OD pedal that pairs well with solid-state amp

[Jakub]

Hello fellow bassplayers !

I recently bought the Markbass Little Mark II because like a lot bassplayers I wanted to go lightweight and I found this Little Mark for a fair price, have heard a good things about them, etc...
But here is my concern and I seek for an advice : I used to play through the Ashdown in the past and I loved its tubey/overdriven sound. Sadly, I had to sell it due to financial issues. When deciding on new amp I was quite indecisive. I wanted the Ashdown for a while, than some lightweight amp for a week, than Ash again and so on...You know it. So at the end 3 kilos of Markbass won, but I still miss the grit and the presence that drive gives to your sound, because as you all probably know Markbass amps are really clean and transparent sounding amps.
So here´s the question : what overdrive pedal do you consider to have nice, natural, dynamic sound to it ? Does it pair well with a solid-state amp such as Markbass ?
My experience with the overdrive pedals is quite limited, so excuse my ignorance please. Also, I´m aware, that no pedal would give me sound of an all-tube amp, but the Ashdown did very satisfying job with one single valve in preamp, so I believe that there must be a good pedal that sounds at least as good as Ashdown.
Oh, and I play in 3-piece rock´n´roll band (influences like The Clash, The Jam, The Killers, The Strokes) in case you´d like to know.

Thanks for every response in advance !!!

Cheers,
Jakub.

[nick]

Hi Jakub,
You'll undoubtably get many different answers & opinions to your question... but I like the Catalinbread SFT for warming my tone up - it's quite versatile as the youtube clips show.
I also think the Digitec Bad Monkey is not bad too.
Cheers
Nick

[Jakub]

Hey Nick, thanks for the answer ! I know that a lot of players would advice lot of different pedals, but I´d like to know mainly about those which people use to warm their SS sound up. Yeah, I´ve heard some good things about the SFT and I dig new design of it as well. OK, writing it down on my list

[chrismuzz]

VT Bass, Sansamp BDDI/Behringer BDI21 (practically identical), my Marshall Jackhammer has some really sweet low gain settings but can go to full on filth if needed!

Those are the best of all the pedals I've personally used, im sure a huge amount of other awesome pedals will be recommended soon enough

[phil.i.stein]

if cash permits, a Darkglass b3k, or even better, b7k.

[lxxwj]

Wait, you bought a non-tube Markbass? What's the point?
The tubes are the best part!

Edited April 30, 2012 by lxxwj

[dannybuoy]

VT Bass fo' sho'.

[media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_be9GSlt_eQ[/media]

Or swap your Markbass head for something dirtier sounding like the Orange Terror Bass, Ashdown MiBass, Ampeg PF350/500, or Genz Streamliner.

Edited April 30, 2012 by dannybuoy

[Lozz196]

For adding purely adding tube type warmth, I liked the DHA (Dave Hall Amps) VT1. Very nice addition to a clean sound.

The Behringer BDI21 also does this, but has a bit more versatility to it.

So far I`ve had the DHA VT1, the MXR M80, and the Sansamp BDDI, and have kept the Behringer - it`s my fave, and does a very good Ampeg type sound.

[dudewheresmybass]

The ebs multidrive, hardwire tube od are both worth a go. I've used both amongst others to warm a ss amp

[LiamPodmore]

[quote name='Lozz196' timestamp='1335824120' post='1636742']
For adding purely adding tube type warmth, I liked the DHA (Dave Hall Amps) VT1. Very nice addition to a clean sound.

The Behringer BDI21 also does this, but has a bit more versatility to it.

So far I`ve had the DHA VT1, the MXR M80, and the Sansamp BDDI, and have kept the Behringer - it`s my fave, and does a very good Ampeg type sound.
[/quote]

Big +1 to the BDI-21, i've been using mine constantly for the past few months, and as per Chris's suggestion above i'm pairing it with a Marshall Jackhammer and maybe a Joyo Fuzz for some nasty sounds. Incredibly versatile little box, but make sure you get one with a working power adapter, as it eats batteries like a b*tch.

Liam

[Jakub]

I thank you all for your suggestions, and to be honest, I didn´t expect Behringer to pop up. But it seems it is just my prejudice against cheap brand...And to answer the question, why I didn´t get amp with a tube, it is simply because I found that particular Ad, the price was nice, so I grab it. But as I said, I miss that magic that tubes deliver, hence my hunt for nice OD pedal. So one more time, thanks for all answers, I think I should try those pedals somewhere to see which one suits my needs the best

[chrismuzz]

Personally I prefer using a clean SS amp, and having a completely clean sound to start with... Gives you a lot of versatility if you mix it up with decent pedals!

[Jakub]

I know what you mean Chris. It allows you to build up your sound around your pedals. But I think that finding right overdrive is the most tricky part. BTW. how are you using your SansAmp PBDDI ? As a preamp or just like a versatile dirt pedal ?