I am enjoying my Ibanez Bass Tubescreamer. It is pretty touch sensitive. I've not really put in enough time with it to make any strong claims about it yet, but it seems to retain the low end pretty well. It also changes character drastically depending on your bass or strings. I have a Jaguar with DiMarzio Model J's and stainless strings and it was able to push the pedal from low overdrive into near fuzz. I recently tried some flats on that bass and the pedal sounds very tame by comparison. I also have a P-bass with flats and that one sounded about the same as the Jag, but there was a bit more high end presence (probably due to the SD 1/4 pound pickup it carries). Good luck. Maybe I can get a recording tomorrow.
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I never thought it possible to sum up my gear-loving self so succinctly. But I did.
I've been wanting a touch-sensitive OD as well. I currently use a Pork Loin which I like the sound of, it's just that it applies the same level of dirt to your playing no matter how you attack it. But tonally I love it.
Bass > PL > SVT
The SVT generates some amount of touch to the tone thanks to tubes, but I'd like a touch sensitive Pork Loin if one exists.
I recently started using a Way Huge Green Rhino(based on Tubescreamer). It was very touch sensitive at home through a practice amp. I can't really tell what's going on while playing with the band though. 3 guitar players + loud drummer, and wearing earplugs doesn't allow me to hear my sound very clearly.
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Here is a list of overdrives that I tried that I find to be sensitive to my playing:
Fuzzrocious Dark Driving
Fuzzrocious Rat Tail ran at lower gain settings
Fulltone OCD
Rusty Box
Earthquaker Devices Speaker Cranker
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Thank you everyone for your suggestions! I will certainly be looking further into every one of them.
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Originally Posted by johnk_10
I have both the SFT and the blueberry and, IMO both of them are very good sounding overdrives, but I actually prefer the runoffgroove ginger over both of them, especially for more subtle (and less compressed) touch sensitive OD tones.
Do you think I would also like the runoffgroove? It would be nice to know a few more of your favorite touch sensitive overdrives. Are there any good ones with built in EQs so that any coloration could be mostly eliminated?
Quote:
Originally Posted by johnk_10
here's a quick clip of my paisley drive. (pbass/SVT7pro/2x15cab, recorded with a zoom h4n). the very first part is bypassed, then with it engaged. I tried to show the touch sensitivity by playing it softly and then progressively harder.
That sounds so nice! now I wish I knew what an unmodified one sounds like...
Quote:
Originally Posted by skulletwhip
Here is a list of overdrives that I tried that I find to be sensitive to my playing:
Fuzzrocious Dark Driving
Fuzzrocious Rat Tail ran at lower gain settings
Fulltone OCD
Rusty Box
Earthquaker Devices Speaker Cranker
I've always been interested in the Fuzzrocious stuff, I've never heard the Dark Driving be touch sensitive though? (from a clean to overdriven level I mean).
I've also never heard anything about the Speaker Cranker, what is your overall opinion of it?
Do you think I would also like the runoffgroove? It would be nice to know a few more of your favorite touch sensitive overdrives. Are there any good ones with built in EQs so that any coloration could be mostly eliminated?
the runoffgroove ginger is one of my favorites. it reminds me a of an ampeg SVT's tone, and it's very touch sensitive (it's one of my top 5 favorites out of all the pedals that I own)
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Originally Posted by sammywalk
I've also never heard anything about the Speaker Cranker, what is your overall opinion of it?
I think that the speaker cranker is a nice pedal. it is touch sensitive, but it's definitely not transparent. to me it's more like a cab simulator. I find its best used as a very light overdrive (which I believe is the manufacturer's intended use).
Yeah. The Speaker Cranker is cool. I use it to put more edge to my distortion pedals. It really does well with that. It sounds like a really cranked up combo amp to me. Probably where the name came from.....
As far as the Fuzzrocious stuff, it won't get %100 clean, but it will clean up. I personally never play %100 clean. I always have my Rusty Box on.
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the runoffgroove ginger is one of my favorites. it reminds me a of an ampeg SVT's tone, and it's very touch sensitive (it's one of my top 5 favorites out of all the pedals that I own)
Maybe you should just give me a short list of your favorites, haha. I may be able to get over the idea of having complete transparency.
My Way Huge Pork Loin gives me the grit I love and then a bit of grind when I dig in. Got plenty of other favs for fuzz and heavy sounds but my pork loin is nearly always on
To be entirely honest, I don't really understand what "transparent" means in terms of overdrive.
Well technically an overdrive pedal should simply sound like you're overdriving your amp. But for some reason most pedals change your EQ to differ it from "transparent" sound of your clean tone.
My Way Huge Pork Loin gives me the grit I love and then a bit of grind when I dig in. Got plenty of other favs for fuzz and heavy sounds but my pork loin is nearly always on
Well technically an overdrive pedal should simply sound like you're overdriving your amp. But for some reason most pedals change your EQ to differ it from "transparent" sound of your clean tone.
I get it now! Thanks. With this new knowledge I can say that the Rusty is definitely not transparent. It emulates a Traynor amp.
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Just to clarify - touch sensitive doesn't mean the volume goes up and down with the intensity of your playing. It means the amount of overdrive/dirt does. You should be able to nearly remove the overdrive from the sound by playing lightly or rolling your instrument volume back, or thicken the drive by slamming it with really aggressive playing.
Just whipped up a real quick clip of the Pork Loin to illustrate how it is *NOT* touch sensitive. Clip is currently at the top of the page. In contrast, if you scroll down the page to the clip titled "EHX English MUFF'n overdrive vs MESA Bottle Rocket tube overdrive" you can hear some touch sensitive glory. I play with the volume rolled back then roll it up and you hear the overdrive soar into action. Makes me want to buy them all over again.
Are they any close competitors with this? Just to make sure it really is the best option.
it depends what you want in a pedal. for me, the holy fire is about as good as it gets. and they (creation audio labs) are also coming out with a bass overdrive/distortion' called the grizzy bass soon, but I personally can't imagine it being better than the holy fire.
