I quite enjoyed the embassy a student brought in a little while back.
Played well, sounded beefy, and was a comfortable weight.
didn't have any of the issues you mentioned though
for a timmy type sound - the v1 danelectro transparent overdrive is great and keenly priced.
the mojo was ok but I found it a little farty for my taste
I recently picked up both the joyo OJ and the Orange burst.
Both are bloody good pedals for the outlay.
To be honest I have hardly looked at any drive pedals since I bought them - in particular the burst. I have had compliments wherever I have used it, saying that the bass sound has so much authority and substance to it
I've always wanted one of these. The stack knob arrangement really yanks my crank.
I tried one around release time, and I was blown away by the quality and tone
a really nice buy there!
I can get a signal from a mono source which feeds both ears.
I use a set of dual driver phones, and I've had no complaints using them in pubs and clubs as well as large festival stages
i also use a behringer ma 400 to allow inputs from differing sources (xlr )
i play in a three piece + singist.
I dont have an issue with 'drop out' during solo passages. My basic sound is beefy enough to fill the space nicely.
That being said, i do occasionally add dirt pedals or an octave down in one or two songs to create the illusion of getting close to the original tunes.
This week, and for the previous couple of months, it's the caline orange burst.
Girth, grunt, and authority. I've had so many compliments since I started using it- I don't even think about changing it!!