Tube Overdrive Pedals?

[TheDisparities]

This may seem like a stupid question, but can tube overdrive pedals be used with SS amplifiers? I'm looking to get a Digitech Bad Monkey for my bass. Cheers guys,
Chris

[Mr. Foxen]

Tube overdrive is a fairly meaningless name, no tubes involved in a Bad Monkey, they work fine with SS amps. I quite like them, but I have a Blackstar that has a real valve in it.

[TheDisparities]

so the question is, do I buy a Bad Monkey? I can't find specific bass overdrives without reviews that they sound like distortions.

[Mr. Foxen]

Throw up some examples of the sorta sound you want. Bad Monkey will take out the real lows without modification. Nick was selling one with the mod, see if that is still going, should sort you for a bit of drive.

[TheDisparities]

Nah, its sold. Are there any guitar pedals that will give you a good tone and nice punch to your sound too?

[Mr. Foxen]

[quote name='TheDisparities' post='846890' date='May 24 2010, 09:29 PM']Nah, its sold. Are there any guitar pedals that will give you a good tone and nice punch to your sound too?[/quote]

Really need to give some examples. Non-guitar pedals are generally better for keeping the punch. Sansamp is the default option.

[TheDisparities]

Looking more towards the arctic monkeys bassists sound in Crying lightning. And the overdrive used in Song 2 by Blur?

[Prime_BASS]

[quote name='Mr. Foxen' post='846881' date='May 24 2010, 09:21 PM']Throw up some examples of the sorta sound you want. Bad Monkey will take out the real lows without modification. Nick was selling one with the mod, see if that is still going, should sort you for a bit of drive.[/quote]
What kind of mod is this?

There are a few guitar od/distortion pedals out there that hold the lows well(no mods and no eqing)
Like the EHX big muff pi, I have one it sounds like a creamy chiansaw, holds the lows very very well.
I'm in the Market of the Marshall guv'nor as they've been said to hold those lows well (deep control and a bass EQ control) this is what tim commerford(rage) used through the 90s with rage.

There are maybe a few really good ones but, one I like is the boss bluedriver. It sounds thick and full better than with guitars, but it loses so much lows it's not a viable option. So I've been looking for a mod to maybe mix the true-bypass signal with the effective signal or a tone mod to add back the lows when the effect is on.

I've used briefly the EHX bass blogger, the fuzz is nice as a low gain fuzz. The OD mode is nice and warm but lacks the something 'natural' for me.

I'm interested in the boss 59 bassman, since it's basses off the fender bass amp from wAy back when but boss do know bass demo and I can't find anyone with it for me to try or any vids on YouTube. There is 2 outputs but one is 'normal' and one is bright.

[dannybuoy]

Max at sfx can mod a Bad Monkey for you to boost the lows. I have an Xotic Bass BB Preamp which sounds almost identical.

I'd check out a Tech21 VT Bass pedal, I think there's on in the classifieds. They are also great for recording with or when you have no amp and have to use the PA instead.

[fxpedal.co.uk]

For the money, the Bad Monkey works extremely well on bass. Yes, it can be improved by modding, but it's still a good pedal in its standard tune. I happen to know that the Digitech distributor has no stock of Bad Monkeys right now as we've just taken the last ones! We've also got most of the other pedals mentioned above in stock.

[Prime_BASS]

All my mates have brought the bad monkey for some reason. Not my cuppa though.

Just brought the tech 21 sansamp para driver di. Which I prefer over the bass driver as it's got it's own middle control.

[Tech]

I bought a beaten up bad monkey from a mate about 5 years ago. I paid a tenner for it, neither of us expected it would last that long due to having been thrown around a fair bit...

amazingly, five years of gigging later it's still in 100% working order. haven't even had to replace a jack! it's definitely not a fuzz - but on the plus side, it leaves your mids in so you get a nice punchy sound that cuts through, without being overly harsh.

works very nicely on guitar too as a poor man's tubescreamer.

[Al Heeley]

I've been putting together a couple of tubescreamer circuits with mods for bass as well as different clipping, I use one myself for Blur's Song#2 in our set, brings a big smile and trembling windows when I turn it on. This is driving a Peavey tour 450 s/s amp - sounds great and u can roll off the gain for a punchy overdrive or crank up for some filthy distortion.

Edited June 17, 2010 by Al Heeley

[thisnameistaken]

[quote name='fxpedal.co.uk' post='852135' date='May 30 2010, 09:13 PM']For the money, the Bad Monkey works extremely well on bass. Yes, it can be improved by modding, but it's still a good pedal in its standard tune.[/quote]

+1.

I had one last year, it was dirt cheap and really good. AFAIK it's just a Tubescreamer clone but it is cheap and it works great on bass, definitely a good first choice for dipping your toe into using overdrive.

I only sold mine because I literally never used overdrive, then a couple of nights ago I could've really used it for a new song and I think I'll be buying another one. You can buy a pedal for just one song when they're thirty quid.

[johnirvine]

A friend of mine has a Protone Dead Horse overdrive. I don't think they're particularly cheap but I really like it.