I need built in amp distortion/ overdrive!

RickenTalker · #1 12-04-2010, 08:24 PM

Greetings bass bros,
I'm a huge fan of the bass tone the band Death From Above 1979 has and am trying to get something that sounds similar. I already have the vintage acoustic 450 head and Ibanez chorus pedal JFK uses, which I play with my Ric and sounds quite close, but I still need another amp. The Peavey F800B Super festival series head is proving to be quite hard to find, So what are some awesome bass amps with built in distortion/ overdistortion?Preferably something that wont get lost in the mix if I play with a guitarist. I actually think I would like it better if I had another amp that was different, so I'm not playing an exact clone of JFKs setup. Also if you feel there is a better approach to this sound then built in amp distortion/ overdrive feel free to explain.
Thx..

silky smoove · #2 12-04-2010, 08:41 PM

Do a search. The same thread was posted a day or two ago.

MNAirHead · #3 12-04-2010, 11:08 PM

GK has some

Duke21 · #4 12-05-2010, 12:16 AM

You are going to get a lot of answers here, from real heads like SVT to pedals/ preamps like Sansamp VT...
Buying a complete head for one overdrive tone seems to me like an overkill, unless you have no cost limitations which is great. Many heads with the right pedal will do. As said, a Sansamp BDDI or VT will cover many types of overdrive, so you can use your current head.

Munjibunga · #5 12-05-2010, 12:43 AM

Aguilar AG500, the two-channel one.

6810 · #6 12-05-2010, 01:28 AM

hee, hee, hee...

Buy an all tube guitar head, crank gain and master to 10. Loud as fook. FTW!

Buster Brown · #7 12-05-2010, 01:36 AM

I used to play through a SVT5Pro - had a decent distortion channel...

Alas - they are no longer in production.....

iri5hpunk21 · #8 12-05-2010, 02:01 AM

I really enjoy my Mesa Mpulse 600 with the VT deluxe.

Plstrns · #9 12-05-2010, 02:04 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Buster Brown

I used to play through a SVT5Pro - had a decent distortion channel...

Alas - they are no longer in production.....

There's one on Ebay now.

xjeremiahx · #10 12-05-2010, 02:08 AM

sunn 300t/fender bassman 300.

to elaborate a bit on why this head rules...

1. 2 channels. clean & dirty.
2. blend of the 2 channels.
3. graphic eq.
4. onboard comp.

So, you can blend your dirty & clean...which really helps in making sure you dont get lost in the mix. we have all had our low end disappear whenever we crank that gain on our distortion pedal, this will help you keep that low end(to a degree). your graphic eq gives you the 'sweet spot' for that same low end(imo) 125hz. Mega punchy. lots of goodies in the mid & highs as well. the compression allows you to really dial in allllllllllllllllllll you need.

to give you an idea, i run this head with it blended to channel 2 all the way. gain to 10, channel volume to 4, master to 1. paired with my SR5...i AM the mix haha

i really like this head, it's super versatile, reliable & loud as hell.

anderbass · #11 12-05-2010, 08:11 AM

If you run across a used Mesa D-180 give it a serious try using the unique cascading channel feature of channel 1.
Entering the search term D-180 here on this forum will explain why this model could very well be the ultimate amp for you.

St Drogo · #12 12-05-2010, 08:16 AM

Ooh, good question, I'm a big DFA1979 fan too.

Can't tell you what the best options are for amp distortion, as I'm on a budget myself. I do have a Peavey Mark III that just kills. It has two channels and the option to mix both together. I usually set one challen just all out on gain and it's a great, great sound. Worth looking into!