I want some dirt

[jmeid]

Hey,

I'm looking for a pedal that is going to boost my bass, add some dirt and give it more presence.

I play in a progressive metal trio and when the guitarist is soloing it sounds a little weak.

Idealy the pedal I'm looking for will add some clean boost, also some slight overdrive (dirt) and more presence...

I'm playing a Peavey Grind-6 through a LMII

Anything come to mind?

[ihateusernames]

No experience with the LM stuff but I'd say a Sansamp or equivalent in the effects loop, set to the King's X settings (or higher drive depending) and blended to taste. And the first of many to suggest it I'd bet!

[Shredsled87]

I have heard that the Bluebeard, as has been discussed on this board before, will give you some good low-end and dirt. I have never used one though. I'm awaiting the arrival of mine as I type.

Hopefully when I get it, I can make some sound clips of it.

[JanusZarate]

The Bluebeard's a fuzz pedal, though... if anything, it's going to be overbearing and not what he's looking for. I do love a good fuzz pedal, though.

Anyhow... I'd suggest an overdrive pedal either with a mid control or a mid-bumped voicing (like a Tubescreamer clone). The Fulltone Bassdrive comes to mind, as it has a natural midrange emphasis, can go from mild to aggressive, and has a Boost switch as well (if you want to take your gain up a notch).

Pretty much any overdrive pedal can act as a boost - it's just a matter of finding one that will hold the low end well, and the Bassdrive is one of those that certainly do. Now, for sound, it's a different story... but I definitely would try out a Bassdrive if I were you.

If you want something "warmer" or more compact, the EBS MultiDrive is great as well.

And if you're eyeing tube-based overdrives (which tend to have more growl than grind, IMO)... the EHX English Muff'n and the EBS Valvedrive are the big contenders in my book.

[assboglin]

You may want to look into a tube pedal for use with a solid state head; solid state overdrive pedals sound better with tube heads in my opinion. But if that doesn't phase you I do actually kind of like the EBS Multi Drive better with a more solid state head that's a little more hi fi. The Fulltone Bass-Drive is also a good choice, the Comp Cut mode is capable of a nice dirty grind that might be up your alley, though I favor that pedal with a tube amp.

[assboglin]

I did some (crappy) soundclips:

Fulltone Bass-Drive Mosfet:

Fulltone Bass-Drive Mosfet SOUNDCLIPS

EBS Multi Drive:

EBS Multidrive SOUNDCLIPS

And check out the HomeBrew Electronics Hematoma here, which also might be up your alley:

Hematoma Bass Overdrive/Preamp SOUNDCLIPS

[Pacman]

I love my Voodoo Labs Sparkle Drive. It allows you to mix the clean back in, and keeps ALL the lows!

[OhThePeacock]

Go with an overdrive, it'll give a slight volume boost and a little bit of dirt which is what i think your looking for.

[bluestarbass]

I like my blowtorch for that use. You can blend in a little dirt, you can retain your lows its a win win.

[Stumpy]

sans amp bddi

[PauBass]

Originally Posted by Pacman

I love my Voodoo Labs Sparkle Drive. It allows you to mix the clean back in, and keeps ALL the lows!

Any chance of posting some soundclips, please?

[JanusZarate]

assboglin does make a good point.... a hi-fi head like the LMII could work against something grittier like the Bassdrive. A tube-based overdrive or tube-like overdrive pedal would be probably more ideal.

[pulse]

thanks for those clips

I liked the fulltone the most, I bet it must rip big time through my old SVT II

cheers

Originally Posted by assboglin

I did some (crappy) soundclips:

Fulltone Bass-Drive Mosfet:

Fulltone Bass-Drive Mosfet SOUNDCLIPS

EBS Multi Drive:

EBS Multidrive SOUNDCLIPS

And check out the HomeBrew Electronics Hematoma here, which also might be up your alley:

Hematoma Bass Overdrive/Preamp SOUNDCLIPS

[jmeid]

Awesome!

Thanks for all of the replies..

Should I run the pedal through the effects loop or into the front?

[ihateusernames]

Originally Posted by jmeid

Awesome!

Thanks for all of the replies..

Should I run the pedal through the effects loop or into the front?

Overdrive and distortion 'generally' work best in front of the amp. I've found emulators work very well in the effects loop (and can work well in front also).

[coreyfyfe]

you might want to check out greedtone. theyre handmade in seattle so you may have heard of them. theyre a bit pricey, but i absolutely love mine. i tried the fulltone and a variety of others, and i also had a scrambler, and none of them were really satisfying. i saw minus the bear and cory had one of these, sounded great, picked mine up like 2 weeks later.

[JanusZarate]

Originally Posted by jmeid

Should I run the pedal through the effects loop or into the front?

Definitely in front. The same rule of thumb applies to both guitarists and bassists: generally speaking, the effects loop is home to rack effects and some modulation pedals (some chorus, delay, flanger, tremolo, etc.) while distortion, overdrive, envelope filters, etc. generally belong at the front of the amp.

Most other types of effects - and pedals in general - work best at the front. The effects loop has a higher output for rack effects, and doesn't often fare well with pedals which are intended for use at instrument-level inputs.

[jmeid]

Once again thanks a lot for the replies...

The EBS Valvedrive stands out. Should I get anything to compliment it such as a compressor, or noise supressor? I'm new to effects.

Thanks

[johans]

hey guys,

just to relive this a little bit ..

so all this while i've been envisioning myself to have 1 OD and 1 Fuzz pedals on my board.

not all, but some good bass OD pedal when dialed to a certain setting can actually do some cool fuzz too, question is .. if that's the case, are there any reasons to still own both pedals? or keep one?

thanks

[ihateusernames]

it's hard to match levels and switch sounds on the fly or between songs without seperate pedals.