Need Help: Frodus Growl

[iri5hpunk21]

So I'm looking for a pedal that'll give me a growl similar to Frodus's bassist on their album "And We Washed Our Weapons In The Sea", especially from the tracks "The Red Bull of Juarez" and "Year of the Hex". I would also like said pedal (if possible) to be able to just add a bit of an edge to the sound similar to Thrice's "Hoods On Peregrin"

I've been looking at EHX's Big Muff Pi as well as EBS's ValveDrive. Any other suggestions? Anything with soundclips would be awesome.

Thanks in advance guys.

[rratajski]

You need thick glasses. Then you'll be set.

[bongomania]

Originally Posted by iri5hpunk21

Anything with soundclips would be awesome.

So how about posting soundclips of the sound you want? Not all of us have emo CD collections.

[Jared Lash]

Originally Posted by bongomania

So how about posting soundclips of the sound you want? Not all of us have emo CD collections.

I like grumpy bongo the best of all.

[fishsticks]

from what i remember of frodus, a valve drive would work, so might a vt bass thing though i haven't really tried either(just heard clips).... i use a sparkle drive for my OD which sounds nice and would come close-ish to that OD... the fuzz thing is a little too much for "growl" IMHO. but i love my BassBigMuff for that... and VLSD + BBM = awesome!

[dannybuoy]

A lot of growl comes from the bass/strings/pickups - what are you playing? Sansamp BDDI growls like a lion when used with the right bass, you can probably bet it was used to record some of those tones you're a fan of too!

[Jared Lash]

Ok, just listened to both tracks. A Big Muff is NOT what you want. Much crunchier and harsher sound.

The closest I personally got to that sound was a blended HAO Rust Ride (about 50/50 or even slightly more clean) into a BDDI or VT Bass set to emulate an SVT.

[rratajski]

Hoods on Peregrine by Thrice is...get this...a CRANKED SVT.

I win today.

The Gibson Grabber has a little bit to do w/ the tone, but yeah...cranked svt.

EDIT: I just hit the Frodus myspace. The Japan video shows...get this...an SVT!!!

...and it's probably cranked.

[Bassenstien]

Originally Posted by rratajski

Hoods on Peregrine by Thrice is...get this...a CRANKED SVT.

I win today.

The Gibson Grabber has a little bit to do w/ the tone, but yeah...cranked svt.

EDIT: I just hit the Frodus myspace. The Japan video shows...get this...an SVT!!!

...and it's probably cranked.

wait...
wait...
wait...

...what are you trying to say here?

[Jared Lash]

Cranked SVT is the answer to about half of the "how do I get this tone" questions in the effects forum.

But in terms of reproducing it with pedals rather than an amp, it can be tricky. The VT Bass (and BDDI) do a very good SVT sound. But neither sounds good (or authentic) when really cranked IMO.

To me the key is to dial in an SVT sound and add some dirt in front of them - hence my suggestion.

But then I play all SS amps and can't get that kind of tone without pedals.

[rratajski]

So, the GK combo you have is SS...
Unless you're planning on selling your combo and looking into a tube head and cab, pedals are your only bet. When I had a GK SS head, it only really ever did one type of "overdriven" sound: GK.
The VT Bass should get you kind of close, but it will never be the tone you're looking for.

Also, always remember: studio magic is a beautiful thing .

[Jared Lash]

Originally Posted by rratajski

So, the GK combo you have is SS...
Unless you're planning on selling your combo and looking into a tube head and cab, pedals are your only bet. When I had a GK SS head, it only really ever did one type of "overdriven" sound: GK.
The VT Bass should get you kind of close, but it will never be the tone you're looking for.

Also, always remember: studio magic is a beautiful thing .

Absolutely - obviously you'll never get a true tube amp sound from a SS amp, particularly Gallien Krueger. But the way I see it, the VT Bass can give you SVT/B-15 "type" sounds whereas there's really no way to get a SS tone if you're using a tube amp.

And since I use the GK tone much more often, it's a compromise that I'm fine with.

[Pitbull Growl]

I'm assuming you're trying to get something like that tone about 1:15 into Hoods on Peregrine. I would think a VT Bass would getcha just about there, along w/many other usable tones too. Try setting the gain @ a fairly moderate setting and digging in hard, using your attack to kick in the distortion. Should help you maintain the clean fundamental while adding that slight edge to it.

Bongo:
I never really thought of Thrice as emo... more post-hardcore like Fugazi or Quicksand or Rival Schools (or any of those other Walter Schreifels projects). Emo brings to mind stuff like AFI w/Jade Puget, or The Cure. Genre's can be so subjective tho. (BTW, thx for your compressor review page... based on that I got my Symetrix CL-150... pretty much a single channel 501 w/o the "enhancer" or the power switch. If you ever wanna review it to add to the database, hit me up.)

[bongomania]

Originally Posted by Pitbull Growl

I never really thought of Thrice as emo... more post-hardcore...

Aw, I was just joshing him--all of those "And Then We Bathed Ourselves In the Woods Like Gods" type album titles and band names get lumped in my mind into a bucket labeled "emo whatevercore".