Bass Distortion?

[PortableMadness]

I'm relatively new to bass and I'm trying get better educated on bass distortion. Seems like most pedals available to bass or either described as "overdrive" or "fuzz." But what I'm looking for is true distortion, like you would find in guitar. There are few pedals I've found that claim to get you there, Amptweaker's Tight Drive Bass for example. Are there any other pedals I should look at?

To be clear, I'm in a metal band and I'm looking to get a modern distortion tone for bass. I already own a SansAmp BD, but I need something more.

Thanks!

[DeltaPhoenix]

Iron Ether QF2 Multi Band Distortion. This sweet pedal let's you totally tailor your distortion.

[metaball]

Originally Posted by PortableMadness

I'm in a metal band and I'm looking to get a modern distortion tone for bass.

there are a handful of really good "high gain" "metal" distortion pedals.
Okko Dominator
Toneczar Openhaus
Wampler Triple Wreck
Weehbo Morbid Drive
Suhr Riot
Emma PisdiYAUwot

i know some have more bottom end than others. i own the Triple Wreck & it has a ton. i imagine it would work well on bass but i have yet to try it for that. only problem i have with it is the fuzz/boost blows out the bass, i set it one way or the other, i have yet to find a good setting for switching it on & off.

i use a WMD Geiger Counter Civ Issue w/ the free Bass Mod from William Mathewson Devices for Bass distortion. it's an insane bitcrushing permutation on a fuzzlike sound.

an old bandmate loved his Rat pedal for distortion on his bass rig but i didnt care for it as i thought it squashed the bass from his bass tone.

i think if you look at most metal bass rigs you won't find distortion as it tends to thin the tone. i'd start with the list above & see if you can find any bass demos or maybe check the specs & see where the bottom end rolls off.

[blastjv]

The Aguilar Agro get's pretty nuts!!!

Landmine sounded great, too, but fragile pots/knobs.

-JV

[Insouciance]

Heavy Electronics "El Oso"

Clean blend with mucho low end distortion.

[takfar]

My distortion of choice is the Tech 21 XXL Bass. Sounds great in a mix, even with distorted guitars. I'd like to try out the IE QF2, but it's a bit on the expensive side for me right now, and I'm very satisfied with the XXL, too.

[Crystalman85]

There are a couple of distortion pedals that can be used on bass. if you like tech 21 pedals, here are some tech 21 pedals that can be used on bass.

Tech 21 xxl bass edition distortion pedal
Tech 21 sansamp gt2
Tech 21 sansamp oxford
Tech 21 sansamp leeds(if you want that john entwistle sound)

If you want a distortion pedal that's not a tech 21 pedal, the darkglass microtubes b3k or the EBS metal drive would be a good choice.

[PortableMadness]

Thanks for the info guys!

[SoonerMatt]

Whichever you choose, you definitely want to try before you buy. I went through probably a dozen OD/fuzz/distortion pedals before finding the right one. A trip to GC or another music shop with a wide selection of pedals would have greatly sped the process up.

[NKUSigEp]

Originally Posted by PortableMadness

I'm relatively new to bass and I'm trying get better educated on bass distortion. Seems like most pedals available to bass or either described as "overdrive" or "fuzz." But what I'm looking for is true distortion, like you would find in guitar. There are few pedals I've found that claim to get you there, Amptweaker's Tight Drive Bass for example. Are there any other pedals I should look at?

To be clear, I'm in a metal band and I'm looking to get a modern distortion tone for bass. I already own a SansAmp BD, but I need something more.

Thanks!

Actually..."TRUE" distortion is an alteration of the original signal. So if you want to limit the response to "TRUE DISTORTION", then the limitations are limitless. Boost the bass = distortion. Add a chorus pedal = distortion. Cut the mids = distortion. Induce saturation = distortion. Understand?

Distortion is a catch-all term. In tone terms, it would include fuzz and overdrive, and I'm sure there's a couple more I'm forgetting. If you still want to consider distortion separate from fuzz and overdrive, the reason why there is no "true" distortion like a Boss Metal Zone or a ProCo Rat for bass is that it sounds like total $^%!!! There's a lot of information you'll have to sift through (search TB) to understand why, but basically speaking, bass occupies a different range of frequencies than guitar and FX react differently to these frequencies than they would to those a guitar signal occupies.

The SansAmp BDDI not doing it for you and you want more? Sorry...you'll have to go with fuzz. The SansAmp covers a decent range of the "in-betweens" (overdrive to fuzz) but if the highest drive and gain settings aren't cutting it, you'll have to go further to the fuzz end of the spectrum.

[Bassmike62]

check out fellow TBer Grygryx's site: bassfuzz.com

[Shish]

I finished my search with Dr. Scientist the Elements.
I also own theSyle Umiom which very cool and has lots of low end but I prefer Elements for aggressive modern metal riffs.

[Vlad5]

Here are a few things to consider:

distortion/overdrive explained
The info is what's important, not the tone of the poster here...

James Lomenzo demonstrates his Ashdown distortion/overdirve pedal
I'm not saying this effect is for you (or anyone), just an example of what most of us here recognize as distortion/overdrive.

There are a ton of bass 'distortion' pedals out there.

Do a search here on TB for distortion and overdrive and you will get a wealth of information. Off the top of my head, based on experience and research:

Ashdown James Lomenzo Hyperdrive
EBS Metal Drive
Darkglass B3K
Subdecay Blackstar
FEA Dual Band Distortion
Iron Ether QF2 Analog Multiband Distortion

To me, those above sound the best (as distortion effects) based on samples found online (for whatever that's worth).

Honestly, the list goes on quite a bit from there. Listen to the samples online, do a search for these (and other) specific distortion effects, and let us know what you decide and why. We are all learning from each other...

Good luck!

[JamesHommersen]

Fuzzrocious Rat Tail.....'nuff said

[loopmantra]

i use 2 of distortion types > mxr m80's channel w/distortion (love the way you can blend in the amount of the dist.) and when i wanna get wicked i stomp on the ehx octave multiplexer w/the sub switch '' off " >for some ferocious madness and fuzz'ed lower octave...
although...try before you buy...that's it

[scottfeldstein]

There doesn't seem to be any hard rules about how players or manufacturers use these terms. Genreally speaking, "overdrive" tends to be more subtle than "fuzz" and "distortion." Otherwise...good luck saying you want one and not another.

The only way to know if one is right for you is to listen to it. Youtube can be handy.

Just remember: even though it says "fuzz" it could be the exact thing you want. Watch the bass whisperer demo the el Grande Bass Fuzz. It almost makes me want one myself--and I hate those kind of effects.

[metaball]

Originally Posted by Bassmike62

check out fellow TBer Grygryx's site: bassfuzz.com

thanks for the tip!

the Barnacle he just reviewed is tempting.
BassFuzz.com Presents: Full Custom Music Repair Barnacle - YouTube

[blastjv]

Originally Posted by Vlad5

Here are a few things to consider:

James Lomenzo demonstrates his Aquilar distortion/overdirve pedal

Not trying to be 'that guy', but your link sayd Aguilar, but it's an Ashdown pedal he's demonstrating. Just thought it might confuse some folks (like me, I thought for a moment, "Huh? I didn't know he was using Aguilar!!!")



-JV

[Eric!]

clean signal or no signal. there's no room for any distortion on bass tracks.

[caeman]

Distortion from tubes, fets, opamps, diodes and transistors.

Symmetrical or asymmetrical clipping.

It's all dirt.