Bass Distortion: Looking for Advice

NateRising · #1 07-23-2010, 03:21 PM

I am brand new to the world of bass distortion and looking to get a good, aggressive overdrive sound out of my rig......along the lines of a Motorhead type of sound. I am playing a Gibson SG Supreme (currently strung with Ernie Ball Power Slinkies) through a SansAmp RBI with an Ampeg B2RE head and an SVT810 cab. I also own a Marshall Guv'nor pedal but do not use it on my rig. Any tips or advice would be much appriciated!

*insertcoolname · #2 07-23-2010, 03:49 PM

That RBI should be able to get very hairy. Turn up the drive knob on that and adjust your volume accordingly.

korey L · #3 07-23-2010, 04:22 PM

Id go with the mxr d.i. plus distortion pedal. It has lots of options so you get the distortion sound you want.

Unrepresented · #4 07-23-2010, 05:34 PM

I personally think of Motorhead as having more of a heavy overdrive than a distortion. It may seem like semantics but I think you'd get better search results on here and a closer approximation to your preferred tone.

I'm happy with my Fulltone BassDrive for heavy overdrive needs but there's a ton of other options out there.

RickenBoogie · #5 07-23-2010, 05:58 PM

Picking an o/d distortion pedal is like picking out shoes. You've got to try them on before you buy, or you'll never know if it fits. Waaaay too many flavors of bass juice to recomend just one, and for most of us, one flavor isn't even enough. I like the EBS Valve Drive for o/d, and Z.Vex Mastotron for fuzz. I bought MANY others before settling with those. You might like the same,...or not.

Trifarce · #6 07-23-2010, 06:28 PM

Lemmy gets his sound by turning everything all the way up to overdrive his amp and turning the treble and bass all the way down, he plays with a pick over the bridge pickup if that helps

idoru · #7 07-23-2010, 06:53 PM

If Lemmy's tone is what you're after, maybe grab a SansAmp GT2 & run that in the Marshall equivalent mode. I've done the same with the Tri-AC which is a programmable version with simplified controls.

c-

rratajski · #8 07-23-2010, 07:45 PM

I'd ditch the head and replace that with something all-tube first. The GT-2 is a solid start though.

fivestringgecko · #9 07-23-2010, 07:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RickenBoogie

Picking an o/d distortion pedal is like picking out shoes. You've got to try them on before you buy, or you'll never know if it fits. Waaaay too many flavors of bass juice to recomend just one, and for most of us, one flavor isn't even enough. I like the EBS Valve Drive for o/d, and Z.Vex Mastotron for fuzz. I bought MANY others before settling with those. You might like the same,...or not.

+1!

I'm currently on the search for "The Perfect Overdrive." The most recent is a Catalinbread SFT. I also have a Way Huge Pork Loin, Sansamp BDDI, Keeley Sparkle Drive and Hartke Bass Attack and like them all enough (and for different reasons) to keep them all around. Conversely, tried an HAO Rust Ride and didn't like the controls at all... only one knob, controls gain AND volume at the same time. That one left pretty quick.

Next on the list are a Zeibek Gemini Drive and Creation Audio Labs Holy Fire... but first, a custom "The Perfect Bass Overdrive" from John Fromel. Sounds like it'll be a Tim clone with his Shape EQ built in. DEFINITELY looking forward to trying that one.

Wish I could be more help on Lemmy's tone, I've just never been a Motorhead fan.

While everything above I mentioned is overdrive, a couple of them can get VERY grindy... the SFT and Keeley at the top of the list. Don't discount the Bass Attack because of the name, it has a little less gain but it's warm and can get absolutely HUUUUGGGE. Like, "I-eat-speakers-for-breakfast-without-a-second-thought" huge. (I did a clip if you guys want to hear it).

Like Rickenboogie says, pedals can be a very personal taste kind of thing and you'll definitely want to try a few. Perhaps even a harsh overdrive won't be enough for you... maybe a fuzz is more in order.

5sg.

bigchiefbc · #10 07-23-2010, 08:12 PM

IIRC, Lemmy's tone is basically a Rickenbacker through a Marshall guitar amp. The Ric tone is gonna be tough to emulate, but the Marshall tone can had with either a Guv'nor, a Tech 21 British, or even a ZVex Box of Rock.

takfar · #11 07-23-2010, 08:31 PM

I've just received my Tech21 XXL Bass, and it sounds great. Really fills a niche among all my other dirt pedals. I'm a bit bothered by its purple color, tho. Some people say the original edition sounds the same, only it's silver... oh, well.

The XXLB can make great bass distortion sounds at low gain and low tone settings. And it can make your bass sound like a guitar at higher settings, if that's what you want (I did mess around with that, blending in my clean back with the LS-2, and adding some up-octave with the microPOG. Who needs guitarists, heh...)

Anyway, if you're going specifically for the lemmy sound, the guys have laid it bare: Rick into a Marshall, bump mids, cut highs and lows, overdrive to 11, play with a pick close to bridge, and play two-note powerchords.

darkstorm · #12 07-24-2010, 03:13 AM

Tha marshall govner, Its gonna be more marshall od amp sounding then other choices of course. I preferred haveing two and stacking them into each other. Back when I used seperates. Would be good choice. With a good bass eq pedal after the govner/'s to bring back the lower bass. If your just gonna use one govner, Id put a comp/sustainer before it to further overdrive the govner. Not needed when stacking two into each other.

Mark Olson · #13 07-24-2010, 04:47 AM

Lemmy plays a Marshall Superbass plexi, which is actually a bass amp. If it's Lemmy's tone you want, it's the Marshall sound you want. Your Guv'nor is a good place to start, but as far as pedals go the Z Vex Box of Rock is the best I've heard for that tone.

The best thing to do really though is to get a Marshall tube amp. I play an SG Bass through a Marshall tube amp, a 2061x, which is like a mini plexi. It's a match made in heaven!

Mr. BassmanPT · #14 07-24-2010, 08:49 AM

listen to this!!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ORsK2c2N5M4

pretty good huh? there is nothing like that in the market!!!

contact:

douglas@darkglasselectronics.com

glad to have helped you

P-oddz · #15 07-26-2010, 09:04 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cmaranhao

listen to this!!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ORsK2c2N5M4

pretty good huh? there is nothing like that in the market!!!

contact:

douglas@darkglasselectronics.com

glad to have helped you

WOW! That pedal does sound really good.

Other options: have you looked into Aguilar's Agro pedal?
http://aguilaramp.com/agro_sample_settings.htm
I've been GASsing on that for a bit.

Or, the Zvex Box of Rock was mentioned earlier - I'd advise the Zvex Distortron. I own that and I am absolutely happy with how it sounds on bass. It's actually the Box of Rock (which is modeled after a Marshall JTM45 amp), but it has a "Sub switch" which lets you maintain more of your low end.

You can find clips through a search on here somewhere. If not, just PM me and I can try to put something together.