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Overdrive/Distortion pedals


Jonny Walker
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There are many OD/D pedals out there for bass but as i have found out it takes a lot of time a patience to find the right one...

I’m sure there’s a few of you out there that use these pedals and I was hoping that you could use this forum to discuss the equipment you use and any new products on the market.

The main problem that I’ve found is that while giving a nice tone many pedals fail to retain that bottom end that we require, I’ve even herd of bassists using guitar pedals to get the sound they want…..

What do you think?

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There are lots of threads and posts about this. Maybe we should have a "distortion discussion" sticky?

Distortion/OD/Fuzz pedals are all subjective. You can get opinions about the reliability of a pedal, but apart from that..... Eveyone's got a different bass, and amp, and EQ settings, and all these contribute to the distorted sound too.

I think it's quite wideley accepted that a clean blend for bass distortion is a good thing - retaining your low end, and giving a punchier overall tone. This can be done in pedals with a mix function, or using a blending pedal or loop.

I have tried quite a few different distortion pedals with bass, but i've found something useful with most of them, so my opinion is a bit worthless!

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iv had many, many distortions for bass, some good, some appalling. at the moment iv got a wren and cuff pickle pie, proco rat 2 (with the old chip), mxr blowtorch and a digitech bad monkey. as far as loss in low end, the rat suffers a bit from that, but i managed to get it sounding quite thick using an eq on my zoom 506II. the wren and cuff loses some, but sound better if i switch the bad monkey on in front of it. bad monkey lose practicly none, and the blowtoch obviously has a blend pot, so that loses none either.

its all subjective, i love mine, and i can deal with some low end loss, other bassists hate that, its all about opinion, just get in a good guitar shop and jam. for the record my blowtoch sounds the best and bassiest for me, although that sounds more like a synthy fuzz than a distortion as such

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[quote name='Jonny Walker' post='112377' date='Jan 2 2008, 04:19 PM']I’ve even herd of bassists using guitar pedals to get the sound they want…..[/quote]

....You're kidding?

aaahhh em!

Silliness aside. I use the following.

Sansamp BDDI
Maxon ROD 880
Fulltone Bassdrive
(chain in that order)

You learn what works for you though.

Just try what you can but get to know what you use before you decide its not the sound you want.

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I know I'm probably in a minority but I still love the Ibanez Phathead PD7. Great range of noises from clean and clanky to out and out death metal and the tone controls allow you to dial in all the low end you want.

In fact the EQ is so good that I've been using mine with the "Clean" setting as a "smiley face" EQ for slapping.

Cheers,
Alun

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Hey guys I've just got a DHA VT1 Purist Custom...

Custom only in as much as I didn't really fancy the orange and green so asked Dave for a black alternative, also requested the the smaller controls they look better to me - as a result I think it looks really cool :)

[attachment=4481:DHA_VT1P_Custom_01.jpg]

[attachment=4482:DHA_VT1P_Custom_02.jpg]

Still trying to figure out the best settings, but first impressions are very good...

I've put a Mullard in it but the stock valve is a pretty good alternative, just waiting to give ita proper try out with my blues trio in the next week or so...

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[quote name='BassManKev' post='112671' date='Jan 3 2008, 01:01 AM']thats a fukin mint paint job, i love it!

if you dont like and wanna sell let me know :)[/quote]

Glad you like the paintwork, if it doesn't fit the bill or I need to move it on I'll let you know, don't anticipate that being any time soon though :huh:

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i use an EH Metal muff w/ top boost - great sound, full eq so no bass loss.
MXR DI+ distortion - chunky and ballsy!
Boss HM2 - Great fuzz sound and tons of low end boost with the eq.
MXR distortion III - mid gain grindy type sound. no bass loss.
Tone factor Fuzz saw - huge ballsy fuzz, no bass loss
MXR Blowtorch - Full eq + blend. great sounds all the way from light grit to full on muse- esque fuzz
Hartke VXL valve dynamic switch! - great chunky sound, again from light grit to full on distortion

My requirements are no loss on the bottom and must work well with my weeping demon to give solid scream type effects!

I've tried many more than this, but was left feeling wanting!
Previous tries - Marshall Guv'nor (bass loss), Most Boss OD/ Dist (just not 'right'), nano muff, pocket metal muff, micro metal muff, PD7 (great pedal, just not right for what i wanted from it) to name but a few!

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[quote name='tayste_2000' post='112679' date='Jan 3 2008, 12:15 AM']Currently using

Catalinbread V8
Catalinbread Hyperpak
Tone Factor Cream Pie
Tone Factor Huckleberry
Subdecay Noise Box
Subdecay Fembot
Tone Factor Fuzzsaw (Soon to be for sale I think)

I highly recommend the Hyperpak to cover most bases[/quote]
do you have any sound samples of the hyper pak?

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[quote name='BassManKev' post='112774' date='Jan 3 2008, 11:08 AM']do you have any sound samples of the hyper pak?[/quote]

[url="http://www.grygrx.net/Pedal%20Reviews/Catalinbread/Hyperpak/Catalinbread%20Hyperpak.mp3"]http://www.grygrx.net/Pedal%20Reviews/Cata...%20Hyperpak.mp3[/url]

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boss - bass overdrive dont get the hate for these can get some awesome grindy tone if you roll of the highs on it i use this with a big muff i modded to be a lil less harsh and have more low end then i stick an eq at the end of it all for epic tone ;o

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[quote name='umph' post='112791' date='Jan 3 2008, 11:38 AM']boss - bass overdrive dont get the hate for these can get some awesome grindy tone if you roll of the highs on it i use this with a big muff i modded to be a lil less harsh and have more low end then i stick an eq at the end of it all for epic tone ;o[/quote]
+1

i may well buy an odb-3 again, will be my 3rd one...

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[quote name='tayste_2000' post='112790' date='Jan 3 2008, 11:36 AM'][url="http://www.grygrx.net/Pedal%20Reviews/Catalinbread/Hyperpak/Catalinbread%20Hyperpak.mp3"]http://www.grygrx.net/Pedal%20Reviews/Cata...%20Hyperpak.mp3[/url][/quote]
doesnt work for me, usual IE error

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[quote name='umph' post='112791' date='Jan 3 2008, 11:38 AM']boss - bass overdrive dont get the hate for these can get some awesome grindy tone if you roll of the highs on it i use this with a big muff i modded to be a lil less harsh and have more low end then i stick an eq at the end of it all for epic tone ;o[/quote]

I love my ODB-3. I use it mostly for boosting low end, and adding some subtle dirt, but it's a very versatile pedal.

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[quote name='cheddatom' post='112832' date='Jan 3 2008, 12:52 PM']I love my ODB-3. I use it mostly for boosting low end, and adding some subtle dirt, but it's a very versatile pedal.[/quote]

I have to agree with you on that one… I’ve tried pedals like the Ashdown and Marshall and the OD-3 came out on top, although I’m thinking of getting the DHA VT1-Mk3 quite soon.

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