Bass Overdrive / Fuzz / Distortion

[Mr. voodoobass]

I thought i'd throw in my favorites that also happen to not get covered so much.

Mesa boogie FluxDrive: goes from clean boost to slight overdrive over into distortion, but not into violently high gain. Great attack at low gain settings and gets smoother and swampier at high gain settings. It has a nice mid bump to it that really helps it cut through. With bass st noon you loose some bottom, but get it all back with bass knob at 3-5. Actually boosts the bass some at full turn.
It does sound similar to a tubescreamer, but without any bass loss. It's a guitarpedal but it really shines with bass through any amp i've put it up with!

Rodenberg GAS728: it's a clean boost and a bass friendly ts808(sort of)2 in 1 pedal. Both channels have tone knob and bass boost switch. You can switch at what order the both channels shall work, or switch between them, or use 808-side as a momentary switch.
It's smooth as silk and starts to get some bite with tone above 3.
It doesn't scoop or bump any mids with tone at noon, it's really a "what you put into it comes out" but with hair lol
Mine is now discontinued, and the updated version has a switch for gain boost on the 808 side, instead of on the 707 side that mine has.

If i where to compare the two, I'd say the Flux is more aggressive and sort of bitier. While the 728 is like a Swiss armyknife at what you can do with it. It can get close to the Flux, but will always sound a little smoother and warmer.
Oh i have to point out that i hate pedals that loose bottom and neither of these have any problem with that.

 

[Sputnik Monroe]

Here is one that is never even considered by most ... I kinda came to from the guitar side. We have band practice at my place and I havd it set up so we can just walk in and play, drums, guitar amps PA it's all there set up. I wanted a single pedal for my guitar player that was a do it all. The VOX Ice 9 OD was impressive, it has a separate BASS knob besides the overall tone knob and a vintage/modern OD switch plus an extra MORE foot switch that adds a 14db boost and adds girth. One night I had a parred down gig and decided not to take my pedal board and threw the Ice 9 in the gig bag.

It worked so well I bought a second one for my bass pedal board. How does it sound, in vintage mode it's old school tubby think tube screamer with reall bass, in modern the bass is tighter and the OD more crunchy (my fave setting) and the sound is slightly compressed in all settings giving it a convincing tube vibe. The "more" feature really punches up the signal, I use it usually to add drive during certain parts of a tune. For me it was/is a surprise sleeper of a pedal that retains the bass under the drive. It's my every gig go to pedal now, sadly discontinued by VOX but plenty still out there used.

 

[Crystalman85]

I thought i'd throw in my favorites that also happen to not get covered so much.

Mesa boogie FluxDrive: goes from clean boost to slight overdrive over into distortion, but not into violently high gain. Great attack at low gain settings and gets smoother and swampier at high gain settings. It has a nice mid bump to it that really helps it cut through. With bass st noon you loose some bottom, but get it all back with bass knob at 3-5. Actually boosts the bass some at full turn.
It does sound similar to a tubescreamer, but without any bass loss. It's a guitarpedal but it really shines with bass through any amp i've put it up with!

Rodenberg GAS728: it's a clean boost and a bass friendly ts808(sort of)2 in 1 pedal. Both channels have tone knob and bass boost switch. You can switch at what order the both channels shall work, or switch between them, or use 808-side as a momentary switch.
It's smooth as silk and starts to get some bite with tone above 3.
It doesn't scoop or bump any mids with tone at noon, it's really a "what you put into it comes out" but with hair lol
Mine is now discontinued, and the updated version has a switch for gain boost on the 808 side, instead of on the 707 side that mine has.

If i where to compare the two, I'd say the Flux is more aggressive and sort of bitier. While the 728 is like a Swiss armyknife at what you can do with it. It can get close to the Flux, but will always sound a little smoother and warmer.
Oh i have to point out that i hate pedals that loose bottom and neither of these have any problem with that.

I've been looking at the mesa boogie fluxdrive and the trottle box at one point and I've heard how they sound on bass. they both sound pretty cool. I've checked out MrExcane's clip on the throttle box and it sounds pretty heavy and the I've seen the fluxdrive demoed on bass and it has a pretty edgy sound. but does it really sound comparable to the tubescreamer? from that clip I've checked out, it sounded heavier than the tubescreamer. at least from my perspective it does. here are the clips I've checked out on these pedals.

Throttle box


Fluxdrive


If I'm out of reach of owning an empress heavy or the multidrive, I might consider purchasing one of these pedals. they sound pretty cool on bass. \m/

 

[Bassmike62]

I'm also on the lookout for a used Empress MultiDrive, but in the meantime, I got 2 OD pedals this morning: a used Digitech Bass Driver, which I owned a few years ago and always liked and the TC Electronic MojoMojo, which was good enough for me to pick over a Fulltone OCD (v.4, was I told) because of low-end loss on the OCD's part.

After years with VT Bass variations (v1, v2, VTDI), I went back to a "cleaner" BDDI sound, but still need light OD every so often (fuzz and distortion duties being covered with the MS60B).

I'll be trying a few OD pedals before settling in... certainly an MXR Bass Overdrive and an EHX Bass Soul Food, hopefully a Blueberry and Sweet Honey, just saw a Mosfet Fulltone BassDrive in the locals... I'm in trouble.

 

[Feral Feline]

Tempting... I've got an Empress MultiDrive that is MINT, never gigged, only overdriven on Sundays at home... but I feel I haven't given it enough time so it's not for sale just yet...

 

[socialleper]

I'm sure that this topic has been covered in many different threads but I wanted to share my opinions and thoughts about some of the various Bass OD / Distortion / Fuzz boxes on the market. I am a die hard fan of using different "Dirt" boxes and I own or have owned a TON of these. Hopefully my insight will help some folks decide on some for their own needs. I'm also interested in hearing others opinions based on their own experiences.

Way Huge Pork Loin - This is my "GO TO" pedal. It has VERY versatile settings including internal trim pots and can produce a wide range of dirt from subtle clipping (Tube style) to a pretty smooth distortion. I typically use this for a mild overdrive just to put a bit of hair on the signal and frequently this is an "Always On" pedal for me. I've also used it for a more grindy, yet warm type of overdrive to play certain grunge style songs. It has a larger form factor than most boxes but on the plus side it uses a Blue LED which can be seen in daylight VERY well without blinding you on a dark stage.

Boss BB-1X - This is a brand new offering from Boss and I currently use 2 in my live rig. The first is an "Always On" pedal that I use similarly to the Pork Loin...basically just adds some gain and "hair" to my signal. The second I use for a dirtier but still warm overdrive. Personally I think this pedal is one of the best out there and it has a wide range of gain allowing for Overdrive to Fuzz. It also features a 1/4" direct output which can come in handy for running straight to the board.

MXR M80 (Silver) - Love this pedal because of the OD channel which is VERY versatile but unfortunately the OD channel can only be engaged when the unit itself is engaged. What this means is that you have to engage the Pre-amp section and then engage the OD section. I used to run everything flat which allowed me to effectively just engage the OD when I wanted, but I am not a huge fan of having active circuity in my signal chain. As a result I haven't done much with this other than studio work due to the XLR direct out. The Overdrive CAN be subtle but IMO the sweet spot is in the warm and hairy type of sound which can be used very effectively with the blend knob to retain your original signal while adding some hair on top of it.

MXR M89 - This was supposed to be the OD section from the M80 mentioned above without the Direct out of active Pre-amp. IMO it has different tonal characteristics and sound kind of fizzy and harsh at times. I had a hard time using it in a transparent manner to add gain and dirt. It does much better when trying to achieve more mid range and high end OD or grind (Think Muse).

EBS Multidrive - I own 2 of the Swedish made models (Not the Chinese Made ones) and it does pretty well for adding slight tube-like drive and warmth. It can also get pretty Overdriven to the point of being almost distortion or fuzz. It's a great pedal for it's simplicity but I find that it doesn't really cut through the mix well. It's better suited to beef up your overall sound and add some meat to it. I'm also not a fan of the dim and small Red LED which is REAL tough to see in daylight and under certain lighting conditions. I swapped my LED's out for Bright blue for this reason but the LED's are still relatively small.

Big Muff Russian (Black) - Again, simple pedal and classic Fuzz. Having said that....that's what it is a FUZZ. It's tough to get anything other than full out apocalyptic high gain fuzz out of it. On the other hand it does cut very well in the mix but loses some low end.

I'll be back with some more info on the Bad Monkey, Darkglass Microtubes, Boss ODB3, Bogner Wessex, Phat Phuk and Red Witch factotum.

I have a Pork Loin and find it pretty useful. Nice lightweight OD for a little tube breakup. There are a lot of options for this pedal. The real trick is not getting scared to tweak the knobs. It also makes a nice clean boost in a pinch.

I had a Black Russian Muff once. At the time I didn't have a way to blend it and raw fuzz just isn't for me. Plus it was freaking huge. I don't miss it.

My love for the Dunwich Amps Volt Thrower (rat clone) has been well documented on TB. Rare but worth it if you want the most versatile Rat out there.

I'm torn between the Demon OCD clone and the ODB. Both are way better than the original Fulltone.

 

[BaltBass5]

Been a while so I thought I'd add a few more of my most recent acquisitions:

Pike Amplification Vulcan:

KILLER all around for everything from mild tubey gain to full out grit. This has become my #1 go to for a nice growly OD. It has a volume control, gain control, color control (character) and a mix control. I've been using it as a slight tube growl all the way up to a nice gritty SVT style OD. I really dig the usefulness of this pedal and the fact that there is NO low end loss at all. It's also pretty small (MXR form factor) and utilizes a blue LED which is clearly visible in daylight but not obnoxiously bright like some.

 

[Bassmike62]

Been a while so I thought I'd add a few more of my most recent acquisitions:

Pike Amplification Vulcan:

KILLER all around for everything from mild tubey gain to full out grit. This has become my #1 go to for a nice growly OD. It has a volume control, gain control, color control (character) and a mix control. I've been using it as a slight tube growl all the way up to a nice gritty SVT style OD. I really dig the usefulness of this pedal and the fact that there is NO low end loss at all. It's also pretty small (MXR form factor) and utilizes a blue LED which is clearly visible in daylight but not obnoxiously bright like some.

Just looked at their Vulcan/Vulcan XL video... impressive !! I was seduced from the 1st notes.

EDIT: Prymaxe had a couple of demos on sale, so I snagged one and it should be here Friday. First time I buy 3 pedals in a day, all OD. The Vulcan really got to me. Might live long, but not necessarily prosper, if I get more days like this.

 

[BaltBass5]

Just looked at their Vulcan/Vulcan XL video... impressive !! I was seduced from the 1st notes.

EDIT: Prymaxe had a couple of demos on sale, so I snagged one and it should be here Friday. First time I buy 3 pedals in a day, all OD. The Vulcan really got to me. Might live long, but not necessarily prosper, if I get more days like this.

Glad to contribute to your "problem" lol

 

[BaltBass5]

Free The Tone Bass Blaster 2:

I'll start by saying that this one is SPENDY but worth every cent if you can afford it! $380 of PURE transparent bass grit! This is the be all, end all of Bass OD pedals! Absolutely NO coloration of tone just simply adds whatever you need. I can't really explain more than that but it is hands down the best bass OD for getting a good tube grind that I've ever tried! (And as you know I'm obsessed with bass dirt!)