Distortion or overdrive?

insanitycalls · #1 02-26-2010, 06:36 PM

I have an Arion Bass Distortion which i find doesnt give me the kind of sound i want

Would i be better off with an overdrive pedal? i want something punchy but distorted

insanitycalls · #2 02-26-2010, 06:37 PM

and if so.. what kind of overdrive?
vintage, tube etc..

K2000 · #3 02-26-2010, 06:41 PM

Not all distortion pedals are equal. I had to buy/sell a few, before I found something I liked... I think that's typical.

In other words, it might not be that you have the wrong type of pedal, you just have a pedal that isn't right for you. It's hard to comment on whether that is the case.

Maybe post your amp and bass (everything is a factor in your sound IMO) and list a few specific examples of bass sounds you like.

walker rosewood · #4 02-26-2010, 07:01 PM

The terms overdrive, distortion, and fuzz are relative, opinion based, and are often confused and misused. Just sayin don't necessarily go by the label. Like the boss ODB-3 is 'bass overdrive' but to me it's definitely more of a distortion.

Crystalman85 · #5 02-26-2010, 10:27 PM

If you play metal, I would recommend either the digitech xbd bass overdrive/distortion pedal or the tech 21 xxl bass edition distortion pedal.

shinobi · #6 02-27-2010, 08:49 AM

unfortunately it really differs from pedal to pedal. some guitarists can have massive boards, half filled with all sorts of drive pedals, each giving something different. same can be said for bass, to some extent.

TL5 · #7 02-27-2010, 08:58 AM

Not only that (what's already been said), the type of bass/pickup configuration can drastically change the tone of the distortions/overdrives.

My P bass and my Tl Five (based on a J design) sound nothing alike through the same pedal.
I've finally found the tones I like, but it took quite a bit of experimenting.

(fwiw, I'm using an xotic BB into a Tech21 VT Bass)