Am I just easy to please, or deaf?

meatwad · #1 07-02-2011, 01:58 PM

Seriously, of all the dirt pedals I've tried, I find one to be just as good as the other. Different, yes. But I can almost always get something I'm completely happy with, no matter what it is. This includes some oddball stuff for bass, like a Dean Markley Overlord, Tube Works Blue Tube, Ibanez SD9, Boss HM-3, Digitech GSP21 Legend, Zoom 506, and lately, the distortion on my Boss BE-5B seems to be the best of all.

Same thing for chorus effects. Delays, flangers, and octaves too.

The only effects that my ears seem to notice a difference in is eq, compressor, and envelope filter pedals.

This is in no way a slam against guys who flip a lot of pedals, and in a way, I wonder if I'm missing out on something that these guys are after...

Am I just lucky, or am I missing something?

JonnyAngle · #2 07-02-2011, 02:21 PM

Well if you have a sound in your head that you are after, then it starts getting hairy. Otherwise they all "do the same thing" like you said

bigchiefbc · #3 07-02-2011, 02:44 PM

Are you running all of these through your SVT (judging by your profile)? If so, that may be part of it. SVTs have a pretty distinct sound to them, so they may just be making every pedal you run into it just sound like a dirtier SVT.

blastjv · #4 07-02-2011, 03:29 PM

I'd agree, I can usually find SOMETHING that sounds good with just about ANY pedal, or really any amp, or other gear, but as alluded to above, that's different from chasing a sound that's 'in your head' and trying to find the right gear to get you there. The other issue is finding gear that not only sounds good, but works for you. You might find a cool sound that has no place in the music you play, or a great tone that gets lost in the mix, etc...

Don't drive yourself crazy asking "what am I missing?" If you like the sounds you get and they work in the settings you need them to, then consider yourself lucky!!!

-JV

Swift713 · #5 07-02-2011, 04:29 PM

Yeah, I can usually get at least one sound I like out of anything, the issue is can I get the sounds I want.

meatwad · #6 07-02-2011, 04:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JonnyAngle

Well if you have a sound in your head that you are after, then it starts getting hairy. Otherwise they all "do the same thing" like you said

Maybe that's it, because I really don't have a particular tone that I require, just one that's not all muddy and fights with the kick drum for the low end.

cheapbasslovin · #7 07-02-2011, 05:58 PM

It took me a long time to figure out that I am pretty much in the same boat you are. I tend to hunt for a feeling rather than a specific sound. It's rare that I can't find a good feeling that fits something I'm playing out of almost anything. You're only missing out on burning a bunch of cash, IMO.

Enjoy your freedom

.

sunbeast · #8 07-02-2011, 09:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bigchiefbc

Are you running all of these through your SVT (judging by your profile)? If so, that may be part of it. SVTs have a pretty distinct sound to them, so they may just be making every pedal you run into it just sound like a dirtier SVT.

+1 to this. When I was playing through an SVT-CL, I was ALOT less picky about overdrive pedals, because their character tended to get lost to me once the signal hit the amp. I actually preferred overdrives and distortions that would lose some low end, as the compression that the CL gave me when pushed could tend to muddy up pretty easily if I had alot of low end in the input signal...

I noticed this same effect with my Mesa tube amps as well, though to a much smaller degree- I could hear the character of the pedals more, though I still tended to prefer some low end cut in conjunction with any boosting. My favorite overdrives were mostly being used as bright boosters.

Now that I'm playing through solid state amps, most of the dirt I use is coming from pedals (though my Walkabout gets a good overdrive on its own), so the character of the pedal shines through alot more. Fortunately I am able to find good tones from most pedals I try, but I only generally try pedals that I have read up on or heard clips of previously!

My name is Mudd · #9 07-03-2011, 12:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by meatwad

The only effects that my ears seem to notice a difference in is eq, compressor, and envelope filter pedals...

Maybe those are the ones you want/need/should use. No law says you HAVE to have dirt, and especially with an SVT.

Quote:

Originally Posted by meatwad

...in a way, I wonder if I'm missing out on something that these guys are after...

Not necessarily, and if your tone-quest is solved that easily, count your self lucky.

K2000 · #10 07-03-2011, 03:12 PM

For some projects, I have a pretty broad range of what sounds are acceptable. In other circumstances, I want something very very specific. In the 2nd case, lots of pedals might come close, but may not be exactly right. I would say consider yourself lucky. I tried about 10 different fuzzes, looking for the best solution (best for me, for a very specific need). The pedals I flipped were all good pedals, nothing wrong with them.

RickenBoogie · #11 07-03-2011, 03:13 PM

yes, consider yourself lucky. very lucky. it's extremely expensive going through multiple fx of the same type, trying to find "the one".