I have the Boss ODB-3. IMO it sounds like guitar distortion. Distortion naturally cuts the bottom a bit and adds highs, but the ODB absolutely squelches the low end. If I try to use it in a live setting, as soon as I engage it, i can no longer hear myself in the mix. I don't really like it or use it. I've found coupling it with an eq or boost can help, but it still sounds like guitar distortion to me. Plus it's all fuzz. I can't dial in any kind of warm tubey sound, at all.
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Bass overdrive.
- Thread starter Flipper43
- Start date
scotch
It's not rocket science!
- Nov 12, 2006
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I agree that the ODB-3 is "fuzzy", but... bottom loss? Really? It has one of the broadest low frequency eq boosts available built-in! Plus it has level for days.
I've been searching for that tone as well and as a VT Bass owner it won't get you there. A good tube pre/OD may get you there. I've add a Blackstar HT-Dual and although a little gainy it comes close. (still experimenting with it) I'm playing a T-bird into a Shtl 6.0 >Neo 212....and so the search for the holy grail of ODs continues....
René_Julien;8340896 said:I'm in no position to dictate what to do... but))...
Maybe hold off buying an overdrive pedal until you get a GK.
I love GK... I play about the same genre as you I think, given the sound you're after in the YT link.
Those Backlines can get really scooped and gritty. Even better than my GK 1001RB-II. Which also can growl but I admire my GK for it's clean headroom.
I am waiting until the GK MB Fusion is available.
The BDDI is great, but it's going to be redundant (and a waste of money) if you are planning to get an amp that is going to deliver an overdrive sound that is in the ballpark.
The BDDI is an awesome pedal though. But save your money for a GK.
Again, my opinion, its not up to make to make decision for you.
For further reading, search in the amp forum for a thread: "the much talked about Gallien Krueger growl"
edit: link to thread: http://www.talkbass.com/forum/showthread.php?t=587141
Makes for some good reading and experiences from GK fans if you have some time to kill.
Thanks dude, and i play relatively heavy stuff but am mostly influenced by late 70's-80's punk bands and a few from the 90's, like the video link i put, and that's my favorite bands (TAD) with the germs being my second and nirvana being third, just for the record. But yea, i was planing to get some ampeg amp, but i came across GK stuff a couple days ago, and decided that i liked it better after trying it out at Guitar Center. I'm gonna go read that thread right now, seems pretty interesting.
I play in 3piece rock groups mostly and have always used some kind of overdrive/distortion to add that "other" pseudo guitar player. The problem is that you ALWAYS lose the bottom end bass tone, especially w/my 5string.
Beleive me i have tried dozens and even modified a few...until now.
You HAVE to check out the Hughes @ Vettner Tube Factor. It has two gain switches. The 1st turns an initial drive (on/off switch) the 2nd (called Factor 1/2) puts a Big Muff to shame! You can get all the dist. you need w/out losing the bottom end.
I got mine on ebay new for $200. Worth every penny. I think Guitar (suck-it) Center they are $350.
Let me kow what you think,
milestherooster
Beleive me i have tried dozens and even modified a few...until now.
You HAVE to check out the Hughes @ Vettner Tube Factor. It has two gain switches. The 1st turns an initial drive (on/off switch) the 2nd (called Factor 1/2) puts a Big Muff to shame! You can get all the dist. you need w/out losing the bottom end.
I got mine on ebay new for $200. Worth every penny. I think Guitar (suck-it) Center they are $350.
Let me kow what you think,
milestherooster
remembering that i play through a Ampeg 8x10, the bottom end stays with you like you weren't even using a peddle. its the best addition to my sound in a long time.
TAD
oh man,
totally dating myself, but inhaler was my soundtrack to jr. high... awesome awesome stuff.
and you owe yourself a vtbass. really.
bongomania
Commercial User
Just FWIW, that is a plain fact about that pedal. Nobody has ever gotten a warm tubey sound out of it.
There are people that like it for what it does do, but you are guaranteed disappointment if you want it to do something else.
Planet Boulder
Hey, this is a private residence...man
- Nov 10, 2001
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- I once had impure thoughts. Oh, and I pluck my ear hair.
At the risk of just listing my "favorite", I'll throw the Fulltone OCD out there. Sweet pedal that doesn't lose the low end and allows you to adjust tone. It's not overly warm, but it certainly isn't of the "sterile" variety either. Basically, it's a good, versatile OD pedal. I had the Fulltone Bass-Drive and I like the OCD much better. I just think the OCD's dynamic range is a little wider and it's less muddy overall.
On the cheap side, you honestly can't go wrong with the ol' Digitech Bad Monkey (unmodded). You can adjust hi and low freqs and it provides a nice, mid-rangey bite.
I've tried a bunch over the years and, while the OCD has won the battle (for now), I find myself using the Bad Monkey at least as much.
Of course, I have a VT Bass on the way (
), so all bets may be off once it arrives.
On the cheap side, you honestly can't go wrong with the ol' Digitech Bad Monkey (unmodded). You can adjust hi and low freqs and it provides a nice, mid-rangey bite.
I've tried a bunch over the years and, while the OCD has won the battle (for now), I find myself using the Bad Monkey at least as much.
Of course, I have a VT Bass on the way (
), so all bets may be off once it arrives.I believe overdrive should emulate a tubes being overdriven, not straight fuzz distortion. So, yeah I guess I figured it should be what the name of the pedal says. So if I buy a delay pedal, I expect it to make echoes. That sort of thing. I guess I should have done my homework and not assumed the pedal does what it is supposed to do. Maybe my definition of overdrive should be changed to mean heavy metal type fuzz distortion, exclusively. I'm glad I only paid $20 for it, it sucks.
scotch
It's not rocket science!
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I agree. The ODB-3 doesn't sound "Tubey" at all and is more of a distortion than an overdrive. Again, I totally agree.
I just disagreed with your claim of: "...the ODB absolutely squelches the low end...". This just isn't true. While you may be unhappy with the ODB-3's inherent drive characteristic & feel mislead by the labelling, I still stand behind the fact that it is, at least, more than capable of preserving - if not adding significant - low end.
I'm surprised no one has mentioned the SFT yet. It's become almost an "always on" pedal for me and I'm playing through a mesa m-pulse 600, which has a great clean tube tone. I use it primarily for low to medium gain structure. I also recently acquired an Xotic Bass BB preamp for higher gain needs. The SFT also does excellent high gain.
Electronix GeminiDrive is an amazing bass OD, capable of almost fuzz level drive if you want it.
I got you, my last response was for Bongo's assertion that fuzz is all it does or should be expected to do.
As far as the low end goes, I'm used to such a dark, round tone, that probably every distortion would take some of that away. I guess the volume of those low frequencies is still there, maybe it's just the added highs (that are inherent of all distortions) that I complained about.
Aren't they the best?! I wish they would go on a reunion tour someday. Imagine TAD on tour with The Jesus Lizard? I would go to every one of their shows, somehow. Also, what do you mean by "You owe yourself a vt bass"?
I'm fairly sure (though this knowledge is dating back to a time when I listened to more Tad, I haven't listened to them in forever...and that was a while ago) that the bassist used a Hiwatt guitar amp that was somehow modded for bass, though not that heavily modded. I'm pretty sure it was a DR103.
Also, if I had to guess at that distortion, I'd say RAT. RAT. Muff circuits don't sound that hollow, if that makes sense. The Xotic BB, Fulltone Bassdrive, etc. are based on a tubescreamer-type circuit and I don't think that's going to get you where you want to go, they're just not scooped. Obviously just saying it's sounds like a RAT doesn't mean the first RAT you buy is gonna nail that tone though, obviously the amp has a lot to do with it, and while I've never owned them, I am vaguely aware that there are a lot of RAT variants.
As another GK amp guy, I have never found that there is enough distortion on the amp to do tones like that (though I have played RB's, not backlines). The amp boost sounds awesome, but it's not really meant to do full on distortion/overdrive stuff.
Just my two cents
Also, if I had to guess at that distortion, I'd say RAT. RAT. Muff circuits don't sound that hollow, if that makes sense. The Xotic BB, Fulltone Bassdrive, etc. are based on a tubescreamer-type circuit and I don't think that's going to get you where you want to go, they're just not scooped. Obviously just saying it's sounds like a RAT doesn't mean the first RAT you buy is gonna nail that tone though, obviously the amp has a lot to do with it, and while I've never owned them, I am vaguely aware that there are a lot of RAT variants.
As another GK amp guy, I have never found that there is enough distortion on the amp to do tones like that (though I have played RB's, not backlines). The amp boost sounds awesome, but it's not really meant to do full on distortion/overdrive stuff.
Just my two cents
