Overdrive dilehma help me. should I get the barber?

[BrandonBass]

Been running through several o/ds in the past month and its gettin pretty frustrating I cant find the one Im willing to stick to.

I want an o/d that retains ALL of the low end and doesnt color my original tone much. Low to mid gain since I have a hot bass

I have tried: <--- Ill only list down the ones worth mentioning

Blackout mantra -- too compressed and high gain, awesome for guitar but kills the dynamics on bass

HBE hematoma -- It is marketed as 'having no low end loss at all'. But unless you're deaf, its pretty obvious it sucks out some lows and increased the midrange by quite abit when engaged no matter where you set the tone at. Not saying its a bad o/d, infact i can imagine it cutting through a band mix really well , I play in a 4piece band and I want the low end to be there.

Xotic BB Bass -- I tried it in a gc, so Im not sure how it'll sound through my setup. I have to say amongst the o/ds ive tried, this one retains the lows the best. Doesnt color the tone much, but Im not too pleased with the way it breaks up. Too 'clean' for my liking.

Barber Ltd SR -- I really dig the soundclips made by a tber, but some tbers who have owned the barber claimed that it sucks low as well....Im really contemplating on getting this one, but if it does color my tone or suck low itd be a big turnoff

Im really tempted to try the xotic through my own setup, but these things dont come cheap. I have heard clips of the fulltone bd but i believe it sucks abit of lows as well. I have also heard great things the Rusty Box but I dont hav access to it now.

[dharmashawn]

New guy here. Been playing and lurking in the shadows and have now decided to come "hang" a little more. And I am sure glad I did!! Since participating I have acquired the following:

GR2
Clement 32" 4 String
Rusty Box

My Rusty Box is in transit right now and I will give another blurb after she arrives.
I have also been searching around and the almost $200 price tag was off putting, but **** she sure is Pretty!!

Sorry I know this helps you none.

[bassplayerbob]

Originally Posted by BrandonBass

Been running through several o/ds in the past month and its gettin pretty frustrating I cant find the one Im willing to stick to.

I want an o/d that retains ALL of the low end and doesnt color my original tone much. Low to mid gain since I have a hot bass

I have tried: <--- Ill only list down the ones worth mentioning

Blackout mantra -- too compressed and high gain, awesome for guitar but kills the dynamics on bass

HBE hematoma -- It is marketed as 'having no low end loss at all'. But unless you're deaf, its pretty obvious it sucks out some lows and increased the midrange by quite abit when engaged no matter where you set the tone at. Not saying its a bad o/d, infact i can imagine it cutting through a band mix really well , I play in a 4piece band and I want the low end to be there.

Xotic BB Bass -- I tried it in a gc, so Im not sure how it'll sound through my setup. I have to say amongst the o/ds ive tried, this one retains the lows the best. Doesnt color the tone much, but Im not too pleased with the way it breaks up. Too 'clean' for my liking.

Barber Ltd SR -- I really dig the soundclips made by a tber, but some tbers who have owned the barber claimed that it sucks low as well....Im really contemplating on getting this one, but if it does color my tone or suck low itd be a big turnoff

Im really tempted to try the xotic through my own setup, but these things dont come cheap. I have heard clips of the fulltone bd but i believe it sucks abit of lows as well. I have also heard great things the Rusty Box but I dont hav access to it now.

I know its not a high dollar pedal but I just got a digitech hardwire od pedal, cm-2, and it sounds great on my setup. The feature that sold me was bass and treble control. Of course the 79 dollar price was nice too. I can go from a little grit to copping a Larry Graham type fuzz. Nice for the money.

[caeman]

Are you looking for a clean boost that will make use of your amps natural distortion?

[jgroh]

Not to be THAT guy but...do what I do...buy a Boss LS-2 and mix your clean signal with the OD signal to retain the lows.

[BrandonBass]

Im not looking for a boost pedal to drive my amp, i hav plenty of output. Im lookin for a drive within a pedalbox. I dont wanna use a blender because my board is outta space....and I dont plan on making it bigger anytime soon .

I played around some more with my hematoma, reducing the tone knob more. It retained more bass that way, but some highs were lost. Guess Ill make do w it first.

People with both the barber and hematoma, help appreciated.

Welcome onboard dharmashawn, btw

[fitz420]

in my opinion the barber ltd sr was the most transparent out of the 15 or so that i've owned. i don't remember any low end loss. very well made. i see them used on the TGP boards all the time for around $100. can't go wrong at that price and if you don't like it and wanna sell it you won't loose any money.

[sanfordandsonny]

I've been on an OD jag for a bit I have a very hot bass and I am not a fan of clean blends.
I had alot of ODs barely do anything or too much.
I won't go through everything I tried but I finally after going high low and custom I ended up being a BIG fan of the VFE Pale Horse it's a mutated TS808
And I can tell you if you don't like it as with many smart small companies he'll give you a full refund (? minus shipping I think) I can vouch for this because I ordered another pedal and I didn't prefer the sound my refund was quick and easy.

I plan on revisiting the Rusty Box again at the time I had nixed it because I felt it was too bright but I need to ... I'll admit it ....turn the knobs
It's very useful for a variety of applications.

I would recommend buying things from a store with a good return policy.
I believe GC gives 100% back within 30 days.

The few bucks I've contributed to TB has been awesome in helping me try alot of used things out.
I bought the Mantra used because I wasn't sure if I'd like it when I didn't I sold it for what a bought it for and only lost out on my outgoing shipping.
Wayyyy better than losing 20%-50% selling it locally.
All that being said it's worth buying the rusty box new because they early show up used.


Edit:
To hear what a rusty box would sound like listen to the bass player from Shellac
The traynor ss amp he plays through is what the RB is based on.

[BrandonBass]

Originally Posted by sanfordandsonny

I've been on an OD jag for a bit I have a very hot bass and I am not a fan of clean blends.
I had alot of ODs barely do anything or too much.
I won't go through everything I tried but I finally after going high low and custom I ended up being a BIG fan of the VFE Pale Horse it's a mutated TS808
And I can tell you if you don't like it as with many smart small companies he'll give you a full refund (? minus shipping I think) I can vouch for this because I ordered another pedal and I didn't prefer the sound my refund was quick and easy.

I plan on revisiting the Rusty Box again at the time I had nixed it because I felt it was too bright but I need to ... I'll admit it ....turn the knobs
It's very useful for a variety of applications.

I would recommend buying things from a store with a good return policy.
I believe GC gives 100% back within 30 days.

The few bucks I've contributed to TB has been awesome in helping me try alot of used things out.
I bought the Mantra used because I wasn't sure if I'd like it when I didn't I sold it for what a bought it for and only lost out on my outgoing shipping.
Wayyyy better than losing 20%-50% selling it locally.
All that being said it's worth buying the rusty box new because they early show up used.


Edit:
To hear what a rusty box would sound like listen to the bass player from Shellac
The traynor ss amp he plays through is what the RB is based on.

Hey there, that was a really helpful post. I too own a really hot bass, so I can understand your woes. I believe the mantra you used to own was the one I owned as well! Its too compressed sounding and way too high gain for my hot bass, but it sounds KILLER on a guitar and its in the hands of very happy guitarist now.

I do know of the band shellac, and their bassist definitely has killer sound though I hav to agree its more towards the bright side. But then again he plays with a pick and what seems like fresh rounds which I believe contributes largely to the brightness aswell. If im not wrong, that guy uses the rusty box as his pre-amp/tone shaper

I have a vt bass as my main toneshaper/always-on pedal, so if I happen to get a rusty box it will be mainly used as a dirt pedal. Im not sure how it would fair with my style(aggressive fingerstyle) into the vt bass

[BrandonBass]

btw how would u describe the VFE Pale Horse? Tbh, its the first time ive seen the name pop up

[sanfordandsonny]

Part of the Shellac jam of course is also all that aluminum so it shouldn't be that bright.
I came to the pale horse after ignoring ts9 ts808 clones and my list of OD attempts was getting silly.
Most of the time I found that a footswitch looper and an Art Tube MP beat out the mild ones.
But my guitarist who had also been on an OD jag handed me a bag of 8 OD pedals with a hotcake and barge concepts jam at a distant 2nd and 3rd.
He sold me his pale horse because his Lee Jackson pre has a real sensitive input Annie play and SVT so he sold it to me.

It stacks well there are a few usable parameters I posted an off the cuff review elsewhere later on I'll go look it up
And repost it

[Laurent]

I understand the dillema and I have been experiencing some frustration in my search for the perfect overdrive.

I tried the Barber LTD it was not hot enough for my passive bass; Barber pedals are really excellent that being said and David Barber is one of the few guys in the business who answers emails. Try Fulltone, they never answer!

I did not care for the Xotic BB overdrive; it was not my tone.

I love the Hematoma and it does overdrive pretty well. I am not experiencing bass loss with it but each situation/bass is different. The Way Huge Pork Loin sounds similar in tone and does not suck up bass.

The Holy Fire is another pedal which might do the job. I have not tried this pedal but it's on my radar screen.

Another way of dealing with bass loss issue is putting a graphic EQ after the pedal. I see this on many pro pedal boards.

Good luck in your quest.

[caeman]

Joe Meek gbQ?



EQ, Distortion, FX Loop, DI.

[Laurent]

Here is another idea: Hartke Bass Attack. It's a DI, and overdrive and an EQ all in one pedal. The EQ and DI are very good on this pedal. The overdrive is OK; it goes from light overdrive to distortion quickly. I wished it was a bit more progressive. That being said it might react very differently to the hot signal of an active bass. I tried this pedal with a passive bass. The pedal is a great value.

[sanfordandsonny]

Originally Posted by caeman

Joe Meek gbQ?



EQ, Distortion, FX Loop, DI.

Aaahhhh that looks awesome!!!

The performance of an OD can be affected by how hard you slam it with low end.
I have sometimes backed off the lowest frequencies before a gain stage so it doesn't compress too hard and then EQ after.

Also Mr Barber is a stellar human and his products are of superior quality. If a pedal doesn't have enough gain for a passive it "might" work with an active I've always been big on trying stuff with your instrument especially if its an active.

[karter2000]

Originally Posted by sanfordandsonny

I plan on revisiting the Rusty Box again at the time I had nixed it because I felt it was too bright but I need to ... I'll admit it ....turn the knobs
It's very useful for a variety of applications.

Yeah, after owning two Rusty Boxes (and currently waiting for my third), I definitely found them to be pretty bright and raw. However, there's really nothing that sounds like them and they are extremely versatile. I think where they really shine is in a band mix situation. What sounds harsh and bright at home really mixes in well. Factor in the room, different cabs, amps, etc, and I think you'll find the Rusty what you are looking for. At one of the places I rehearse, there's an old Yorkville amp which sounds terrible (and likely used up). However, when I plugged the Rusty in the return on the effects loop, it sounds like magic.

Like yourself and Sonny, I've been searching for years for the perfect overdrive, even to the point of DIY (which I love doing anyway). In my experience, the Rusty is pretty transparent with lots of low end, compared to anything else I've tried or built.

PS to Sonny: Love the Bluebeard my man! Have to get one some day.

[Smurf-o-Deth]

Try an Aguilar AGRO if you can. Built for bass, handles hot signals fine, and is quite transparent.

[BrandonBass]

Originally Posted by Laurent

I understand the dillema and I have been experiencing some frustration in my search for the perfect overdrive.

I tried the Barber LTD it was not hot enough for my passive bass; Barber pedals are really excellent that being said and David Barber is one of the few guys in the business who answers emails. Try Fulltone, they never answer!

I did not care for the Xotic BB overdrive; it was not my tone.

I love the Hematoma and it does overdrive pretty well. I am not experiencing bass loss with it but each situation/bass is different. The Way Huge Pork Loin sounds similar in tone and does not suck up bass.

The Holy Fire is another pedal which might do the job. I have not tried this pedal but it's on my radar screen.

Another way of dealing with bass loss issue is putting a graphic EQ after the pedal. I see this on many pro pedal boards.

Good luck in your quest.

I actually think the barber might just have the perfect gain for me, since I use a ridiculously hot bass. When I use the hematoma, its only o/d when I turn it down all the way and anything pass 9 is distortion territory. Like I said, the hema doesnt suck alot of lows, just the lowest of lows and gives abit of mid hump. Thing is I play in a single guitar band, and I hate to lose even tiny bit of lows. I do understand the blend/ eq therapy but my pB running outta space

Anyone tried the catalinbread sft? seems pretty popular too

[sanfordandsonny]

I thought the sft went zero to sixty with a hot bass
Not an OD for me it was too distortiony
On the website it transitioned well but I was not a fan.

[BrandonBass]

I believe its a light to med o/d. It was marketed as being able to do the jamerson b-15 thingy