I've recently bought an odb-3 and im having problems equalling the volume of the effect when used to the volume of my clean bass sound when the pedal is off even when the pedal volume is fully cranked. The pedal has a brand new battery in it. I'm running a marcus miller jazz bass which is active/passive this has a new battery too even though I'm running it passively. I'm using a gallien krueger 400rb combo which has an fx send return loop which when used has the same results. Anyone out there got any ideas or suggestions? Thanks in advance.
Enjoy the benefits of a premium membership!
Upgrade Account
-
TalkBass has been independent since 1998. Add your voice.
Create a free account to reply to discussions, view embedded media, and browse with fewer display ads.
Join free Log in
Want zero display ads or expanded classifieds tools? Compare plans.
Boss ODB-3 volume problem
- Thread starter Pigbobman
- Start date
I don't know, but it sounds like either you're not setting it correctly, or the pedal has a problem. Unity gain on that pedal, and most Boss pedals is somewhere near noon.
Thanks Rick...don't suppose you'd know a way of testing the pedal to see if that's the problem? Could a problem with one of the jack input/output on the pedal cause this? When the pedal is on I don't get any interruption in the sound that comes out but looking in the output jack the connector looks slightly bent could it be this isn't making a full contact with my lead? But I would have thought as long as contact is being made this wouldn't affect the volume at all.
Cheers
Cheers
Try different cables first. I've had cables crap out on me a couple times and the result was a loss of volume.
To test the pedal, try this. If this don't work, sounds like a pedal issue.
1. Place the level, Gain and both EQ knobs to 12 o'clock. Set the Balance knob fully to dry.
2. Disengage the pedal and test your volume. Now try engaging the pedal and compare your volume to the disengaged volume. Adjust to the Level knob up or down to match the clean. Mine is around 11 0'clock. Keep repeating this until you match the volume of the pedal to your bypassed signal. At this point you should not have any distortion because the balance is still set at dry.
3. Once the Level is perfect, engage the pedal and start mixing some OD using the Balance knob. Mine picks up a little volume as I add OD.
My main bass is loaded with passive DiMarzio model J's and my "normal" settings for this pedal is:
Level: 1 o'clock
Low EQ: 12 o'clock
Hi EQ: 10 o'clock
Balance: 12 o'clock
Gain: 12 o'clock.
Hope this gets you started.
To test the pedal, try this. If this don't work, sounds like a pedal issue.
1. Place the level, Gain and both EQ knobs to 12 o'clock. Set the Balance knob fully to dry.
2. Disengage the pedal and test your volume. Now try engaging the pedal and compare your volume to the disengaged volume. Adjust to the Level knob up or down to match the clean. Mine is around 11 0'clock. Keep repeating this until you match the volume of the pedal to your bypassed signal. At this point you should not have any distortion because the balance is still set at dry.
3. Once the Level is perfect, engage the pedal and start mixing some OD using the Balance knob. Mine picks up a little volume as I add OD.
My main bass is loaded with passive DiMarzio model J's and my "normal" settings for this pedal is:
Level: 1 o'clock
Low EQ: 12 o'clock
Hi EQ: 10 o'clock
Balance: 12 o'clock
Gain: 12 o'clock.
Hope this gets you started.
Hey lowbass thanks for the advice at the moment my cables seem to be fine if there is a problem then all three have the same. My levels on the pedal are
Level - max
Eq low - 12
Eq high 10
Balance - 12:30
Gain - 12
I don't know how you manage to get away with just having your level at 1!
Maybe Ive got a faulty pedal.
Level - max
Eq low - 12
Eq high 10
Balance - 12:30
Gain - 12
I don't know how you manage to get away with just having your level at 1!
Maybe Ive got a faulty pedal.
1 o'clock is just past midway on the pedal and gives a bit of a boost. Like RickenBoogie mentioned most Boss pedals are set for unity gain around the 12 o'clock position. If I maxed my level I would shatter my windows (sounds fun actually).
Sounds like there is an issue with the pedal.
Sounds like there is an issue with the pedal.
Hey lowbass I've been in touch with a company here in the uk called pedalmods they say they'll fix the problem and add a mod which is a switch so I can get sort of a tubescreamer effect out of it too all for about £30 so I think that's what I'll do. Thanks for your help though.
Have you tried another battery, or an AC adapter? Any battery can be weak. Try that first if you haven't done so yet.
seems my odb-3 just started doing the same thing last practice...
the distortion volume just dropped down and, i cannot get it back to unity with the clean volume... i've swapped patch cables on both sides of the pedal, and all the other pedals respond as they should... 9v adapter power...
the distortion volume just dropped down and, i cannot get it back to unity with the clean volume... i've swapped patch cables on both sides of the pedal, and all the other pedals respond as they should... 9v adapter power...Hey pilgrim yeah I've tried several batteries and an adapter all resulting with the same problem. Like I said pedalmods said they have come across this before and it is fixable. I even contacted Roland uk company and they said the same thing normally it's because someone has used the wrong voltage adapter to power it...the chap I bought it off seemed a little bit slow and eager to get rid so I can assume he at least knew there was a problem and may even caused the problem. I'm sure if I sent it direct to Roland they would charge me an arm and a leg.
Was there ever a solution to the above problem? Sounds like mine has a similar problem, reluctant to buy a new one...
Necro'ing this thread, but I too seem to have this same problem. I basically have to crank my ODB-3 volume to 3 o'clock or max it out to get to what seems to be unity gain. Do these things just have something that fades over time in the circuit? My Sovtek Deluxe crushes at boost compared to the ODB-3 now (which I've had for 10 years), but I'm one of these weirdos who actually likes the pedal.
Sometimes there's an input gain mismatch. When I play my Reverend, which has a 16k Precision pickup, some pedals like my MXR Bass Distortion can't keep up. When I play my significantly lower output Fender, there's no problem. If you have hot pickups, you might try lowering the volume on the bass. You'll have to reconfigure the rest of your setup, but it's usually worth it.
I'll have to run the P-Bass through it tomorrow to test it out. My usual axe is an active Stingray, but I seem to remember it being a blistering pedal above noon for the longest time with that bass. I'm pretty sure the pedal is loud through my headphone amp, too, hmm...
That's interesting to know about the MXR Bass Distortion. That was one pedal I was looking at as a potential replacement!
The MXR is a great sounding RAT pedal. This is just my experience with it. Interestingly, I have a Behringer Bass Overdrive on the way, which is an ODB-3 clone. So I'll let you know what I think of it with higher output pickups.
Funnily enough, I have an always-on RAT upstream from where this distortion slot is, but that's more tone than face ripper. The ODB-3 kind of got redundant with the Muff as both pedals cover insane fuzz territory very well, but the ODB has a nice mid-bump that works surprisingly well for soloing. Hopefully Behringer figured out how to gate some of the background noise on the clone!
5 minute review: there's a little hiss. It's not as bad as I thought it would be. Can counter it by turning up the wet mix instead of increasing the gain. Need to play it with the Watt and get back to you. That's the one with the higher output pickup.
Last edited:
