Dirt pedal with blend vs LS2 or similar

[Rich Lennon]

New here so forgive me if this has been covered a million times - do feel free to point me to the relevant thread or just point and laugh if that's the case.

I have just bought a bass having played guitar for years and am trying to get a doom/sludge metal tone out of it (think Conan, Neurosis, Iron Monkey, Crowbar, Eyehategod, Electric Wizard.)

I'm playing a Music Man Sterling Sub Ray 5 and the rehearsal room we use most often has an SVT and an 8x10 Ampeg cab. I have tried my whole guitar dirt box collection - Boss DS1, TS9, EHX Metal Muff, Boss HM2, Fredric Effects Green Russian (Russian Muff clone) and a Dunwich Cthulhu - and I don't think any of them is quite it.

From a quick bit of google it seems that trying something that keeps some of the dry signal would be worth experimenting with - either a pedal with a blend control or an LS2 or similar.

Can anyone give me a quick run-down of the pros and cons of those two approaches and any recommendations for either a dirt pedal that I can blend or any alternatives to the LS2 I should consider.

Max budget of about £150, although if I can spend less that would be ideal.

[dannybuoy]

The LS-2 is a good cheap option and is also flexible for multiple uses. Some pedals invert phase though, resulting in your two signals cancelling each other out when you blend them; so I recommend a blender with a phase switch like the One Control Mosquite.

There are plenty of decent pedals that don't need a blend though, especially lower gain overdrives. I play a lot of doom stuff and my main drive is the Bearfoot Blueberry, very thick/warm/vintage sounding.

[mSz]

I never liked sound of blended distortions. I would look for a good distortion or OD that doesn't need a blend. From my experience Supercollider muff from Earthbound Audio or Tall Font Russian from Wren and Cuff sounds awesome. For overdrive try Solid Gold FX Beta bit there plenty more. Nevertheless, I think the best thing to do would be to get a passive bass, like precission would be my first choice.

[dannybuoy]

Depends what kind of tones you're after as there's such a wide range! I prefer the P+J pickup blend on my Yamaha BB, the grunt of a P but with extra depth and growl; ballsier than a Jazz with both pickups on.

One thing to note is that those SUBs have really hot preamps in them that can easily overload the front end of many a drive pedal. When this happens, especially the low end can get all compressed and bloated, so a blend can come in handy there.

I dig the Blueberry for that old school sound, the Beta mentioned above is also in this camp (but I found it boomier, duller and fizzier). But also utilise some more modern blended distortions like the Pike Vulcan. This Darkglass-esque pedal has a knob that blends between 2 different drive circuits, and I prefer the voicing to the Darkglass variants. With a P and the colour knob to the left, it sounds just like Geezer Butler's sound on the 13 album to me! I suggest you look into the Two Notes Le Bass also; £200 ish new so you should be able to get a used one within budget.

When it comes to using pedals with a built in blend vs a blend pedal, I've got a blend pedal but never really found a use for it; pretty much everything I've picked up either had one built in or didn't need one!

Edited March 31, 2017 by dannybuoy

[cheddatom]

I like a blend but I use it fairly subtly, and I use it on a whole chain of effects. I'd have thought the big muff clone would get you most of the way there, try turning the output down on your bass?

[Rich Lennon]

[quote name='cheddatom' timestamp='1490948264' post='3269231']
try turning the output down on your bass?
[/quote]

[quote name='dannybuoy' timestamp='1490947264' post='3269216']
One thing to note is that those SUBs have really hot preamps in them that can easily overload the front end of many a drive pedal. When this happens, especially the low end can get all compressed and bloated, so a blend can come in handy there.
[/quote]

Literally hadn't thought of this. I think it's a key symptom of GAS - your immediate solution to every problem is buying gear not really assessing what you have.

Will play around with this - very useful thank you. Cheers for the pedal recommendations too, will look into all of them.

[dannybuoy]

Darkglass/Pike pedals and the Two Notes should both cope well with the hot signal though (I used to have a Ray4!).

[dannybuoy]

Oh yeah - there is a new EHX Operation Overlord pedal, an overdrive for guitar and bass with blend and 3-band EQ. Fits within budget, and just might sound awesome (not heard bass demos yet!).

[Rich Lennon]

[quote name='dannybuoy' timestamp='1490977562' post='3269586']
Oh yeah - there is a new EHX Operation Overlord pedal, an overdrive for guitar and bass with blend and 3-band EQ. Fits within budget, and just might sound awesome (not heard bass demos yet!).
[/quote]

Just had a look. Love how they've filmed a demo with a keyboard but not a bass! I'll have a look at those two pre-amp pedals too, I've never owned one.

[radiophonic]

[quote name='dannybuoy' timestamp='1490977030' post='3269584']
Darkglass/Pike pedals and the Two Notes should both cope well with the hot signal though (I used to have a Ray4!).
[/quote]

Definitely. I use a Pike Vulcan with a Stingray and it's a great combo, provided you roll the treble back a bit on the SR. I've found it really needs at least a 4 x 10 to sound convincing though. If the OP has an 8 x 10 that should be great. Isn't the 'Colour Left' setting modelled on a cranked Ampeg input stage anyway though? The other combo I like is the EHX Crayon blended using an LS2. Very different to the PIke. The big plus is that it has bass and treble controls, which allow you to really push the low end break up. The LS2 keeps it solid enough. It was (and looks) super cheap but does appear to be full range.

Edited April 4, 2017 by radiophonic

[dannybuoy]

Never heard of it being based on anything Ampeg like, but it doesn't sound like one to me anyway. There is more than one Ampeg sound, but usually it's associated with a fat/round/scooped sound.

To my ears, the left hand side of the Vulcan's colour knob (or switch if you have the deluxe version) is like the Vintage but more ragged and with a big peak in the upper mids. The right side is scooped like a B3K but perhaps tamer/flatter. It's great to be able to blend between the two.

[radiophonic]

[quote name='dannybuoy' timestamp='1491295095' post='3271815']
Never heard of it being based on anything Ampeg like, but it doesn't sound like one to me anyway. There is more than one Ampeg sound, but usually it's associated with a fat/round/scooped sound.
[/quote]

I read it on here somewhere. Specifically a B15. No idea if it's true or not. However, I'm a fan of the smooth break up of a cranked valve amp and I run mine ~80% left. As a side note, I think it's a shame that all the controversy has possibly obscured what a good pedal this is.