Amptweaker Announces Bass TightDrive Pedal (OD)

[kenstee]

http://www.amptweaker.com/MessageCen...x?ContentID=16

http://www.premierguitar.com/Magazin...ive_Pedal.aspx

Sounds pretty cool. Interesting design. Looks well built. A potentially useful feature is the effects loop on the back of the pedal, with a Pre/Post switch that moves the position of the loop to before or after the OD/ distortion.

Anybody seen/heard one? Original version was for guitar.

Builder/Designer is named James Brown. That spots it a few points anyway.......

[bigchiefbc]

Maybe this is just me being dense, but what's the deal with an effects loop on an overdrive pedal? What would necessitate that? Its pretty obvious why you would want a loop on envelope filters and delays, but I don't get the benefit with overdrive.

[faceinbass]

Originally Posted by bigchiefbc

Maybe this is just me being dense, but what's the deal with an effects loop on an overdrive pedal? What would necessitate that? Its pretty obvious why you would want a loop on envelope filters and delays, but I don't get the benefit with overdrive.

1) being able to turn external effect on and off with the OD.
2) easy switching of effect order (pre/post OD).

Its a great design but the graphics/font suck bassb*lls.

[amptweaker]

Originally Posted by bigchiefbc

Maybe this is just me being dense, but what's the deal with an effects loop on an overdrive pedal? What would necessitate that? Its pretty obvious why you would want a loop on envelope filters and delays, but I don't get the benefit with overdrive.

Guys,
I'm the engineer who designed the Amptweaker Bass TightDrive, James Brown. In the past, I designed guitar amps at Peavey(Classic 30/50, 5150, XXX, JSX) for 18 years, and for Kustom(36/72 Coupe and Double Cross) for the last 6 years. Amptweaker is my own company that I recently started with the plan of developing products based on consumer input.

Frankly, I hadn't intended on making a 'bass' version of the TightDrive pedal, but after I introduced it at January NAMM 2010, I had a lot of bassists ask 'will it work for bass?'. One was Greg Weeks, bassist with The Red Chord. He tried it at NAMM, loved it, and after I made soma suggested tweaks to the low end extension of the Tone and Tight Controls, I introduced the Bass TightDrive at the Dallas Guitar show in April.

I was pretty surprised by the excitement for this model. I had incorporated several user ideas, such as the Tight control which dials in the attack from spongy to chunky tight, a Battery Switch so you don't have to disconnect it, a magnet held battery access door, and an effects loop so you can switch other effects along with this one. Apparently bassists found these ideas had merit to, including dUg Pinnick with King's X and Sean Frankhouser with Bugs Henderson.

As for the effects loop question, the reason I put it in there was not literally from requests……I had a ton of people requesting things like a distortion with delay, or a compressor with chorus, or a boost with a distortion, and I thought, why not just put a patch point on the pedal to let them plug whatever they want in there. It also makes a convenient way to further tweak this pedal. You can add an EQ in the loop , switch it to Pre to adjust the tightness further or Post to adjust the output tone more, and you gain the power that a tech has to really dial in the sound/feel.

I still need to get some video/audio demos online, and I've asked the various artists who have them to help with that……should have something in the next couple of weeks, since I've only shipped these for a week or two…..still at SN007.

Anyway, I hope you guys dig it, and I'm certainly interested in ideas you have for products or even just controls or whatever. My company is not about a bunch of 50 year old guys sitting around arguing about what musicians out there want….it's about asking people what they want, and then finding ways to give it to them.

Thanks,
James Brown
www.amptweaker.com

[Smurf-o-Deth]

I'm looking forward to hearing this sucker.

[M0ses]

I'll admit, as someone who uses only one OD, and only sparingly, I'm rather intrigued.

[paulygonemad]

I like the movable effects loop, I like that a lot. Look forward to hearing it/ seeing it in action.

[bongomania]

Originally Posted by amptweaker

My company is not about a bunch of ...guys sitting around arguing about what musicians out there want….it's about asking people what they want, and then finding ways to give it to them.

Good business model, good attitude. Appreciated!

[PunkRocker33133]

I really want one of these, but I need to see a demo first... who's gonna buy one?

[wetzelman1]

Greg Weeks is the man. I didn't think he used any pedals tho. Would love to hear some sound clips.

[amptweaker]

Originally Posted by wetzelman1

Greg Weeks is the man. I didn't think he used any pedals tho. Would love to hear some sound clips.

Greg told me he only uses the pedal when the guitarist takes a solo, so it's adding some thickness to his normal sound and making up for the lack of rhythm guitar. Made a lot of sense to me.

[Valerus]

Interesting pedal, for sure. I'd like to hear clips when they become available.

[warwick.hoy]

Originally Posted by bongomania

Good business model, good attitude. Appreciated!

+1 We love it when you CEO/President/Owner guys make yourselves available on TB. Would love to hear the bass version of the Tight Drive.

I can't say that I'm a big fan of batteries but I like that I'm seeing more companies making battery access easier and the battery kill switch is a nice addition. I can see this feature saving a lot of unnecessarily drained batteries from entering landfills. I have to say that when you I saw the kill switch for the battery I thought it might have been some sort of starve function like you see on a few of the crazier fuzzes out there IE the Dwarfcraft Shiva.

[Unrepresented]

Definitely an interesting concept. Like most here, impressive audio/video samples would be needed to push me from "quietly considering" to "must purchase!" modes.

[amptweaker]

Originally Posted by warwick.hoy

+1 We love it when you CEO/President/Owner guys make yourselves available on TB. Would love to hear the bass version of the Tight Drive.

I can't say that I'm a big fan of batteries but I like that I'm seeing more companies making battery access easier and the battery kill switch is a nice addition. I can see this feature saving a lot of unnecessarily drained batteries from entering landfills. I have to say that when you I saw the kill switch for the battery I thought it might have been some sort of starve function like you see on a few of the crazier fuzzes out there IE the Dwarfcraft Shiva.

Well along those lines, you CAN run it down as low as 6V, for a more smushy sound, or as high as 18 for some more cleaner dynamics.

James
www.amptweaker.com

[savinggrace]

Originally Posted by Unrepresented

Definitely an interesting concept. Like most here, impressive audio/video samples would be needed to push me from "quietly considering" to "must purchase!" modes.

+1

I would also like to add it is really helpful to have low/ mid/ high controls when using distorted bass chords; I don't find this necessary when playing single notes though. But I see that the loop could be used for an E.Q. I am very interested in taking this for a test drive.

[Gopher Bob]

Did I mention I love samples? Samples please! Even better have Mr. Weeks do some samples too.

[amptweaker]

Originally Posted by Gopher Bob

Did I mention I love samples? Samples please! Even better have Mr. Weeks do some samples too.

I received and uploaded samples of the Bass TightDrive last week. There's one from Greg Weeks and another from dUg Pinnick from King's X. I've got one more guy working on another sample and I'll get it up there in a week or so.

Check em out,
James

http://www.amptweaker.com/MessageCen...x?ContentID=16

[IPS]

Really digging it... everyone REALLY needs to stop making dirt pedals I like.... the rest of my pedals are getting jealous and my wallet are starting to hate me

[superbassman2000]

i liked the sound @ 1:27 on the greg weeks sample

the price is decent too--i might have to look deeper into this pedal


one question though--I notice there are the LEDs by the knobs--is that purely cosmetic or is there something going on there?