SFT turned up today after almost 2 months!
Cool I got mine so quick from the States, did you postie happen to comment on how it sounded as I think that's what happnened
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Catalinbread Bass Overdrive
- Thread starter TaySte_2000
- Start date
Cool I got mine so quick from the States, did you postie happen to comment on how it sounded as I think that's what happnened
First impressions are good. It's very different from the VT Bass though, reminds me a bit of the EBS Valvedrive. I just got the most amazing tone playing Peavey T40 -> SFT -> VT -> headphone amp, nodding my head and playing a Shrinebuilder riff until my hands stopped working! 
You might not think so at first. It sounds ok on its own. When I got mine I was like, OK, sounds like a $160 pedal. But in a band setting, it is excellent.
more on the SFT vs VT Bass please!
They are completely different pedals and actually sound quite different. I pretty much have the VT dialed in so I haven't changed it since I got the SFT. The VT is mostly pre-amp shaping for me with a touch of grit while the SFT does a nice mild OD.
I haven't tried to match sounds though so maybe there might be some overlap. I somehow doubt the circuits are very similar.
Interesting comments... I'm using mine to add some sandpaper to my tone.
While we're comparing the sft to the vt, what other pedals would you compare these two to?
While we're comparing the sft to the vt, what other pedals would you compare these two to?
At least the SFT isn't a complete rip off of another circuit. There's some actual design in it. But the Bandaxall tone stack does have its limitations. That was part of the reason why I sold my BDDI and bought the VT Bass. I'm running two amps so both are on my board but used differently.
I'll be keeping my SFT, but am missing my Mesa Bottle Rocket, which I sold to a friend. I'm waiting for the Mark Bass Distorsore to arrive on these shores for my next FX purchase (unless a used Aguilar Octamizer shows up on my radar screen).
*Wants his SFT so he can Jackhammer it with the Serrano*
...so, how did the SFT respond to being jackhammered by the Serrano?
I've had the SFT for a few days now, although I need to give it a run through at some decent volume and so far I've only played it quietly through my amp or through headphones. Here is a quick review / comparison with the VT Bass...
I think I prefer the SFT to the VT when going for old school tones with a P-Bass and flats, where it's clean but fat and just on the verge of breakup. Great for playing 'Dazed and Confused' by Led Zep for example. It has more girth in the lower mids and seems to have a nicer 'feel' than the VT, the attack is less compressed so it sounds a bit punchier. Straight through headphones it sounds like it would be awesome as a clean recording preamp. However I prefer the VT for copping Geezer Butler tones that have a bit more clank going on (like War Pigs) since the SFT is rather mellow in the upper mids.
The SFT sounds very similar to a tube pedal like the EBS Valvedrive or DHA VT1 when cranking up to med/high gain, which isn't a sound I'm fond of as overdriven preamp tubes tend to sound thin and brittle when pushed past low gain. The VT sounds crunchier though, and when playing my Peavey T-40 with rounds for some Ric-like grind, the VT wins every time. Especially since I've discovered that a mild boost in front of the VT stop it from farting out on the low notes, even though it sounds counter intuitive.
At full gain, I can get a sound like the doom clip on Youtube with the SFT and a P-Bass. At the same settings on the T-40 it sounds plain awful, but it can be remedied by reducing the bass knob, so the sound you'll get out of this pedal very much depends on what bass you are using. To get the full gain out of it the bass eq has to be maxed out, since the SFT has it's EQ before the clipping section which I found strange. At high gain, increasing the bass knob gives you more overdrive and not much more low end. On the other hand, the VT has the EQ after the overdrive, so has masses of low end boost available - too much in fact, the EQ is really sensitive. The VT can get in the doom ballpark too, especially with a boost before it, but the more extreme speaker simulation makes it sound a bit more nasal. I need to put some rounds back on my P-Bass to see how these pedals react to that setup (I need a second P-Bass!).
I may do some clips when I get the time!
I think I prefer the SFT to the VT when going for old school tones with a P-Bass and flats, where it's clean but fat and just on the verge of breakup. Great for playing 'Dazed and Confused' by Led Zep for example. It has more girth in the lower mids and seems to have a nicer 'feel' than the VT, the attack is less compressed so it sounds a bit punchier. Straight through headphones it sounds like it would be awesome as a clean recording preamp. However I prefer the VT for copping Geezer Butler tones that have a bit more clank going on (like War Pigs) since the SFT is rather mellow in the upper mids.
The SFT sounds very similar to a tube pedal like the EBS Valvedrive or DHA VT1 when cranking up to med/high gain, which isn't a sound I'm fond of as overdriven preamp tubes tend to sound thin and brittle when pushed past low gain. The VT sounds crunchier though, and when playing my Peavey T-40 with rounds for some Ric-like grind, the VT wins every time. Especially since I've discovered that a mild boost in front of the VT stop it from farting out on the low notes, even though it sounds counter intuitive.
At full gain, I can get a sound like the doom clip on Youtube with the SFT and a P-Bass. At the same settings on the T-40 it sounds plain awful, but it can be remedied by reducing the bass knob, so the sound you'll get out of this pedal very much depends on what bass you are using. To get the full gain out of it the bass eq has to be maxed out, since the SFT has it's EQ before the clipping section which I found strange. At high gain, increasing the bass knob gives you more overdrive and not much more low end. On the other hand, the VT has the EQ after the overdrive, so has masses of low end boost available - too much in fact, the EQ is really sensitive. The VT can get in the doom ballpark too, especially with a boost before it, but the more extreme speaker simulation makes it sound a bit more nasal. I need to put some rounds back on my P-Bass to see how these pedals react to that setup (I need a second P-Bass!).
I may do some clips when I get the time!
bongomania
Commercial User
The SFT is definitely more transparent than the VT Bass. It's an interesting comparison between the two. I wouldn't consider them to be competitors though. Both will be on my board for awhile.
Which one goes into the other? (I have VT last, always on, not much drive (10 oclock) character at 9:30 mellow, mid knob 2pm, bass at 1pm) Or will they be isolated with a loop? Would you have to turn one off to use the other?
