A journey from fuzz to overdrive.

[Pilgrim]

I've had a kind of journey through effects over the last few years.

On some of the numbers my band plays - Peter Gunn and the old Link Wray tune Jack The Ripper come to mind - I want something other than a clean sound. I want some dirt in there, but I want to still have definition to the notes I play.

I started off using my good old 1960's Univox Super-Fuzz, which has to be one of the most radical fuzz pedals ever made. I like the sound solo, but in a band mix, the fuzz was just too much - my notes lost all definition and the bass just turned into a kind of low-level roar that didn't help the music. That Super-Fuzz makes a buzzsaw seem mild by comparison.

The next stop was an attempt to shift one level less aggressive - a Boss ODB-3 distortion pedal my wife gave me for Christmas (nice lady, that). I have it set up on my pedal board just before a Behringer BDI-21 direct interface which helped smooth the sound a bit, but I still couldn't get quite the sound I wanted without losing note definition.

Today I spent some time in Guitar Center playing with their big display of Boss pedals, and discovered the SD-1 Overdrive Pedal. I think I FINALLY found a pedal that adds "dirt" (or maybe just character) without losing the attack and decay of the notes...and it was on sale for $30. Definitely worth a shot! I'll be traveling for a few days, but I can't wait to try it out in practice. And with GC's return policy I have 30 days to return it if it doesn't work out.

I suspect I've been searching for a less aggressive sound and have finally found it by moving through incrementally less aggressive pedals. Based on the stickies in this forum and comments I've read, I have the progression from most to least distortion sorted out this way:

Fuzz > > > Distortion > > > Overdrive.

Comments?

 

[assboglin]

I can't imagine playing fuzz bass on Henry Mancini! (Peter Gunn). That's pretty badass.

You may find a problem with the SD-1 cutting out some of the bottom of your bass signal, so if you do I'll go ahead and recommend a blend loop for you as a possible solution.

 

[Pilgrim]

The way we play Peter Gunn is nice and gritty - two guitars with reverb, and often a really mean harmonica guy who sits in. Pounding the bass line for Peter Gunn under those circumstances is a pleasure.

I've read some comments about the SD-1 cutting low frequencies a bit - there are also mods listed to correct that. But info is ALWAYS welcome.

 

[bigchiefbc]

I use an SD-1 and absolutely love it, but I do clean blend it. To my ears it stands out in my band mix beautifully, much better than tubescreamers and its clones.

 

[Pilgrim]

So, 'splain to me, plizz...what is a "clean blend"? I have no idea what it means or how it is achieved.

 

[Jester85]

So, 'splain to me, plizz...what is a "clean blend"? I have no idea what it means or how it is achieved.

You blend your clean sound with effected sound, like in a mixing board.

 

[Higgie]

Clean blends are either used to achieve a certain sound (Like a Bi-Amped rig) or to keep the low end intact.

A couple of pedals that can do that for you are:

Barge Concepts VFB2
Barge Concepts VB-Jr (the VFB2 but without the feedback loop)
Xotic X-Blender

I used to own the Barge unit and I must say, it's a great bit of kit, awesome for using guitar pedals with bass to retain the low end.

 

[BillySid]

Here is a great pedal that is awesome at blending your clean with effected. It's what I use.

Invalid Link Removed

 

[Pilgrim]

OK, I'll study the diagram on that last link - because I still have no clue what clean blend means - but hopefully that will clue me in. Thanks!

 

[40Hz_of_Love]

You have a sound overdriven by your SD-1 and a clean sound and with a clean blend pedal (which is kind of a mixer) you mix them, so you can hear both the clean and overdriven signal through your amp.