Distortion - yes or no???

[BigOldHarry]

I see many threads debating the merits of different distortion pedals - not to add a bit of "warmth" to a signal, but flat-out *distortion* or fuzz? And I see threads where guys have not one buy several different distortion pedals... for bass! Very odd.

Since, I've never been a bassist who has used distortion for anything, and I've known very few who do, I'm curious - how many folks here use heavy distortion? In gigging cover bands or showcase original bands?

[bassbrad]

It all depends on the situation, some bands i would never use any fuzz but other effects, others fuzz is just the thing from time to time. Yes I have several to choose from from mild to wild.

[cnltb]

I am currently looking for a nice distortion pedal.
Will sure use it (if it fits the occasion) once I've found a good one.

[Marton]

I don't, but I really like the bass sound of band like Death From Above 1979.

[crustychef]

I use it in varying degrees in my original rock band. I'd use it in funk too.

[AciDBatH666]

I've tried a few different things to add some "grit" to my sound. First tried to Boss OBD-3, it was trash IMO. More fuzz than anything.
Then i read up about the Sansamp BDDI. I got the gritty sound I was trying to find for the last 3 years in under 10 minutes with this pedal.
I liked it so much that when I was building my rack I found the rack mount version (Sansamp RBI).

It's not over the top distortion, it's just a nice thickness to my sound. My Drive is usually set between 25-50%.
An example of the tone I was after is John Campbell's sound of Lamb of God.
He uses the Sansamp. Here's a clip of what I'm talking about
YouTube - Lamb of God - Set to Fail (Bass & Drum tracks)
It's not over the top distorted.

[EdHunter]

Run in sequence with a wah, it'd sound superb. As Cliff proved....

[Smurf-o-Deth]

Distortion? **** yeah!

Personally, I like heavy dirt better on bass than guitar. Those thin little strings don't have enough sack for it!

[Sam Hain]

Totally depends on the song for me. I do like it though and use it often.

[Raymeous]

I think it all would depend on the genre and band line up.

This would fall into a rock, punk, and metal gig. If you were in a band that had the "Twin Axe Attack" then I would think having a distorted bass would just be too mushy overall. However in a lot of rock bands, and a few metal acts, that have a single guitarist that does do lead work, a distorted bass could work well, with the distorted or overdriven bass filling up the space of the missing rhythm guitar while the guitar guy noodles aimlessly.

Generally speaking I prefer as pristine a bass sound as possible, but for these kind of situations I would not be opposed to an overdriven or all out distortion, but it really depends on the type of gig.

[Stank56]

I too use it with a wah, just not too often

[grimniggzy]

Right now my RAT does it all, whether I wan't slightly overdriven or saturated with distortion.
It has beaten out every other dirt pedal I've owned to date.

[chaosmic]

I've used dirt/fuzz/distortion in 2 original bands spanning the last 10 years. I've always found certain passages in songs where it adds power, presence, thickness, cut through, etc.

The key for me has been finding the right effect(s) that work well with both my rig and playing technique.

I must add that Talkbass has helped me tremendously with this search.

[marmadaddy]

I've started using one in the last year when playing in a bass/guitar/drums/vox rock lineup. Useful for solos and filling things up on occasion when the guitar player is soloing. Never had much use for one before but I'm enjoying it.

I use a Boss ODB-3. It did take forever to find a setting on the thing that I like and find useful but I have found one.

[Swift713]

I voted yes even though I don't currently own a fuzz per se. I have done a bit of writing and recording with fuzz, I appreciate and enjoy it but over all it's not one of my "must have" sounds.

[Ron Now]

I play in a couple of all originals bands. I use distortion and fuzz in both.

I use a modded proco Rat in both bands, it's my go to when it comes to bass dirt/gain/distortion. I love it so much that I've sold almost everything else and bought 3 of them.

I use a fuzz ontop of the Rat in my doom band for over the top fuzziness, sonically it's not too much different from my base tone at the volumes we play at (yes I spelled it that way on purpose) but it does thicken things up and gives me a bit of volume boost for when things need to be over the top.

In the Doom band I rarely turn off the gain, in my indie/emo band I only turn it on for big parts or when it's called for.

I love the way it sounds, it'll be a long time before I play in a band where I don't get to use my Rat at least part of the time.

[Mesa XI]

I play in a Bass/Drum duo and often use effects to fill out our sound. A lot of time I'll loop and use my distortion for leads, I currently have an EHX SovTek Big Muff. That things got balls!

[Nightlyraider]

Bass Juice and a Bass Drive mosfet here. Both are different, but capable of similar sounds if you want it. I love chaining them together and throwing my Analogman Chorus behind it for otherworldly laserbeam sounds.

[Nick901]

I prefer a nice deep bass sound. Don't care for the distortion effect.

[seanm]

I used to use heavy distortion for "Into the Black" by Neil Young. Think Neil Young's tone, not the bass tone Very over the top