Oh jeez. Not another one. Sorry guys, i feel your pain..

[Flipper43]

Hi, all. For a while now, like everyone else on the effects sub-forums, am always looking for "that" sound. We're all looking for different things tonewise; some use chorus, synths, overdrive, fuzz, and on and on. But the point is, we're all trying to get to the same place metaphorically.
So, for a long while now i've been on the search for the perfect overdrive tone.. there's TONS of possibilities out there, which makes the whole process even challenging. The bassist from my favorite band (TAD) once told me some wise words that i'd have to agree with.. "a bass tone is an intuitive thing, something you know and can picture in your mind, but which you may not know how to achieve; it's a quest and an experience of discovery that never necessarily ends: you never actually find the tone you're searching for; but it's the search, not the destination, that counts."....
I've tried multiple distortion pedals, amp and cabinet combos, pickups, strings, everything, and i still haven't found it. Even though i did not own some of these rigs that i tried, i tried them out thoroughly.
Although i haven't found the tone i'm looking for, i believe something close to what i think is perfect could be out there.
I have some ideas as to what i would like to create as a tone, but i'm not entirely sure of it. I want multiple tones, to be honest; diversity. I've tried rigs that involve blending a clean and dirty signal with different dirt boxes, and i've gotten great sounds, just not what i think i'm looking for. I like the whole clean blend thing a lot, since i play in a pretty heavy band (we're not metal, though), and i just like the feeling/ sound of mixed tones. As for texture of overdrive/ distortion, i want something that can blend nicely with the clean tone, sit well in a mix, i.e. be heard and felt, and sounds pleasing in general. -Once again, i want a clean sound in there, and i want to be able to blend the two tones in different proportions, so a blend knob on the box would be very necessary, as i haven't been able to find a blend pedal that i really like.-
I'm stuck in the middle of warm overdrives and solid state. I like the warm overdrive and grind of tubes, but i like something with a faster attack and a more mean, aggressive sound, though not so metallic. ( i don't want it to be too warm, just a good amount.) I want to be able to get a kind of mean "growl", (this tone is how i would somewhat describe "growl"; http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7wilcAlAal8. You know, like a GK 800rb pushed to the limits with the boost knob up) a crunchy tube kind of sound, like an Ampeg, and a meaner more distorted (on top of the clean sound, like everything else) sound that still retains the crunch character, but is more smooth, if that's possible; even with this one, i don't want it to sound too metallic.

Sorry if i sound really picky guys, i'm just providing as much information as i can, because i know it makes it easier on you guys. I realize i may have to combine pedals to accomplish what i think i'm looking for. Budget is not really a problem; i'm willing to save up. I had to sell most of my bass stuff, so i don't have an actual rig right now (i use backlines at whatever gigs we get, and my guitarists brother's bass stuff for practices), but i will be investing in one along with this or these pedal(s). Feel free to suggest anything you want whether it be a combonation of amps and pedals, whatever. But the main focus(es) are/is the pedal(s). If you need anymore examples or anything, just let me know.

Oh yea, for the record, the clean blend on the pedal is for live situations; i record isolated clean/ dirty in the studio. I just don't feel like lugging around two rigs anymore, even though the sound is worth it.
Thanks in advance, guys.

P.S... I have searched and read countless threads about bass distortion/overdrive, so don't simply tell me to a search, because i've already done it, and please please please just don't recommend me a VT bass right off the bat because you think it'll suit my needs without anything to back up your recommendation.

[Bootzilla]

If you want a blend knob on the pedal you severely limit your options (from like 50 to 5 pedals). If you don't like the blend pedals you tried maybe just maybe you don't like the blended sound?

Anyway the voodoo labs sparkle drive has a blend knob, it's a tube screamer variant like the fulltone bassdrive and exotic bb (I'd rather have the bb and not blend but ymmv).
The electro harmonix gemini drive also has a blend and it has a very good reputation.
The other pedal with blend that comes to mind is the pork loin and it's also a very solid contender.

I think it's between the gemini and the pork loin but you might like the sparkle drive so see if you can try it.

[Flipper43]

Originally Posted by Bootzilla

If you want a blend knob on the pedal you severely limit your options (from like 50 to 5 pedals). If you don't like the blend pedals you tried maybe just maybe you don't like the blended sound?

Anyway the voodoo labs sparkle drive has a blend knob, it's a tube screamer variant like the fulltone bassdrive and exotic bb (I'd rather have the bb and not blend but ymmv).
The electro harmonix gemini drive also has a blend and it has a very good reputation.
The other pedal with blend that comes to mind is the pork loin and it's also a very solid contender.

I think it's between the gemini and the pork loin but you might like the sparkle drive so see if you can try it.

I've tried the Pork loin and it's very great for low gain stuff, but it's not dirty enough for me. It's not that i don't like blend pedals; i think they're just fine, it's just the ones i've tried like the boss ls-2 and the X-blender sounded bad to me. Maybe i'll give the barge concepts vb-jr a go if i can find one. The box doesn't HAVE to have a blend function on it, it would just be handy. But, if i could more easily find the sound using a blender pedal, i'll do that. The sound doesn't have to be blended, either. I use the blend to keep my low end in tact; if there's a good sounding pedal that i wouldn't have to blend to keep the bottom and it fits my distortion needs, that'd be awesome too. Ah god, i have a feeling i'm going to have to combine a lot of OD's to get a sound i like.. x]

[SpankyPants]

I've grown frustrated with blend loops and finding blendable pedals, so I've decided to just add (or have someone do it for me) a clean volume to whichever pedal I feel would benefit from some clean mix.

I'm sure it may be problematic for some pedals, but so far I haven't had trouble with it. I don't want all my pedals to have a clean blend, but sometimes a certain pedal really calls for some extra lows/highs/punch/clarity. For example: If you look at my GAS thread, I'd add a clean volume (note it's different than just a clean blend) to the Robotalk, Proco RAT, 4ms Phaseur, and maybe others as well. I wouldn't expect any of those pedals to be hard to mod at all.

So adding a clean volume would open up a lot more options without adding extra pedals or other complications to your rig/signal chain.

I just mentioned this in another thread, but look into Dwarfcraft's Hair of the Dog. It seems pretty heavy and sounds great with the clean mix. If you watch the video, they demo the clean blend somewhere in the middle. I prefer the 50/50 mix, when he has the knob pointed at 12 o'clock.

[Flipper43]

Originally Posted by SpankyPants

I've grown frustrated with blend loops and finding blendable pedals, so I've decided to just add (or have someone do it for me) a clean volume to whichever pedal I feel would benefit from some clean mix.

I'm sure it may be problematic for some pedals, but so far I haven't had trouble with it. I don't want all my pedals to have a clean blend, but sometimes a certain pedal really calls for some extra lows/highs/punch/clarity. For example: If you look at my GAS thread, I'd add a clean volume (note it's different than just a clean blend) to the Robotalk, Proco RAT, 4ms Phaseur, and maybe others as well. I wouldn't expect any of those pedals to be hard to mod at all.

So adding a clean volume would open up a lot more options without adding extra pedals or other complications to your rig/signal chain.

I just mentioned this in another thread, but look into Dwarfcraft's Hair of the Dog. It seems pretty heavy and sounds great with the clean mix. If you watch the video, they demo the clean blend somewhere in the middle. I prefer the 50/50 mix, when he has the knob pointed at 12 o'clock.

I just saw your suggestion for that pedal in the "REALLY heavy bass tones" thread. I checked it out, and it's pretty damn heavy, but fuzz isn't really my taste :[

I still have an old original Marshall Guv'nor pedal that i was just using yesterday, and it's very good for the crunch character, and it has a 3 band eq. I used to use it when i had one of my clean/ dirty amp setups, because that thing loses some serious low end. I like it, and it's pretty versitle, but again, it's not what i'm looking for. It's too cold for me, and i don't have the money to re-buy another tube amp, although i could if i saved.. but scratch that. x]

[Bootzilla]

I thought the clip you posted sounded very cold and not tube like or warm at all.

[Flipper43]

Originally Posted by Bootzilla

I thought the clip you posted sounded very cold and not tube like or warm at all.

It did. That was the point of that tone. That's just a side tone i'd like to achieve.

[bongomania]

Originally Posted by Flipper43

It's not that i don't like blend pedals; i think they're just fine, it's just the ones i've tried like the boss ls-2 and the X-blender sounded bad to me. Maybe i'll give the barge concepts vb-jr a go

I absolutely, 100% guarantee you these two things:
1) The Xotic X-Blender does not have a sound of its own, if you aren't using the EQ. So some pedals you put in its loop may have sounded bad when blended, but it was not the X-Blender that sounded bad.
2) The Barge is not at the quality level of the Xotic. If you didn't like the results you got from the Xotic, you will definitely not see any improvement with the Barge.

Some effects just don't blend well.

Sometimes it's because the effected signal contains too much of the clean signal already! The Armstrong Green Ringer, for example, does not blend well because of interference between the blended clean path and the existing clean signal that's part of the effect.

In other cases, there is too much wave cancellation regardless of whether the paths are in phase or 180 degrees out of phase. In those cases, you'd significantly benefit from being able to adjust the phase in increments other than 180 degrees, but unfortunately there are no "affordable" options for that on the market right now. In fact the only two adjustable-phase boxes I can think of right now are both DI's, with XLR outputs, not having 1/4" instrument-type outputs post the phase circuit.

In still other cases, blending the two signals full-range is too muddy and cluttered sounding. You'd want to blend in only the highs, only the mids, or only the lows of the clean path; or only use one of those ranges from the effect, blended with a full-range clean signal. There have been a few DIY or small-production attempts at this, e.g. the Moosapotamus Paralooper, but I don't know of any in current off-the-shelf, ready-to-buy production.

Again though, what you heard was NOT the blender itself sounding bad.

[JMac4strngr]

+1 I have been looking for a tone very similar to what you are talking about. I have gotten fairly close one of my rigs..... The rig I keep at practice space has an interesting sound thats in the ballpark of what I want. I am using one of the old bass pods as a pre-amp on that rig though. On my home/ gig rig I am driving the pre pretty hard and using a Bass Big muff to add a little dirt. No tubes.

[Flipper43]

Originally Posted by JMac4strngr

+1 I have been looking for a tone very similar to what you are talking about. I have gotten fairly close one of my rigs..... The rig I keep at practice space has an interesting sound thats in the ballpark of what I want. I am using one of the old bass pods as a pre-amp on that rig though.

Oh that's cool man! I used to love playing around with POD's, i had one a while back; it was one of my first attempts at using effects. I never really used it in a band setting to be honest, back then i just dug the sounds i could make with it x]

[Flipper43]

I wonder what it'd sound like if i ran my Marshall Guv'nor into a SansAmp BDDI or some SansAmp box and blended that sound with a clean sound.. i just don't know if the mid loss would be too much. Plus i don't know how it'd sound. I guess i'll find out when i have more free money to spend, unless anyone else has already tried that.

[JMac4strngr]

Originally Posted by Flipper43

Oh that's cool man! I used to love playing around with POD's, i had one a while back; it was one of my first attempts at using effects. I never really used it in a band setting to be honest, back then i just dug the sounds i could make with it x]

I originaly bought my POD used, to use it as a headphone amp but found some very interesting tones on it. My Practice rig is nothing special. I bought it just to leave at the practice space, not a lot of cash involved..... $250 SVT 350, $500 (Guitar Center special) indo-acoustic 8-10 cab. The tone left alot to be desired needless to say, so I added the bass pod and it came to life. I am using a couple of the amp presets for diferent sounds and it works pretty well.

[Snakeman1066]

i have searched for about 20 years off and on for that sound....

eventually what i ended up doing was running a tandem/stereo set up

for my dirty sound i'm running a Vodoo Lab Sparkle Drive into a Devi Ever Dark Boost and then into an EHX BBM (used to various degtrees - one, both, or all three at once) which gets pushed into a Sansamp RBI (with a slightly tweeked SVT Setting) and eventually ends up in a sealed lo-fi 800 watt 4x10 cab

my clean tone is basically bass into a Sansamp RPM and then into a ported 15" cab

i blend dirty and clean to various degrees also depending on the song

i feel you pain...but for the moment i'm happy and have no desire to look elsewhere...pain in the bacside to carry around 10 pedals, two amps, two pre-amps, and two cabs....yes it is but when i crank up on stage and when people come up to me afterwards and say dude what the hell are you playing through......it's all worth it

[Flipper43]

Originally Posted by Snakeman1066

i have searched for about 20 years off and on for that sound....

eventually what i ended up doing was running a tandem/stereo set up

for my dirty sound i'm running a Vodoo Lab Sparkle Drive into a Devi Ever Dark Boost into an EHX BBM (used to various degtrees - one, both, or all three at once) which go to a Sansamp RBI (with a slightly tweeked SVT Setting) and eventually unds up in a sealed lo-fi 800 watt 4x10

my clean tone is basically bass into a Sansamp RPM and then into a ported 15" cab

i feel you pain...but for the moment i'm happy and have no desire to look elsewhere...

Sounds pretty sweet, man. What do you use for a power amp? I was considering getting the RBI along with some power amp and the Ampeg 115E cabinet for my "clean sound". I just need to find the dirt pedals. And 20 years is a long time, man :[

[M0ses]

I don't understand how you can even think about pedals and "the tone" when you don't have a rig or even an axe!!!!! Seems like a stupid way to spend your money (and time exploring) in your situation, IMHO.

[Snakeman1066]

i'm actually using a couple of Hartke heads set as flat as they can possibly get (considering that they have a slighly scooped tone)...lol

i keep walking away from music when i get disgusted with the local scene and or bandmates.....but after 20 years of playing......i crank up now...hit my e or b string and just smile ear to ear.....couldn't be happier with my sound as of late.

[Flipper43]

Originally Posted by M0ses

I don't understand how you can even think about pedals and "the tone" when you don't have a rig or even an axe!!!!! Seems like a stupid way to spend your money (and time exploring) in your situation, IMHO.

I have an axe, man. How do you think i play shows. At the moment i have a heavily modified SX P bass. (replaced stock neck with MIA P neck, and stock parts with Schaller tuners, a Gotoh 201 bridge, and active EMG P-bass P-ups)

[Bootzilla]

If you like the sound of the gov'ner you could try to mod it so it doesn't loose bass (I don't know if it's possible but it might). And you should really try the gemini drive, it's versatile and has a blend (that actually has some r&d into it to make it sound good) so there should be something in there for you. The guy who makes them is a great dude as well (sometimes hangs on TB)

[OilcanRacer]

i am going to suggest two different things:

one, add a equalizer before or after(depending on which dist pedal) your warmth pedal and then go back into your loop. i have a tone knob on one of my fuzz pedals and it makes all the difference in the world.

second is to split your signal and run one chain with low clean authority and the other to your distortion. then combine them and you have your sound. i do a similar thing sending all sub sound clean and only using effects above 150k. you can slit/combine many ways using stereo pedals or "Y" cables. i use two 4channel mini mixers cause i got more effects getting split.

[Flipper43]

Originally Posted by Bootzilla

If you like the sound of the gov'ner you could try to mod it so it doesn't loose bass (I don't know if it's possible but it might). And you should really try the gemini drive, it's versatile and has a blend (that actually has some r&d into it to make it sound good) so there should be something in there for you. The guy who makes them is a great dude as well (sometimes hangs on TB)

Where exactly could i buy one of these things? It sounds pretty sweet.