4001 and distortion pedals?

[jj4001]

I tried out a Wampler Super Plextortion pedal with my bass today. These seem to do a great job replicating the sound of a JCM800. It was incredible what it added to the tone. I really want to add something like this to my rig after trying this out. Does anyone know of any other great distortion pedals for bass that can be had for $200 or less?

If I can explain the rig, since loss of low end from a guitar pedal may not be an issue for me. Someone correct me if I'm wrong. Tips are welcome from anyone who's tried stuff like this.

Ric 4001 > stereo out > neck PU > Acoustic 140 channel 1, EQ'd for lows

> bridge PU > Super Plex > 140 channel 2, EQ'd for mids and treble

> Ampeg 8x10

After putting a very subtle distortion on the bridge PU, I blended it in with the clean, deep signal coming from the neck PU. The distortion wasn't the first thing you noticed when hearing the tone, but it's presence added a great atmospheric, three dimensional sound. Controlling the amount of distortion could be done by attacking the strings more or less, playing finger style. I liked it best sounding kind of futuristic like it would fit on the ELO album, Time. I imagine a Lemmy style tone could be done very easily with one of these things as well if you use a pick.

Unless there's some grave reason I'm unaware of to not do this, I'd recommend one of these pedals to anyone using the stereo outs on a Ric.

Is there any other pedal out there I should become familiar with before I go spending money on one?

[rratajski]

Peruse the post your pedalboard page and access the search function. There is discussion daily about od/distortion/fuzz/dirt on talkbass.

This is a big can of worms with a nearly endless amount of pedals that sound good with a Ric and are under $200. Are you looking for something you need to try in-store or are you open to "boutique" pedals?

[Ric5]

The 4001 is a bass that really sounds good with distortion pedals.

Here's me playing a 4001 through a bass pod. http://www.3dentourage.com/425/s-cumbersome.mp3

[jj4001]

Originally Posted by rratajski

Peruse the post your pedalboard page and access the search function. There is discussion daily about od/distortion/fuzz/dirt on talkbass.

This is a big can of worms with a nearly endless amount of pedals that sound good with a Ric and are under $200. Are you looking for something you need to try in-store or are you open to "boutique" pedals?

Thanks for the heads up. I'll check those forums.

I guess my question is:

If I run my bass stereo and put a guitar pedal on one pickup, will it also cause the other clean pickup to lose low end frequencies? It didn't seem to when I tried this setup, but I wasn't playing at full band volume so I may not have noticed if it was.

I think I'd prefer something a little more unique like a boutique pedal. That Wampler Super Plexi wasn't what I was looking for, but it sounded much cooler than the "Entwhistle bass on 'Substitute'" sound I was trying to get.

[rratajski]

Once the signal leaves a pickup, it is what it is...
So, if you are effecting one pickup, only that one pickup is affected. The "clean" pickup stays clean.

Do you want a lemmy tone or something else? You mentioned a futuristic sound...it seems that you might want dirt paired with modulation or a synth pedal.

[Deluge Of Sound]

You could also look into some of the synthier fuzzes: Wolly Mammoth, Brown Dog, or--my personal favorite "what the hell" fuzz--the MXR Blue Box.

[jj4001]

Sweet, thanks for the suggestions, everybody. It's good to have some items to look out for and try since I have no previous experience with pedals.

As for the "futuristic" sound. I definitely do not want any "modern rock" tone. I'm thinking more along the lines of what they imagined as futuristic tone in the 70s, like the vibe of Electric Light Orchestra.

One more question I just thought of --

Is anyone out there familiar with 60s producer Joe Meek's signature bass tones? I love that sound! Is there any effects pedals out there that can help me get this tone?