overdrive and SS amps...

raul · #1 10-06-2011, 10:21 PM

i' know i know,there's already a million gazillion shclamillion + 1 threads on overdrive pedals to give up some grit and tubey kinda grind to your tone and many reasons why you choose to play what you do...but...i must ask...as far as Solid State amps go, like a GK 1001RBII for instance, or any other cool SS amp for that matter...

what overdrive pedals go well with a SS amp? i mean, i'm reading that certain pedals work better with tube amps and such...and maybe some pedals wont work as well with SS amps? hmmm...what sez you pedal people? which ones have you tried that just absolutely rule with a SS amp, going for grit and grind and warmth or whatever you wanna call it...

FaithNoMan · #2 10-06-2011, 10:24 PM

Depends on the S.S. amp, really. Some get a great OD tone all on their own.

I'll add some of my faves, though.

Rusty Box

Oxford, by Tech 21(sounds killer, great overdrive tone - I own one)

Darkglass B3k

Aguilar Agro

These all seem to have a nice aggressive overdriven tone to them.

Heck, even a Boss ODB-3 can sound good with a GK(but you can do much better that that)

Said pedal with an 800RB:

http://www.soundclick.com/player/sin...&q=hi&newref=1

Gearhead17 · #3 10-06-2011, 10:46 PM

It really comes down to what you think sounds good with particular rigs. The only way to figure it out is try it out first.

On many SS setups, overdrive pedals can sound very edgy and brash on their own. On tube amps, overdrive pedals generally sound a little smoother and not so harsh because of the compression on the tube head. There are exceptions, but I do not think you can claim 100% a pedal MUST be used with a tube head or a SS head. It's all about what you want for a resulting tone. One person's muddy and awful is another person's paradise....

bongomania · #4 10-06-2011, 10:49 PM

Agreed; plus, you can help any dirt that's too "brash" or "harsh" by turning off the tweeter on your speaker cab, or by turning down the treble on the amp. It's not a perfect answer in all cases, but it's a free solution that sometimes works.

FaithNoMan · #5 10-06-2011, 11:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bongomania

Agreed; plus, you can help any dirt that's too "brash" or "harsh" by turning off the tweeter on your speaker cab, or by turning down the treble on the amp. It's not a perfect answer in all cases, but it's a free solution that sometimes works.

+1

Keep in mind as well - a LOT of people put pedals right into power amps. Most of them are S.S. with almost nil adjust-ability.

blastjv · #6 10-07-2011, 07:51 AM

Yeah, the Agro sounded great with a few SS amps I ran it through. You might also look into the GK Deisel Dawg which is as I understand it, the overdrive channel from the GK RB2001 which has a great rep and is used by a number of pros...

-JV

rratajski · #7 10-07-2011, 08:04 AM

I love the tone of a rat/clone into a solid state. At the sweet spot, it slays for me!

mellohawk · #8 10-07-2011, 08:26 AM

Tech 21 VT Bass Deluxe gets some really nice aggressive distortion with the character/drive knobs past 12:00. I run mine into the effects return jack of my SWR SM-500 amp bypassing the preamp and it sounds wonderful.

Laurent · #9 10-09-2011, 08:56 AM

Pork Loin Way Huge Electronic or Hematoma from Homebrew Electronic.
Both very good pedals which play nice with (most-- each case is different) SS amps.

blastjv · #10 10-10-2011, 07:00 PM

Yeah, Pork Loin is a good call, too.

-JV

raul · #11 10-10-2011, 08:59 PM

going to try out a few this weekend...Pork Loin, VT Bass and BB Bass Preamp...I've got a Musket for muff and a cool CMATMODS Rat clone called The Black Plague...i just need that grit and growl kinda low overdrive tone...i think i may get two pedals! YAY! i wish i could try a Rusty Box, but they're not really up for just trying out...

gidbass · #12 10-10-2011, 10:02 PM

+1 on the Agro. I run it into my Leeds and it sounds great! sounds very good on its own, but the leeds helps add a bit of warmth that really pushes it over the edge (in a good way).

I really liked the Pork Loin as well, but I found it a bit dark for my liking. Green Rhino sounds pretty good too from the clips i have heard...

Good luck!

blastjv · #13 10-11-2011, 07:30 AM

I think that maybe one of the things most relevant to this thread is that I've noticed that particularly with a SS amp, it can be difficult to find a spot on the dial with an OD pedal where the sound is clean when you play lightly and gets a little grittier the harder you dig in. The Pork Loin does this well, as well as the Agro. My favorite for this is the Xotic BB Bass, though there is a VERY narrow window where it hits that sweet spot. I considered swapping it for an RC, which I hear has a little more range in that area, but I'm so happy with my sound that I never bothered...

-JV

**bobbybass85** · #14 10-11-2011, 07:48 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by FaithNoMan

Depends on the S.S. amp, really. Some get a great OD tone all on their own.

I'll add some of my faves, though.

Rusty Box

Oxford, by Tech 21(sounds killer, great overdrive tone - I own one)

Darkglass B3k

Aguilar Agro

These all seem to have a nice aggressive overdriven tone to them.

Heck, even a Boss ODB-3 can sound good with a GK(but you can do much better that that)

Said pedal with an 800RB:

MP3 Player SoundClick

First off faith, I REALLY dig that clip alot! The thing I think a lot of people need to realize (and can see in this clip) is that the tone of your OD needs to fit in the full picture of the song.

I use some OD tones that if I'm playing by myself, sound horrible. But when you are surrounded by other instruments you can use these tones to cut through and add a texture that sounds wonderful. Just have to play with it.

As far as my rig, I use the Catlinbread SFT, Pork Loin, Line 6 M5 and an Aguilar Tone Hammer and get varying degrees of drive from each. I run them into and Ashdown Mag (S.S.) combo. Each has a unique character and sounds good on different frequencies.

Happynoj · #15 10-11-2011, 10:48 AM

The Boss DS-1 sounds horrible with SS amps, which is precisely why I use it. Horrible in a good way. I have it blended with either a muff or clean.

pbd · #16 10-11-2011, 10:52 AM

don't mean to sound like a parrot but depending on your bass and amp combo lots of different things may work well for you. Sometimes evena boost pedal can get you some nice edge without adding any compression that a OD pedal may give you.

go to your local music store and tryout a few different things, bring your bass along though so you can know more what you will really get.

it helps if you have a target sound in your head too

my 2 cents worth,
Todd

Crystalman85 · #17 10-11-2011, 04:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by FaithNoMan

Depends on the S.S. amp, really. Some get a great OD tone all on their own.

I'll add some of my faves, though.

Rusty Box

Oxford, by Tech 21(sounds killer, great overdrive tone - I own one)

Darkglass B3k

Aguilar Agro

These all seem to have a nice aggressive overdriven tone to them.

Heck, even a Boss ODB-3 can sound good with a GK(but you can do much better that that)

Said pedal with an 800RB:

MP3 Player SoundClick

Awesome clip you got there. I have a digitech bass driver and it sounded pretty awesome with my gallien-krueger half-stack. it also sounds awesome with my danelectro chorus pedal. in case you're wondering, I use a gallien-krueger 700rb-II bass head through a gallien-krueger goldline 4x10 bass cab. anywho, I got a great sound with this set-up.

alec · #18 10-11-2011, 05:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by blastjv

I've noticed that particularly with a SS amp, it can be difficult to find a spot on the dial with an OD pedal where the sound is clean when you play lightly and gets a little grittier the harder you dig in. The Pork Loin does this well, as well as the Agro.

-JV

The B3K is great for those sort of dynamic responses.

raul · #19 10-11-2011, 06:05 PM

i've read that the BB Bass may have a loss in bass? hmmm...not sure, have not tried it yet but will soon! i'm itching to try the BB and also the Pork Loin and also the VT Bass...VT Bass mostly for a different flavor...the other two pedals for grit and grind...so, it's kinda between Pork Loin and BB...

gidbass · #20 10-11-2011, 06:22 PM

GC has the green rhino on for $99 so if that is where you are going, you may want to try it out.

Good Luck!