Low Gain/Edge Of Breakup Tone

[thisisswanbon]

No mid control, but if you're just looking for slight break up, EQ doesn't really come into the conversation for me...

 

1. Way Huge Pork & Pickle - perfect for tube like breakup

2. Jptr FX Jive saturator - gooey mids with lovely break up texture

3. EHX Hot Wax - Hot tubes does a perfect tube break up, with loads of extra options on tap too

[Baloney Balderdash]

4 hours ago, thisisswanbon said:

No mid control, but if you're just looking for slight break up, EQ doesn't really come into the conversation for me...

 

1. Way Huge Pork & Pickle - perfect for tube like breakup

2. Jptr FX Jive saturator - gooey mids with lovely break up texture

3. EHX Hot Wax - Hot tubes does a perfect tube break up, with loads of extra options on tap too

Just to specify, with the EHX Hot Wax you get a Hot Tubes, that, unlike the regular Hot Tubes pedal, got a clean blend, and separate bass and treble EQ controls, versus just a regular tone knob on the regular pedal, plus of course the option to stack it with the other half of the pedal, an EHX Crayon, which to my knowledge is EHX's take on the Xotic BB Preamp circuit, if not an exact clone.

 

Edited November 20, 2023 by Baloney Balderdash

[Supernaut]

I believe what I'm after is a combination of the Blueberry and Spark Booster. 
 

The Blueberry was so close to what I wanted but it was dark and extremely difficult to brighten up or add some clarity. 
 

That's much easier on the Spark Booster but I feel that the SB never gets as valve-like has the Blueberry. The breakup sounds more natural too. 

[Baloney Balderdash]

3 hours ago, Supernaut said:

I believe what I'm after is a combination of the Blueberry and Spark Booster. 
 

The Blueberry was so close to what I wanted but it was dark and extremely difficult to brighten up or add some clarity. 
 

That's much easier on the Spark Booster but I feel that the SB never gets as valve-like has the Blueberry. The breakup sounds more natural too. 

I am thinking you likely could obtain this by literally blending those two pedals in parallel with each other at the right ratio, via for example a Boss LS-2.

 

That would make 3 pedal to obtain this, and I realize you pointed out that you wanted one single pedal, but probably not getting it any better than this. 

 

Mixing dirt pedals with each other in parallel really gives an incredible tonal depth, a result that is much more than the individual parts, and for lack of a better, less cliché ridden, word, a quite 3D like feel. 

 

Edited November 20, 2023 by Baloney Balderdash

[Supernaut]

Blends always sound weird to me. 

[Baloney Balderdash]

47 minutes ago, Supernaut said:

Blends always sound weird to me. 

I meant mixing those two pedals with each other in parallel, not mixing either with clean/dry signal.

 

It does require some fine tweaking of the pedals involved and the ratio of which they are blended for it to sound right though.

 

But as said if you do use the time to do that with the right pedals you can potentially obtain some truly amazing tones not possible with any single pedal, or stacking for that matter.

 

Though of course not all pedals blend equally well with each other, regardless of settings, but would think the two you mentioned would.

 

Drives tend to work particular well for this approach, but some modulation effects does so as well, mixing flanger and phaser in parallel with each other for instance can sound amazing, chorus and tremolo works great for this too.

 

Edited November 20, 2023 by Baloney Balderdash

[JK 138]

If you like the Spark Booster you could try the other offerings from TC, the MojoMojo and Dark Matter.

The Dark Matter is brighter than the MojoMojo (with a little less bass) from the demos online but the two aren't too dissimilar to the Spark.

[pineweasel]

On 20/11/2023 at 09:59, thisisswanbon said:

No mid control, but if you're just looking for slight break up, EQ doesn't really come into the conversation for me...

 

1. Way Huge Pork & Pickle - perfect for tube like breakup

 

I had the standalone Way Huge Pork Loin which did a great job of this. Quite tweakable too with additional internal trim pots.

[Supernaut]

19 hours ago, JK 138 said:

If you like the Spark Booster you could try the other offerings from TC, the MojoMojo and Dark Matter.

The Dark Matter is brighter than the MojoMojo (with a little less bass) from the demos online but the two aren't too dissimilar to the Spark.

I have heard the MojoMojo is similar to the Blueberry and it does have a treble control to brighten things up... 

[JK 138]

1 hour ago, Supernaut said:

I have heard the MojoMojo is similar to the Blueberry and it does have a treble control to brighten things up... 

It's not a very bright pedal to start with (it has an inbuilt lpf) and I don't find the treble control very effective but it's fairly flat otherwise. You can find them cheap second hand.

[Supernaut]

Has anyone compared the SolidGoldFX Beta to the Germanium version? 

[tayste_2000]

So my understanding with the Spark, Mojomojo and Dark Matter is they are all the same pedal with different ranges on the gain knob.

 

Given my experience I GREATLY prefer the mojomojo to the Spark.

 

But essentially it’s something like if the spark is at 3 o clock, the mojo is at 12 o clock and the dark matter is at 9 o clock.

 

Tonally the Mojo had more colour/warmth for me, I found the Spark quite flat. The mojo around 9/10 o clock was just golden for me.

 

Capo was the best I had in this area, else I’ll soon be getting an old Tone Factor Cream Pie back which was my fav many many years ago but what I’ve found is many many years ago I was dumber.

 

Another thing I’ve found that works quite well is GE based fuzz pedals with the gain all the way off, this gives me a far more vintage and wooly sound than all the overdrive pedals I’ve tried in the past.

 

Did you know the MXR Distortion + is a GE based version of the Dod 250 🤷‍♂️, I have an old Tone Factor Huckleberry for this which is a hybrid and sounds great. Muffs don’t work (but they’re also not GE based)

 

I also have a Jive which I’ve not been able to try yet.

 

The online demos the RC boost sounds better to me than the BB Boost.

 

Everything except the Capo I really felt the pedal in the tone, whereas the Capo elevated it. Generally though I’m trying to avoid anything with eq, it’s too heavy on the sound, coloured boosts I like but seem to subtle for me to keep and I just go round this endless cycle that ends with me going bass into a nice DI (of which I also have too many)

 

Then finally, almost all my basses have flats on them and have for years, this coincides with my slow tapering interest in pedals because basically flats make pedals suck. All that high end content that makes things really sound different disappears.

[Supernaut]

Wow, the mythical Tayste 2000. All we need now is fellow OG, Toasted, and the thread is complete. 
 

I'm currently using Pure Nickel strings which are a little brighter than flatwounds but very close. 

[Rich]

On 22/11/2023 at 15:19, Supernaut said:

All we need now is fellow OG, Toasted, and the thread is complete. 

I wouldn't hold your breath, it's been over 4 years since he even stuck his head round the door. 

[tayste_2000]

Don’t know if this recognition is a good thing

[krispn]

I had a bit of a pedal journey and would say TRex Bass Juice with gain and mix set low…

 

SGFX BetaV - If the bass soul food and spark booster had a baby but the original Beta was questioning paternity you’d be in the ball park of what it does. Yes it can sound dark but the filter is basically a mid control and the switch takes it out of the circuit or can set its point to be more mid forward or more lows which works interactively with the tone control. I have one on my board and like it. I’ve used the three other pedals mentioned and think it’s the best of all three. Took me a little while to ‘get it’ but a little tweaking and it’s a great wee box. 
 

Have you tried a compressor with the spark! It might just ‘lift’ it and give you some extra juice with out any big tonal shifts? I’d like to try the new UA 1176 comp as it can do a break up style tone from demos I’ve heard although only one decent bass demo. 

Edited November 24, 2023 by krispn

[tayste_2000]

For an all in one you might want to give the Aguilar Tonehammer a look.

 

Just don’t think of it as a 2 channel preamp, it’s a preamp with 2 different sounds that you switch with a footswitch. Therefore the hugely different volumes, tone, eq centres etc don’t bother you so much you just like the option.

 

Also it’ll run on batteries and phantom

[GR7G5TER]

Sounds like this could fit the bill

 

https://www.sushiboxfx.com/product/finally-v2/

 

I have the space heater, which is the basically the (now discontinued) non DI version of this pedal.

 

It really nails that edge of break up perfectly, I use it to push my Ampeg into overdrive

Fully cranked this pedal is powerful 

[Goliath_FX]

Just read through this and I know its some what self promotion, but my BlackIce fits the bill here (so I think) its a low gain, edge of breakup overdrive, mids etc. 

[dannybuoy]

On 24/11/2023 at 11:56, tayste_2000 said:

For an all in one you might want to give the Aguilar Tonehammer a look.

 

Just don’t think of it as a 2 channel preamp, it’s a preamp with 2 different sounds that you switch with a footswitch. Therefore the hugely different volumes, tone, eq centres etc don’t bother you so much you just like the option.

 

Also it’ll run on batteries and phantom

 

+1

 

I’ve had all the pedals Supernaut listed and also really like the Spark. The Tonehammer is the closest thing to the Spark with a mid control. It sounds a bit creamier. I have a Jive coming also that I ordered months ago on sale and am still waiting for it to arrive!

[tayste_2000]

8 hours ago, dannybuoy said:

 

+1

 

I’ve had all the pedals Supernaut listed and also really like the Spark. The Tonehammer is the closest thing to the Spark with a mid control. It sounds a bit creamier. I have a Jive coming also that I ordered months ago on sale and am still waiting for it to arrive!

I only tried my jive in a loud band situation so haven’t had time to really evaluate.

 

Oddly really didn’t like the spark but still love the mojomojo.

 

When I get chance to meet up with a friend I’ll finally get the Tone Factor Cream Pie back just debating having a W&C Phat Phuk (for the 3rd time) to try it against 😅

[Supernaut]

A mate has let me borrow his Beta MkII for a few weeks so I get to compare it one on one with the Spark tonight at rehearsal. Stand by... 

[dannybuoy]

14 hours ago, tayste_2000 said:

I only tried my jive in a loud band situation so haven’t had time to really evaluate.

 

Oddly really didn’t like the spark but still love the mojomojo.

 

When I get chance to meet up with a friend I’ll finally get the Tone Factor Cream Pie back just debating having a W&C Phat Phuk (for the 3rd time) to try it against 😅

The Spark is best in clean mode I find, it has the deepest lows that way. At first I was using it in Fat mode and preferred the Mojomojo until I realised I could flick it over to clean and just turn up the gain. The Mojomojo was just too murky sounding for me.

[tayste_2000]

1 minute ago, dannybuoy said:

The Spark is best in clean mode I find, it has the deepest lows that way. At first I was using it in Fat mode and preferred the Mojomojo until I realised I could flick it over to clean and just turn up the gain. The Mojomojo was just too murky sounding for me.

I’m a big fan of the mud 😅

[mouthmw]

I just got JPTR FX Jive 2 days ago, and it's pretty much perfect for low gain tones / dirty boost needs. I also got the best synth tone in combination with my octaver when I used the third diode switch, better than other fuzz pedals I tried for that type of thing (but I never owned a gated type of fuzz which might work just as well or better, those aren't my cup of tea).