Bass and guitar overdrive...

bassmodder · #1 12-02-2007, 10:06 PM

Ok, here is what I was wondering... I am a devoted (very) bass player. I have an Ampeg SVT 6 running into a Carvin 4X10. What I would like to also do is play bass / guitar through the same rig but have a good distortion. The tube distortion. Is it:

A: more worth it to get a distortion unit and feed the SVT "clean" distorted sounds

B: Build a volume boost box to send my "clean" guitar signal into the SVT at such a level to get "real tube distortion" as the tubes would be the only things distorting.

I am leaning towards B... as I can build an IC amplifier out of premium parts in my free time.... Time is NOT an issue in the decision.

Any one tried this before?

Zappstorius · #2 12-02-2007, 10:23 PM

No, but good luck to you though.

BeauZooka · #3 12-02-2007, 10:31 PM

I'd try a Fulltone Bassdrive. It sounds good with both bass & guitar and has a lot of different sound possibilities including a boost.
I would also suggest that you wire up your cab to bypass the horn/tweeter. It will improve your distortion sounds for both bass & guitar.

BassJunkie730 · #4 12-03-2007, 11:33 AM

don't bother unless you are gonna switch out that bass cabinet.

The only way you could pull off a guitar/bass doubling rig that does justice to both - is to get the flattest cab possible and use amp and cabinet modelling.

With your situation - I's look into an eq pedal with frequencies more optimized for guitar than anything else.

You're not going to get tube distortion from your SVT6 not without boosting the hell out of your signal - and even then it's likely not going to sound good.

But if you want an OD that works on both guitar and bass - i second the fulldrive nod - it's basically a tubescreamer with some cap changes - so if you are handy with a soldering iron - you could build one yourself.

assboglin · #5 12-03-2007, 12:16 PM

I honestly don't think you're going to get a good guitar sound running into an Ampeg bass head. I've tried it with terrible results. The bass heads simply aren't designed to make a guitar sound good at all. Also, while the distortion you can get from an SVT is great for putting some grind on a bass, I don't think it will be good whatsoever on guitar. Not to my ears. Think about it.

cybersnyder · #6 12-03-2007, 12:22 PM

The carvin cab isn't going to sound good with guitar at all. It has a tweeter and is going to make the guitar sound very shrill and boomy. You're trying to use tools that were meant for entirely different jobs.

Timi · #7 12-03-2007, 06:56 PM

I love using bass heads for guitar. The only Ampeg I have tried for this is a V4BH and I loved the sound, but since yours isn't all tube I don't know how it would sound. My GK 800RB is full solid state and sounds great too, so I think your Ampeg probably would be good too.

Not sure about your cab though, I usually use a bass head with a guitar cab when playing guitar. In my experience bass 4x10 cabs don't sound so good for guitar, 1x15's sound much better, but still not as good as a 2x12 or 4x12 guitar cab. Perhaps borrow a friends guitar cab and see what you think.

If you do use a bass cab with a horn I suggest turning it off.

Good luck!

bassmodder · #8 12-03-2007, 08:23 PM

Ok, I will try the tube screamer. Mabe I can find one to sample for a while. I dont really have the money to spend on guitar stuff because I am a dedicated bassist. But I will heed the advice and also look for a guitar combo too.

Thanks guys!