Feedback when using distortion pedal?

[Sarah5string]

Hey guys hope you can help. I'm a total effects newbie but have recently been using my Boss guitar distortion pedal with my bass. However I've been getting feedback when playing at high volume (ie at practice) but it's been fine at home. Can anyone shed any light on it? Is it because I'm being stingey and using my guitar pedal instead of forking out for a bass distortion? lol

Thanks in advance!

[cm261]

Dont know of any reason why it should start throwing its toys out of its pram just because you use it at volume with a bass. On the other hand though, even if it is a problem that you can solve, you should really get yourself a nice bass-specific distortion It'll sound much better all-round, and hold your low-end nicely [I'll let someone else insert their hilarious double-entendre here]. You could always blend the signal of your bass with the current pedal to get some of the low-end back, and it might solve the feedback problem as well, you never know.

Sorry for the lack of technical help.

[Sarah5string]

It's my own fault for being too much of a tight *ss to justify having 2 bass pedals in the house

[phil.i.stein]

try standing further away from your amp when using the pedal, and muting the strings when not playing.

if you do decide to splash out on a bass-specific pedal, try a big muff, tee-hee !

[cm261]

Was gonna ask what the first one is but according to your sig its a Zoom B2. I have one of those, hateful tone-sucking piece of sh*t.

+1 on the Bass Big Muff recommendation, also have one of those, great pedal (the secret to success is the clean blend mode). But it's a fuzz pedal, not an overdrive, so won't get the sound that you might be going for. Beware of getting involved in effects pedals, addictive and expensive business.

[phil.i.stein]

[quote name='cm261' post='784971' date='Mar 24 2010, 06:37 PM']But it's a fuzz pedal, not an overdrive, so won't get the sound that you might be going for. Beware of getting involved in effects pedals, addictive and expensive business.[/quote]
true on all counts,

i'm saving my pennies for that new Source Audio multiwave pro distortion jobby...it looks like the biz..
i've seen it on the thomann website. it won't be cheap though.. i'll try and find some links and edit later..

[url="http://www.sourceaudio.net/videos/post/soundblox-pro-multiwave-bass-distortion-demo/"]http://www.sourceaudio.net/videos/post/sou...istortion-demo/[/url]

oh yeh, Sarah, if you use high gain on your preamp this may be adding to the problem. try cutting the gain and turning up the master volume..

[url="http://www.thomann.de/gb/source_audio_soundblox_multiwave_pro_bass.htm"]http://www.thomann.de/gb/source_audio_soun...ve_pro_bass.htm[/url]

£150 is not too bad considering the 6 user-sets, blend, and sheer versatility. mmm.... i'll resist the credit card as it's starting to creak already ! next month deffo !!

Edited March 24, 2010 by phil.i.stein

[cm261]

Yeah that Source Audio pedal is the sh*t. Also, it's not THAT expensive, to be fair.

[MoonBassAlpha]

just a note of caution here with the feedback thing.
You will effectively be driving a full power square wave into your speakers.
If you do this for long-ish periods you will end up dissipating a lot of heat in them, it is the way to blow them up.

[cm261]

Hah, you edited just as I was posting
[quote name='phil.i.stein' post='784986' date='Mar 24 2010, 06:53 PM']£150 is not too bad considering the 6 presets, blend, and sheer versatility. mmm.... i'll resist the credit card as it's starting to creak already ! next month deffo !![/quote]
Yep, apparently the EQ section makes a big difference as well, and the versatility seems awesome as you said, you can almost use it in place of synth pedals, as well as replacing all your distortion units.

Edited March 24, 2010 by cm261

[Sarah5string]

[quote name='cm261' post='784971' date='Mar 24 2010, 06:37 PM']Was gonna ask what the first one is but according to your sig its a Zoom B2. I have one of those, hateful tone-sucking piece of sh*t.

+1 on the Bass Big Muff recommendation, also have one of those, great pedal (the secret to success is the clean blend mode). But it's a fuzz pedal, not an overdrive, so won't get the sound that you might be going for. Beware of getting involved in effects pedals, addictive and expensive business.[/quote]
I've had the distortion feedbacking on me when on its own, and in a loop with the B2.

In my defence I use the B2 for a tuner

[Mr. Foxen]

[quote name='MoonBassAlpha' post='785015' date='Mar 24 2010, 07:10 PM']just a note of caution here with the feedback thing.
You will effectively be driving a full power square wave into your speakers.[/quote]

Not quite sure how you are figuring that. Square wave distortion sounds nasty, and if it is coming from before the power amp, its not comparable to clipping the power amp into square wave territory.

[Sarah5string]

Thanks guys. I did try messing with the dials on the pedal itself, and found that with low tone initially it wouldn't do it, but if I turned it up to make it sound better then it feedbacked and even if I turned it down again it would still do it. Didn't try the amp settings though will give that a go next time thanks.

[Sarah5string]

Thanks guys. I did try messing with the dials on the pedal itself, and found that with low tone initially it wouldn't do it, but if I turned it up to make it sound better then it feedbacked and even if I turned it down again it would still do it. Didn't try the amp settings though will give that a go next time thanks.

[phil.i.stein]

[quote name='cm261' post='785016' date='Mar 24 2010, 07:10 PM']Hah, you edited just as I was posting[/quote]


i'm also wondering how good that thumb expression thing works.. nice concept !

[MoonBassAlpha]

[quote name='Mr. Foxen' post='785022' date='Mar 24 2010, 07:13 PM']Not quite sure how you are figuring that. Square wave distortion sounds nasty, and if it is coming from before the power amp, its not comparable to clipping the power amp into square wave territory.[/quote]
It's happening at high volume. That is exactly what is happening.

[Jarhead]

Turn the gain down a bit? Also, if you're looking for a bass specific distortion, can't go far wrong with the Ashdown James Lomenzo Hyperdrive, great pedal, cheap as well.

Zach

[Mog]

Probably too close to the amp. I use a Boss power Driver for a Geezer type tone with no feedback so that fact that its a guitar pedal shouldn't matter. If its before the zoom in the chain the multi may be boosting the signal, try it after the zoom.

[1976fenderhead]

Simply too much gain. I used to have an older model Fender USA Jazz Deluxe using one 9v battery. None of my pedals feedbacked with it and though it was active, it wasn't that hot so I could plug it into the 'Passive' input of my amp. Then I got a new model using two 9v batteries. With this bass, my T-Rex Bass Juice was feedbacking when I hit the Boost switch. I tried plugging into the 'Active' input instead: problem solved.

So if you're already using the 'Active' input on your Laney and it's still feedbacking, there's not much else you can do apart from lowering the gain that's going into it - either lowering the output on your bass or on your pedal.

[Mr. Foxen]

Feedback is awesome. Roll off some treble somewhere along the line to make it not squealy.

I'm at work so I can't post a Khanate live video, so go search one on youtube.

[cheddatom]

If it only starts to feed back when you open the tone control, then I would guess it's high frequencies feeding back. What cab are you using? Do you have a graphic EQ on your amp?

I have a noise gate because I can't avoid feedback with the amount of gain I use.

[krispn]

My guitar players pick up's are beginning to squeak a bit due to picking up my bass when I have the filth fired up. We do get to stand back to back to address the problem and it adds to the rocking out look.

You may just need to step away from the amp/speakers or position your pedal so when you do engage the filth your out of the way a bit. That what I do plus it pretty good for the on stage 'look' to step up to the front of the stage when kicking in different parts of songs. Makes a change from just standing in one place all night If all else fails just turn down a bit and tweak your amp and pedal EQ's.

As for bass specific pedals there are many out there but if a guitar one is doing the business for now then just enjoy Im rocking a Fulltone Bass drive which is a 3 in 1 pedal as far as Im concerned. Its expensive (many weekend 13hr shifts to get that one) but it is versatile considering what you can do with it i.e. as a clean boost to liven up the tones for a bit of an edgy slightly 'active' bass sound. You can then add the boost channel to that resulting in another bit of boost or really driving your amp hard depending how you set it. Then there are the dirt settings which can toggle switch between some different sonic flavours and again the boost button to go from mild drive to much more.

Hope you fix the feedback issue