My Way Huge Pork Loin Thoughts

Eublet · #1 12-07-2010, 07:43 PM

I bought this one today. It was a used pedal in mint condition at a Guitar Center I ran through when I was out of town. I've been wanting to try one for a while.

Quick background: I don't do heavy overdrive often. Very, very seldom. Mostly it's light overdrive to thicken up the tone and make it sit better in the mix for some types of songs. The Pork Loin has always seemed like it could be perfect for this based on it's product description and comments by others.

Boy was I wrong. I don't like this pedal at all. It's not that it sounds bad. Quite the opposite actually. It has a very warm sound, so I can understand why so many like it. So why am I utterly disappointed in it. The knobs, mainly the 3 inside the unit, are absolutely worthless to me simply because they're inaccessible. The filter knob is great for thickening up the bass when necessary, or tightening things up. It really stinks that you have to remove 4 screws to access it. Worthless.

Also, the internal Presence knob is worthless in it's application. It's obvious this pedal was designed for guitar because the presence knob doesn't really affect the frequency range most often associated with a bass-specific Presence control. So it's worthless also. Nevermind that it's also inaccessible without taking the thing apart.

You can't really get an upper-mid heavy grind going with this pedal because of the Presence knob being focussed a bit too high. I fiddled and fiddled and finally got as close as possible, but it still wasn't good enough. For bass, it only seems to do "warm", not aggressive. Note that I am not talking about the amount of overdrive (which can go full out), but rather the amount of Presence in the mix. I guess some would want this. It's not for me.

I'm actually quite shocked that so many bassists here give this pedal such glowing reviews. It seems to me to be very limited in application

The Aguilar Agro pedal, to me, is still the best out there for overdrive. It's simple to use. You set the saturation level you want. Then you adjust the contour knob to scoop your tone, or to dial in extra mids. You then adjust presence to make the pedal as warm or as clanky/grindy as you want. Then adjust the Level for unity gain. Done. It's a marvelous unit. The one thing about the Agro that I wish it had was a blend knob. That would make it the ultimate overdrive pedal IMHO. Really, the blend knob on the Pork Loin is what drew me in.

So I'm going to put this up for sale here asap. I want to try a Catalinbread SFT next as it looks to be very promising for what I'm after.

iamdenialNJ · #2 12-07-2010, 09:07 PM

I love my pork loin. Probably the only pedal that I would hate to see go. It's always on. The pork loin is MY tone.

The SFT and pork loin are completely different so please don't compare both pedals each other. You would be comparing oranges to apples.

Eublet · #3 12-07-2010, 09:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by iamdenialNJ

The SFT and pork loin are completely different so please don't compare both pedals each other. You would be comparing oranges to apples.

Don't compare them? You just did by saying they are different. They are both overdrive pedals, so the only way to know the difference between them is to compare them. Apples to apples. If I were comparing the Pork Loin to a Chorus, then that would be apples to oranges.

M0ses · #4 12-07-2010, 09:26 PM

SFT is to Pork Loin as Gala is to Pink Lady

Eublet · #5 12-07-2010, 09:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by M0ses

SFT is to Pork Loin as Gala is to Pink Lady

I think I understand your analogy to suggest that the Pork Loin gets more edgy and zingy than the SFT. Is that true? If the SFT is milder than the Pork Loin, then I certainly wouldn't be interested in it since my impression of the Pork Loin is that is way too tame sounding and incapable of sounding otherwise.

M0ses · #6 12-07-2010, 09:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Eublet

I think I understand your analogy to suggest that the Pork Loin gets more edgy and zingy than the SFT. Is that true? If the SFT is milder than the Pork Loin, then I certainly wouldn't be interested in it since my impression of the Pork Loin is that is way too tame sounding and incapable of sounding otherwise.

I'm afraid you're reading too much into it. I was just supporting the statement that it's apples to apples here, no oranges involved. I just used the first two varieties of apples that came into my head

Eublet · #7 12-07-2010, 09:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by M0ses

I'm afraid you're reading too much into it. I was just supporting the statement that it's apples to apples here, no oranges involved. I just used the first two varieties of apples that came into my head

LOL! Okay, that makes sense. Thanks. I'm an apple lover, and the Pink Lady is often compared to the Gala, but with a bit more tartness or bite. I thought you were making an actual analogy. Thanks for clarifying!

I'm hoping the SFT, with it's EQ knobs, can do more of what the Agro does, albeit with a somewhat different character. Hopefully it'll at least do more than the Pork Loin can do, at least for my needs.

I almost forgot one thing about the Pork Loin that was one of the most disappointing things of all. It seems to be relatively nonresponsive to playing dynamics. There is some response there as you play softer or dig in, but it's not nearly as responsive as other overdrives I've used. You really have to be dramatic with your attack to make it vary in sound. Of course this is WAY different from a tube overdrive or other analog device. The SFT video looks really cool and sounds good, but that's just one video.

iamdenialNJ · #8 12-07-2010, 09:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Eublet

Don't compare them? You just did by saying they are different. They are both overdrive pedals, so the only way to know the difference between them is to compare them. Apples to apples. If I were comparing the Pork Loin to a Chorus, then that would be apples to oranges.

what????? I said they are different. I never compared them.

SFT is an overdrive but emulates a SVT. It's not a transparent overdrive as is the pork loin.

Overdrives are not all built the same my friend.

Joospocks · #9 12-07-2010, 09:49 PM

Have you tried the Voodoo Lab Sparkle Drive, Eublet? It's really the only OD pedal I have much experience with on bass, but it has a sound that I would definitely describe as upper mid grind. I like it a lot on bass with some clean mix and I also use it on guitar with the clean mix turned down.

Eublet · #10 12-07-2010, 09:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by iamdenialNJ

what????? I said they are different. I never compared them.

SFT is an overdrive but emulates a SVT. It's not a transparent overdrive as is the pork loin.

Overdrives are not all built the same my friend.

In saying they are different, you are making a comparison, however remedial. How else would you know they are such? If it emulates an SVT or not, the SVT is what many chose for an overdriven tone. I'm not sure why you don't want me to compare them?

Eublet · #11 12-07-2010, 09:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Joospocks

Have you tried the Voodoo Lab Sparkle Drive, Eublet? It's really the only OD pedal I have much experience with on bass, but it has a sound that I would definitely describe as upper mid grind. I like it a lot on bass with some clean mix and I also use it on guitar with the clean mix turned down.

You know, I haven't, nor have I even thought of that pedal to consider it for a while. The term "sparkle drive" does put me off a bit. I want a warm sound, which the Pork Loin is really good at, but I want to be able to season it with the amount of presence I require at will. That's where the Agro excels. Since I like lower amounts of overdrive, even the BDDI is good for this. The VT Bass I disliked in the end because of the inability to remove that sparkley treble response at times.

I need to do some research on the Voodoo pedal. Thanks for reminding me of it!

iamdenialNJ · #12 12-07-2010, 09:55 PM

Like I said in the previous post. The SFT emulates an overdriven SVT amp. The pork loin is a transparent overdrive. The only thing comparable is the amount of gain the pedal has but that's as far as it goes.

From your posts, I think you were expecting too much or something different from the pork loin.

Eublet · #13 12-07-2010, 09:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by iamdenialNJ

Like I said in the previous post. The SFT emulates an overdriven SVT amp. The pork loin is a transparent overdrive. The only thing comparable is the amount of gain the pedal has but that's as far as it goes.

From your posts, I think you were expecting too much or something different from the pork loin.

I think I expect an overdrive to sound like a tube head that's getting saturated. Of course, there's a lot of variety even in tube heads regarding tone, so I wasn't really expecting to like or dislike it per say. What I was hoping was that all those knobs would let me tweak it. I guess I was surprised that a pedal with 8 total knobs was less flexible than many pedals I've tried with half as many knobs. Not really a big deal, but since so many people here at TB seem to like this pedal, and I had a hard time finding someone post any clear thoughts as to why they didn't like it, I figured I would offer my complaints for others who are curious about this pedal.

TrevorOfDoom · #14 12-07-2010, 10:01 PM

Eublet, try the SparkleDrive. the drive side is the same thing as a tube screamer. you couldn't ask for more upper mid grind.

meanwhile, if you're just looking to get rid of the Pork Loin, i'll happily take it off your hands.

iamdenialNJ · #15 12-07-2010, 10:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TrevorOfDoom

Eublet, try the SparkleDrive. the drive side is the same thing as a tube screamer. you couldn't ask for more upper mid grind.

meanwhile, if you're just looking to get rid of the Pork Loin, i'll happily take it off your hands.

atta boy! You'll dig it.

Eublet · #16 12-07-2010, 10:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TrevorOfDoom

Eublet, try the SparkleDrive. the drive side is the same thing as a tube screamer. you couldn't ask for more upper mid grind.

hmmm, that has me thinking.

Quote:

meanwhile, if you're just looking to get rid of the Pork Loin, i'll happily take it off your hands.

It's up for sale in the classifieds!

Joospocks · #17 12-07-2010, 10:03 PM

If I recall correctly, the sparkle drive is basically a tube screamer ts808 "clone" with an added clean mix. It can sound pretty bright and edgy, but fiddling with the tone and clean settings, it doesn't have to sound like that. One thing that bugs me is that with the clean knob turned down all the way, some clean signal still comes through. It's more noticeable with guitar than bass though.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Eublet

You know, I haven't, nor have I even thought of that pedal to consider it for a while. The term "sparkle drive" does put me off a bit. I want a warm sound, which the Pork Loin is really good at, but I want to be able to season it with the amount of presence I require at will. That's where the Agro excels. Since I like lower amounts of overdrive, even the BDDI is good for this. The VT Bass I disliked in the end because of the inability to remove that sparkley treble response at times.

I need to do some research on the Voodoo pedal. Thanks for reminding me of it!

jgroh · #18 12-08-2010, 07:15 AM

Hmmmm....I dont have a Pork Loin but I just got a Markbass Distosore and I would describe it as a soft, warm overdrive...too much so. I did have the VT bass pedal but I sold it because I didnt like the trebley clank that I couldnt dial out. I have been thinking about an Agro because I think I am looking for more of a grindy overdrive...on the warm side but more upper mid grind.

Ive only saw the one youtube video from Aguilar about the Agro and I wasnt impressed but it could have been the recording/playing putting me off. Will the Agro do that? What about something like the SA Leeds pedal?

blastjv · #19 12-08-2010, 07:46 AM

Yeah, I think you might like the SFT even less. I'd actually disagree and say that the SFT and the PL were pretty similar in my playing with them. I thought they both sounded great, but both worked best at warm smooth OD. I've never tried a Sparke Drive, but always wanted to.

You really might consider the Xotic BB Bass. I think it might be just what you're looking for.

-JV

Eublet · #20 12-08-2010, 07:48 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jgroh

Hmmmm....I dont have a Pork Loin but I just got a Markbass Distosore and I would describe it as a soft, warm overdrive...too much so. I did have the VT bass pedal but I sold it because I didnt like the trebley clank that I couldnt dial out. I have been thinking about an Agro because I think I am looking for more of a grindy overdrive...on the warm side but more upper mid grind.

Ive only saw the one youtube video from Aguilar about the Agro and I wasnt impressed but it could have been the recording/playing putting me off. Will the Agro do that? What about something like the SA Leeds pedal?

Do you mean the official Aguilar video with Dave and Stu? Man, I love that video. That is what the Agro sounds like, although they don't really demonstrate it doing a very mild overdrive. But yes, Stu does tune down very low, and he plays up near the neck. So the strings are very loose and a bit clanky, which is cool for what he does. That doesn't mean you'll sound like that video. The Agro goes from warm to all out buzzsaw.