from the higher gain switch I leave pulled up (doubles as a volume knob), so it takes more gain.

Using this overdrive pedal, with the amp power setting switched to 3 Watts, allowed me to turn the volume on the guitar down and record some tasty guitar tracks over my friend's demo project.  The distortion did turn out warm and natural sounding. 

What I have learned is that using pedals with this VHT Special 6, such as overdrive and delay/reverb, is a good option to consider.  That doesn't change my view that this amp cranked up to a reasonable level without pedals will give the player a great natural, tube overdrive sound.  I just keep on enjoying this amplifier and I continue to be amazed that it has a better tone that a much more expensive amp, such as my Fender Deluxe 90 DSP, 90 watt 1X12 all purpose amp.  I haven't put them side by side, by also I LIKE THE SOUND OF THE VHT SPECIAL 6 MORE THAN THAT OF THE FENDER BLUES JUNIOR I SOLD RECENTLY.  Of course the Blues Junior does have a very nice spring reverb on board that the Special 6 can't boast. The Blues Junior was too thin and shrill sounding for my taste and the larger price tag.