heavy bass distortion problems

[samueljohn]

i have read in many posts about underpowering a bass amp. this post is not to be confused with that. i have been searching for the stack to bury every room in thick creamy distorion. basically most heads just cut off. no matter what level ALL swr heads drop level when distorted no matter what range volume or eq on bass. i went through swr 700pro head. and 4004 head. both cut out. my svt cl does not. i was wondering if anyone plays svt 8 with distorion. and if it cuts level. if it does not.. i need one. i am growing tired of carrying the bag of concrete to shows.

[bongomania]

Hmmm.... We'll need to get some terms straight before we can get anywhere with answering you. Are you talking about driving the amp itself into distortion, or adding a distortion pedal to the chain? And if you mean the amp itself, are you distorting the pre section, the power section, or both? And have you read threads explaining the differences between distorting a solid state pre or power section versus a tube pre or power section?

[niftydog]

Man, I'm confused. Can you be a little more specific?

When you say "cut out" do you mean the amp stops working entirely? Sounds to me like you're putting your amps through hell!

[Hookus]

Seems like an effect problem, not an amp problem?



Maybe?

[JanusZarate]

To the OP: Your post is really confusing. Are you using a distortion pedal?

Sounds like the problem is your pedal, if that's the case. Many overdrive and distortion pedals out there do NOT work well on bass, and it's likely you have one of those. Bass-specific ones tend to work well, as do many other pedals. But not everything is going to hold the low end well, which is an important fact to understand about distortion pedals. Not only that, but not every pedal will deliver the sound you're looking for. That's why we need to know what you're using...

Give us more information about how you're getting your distortion sound.

[bongomania]

I actually think he was saying his SVT CL is the "bag of concrete" that distorted well but is too heavy to drag along, whereas the SS amps he tried were easier to carry but distorted badly. OP, is that right?

[samueljohn]

its not the amp. and by bag of concrete i mean the classic ampeg head because it weighs 80 pounds. the same as a bag of concrete. by cut out i mean. it looses feeling. it drops bass. you only hear highs, lows too. but you cannot feel the bass anylonger.. and i only use bass overdrive pedals. i run it through a chain. only certain ampeg heads maintain the bass drive. whereas every swr head looses its bass punch. i hope i am being clear. my technical terms are not up to par. i just chain everything and run it into my passive output. and i am wondering if anyone uses the svt 8 with distortion. i use the boss bass overdrive pedal.. consistantly. it rips. my svt cl is not the problem. i was just wondering if anyone uses heavy distortion with the svt 8. and your right.. SS cut out. you got it. not the cl. and i need the weight of SS. thanks

[bongomania]

The Boss ODB-3 is hated by many, loved or accepted by only a few. The SS amps should not be "cutting out" anything, which means to me that you may be driving the amps (at input or output) at levels they are not meant for... the SVT is designed to work awesomely when driven like that, but not the others. You'll want to go over to the "Amps" forum and do some searching and reading on the nature of tube amp clipping.

[samueljohn]

that makes sense. i got the cl because it is designed to push. but truly.. i dont. and the ampeg ss heads dont cut out like swr. so i figure maybe it is some form of internal thing. .i will check it out. thank you. i recently discovered auto fault mode. that devestated me!

[JanusZarate]

Hmm... not all SS amps are like that, though.

Case in point: the current line of GK amps, especially the 2001RB. They're built in such a way that poweramp clipping can be a beautiful thing.

[niftydog]

So all you're saying is;
"I loose bottom end oomph when I engage my overdrive pedal."

Right? Unless you're using a tube head like an Ampeg?

Well, it's not the amp. I think the fact that some amps you've tried maintain the bottom end is probably due to the inherent EQ characteristics of those amplifiers. You can emulate such characteristics in many different ways.

This is an incredibly common topic around here and there's a lot of ways to improve the situation. You can modify the effect pedal to make it pass more bass frequencies. You can use a low pass loop to mix clean bottom end with the overdrive. You can investigate a new overdrive pedal with good characteristics for bass. You can boost the bottom end with an EQ. etc etc.

[JanusZarate]

Nifty brings up a good point - the natural voicing of the amp has a significant influence on the result.

[olaff421]

I'm still a little confused as to the problem, but I'm going to make a suggestion anyway. Try a blender pedal with the distortion. If you are loosing bass, you just might need to mix the clean tone back into the mix to retain it.

[Hookus]

Or just try different pedals. That will save you a ton of money over a new head. Especially an SVT-8. My EH English Muff'n has heaps of low end through any amp I have used it with (1 GK, 1 SWR, and 3 Ampegs), and it helps that it has a true three band parametric EQ.

[samueljohn]

the reason i am looking at svt 8 is because regardless of the situation. i need a very powerful stack. tons of headroom. reason is because i am in two two piece bands. bass and drums. i need to overdrive. but i think the blender pedal may work. and as far as basic equalizer pedal.. yeah but that is alot of stomping.. i basically know ampeg can be trusted in that department. no muss or fuss. and low end never cuts out. i hope not offend offend anyone. but i really really do not like swr. ha. thanks guys

[speak_onion]

Originally Posted by olaff421

I'm still a little confused as to the problem, but I'm going to make a suggestion anyway. Try a blender pedal with the distortion. If you are loosing bass, you just might need to mix the clean tone back into the mix to retain it.

Did he say he uses ODB3? No blender necessary for that pedal; it has a built-in clean blend.

I think this is like one of those questions that has no answer, and all we can offer you is sympathy. You like the sound of tube heads, but you don't want to carry an 80 pound amp. I feel that, man.

Life's a bummer and then you die.

[EricF]

Originally Posted by Hookus

Or just try different pedals. That will save you a ton of money over a new head. Especially an SVT-8. My EH English Muff'n has heaps of low end through any amp I have used it with (1 GK, 1 SWR, and 3 Ampegs), and it helps that it has a true three band parametric EQ.

I'll certainly agree that the English Muff'n is a lovely little beast - it's the only permanent fixture on my pedalboard. That thing goes from subtle warmth to gritty mayhem.

FYI ...The EQ section on the Muff'n is not "parametric". It's a 3-band, fixed-point EQ. Parametric EQ's include controls for frequency center and band width.

[Joe P]

Originally Posted by EricF

...The EQ section on the Muff'n is not "parametric"...

Not just "3-band para", which could have as few as six knobs, if you stretch the definition (more properly called 'semi-parametric') -- but such poster says "TRUE 3-band", which is clearly specifying that the EQ section must have NINE controls.

Let's PLEASE be careful, friends! This forum is highly respected around the world - lets appreciate that, and be careful and thoughtful with specs, and other "facts".

Thanks -

Joe

[bongomania]

Yeah, I think a lot of people think an EQ knob is a "parameter" (well, it is...) and therefore three band EQ would be three band "parametric", which of course it is not.

[Toasted]

What bass and strings are you using?