anyone tried/own a digitech bass overdrive?

[runmikeyrun]

There's one by me for sale for a good price. The demos on YouTube sound good... what are your opinions? I'd be using it with an active Ibanez 5 string tuned to B. I know some active basses don't play well with distortion pedals.

[HaRd]

Which Ibanez model in particular? I am looking too in investing money in an OD pedal and this Digitech BOD is a heavy consideration for me too. Wanna keep it under $100...

[runmikeyrun]

I have an old one, the SR405, 5 string with bass, mid, treble tone controls. It's got a great clean sound, but it's kinda "scooped", that and the active electronics can interfere with getting a good bass dist. I'm currently using a Boss DS-1 but it's heavily modded and I have to run a separate DI box and a Y cable at my preamp to be able to have a clean blend. I'd like to simplify my pedalboard.

The only pedal I ever REALLY liked was an old green russian big muff. That thing sounded HUGE! They're big money on ebay though, and the QC was pretty random... I was lucky to get a good one.

If I end up picking up the Digitech i'll let ya know how it sounds.

[HaRd]

I'm on an SRX 650 which is fairly new to me (just acquired this summer) so I'm still working out the qwirks with the active electronics. Ironically I've been using a Boss DS-2 and am not crazy about the way it sucks out the low end. One of my favorite bass pedals is Big Muff and I experiment a lot with it but I'm looking for a light/medium blending overdrive that's more for grind and dirt then it is for outrageous fuzz.

I'm also considering the Boss BOD and the Ibanez Phathed Bass.

[seedokebass]

I had one for awhile. It didn't sound bad, but I never got it dialed in the way I liked. It sounded great with my Warwick Thumb! If its under $40, I'd say give it a go.

For bass overdrives/distortions, I'd take the Boss ODB-3 over the Digitech. The 2 band EQ is more usable than the Digi's tone control, and the Boss has a gain control. The Digi has a "morph" knob, which is kind of like a gain control. It goes from lighter overdrive to a fuzzy type of distortion.

[Crystalman85]

I own a digitech xbd bass overdrive/distortion pedal and I think it sounds awesome. especially when I combine it with my hartke vxl bass attacl preamp pedal and my danelectro fab chorus pedal. I like this pedal for it's fizzy metallic sounds. this pedal work well on active and passive bass guitars. if you're thinking about buying it, I'd say give it a shot.

[runmikeyrun]

I use a boss eq post distortion so i'm not as concerned about the tone vs low/high controls. I am selling some stuff at a garage sale tomorrow, if I get enough cash i'll think i'll pop on it.

[blastjv]

I found the one I had to be one of those pedals that, at first, you listen to it and say "wow, I can't believe this pedal sounds so good!!!" But after playing it for a while you start to notice something 'artificial' sounding about it...

Of course, Brian Beller has had one on his board forever and it sounds good when he uses it.....

-JV

[ga_edwards]

Originally Posted by blastjv

I found the one I had to be one of those pedals that, at first, you listen to it and say "wow, I can't believe this pedal sounds so good!!!" But after playing it for a while you start to notice something 'artificial' sounding about it...

Exactly this, esp if you've never really been playing bass with overdrive much before, or you've only ever experienced the naff overdrive/dist in multi-fx units.

If you want a cheap simple overdrive, Digitech's Bad Monkey is much, much better.

[ocoaibass]

The Bad Monkey needs a mid to truly be a good bass pedal, IMO. I'd recommend a bass Tubescreamer. Digitech is based on a Tubescreamer anyways.

A DOD bass Grunge might be good for you, if you can find one reasonably priced on here or eBay.

BOSS ODB3 is more metal & also needs a mod to truly sound awesome, & some will still poopoo on it's sound.

[mcnach]

I had a Digitech Bass Driver, then sold it... and ended up buying one again.

It is not the best pedal, but it is reasonably good and versatile. At the same time, it doesn't allow a lot of tweaking... Yes, it's versatile because you can get a mild overdrive or a huge distortion... but you can't alter the tone very much. On the plus side, it is cheap and it works well.

I had a Boss ODB-3. Horrible horrible pedal. Don't even consider it.

Depending on what you are after, have a look at the Boss MD-2 (Megadistortion). It's designed for downtuned guitars, but it works very well for bass. It lacks a blend option, but the "bottom" knob allows you to retain the bottom end. The note definition is really very good too. It takes a bit of time to get used to how it works, but it's a pedal I like a lot. I use it for RATM sounds very effectively.

My favourite cheapish overdrive is the Ashdown Hyperdrive, the James Lomenzo model. It's a bit big, but it sounds very good and the mid-frequency sweep is incredibly good to taylor your overdrive sound and cut through the mix. There aren't any great demos on youtube unfortunately. Even James Lomenzo's only illustrates a small part of what the pedal can do.

I've had a Digitech bad MOnkey and it's a nice pedal, but a bit "boxy" sounding. Pass.
The Danelectro Transparent Overdrive is quite good. In the vein of the Bad MOnkey, but rounder, fatter, "cleaner". You can go from very low gain, just fattening up the bass sound a bit, to quite overdriven sounds. It has no blend control, but the 2-band EQ does a good job and it retains the bottom end. I use it for the "Suck my kiss" (RHCP) sound. Similar price but way nicer than the Bad Monkey.

I also have an Ibanez PD7 Phat Hed. It's got a couple of great sounds, but it's a bit noisy, in my opinion. I use it on the clean position, with the "attack" switch engaged. It basically leaves the clean bass sound and adds some distorted metallic overtones on the top end. That's a really cool sound.

[seedokebass]

The trick with odb3 is the treble control. If you want it to sound like an overdrive, turn the treble all the way down. I could get it to sound very similar to a Fulltone Bassdrive

[HaRd]

Originally Posted by mcnach

I had a Digitech Bass Driver, then sold it... and ended up buying one again.

It is not the best pedal, but it is reasonably good and versatile. At the same time, it doesn't allow a lot of tweaking... Yes, it's versatile because you can get a mild overdrive or a huge distortion... but you can't alter the tone very much. On the plus side, it is cheap and it works well.

I had a Boss ODB-3. Horrible horrible pedal. Don't even consider it.

Depending on what you are after, have a look at the Boss MD-2 (Megadistortion). It's designed for downtuned guitars, but it works very well for bass. It lacks a blend option, but the "bottom" knob allows you to retain the bottom end. The note definition is really very good too. It takes a bit of time to get used to how it works, but it's a pedal I like a lot. I use it for RATM sounds very effectively.

My favourite cheapish overdrive is the Ashdown Hyperdrive, the James Lomenzo model. It's a bit big, but it sounds very good and the mid-frequency sweep is incredibly good to taylor your overdrive sound and cut through the mix. There aren't any great demos on youtube unfortunately. Even James Lomenzo's only illustrates a small part of what the pedal can do.

I've had a Digitech bad MOnkey and it's a nice pedal, but a bit "boxy" sounding. Pass.
The Danelectro Transparent Overdrive is quite good. In the vein of the Bad MOnkey, but rounder, fatter, "cleaner". You can go from very low gain, just fattening up the bass sound a bit, to quite overdriven sounds. It has no blend control, but the 2-band EQ does a good job and it retains the bottom end. I use it for the "Suck my kiss" (RHCP) sound. Similar price but way nicer than the Bad Monkey.

I also have an Ibanez PD7 Phat Hed. It's got a couple of great sounds, but it's a bit noisy, in my opinion. I use it on the clean position, with the "attack" switch engaged. It basically leaves the clean bass sound and adds some distorted metallic overtones on the top end. That's a really cool sound.

Very interesting post. I'm still a beginner when it comes to using stomp boxes with bass. I'm not expecting "the best" especially at the price point I'm giving. I see a Sansamp BDDI or VT deluxe in my future regardless and want whatever pedal I go with to still be "usable" with it. I play a lot of hard rock, post-hardcore, and alternative.

Obviously I'm interested in the Digitech because its priced about 20-30 dollars cheaper then the "alternatives". I always thought overall the verdict was mostly positive with the Boss BOD3 which is in my mind my front runner especially since I'm fond of Boss pedals with my guitar.

I might test out an MD-2 but I know a blend or balance knob is probably going to be very essential to me.

Thanks for the input- adds some nice subjective variables.

[mcnach]

Originally Posted by HaRd

Very interesting post. I'm still a beginner when it comes to using stomp boxes with bass. I'm not expecting "the best" especially at the price point I'm giving. I see a Sansamp BDDI or VT deluxe in my future regardless and want whatever pedal I go with to still be "usable" with it. I play a lot of hard rock, post-hardcore, and alternative.

Obviously I'm interested in the Digitech because its priced about 20-30 dollars cheaper then the "alternatives". I always thought overall the verdict was mostly positive with the Boss BOD3 which is in my mind my front runner especially since I'm fond of Boss pedals with my guitar.

I might test out an MD-2 but I know a blend or balance knob is probably going to be very essential to me.

Thanks for the input- adds some nice subjective variables.

see if you can try the ODB-3, you may like it, hey different people and different tastes!.
I still think the Digitech Bass Driver has the edge because it can get you very much on ODB-3 territory, but it has other sounds too. It has a blend knob, which as you have realised, it's usually very important when it comes to distorting the bass.

I use the MD-2 straight, as it is one of the few overdrive/distortion pedals I have tried that work well without a blend knob.
Having said that, I want to try it together with a Boss LS-2, line selector pedal. This is a great tool to have.

Why the LS-2?
Well, it allows you to arrange pedals in two groups, A or B, and switch them all on/off by pressing one pedal. For instance, I have an EHX micro QTron, an EHX bassballs and a Boss OC-2 in group A with the LS-2. I want various combinations for different songs. Sometimes it's only the QTron. Sometimes it's the QTron AND the Bassballs. Or the octaver alone, or octaver plus QTron... you get the idea. It would be a lot of "dancing" to switch them on/off at the right points in the song. So I just switch on the combination I want in advance, or during the song (as long as the LS-2 is off, those pedals are not heard)... and I just step on the LS-2 when I have to.
You can have another set of pedals on group B and use the LS-2 to switch between them, or to select them in a loop: A, B, none...
Ok, what has this got to do with the dirtortion pedal?

Be patient.

Now, the controls on the LS-2 allow you to select volumes for each group. This is VERY useful. For instance, the micro QTron sounds great... but it boosts the signal too much. So much that I refused to use it live for a long time, until I found the LS-2. It allows me to turn the volume down a bit on that group of pedals, so I can get it just right.
So, what has this got to do with distortion?

Well, nothing really, but isn't it cool? Perhaps right now you are not too bothered about volume issues between pedals that do not have a level control, or about grouping pedals to work together... but if you start using FX live, you may remember the LS-2 at some point.

Is that it?
No, NOW, about distortion...
One of the things the LS-2 does is switch between groupA and groupB... or blend them. Individual volumes for each group means you can adjust how much of A and how much of B you want.
Ok, what if I only use group A and have nothing connected on group B?
Well, in that case, the volume of group B just blends in... the DRY SIGNAL. Aha!
So, if you have a nice distortion pedal that you just thing "ah, if only it had a blend knob...". Just put it on the LS-2, and use the LS-2 to create the right blend.

It sounds like you don't want to spend more than you absolutely need at this moment, which is totally reasonable and understandable, so maybe buying an LS-2 seems a bit overkill to use it just as a blend knob when you can get a pedal that already has a blend knob.
I just throw it in there so that you know that the possibility exists to use an LS-2 to group pedals together (they don't have to be all on at the same time), and blending them with the dry signal. A lot of effects sound better if you can blend in a bit of dry at least. For example, the QTron + Bassballs mix was a great combination (think "Sir Psycho Sexy" by RHCP), but a bit overpowering in a way... blend it with some dry signal and it sounds fantastic.
Same with an old DOD FX25B I used to have. Very nice envelope filter pedal... but I felt my bass disappeared with it. Well, use an LS-2 to turn it up a bit and blend in some dry signal and it's a tone to die for.

[leonche64]

I have the Digitech Bass driver. I use it with my Cora bass in active and passive modes and it sounds great. It has a level control that acts as a volume knob, tone, blend and morph. The blend knob mixes the bass signal with the distortion. It can go from all bass to completely affected. The morph controls the type of distortion. It can go from a light fuzz to total saturation. It is very versatile and well made. I highly recommend it. I tested it back to back with the big muff at Tom Lee's in Hong Kong. Was more versatile in my testing.

[HaRd]

I'm actually slowly building up my bass pedalboard and it's going to be a very slow pace and probably won't be fully exhausted and satisfied for a few years. For two reasons really: A) I don't buy effects unless I feel like I could use them in what I do/or have a need for it and B) I just graduated college and my finances are changing in my life pretty rapidly. It's not that I want cheap Behringer pedals but I'd rather be conscious of price point and such and I know the Digitech XBD is $20 less then the Boss ODB3.

I'm definitely going to invest money in a line selector though and Mcnach basically solidified that for me.

I'm also not against buying things pre-owned as long as it's from a reputable site and such. I've found the BOSS ODB3 as low as $50 used.

[SoonerMatt]

The Digitech Bass Driver is, IMHO, a very subpar OD pedal but still better than the EHX Mole (which I rank as the single worse bass pedal period). The Digitech Bad Monkey is a much better pedal that can be found used and modded for very cheap. IME the Ibanez Tubescreamer was a disappointment and beaten by the vastly superior Jacques Tube Blower and Analogman-modded TS-9s.

[mcnach]

Originally Posted by SoonerMatt

The Digitech Bass Driver is, IMHO, a very subpar OD pedal but still better than the EHX Mole (which I rank as the single worse bass pedal period). The Digitech Bad Monkey is a much better pedal that can be found used and modded for very cheap. IME the Ibanez Tubescreamer was a disappointment and beaten by the vastly superior Jacques Tube Blower and Analogman-modded TS-9s.

The Bad Monkey is great on guitar, and better than many for bass, but no matter what you do, it adds too many mids and ends up sounding a bit "boxy".

I'd say the Bass Driver is more useful as it covers a wider range of sounds. In my view, it wins against the ODB-3, as it gets into the same territory but sounding better (to me!) and it does other sounds the ODB-3 can't do.
The Bad Monkey only covers the lower gain end of the spectrum, and it's not great for bass.
However... I hear people get theirs modified and that this improves it a lot. I have never heard a modified one in action. How is it different from an unmodded one? Have you tried them?

Overdrive/Distortion is a funny thing for bass. Hard to get it right... and yet there are as many versions of "right" as there are bassists, plus one . It is a very subjective issue.
I avoided dirt on my bass sound for a while and then I just went and bought every single pedal I could get my hands on (within reason, I never wanted to spend £200 on a distortion pedal, and always bought used), and took my time to try them at home and at rehearsals, slowly selling the ones that didn't pass the "McNach threshold of taste"
It's not always a practical thing to do, even if you can sell them on and recover all your money, but nothing beats being able to compare pedals at leisure with your own basses, amps etc.

[animvl]

I once tried a behringer overdrive/distortion pedal on bass (dialed all the way to overdrive with very low gain)... It actually sounded good. Having said that, it killed the low end but I was bi-amping at the time so that was accounted for.

[ga_edwards]

Originally Posted by mcnach

The Bad Monkey is great on guitar, and better than many for bass, but no matter what you do, it adds too many mids and ends up sounding a bit "boxy".

I'd say the Bass Driver is more useful as it covers a wider range of sounds. In my view, it wins against the ODB-3, as it gets into the same territory but sounding better (to me!) and it does other sounds the ODB-3 can't do.
The Bad Monkey only covers the lower gain end of the spectrum, and it's not great for bass.
However... I hear people get theirs modified and that this improves it a lot. I have never heard a modified one in action. How is it different from an unmodded one? Have you tried them?

Hey Jose!

I should add to your post that YMMV. Some of us like the more boxy mids - it gets us into Billy Sheehan territory - which the Bad Monkey does quite well. Admittedly, I didn't run full range bass through mine, just the mids/top end from my Attitude. I will agree however, that the ODB3 is horrid.

I also slightly retract my earlier statement regarding the Digitech Bass Driver. I've been wanting to get some fuzz on my board for a little while and this thread reminded my it has a fuzz model so pulled it out of the cupboard and gave it a whirl yesterday to great results. Still needs a little tweaking and isn't as good as a Big Muff, but for the sake of 2-3 tunes, it will be more than adequate.

So for heavily saturated fuzz, I think it's great. But the less driven sounds are a little too sterile and well, digital, for my liking.

A tip though, the pedal can be warmed up a little by using the emulated 'cab' output. This also tames harsh treble clipping if it sounds too fizzy.