Biaeothanata-Bassist Posted September 22, 2013 Share Posted September 22, 2013 Hey guys I'm stuck in a bit of a rut at the moment because i can't seem to find an overdrive pedal that suits what I want. Basically, I want something that's going to add harmonic drive and add grit/crunch to the tone so it's (forgive the phrasing) "zingy" and "snappy" but not sound fuzzy or distorted. Other problem with it is, I play finger style instead of using a pick which probably doesn't help that. I use a pair of passive Fender Precision Basses both loaded with Seymour Duncan SPB-4 pick ups and Rotosound BS66 strings so it's very twangy and has a lot of top end which I really like. For the amp, I'm using a Hartke LH500 and Marshall JCM 800 4x12 cabinet. To put it in to context, I want something along the lines of Eddie Jackson (Queensryche), Rex Brown (Pantera, although slightly less distorted), Geddy Lee (Rush, but not old Rush, think more along the lines of Clockwork Angels and Time Machine live), Land Phil (Municipal Waste). Here's a couple of pedals I've used and a summary of my thoughts on them: * Ashdown James LoMenzo Hyperdrive - good but just didn't quite cut it * Sansamp Bass Driver DI - wasn't a huge fan of it, sounded very thin in places * Ashdown Drive Plus - horrible, horrible pedal. Wouldn't go near one again * Digitech (somethingorother) - sounded fuzzy and too distorted even with the gain turned down * Aphex Exciter - didn't add any drive, just made my top end sound horrible and "tinny" I'd love to try one of the Darkglass B3K pedals or one of the Aguilar Aggros or even the EBS Billy Sheehan pedal for the blending on it but I simply cannot afford them, especially right now and I don't know anywhere that I could demo one in the UK. Any advise/recommendations/etc? All input will be appreciated Thanks! So yeah, what can people recommend? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mikey R Posted September 22, 2013 Share Posted September 22, 2013 This is a constant battle for me. If you add too much drive, then the bass drops out. The best Ive come up with so far was splitting the signal into two, so that a Rat into a Sans Amp VT runs parallel with a Sans Amp Blonde (bassman mode), then combining the two with a line mixer. Still not really satisfied with it at high volume with the full band. I think Im on the right track to a solution, but experimenting with actual valve effects has given better results, so I think valves are the way to go. I'll probably be selling both the Sans Amps soon, they are really nice but Im just not using them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dannybuoy Posted September 22, 2013 Share Posted September 22, 2013 (edited) Check out the VT Bass and DHA VT1! Should be able to find both for well under £100 used. Edited September 22, 2013 by dannybuoy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mikey R Posted September 22, 2013 Share Posted September 22, 2013 Is this something you want to be able to switch in and out of? If youre looking at something just a little warm and driven to use as your basic sound, that you can add to with other effects, then EHX do a couple of nice valve pedals. Ive got the Black FInger to give me my basic warm tone - its absolutely amazing, just adds that little bit of edge without losing any definition. I call this my clean tone, but really its just a little bit driven. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lozz196 Posted September 22, 2013 Share Posted September 22, 2013 [quote name='dannybuoy' timestamp='1379883574' post='2217901'] Check out the VT Bass and DHA VT1! Should be able to find both for well under £100 used. [/quote] Yep, the DHA would get my vote for this as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paul_5 Posted September 22, 2013 Share Posted September 22, 2013 [quote name='Lozz196' timestamp='1379884659' post='2217931'] Yep, the DHA would get my vote for this as well. [/quote] Yup. DHA all the way! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Noisyjon Posted September 22, 2013 Share Posted September 22, 2013 I have, use and recommend the MXR M80 Bass DI+ for your needs. What I will say is that it doesn't sound very good when you use it with no other instruments in the room but in the band setting I find it perfectly cuts through with what you want. They can usually be had for a good price 2nd hand so worth a try as you can easily move it on if it's not your thing. Good luck! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paulbuzz Posted September 22, 2013 Share Posted September 22, 2013 (edited) Ah, this old chestnut again! This is an everlasting quest for me, too. Meddle made some great points above - his description of "buzzy Papalardi/Bruce tones" describes perfectly what I don't want to hear! Instead I'm after an aggressive, well-defined "cough" or "grunt" at the beginning of the note, which quickly cleans up into the sustain portion of the note. I've been most successful at getting this kind of sound with proper valve amps, but like many these days, don't want to carry them around any more. I have quite liked the Ashdown Lomenzo, though you say it didn't quite do it for you (and it's so big!), also the EBS multidrive, which is another one that distorts the high frequencies only. I haven't tried the VT Bass (but would like to) or the DHA stuff. A couple of other factors which seem to sometimes be missed: 1) If you've got a speaker cab with a tweeter which can't be turned off, you're gonna have a bad time. The distorted harmonics need to be rolled off really steeply somewhere around 3K to 5K, or it's horrible waspy buzz time. One possible solution to this is to use something with a speaker-emulating EQ curve, to kill those upper frequencies, eg Sansamp-type pedals (though you didn't like the BDDI...) 2) You also have to consider what signal you're sending to the PA: even if you've turned off your cab's tweeter, the DI from your amp may well still be sending horrible waspy distortion to the PA! Possible solutions: a) mic your cab into the PA instead of using a DI (but soundmen are often a bit reluctant to do this, and it's always best not to get in a fight with them) b ) use a DI box with built in speaker emulation - the Behringer Ultra-G is cheap and surprisingly decent sounding, or the H&K Red Box is a bit more 'pro' c) use a distortion that already has a speaker-sim type output - back to Sansamp-y things again (though of course there are lots of alternatives to the BDDI, including the VT Bass ) Good luck in your quest for the perfect overdrive sound - you're going to need it! Edited September 22, 2013 by paulbuzz Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Biaeothanata-Bassist Posted September 23, 2013 Author Share Posted September 23, 2013 Hey guys Thanks for all your recommendations. The DHA VT1 seems to be getting quite a few votes here so i'll check 'em out on YouTube. I've tried one of the Tech 21 VT bass pedals before but I didn't get much of a chance to properly try it out so i'll give that another go too! As for the MXR 80, i checked out a few videos and they didn't seem to do what I wanted... I know i know, i'm being so damn picky over this. Whilst I was surfing YT a minute ago, I found this pedal which sounds quite cool but to be fair, his bass sounds better than mine bypassed as well! haha. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SBs3vCKKL6A I see the Bad Monkey was mentioned in a post too, turns out that was the Digitech pedal I tried out already and wasn't a fan of. There was also a couple of posts suggesting blending a couple of pedals. Believe me, I would love to do this but money really is an issue so I'll just be focusing on 1 pedal. I can't reply to all posts separately but what Meddle and PaulBuzz have said has been really really helpful. To be fair, all of you have so far on it so thanks very much! I'll go check out a few more demo videos to see what there is as well. I'm taking a trip to Brighton next month to check out GAK so i'll try a few there too! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rhythmbug Posted September 23, 2013 Share Posted September 23, 2013 I know this feeling well and yeah that's true, fingerstyle on P doesn't lend itself to a really grindy sound, particularly on the E string . That doesn't stop me from trying though I've been satisfied with the VT Bass for quite a while, it does the job well. At the moment I'm experimenting with other units for a heavier, dirtier sound. I [i]may [/i]have mine for sale for sale very soon. I say may because I'm a bit hesitant to part with it! But I'm eagerly awaiting an imminent delivery of a Tronographic Rusty Box. It was supposed to arrive today, USA import. Separately, have you done any mods to your electrics? An option some have done is fitting 500k pots and a .0015uf capacitor, which is said to add more treble. I've been toying with that lately, just haven't gotten around to it, I always end up getting blasted by my band mates for tinkering about! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ratman Posted September 23, 2013 Share Posted September 23, 2013 (edited) Another vote for DHA here. Mine is awesome. My SFX Micro Red Dragon can produce a very similar sound too. And that has a useful tone control on it too, I'm in North London. You're not too far away, an hour I guess. You're welcome to come and try mine out if you want. Edited September 23, 2013 by ratman Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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