More natural OD than MXR?

[NicoMcJ]

So this MXR is a massive disappointment.  Even with the gain knob on zero it’s way more distortion than I wanted.  This pedal is a distortion pedal, not an overdrive pedal. I just wanted to add a little hair to my clean sound.

It also adds too much mud to the sound, even with the tone all the way up.

 

Any advice for something a bit more natural sounding than this?

 

 

[Lozz196]

TC Electronic Spark Booster.

 

Not just saying that because I’m selling one, it’s cos it hits the nail exactly on the head of what you describe - do a search on T***bass for opinions on it.

[NicoMcJ]

4 minutes ago, Lozz196 said:

TC Electronic Spark Booster.

 

Not just saying that because I’m selling one, it’s cos it hits the nail exactly on the head of what you describe - do a search on T***bass for opinions on it.

Is the lack of a clean blend a problem?

[Lozz196]

2 hours ago, NicoMcJ said:

Is the lack of a clean blend a problem?

No, even on full it’s nowhere near a full-on drive. The way I’d describe it is you know when you hear isolated bass tracks from people such as John Deacon, those which sound clean & full in the mix, but isolated there’s that gritty/gainy sound to them, well that’s how the Spark works. Nothing like Lemmy or anything, just a hair on the sound to stop it being completely clean.

[Doddy]

For overdrive, I like the EQD Plume, and the HBE Hematoma.  

In a similar vein to the Spark Booster, the Emma Onomatopoeia can add a nice bit of hair.

[Boodang]

Not forgetting the EBS Valvedrive.

[NicoMcJ]

16 hours ago, Lozz196 said:

No, even on full it’s nowhere near a full-on drive. The way I’d describe it is you know when you hear isolated bass tracks from people such as John Deacon, those which sound clean & full in the mix, but isolated there’s that gritty/gainy sound to them, well that’s how the Spark works. Nothing like Lemmy or anything, just a hair on the sound to stop it being completely clean.

I’m currently looking for a Spark, it does seem ideal.

[redbandit599]

Spark is ideal - the 4 knob version is the one I had.

Also like the EBS Multidrive too.

 

[dudewheresmybass]

another rec for the 4 knob spark

[paul_5]

If you're handy with an iron then you can swap the 33k (I think) resistor between pin 2 of the opamp and the gain pot - this sets the minimum gain of the unit.

 

Easier to buy a Spark though - those things are great.

 

[Jus Lukin]

-

Edited March 16, 2022 by Jus Lukin

[Lozz196]

2 hours ago, NicoMcJ said:

I’m currently looking for a Spark, it does seem ideal.

This is mine up for grabs

 

 

[KellyS]

I really like the Geddy Lee YYZ pedal and the Darkglass Vintage Deluxe for more controlled and natural sounding drive (and EQ) options. Failing that. My spark mini is incredible for pushing things to drive. 

[CliveT]

It took me some time to work out the MXR OD after using it at home only to start with.  In the mix I find it works well, lots of headroom and find I need more gain than I thought when solo.   That being said I still have the gain below 09:00, or no higher than 11:00 for higher gain setting.

[NicoMcJ]

36 minutes ago, CliveT said:

It took me some time to work out the MXR OD after using it at home only to start with.  In the mix I find it works well, lots of headroom and find I need more gain than I thought when solo.   That being said I still have the gain below 09:00, or no higher than 11:00 for higher gain setting.

I’ve tried it with both bands I’m in, one is a single bass and guitar and the other is bass and 2 guitars. Whenever I turn it on I find myself increasing the treble on my bass so I can hear myself.  It’s just not working for me for some reason.  Completely personal and subjective I know.

[SumOne]

On 09/02/2022 at 09:49, NicoMcJ said:

I’ve tried it with both bands I’m in, one is a single bass and guitar and the other is bass and 2 guitars. Whenever I turn it on I find myself increasing the treble on my bass so I can hear myself.  It’s just not working for me for some reason.  Completely personal and subjective I know.

 

You've probably tried this, but I used to run the 'Clean' on full (it's not 100% blend) and 'Drive' on minimum, with 'Treble'  high, and the volume adjusted accordingly and that gave me a low gain and less muddy tone. You're right though, it should be called a distortion (and quite a high gain one at that) rather than an OD, and it is quite a dark tone. 

 

 

[Romeo2]

Turbo Rat!

 

no clean blend but a great overdrive

 

[Cosmo Valdemar]

On 07/02/2022 at 19:04, Lozz196 said:

TC Electronic Spark Booster.

 

Not just saying that because I’m selling one, it’s cos it hits the nail exactly on the head of what you describe - do a search on T***bass for opinions on it.

The Spark is an amazing pedal. I bought one in a sale a couple of years ago, never tried it and forgot all about it. When I finally gave it a go - blimey! There's some real juju in it, one of those rare "makes everything sound better" pedals.

[krispn]

Another vote for the spark booster - an always on type of pedal which can be set just so.

 

In saying that I also have a Fender 'Trapper Bass' Distortion and it can do a wider range of tones from very minimal/just a hint of grit to much more full on. If you're after some versatility it's a very good option and I haven't really seen too much fanfare on here for it. It has a clean blend and a cross-over on one of the channels and another less involved (Gain Tone Level) side which can then be stacked for additional gnarl! The clean blend channel really lets you dial it in - a big bass sound without sacrificing low end and requires minimal effort.

Edited February 10, 2022 by krispn

[BillyBass]

I love my Jam Pedals 'Lucydreamer'.  It has two gain settings and I set the first for a nice warm gritty overdrive and the second foot switch then activates a distortion effect.

 

It isn't cheap mind, but I won't be swapping this for anything else.