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What's a good bass distortion pedal?


prowla

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16 hours ago, David B said:

I was looking for something to give me that “Ace of Spades” sound on a budget. Tried a Behringer for £21. Incredibly good. It is a bit noisy if it does not have a decent power supply (silent with a good supply). Lots of negative comments about it being plastic but I cannot imagine it breaking in normal use unless you drove a tank over it. I still find it hard to believe that you can get such a great pedal for the price of a takeaway.

The 'vintage tube overdrive' - uses the Tube Screamer circuit.

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If I understand you right you are really looking more so for something that produce a light overdrive, to just add a bit of tube like grid to your tone and not really a full blown distortion effect, and if I understood that right then it seems to me like the standard big version of TC Electronic Spark Booster would be perfect for you.

Otherwise if you want a more prominent overdrive or distortion effect, then perhaps the EHX Hot Wax or perhaps the EHX Nano Operation Overlord overdrive (both these options including a clean signal blend and being capable of a wide range of drive, from just a subtle touch of tube like grid and hair to full blown distortion).

Edited by Baloney Balderdash
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On 06/06/2021 at 23:27, Kiwi said:

Danelectro FAB Tone. 

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It's a guitar pedal but it has one of the rawest, hottest, tightest distortions for bass I've ever heard.  No muddiness at all. 

Underrated pedal. It was Prince's fuzz of choice for bass, and Larry Graham and Rhonda Smith also used it when they were touring with him.

I liked the Daddy O overdrive too, but I lent it out years ago and never got it back. I've still got a Fab Tone though.

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2 hours ago, Baloney Balderdash said:

If I understand you right you are really looking more so for something that produce a light overdrive, to just add a bit of tube like grid to your tone and not really a full blown distortion effect, and if I understood that right then it seems to me like the standard big version of TC Electronic Spark Booster would be perfect for you.

Otherwise if you want a more prominent overdrive or distortion effect, then perhaps the EHX Hot Wax or perhaps the EHX Nano Operation Overlord overdrive (both these options including a clean signal blend and being capable of a wide range of drive, from just a subtle touch of tube like grid and hair to full blown distortion).

I definitely want something to just add a little more crunch.

I'm trying out a tube one at the moment...

I'll give it a go with the Ric in stereo over the weekend, as I made a splitter box last week.

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  • 4 weeks later...
  • 2 weeks later...

I have around 10 basses and about the same amount of dirt pedals.
One pedal works well with bass A, another pedal with bass B.

It is about combinations that work well.

For instance, Darkglass pedals work really well with Warwick basses.
The Tech 21 YYZ really loves my Sadowsky P and EBMM Stingray.

There's no way of telling which pedal is the best as it is in a combination of things.

That said, like mentioned before the Mosquite Blender makes any guitar overdrive work well on bass.
Here's a pic of what is currently on my carpet and REALLY working like a charm:

image.thumb.png.4e5835875ac5d12a7f070f0dde63628a.png

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5 hours ago, DiMarco said:

I have around 10 basses and about the same amount of dirt pedals.
One pedal works well with bass A, another pedal with bass B.

It is about combinations that work well.

For instance, Darkglass pedals work really well with Warwick basses.
The Tech 21 YYZ really loves my Sadowsky P and EBMM Stingray.

There's no way of telling which pedal is the best as it is in a combination of things.

That said, like mentioned before the Mosquite Blender makes any guitar overdrive work well on bass.
Here's a pic of what is currently on my carpet and REALLY working like a charm:

image.thumb.png.4e5835875ac5d12a7f070f0dde63628a.png

I had looked at the MESA one in a shop, but they didn't have the power supply for it, so I've not got to try it (and since I've got the DHA, I may not need to bother).

That Mosquito Blender could be a thing of interest.

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  • 1 year later...
On 06/03/2021 at 21:48, SumOne said:

I've also gone through a big list of od/preamp pedals looking for the same thing (including sansamp, darkglass, ebs).

The tc electronic spark is quite cheap and small and good for some mild tube type overdrive. But the best I've used is the DHA VT1 EQ, that's where my search ended. It's massive though. But if you want genuine tube like grit you still probably need something with a genuine tube - so that's usually quite a big pedal. 

Thoroughly agree with the DHA stuff had one of his compressors, absolutely excellent, trouble is can't get them anymore, unless you sell the house.

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I bought a DHA VT1 EQ DI on eBay two weeks ago after randomly searching for effects pedals. Thankfully it sounds (to me) like a Fender Bassman so I can avoid the expensive Origin Effects option. 

I am pretty happy with it too.

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The Tech 21 GT2, or the excellent but much cheaper Behringer clone of it, the GDI21, is also an option.

 

Yes, it is marketed as a guitar preamp, but it actually works amazingly well as a bass distortion pedal.

 

I doubt it would have been on Justin Chancellor's pedal board for years, and still is, if that wasn't the case.

 

Really versatile as well.

 

You can get an idea of just how great it works for bass here:

 

 

Also, though not in production anymore, so you would have to find one used, the EHX English Muff'n (the name is misleading as it has absolutely nothing to do with a Big Muff, and it's not even a fuzz) works rather amazing as a bass drive too, with a gain range that goes from everything from perfectly clean, over low gain overdrive, and all the way up to medium gain distortion, and it features 2 preamp tubes, operating at proper high 300V plate voltage:

 

Edited by Baloney Balderdash
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23 hours ago, Lee77 said:

I bought a DHA VT1 EQ DI on eBay two weeks ago after randomly searching for effects pedals. Thankfully it sounds (to me) like a Fender Bassman so I can avoid the expensive Origin Effects option. 

I am pretty happy with it too.

I always enjoy using my DHA VT1 EQ DI. Size, odd power supply etc aside, nothing else really has that 'bark' sort of drive that I get from this. It's the only pre-amp that I'm totally happy with going into a power amp/effects return and also FOH. 

 

I'd love to have it modded so that a preset level of colour and boost could be kicked in together but for now I just flick those two switched on before the songs that I need it on. 

 

Yes, I agree with the Bassman tone comment - but with a 'much' more usable EQ!

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