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Cheap but good OD

I've decided to stop kidding myself and just admit that I want at least a VT Bass if not an EBS ValveDrive. I haven't seen the pedal yet for under $100 that will get as authentically tubey as the VT. Show me one that does and I'll buy it.

The EBS valve drive is very interesting. I want one myself, but I also want the VT bass! The VT bass is very versatile and is probably the best non tube pedal which give a (SVT) tube tone. The EBS is a real tube pedal, it is Swedish so it it not expensive here in Norway, just a tad over the VT bass. Hmmmm... What shell I get? I've the PBDDI and the Oxford, so I wander if I'll go for a real tube pedal this time!

Hmm, I forgot the Paradriver, I want that too. But maybe I'll just go for a RBI which which is a tone monster.
 
I myself owned two iterations of the Bass Driver DI. Both sounded good--but neither of them could go as far into the breakup distortion area as I liked. That is to say, they'd go there, but that's where they start to sound bad. That's pretty much why I got rid of it.

The VT pedal seems different. It appears to go comfortably from subtle sizzle to fat tube to full fuzz--all while still sounding convincingly tubey.

You are a "GK man" if I remember right. You have used the BDDI in front of a MB combo?
 
Here is my pedal board. I've no amp so the PBDDOI and the Oxford are my preamps:
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The blue pedal is a Norwegian distortion pedal. It is the Onkart Grombass. Quite cool pedal with blend knob (groms) and 3 different diodes: Germanium, Silicon and Led.
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It have 3 filters and is build for bass. But it is not a cheap pedal. Cost about the same as a VT bass.
My Oxford btw is signed by TM Stevens.
The Bad Monkey is cheap and I use it to boost more mids into the PBDDI and add some OD to the PBDDI. I think the Bad Monkey with the PBDDI gives better distortion then the PBDDI alone.
 
You are a "GK man" if I remember right. You have used the BDDI in front of a MB combo?

I got rid of the combo + extension cab rig and bought an MB500 and a Neo 212 and ...ran out of money for the second cab and bought a used 410MBX. But yes, an all GK rig right now.

I liked the Bass Driver DI. That's why when I decided that I didn't need the programmable one I actually replaced it with the standard model. I found that it was useful in giving me a "big" tone coloration and a bit of hair on the signal. Pushing it to break up more didn't make me happy, though. And it was frustrating that the scooped EQ was seemingly undefeatable.

I became really enamored of Source Audio effects and decided to get both their bass distortion and their envelope filter. During this upheaval I got rid of a lot of stuff--including the BDDI.

But now, as I said, I'm missing the ability to dial in a retro sound. And I want one that makes me happier than the BDDI did. After a lot of listening, I think that sound is definitely the VT. It does what the BDDI did but the distortion is more usable and the EQ doesn't seem as rigid. The only downsides are that it's kinda pricey for a one-trick pony and that it has no DI. But I think I'm just going to have to live with it.
 
I just got my CM-2 in last night. This is a nice sounding pedal. I think it will easily to "light" OD for you.

I've been trying to get some recordings, but having technical issues.

FYI, something I didn't check when I bought the pedal, it does not take a battery, you can only run it from a wall-wort or pedalboard.
 
You seemingly can get a used Big Bass Muff Pi for $60 shipped, right on these very forums. ($83 new at Amazon.) I'm pretty darned tempted to order a used one next payday.

I was "this" close to buying one. But after trying it out next to a handful of other pedals it was outperformed by every other pedal I tried. The Boss ODB-3 can do SO MUCH more and sounds much more full and rich.
 
I was "this" close to buying one. But after trying it out next to a handful of other pedals it was outperformed by every other pedal I tried. The Boss ODB-3 can do SO MUCH more and sounds much more full and rich.

i agree. IMO, my BBM isn't really all that thrilling, and that's even even with the modded level control. i think that ODB-3's and even DOD 250's are better for the money.

for muff type fuzzes, i prefer the green russian, the earthbound audio supercollider or the blackout effectors musket fuzz (my favorite of the three), but none of them are under $100.
 
Me, I realized that a big fuzz tone wasn't what I was after. I have a pedal for high levels of distortion: my source audio bass distortion. What I don't have is a pedal to give me a fat tubey breakup or a little hot amp sizzle.

IMO, the Wampler Black '65, theyt Catalinbread WiiO, the Fairfield Circuitry Barbershop, and the Creation Audio Labs Holy Fire all do that extremely well.
 
I've

The Joyo was more to my liking though. I had a Fulltone OCD before too and I felt the Joyo emulated the tone very well but kept the bass better than the OCD!

yeah, i think the OCD cuts too much low end too. i modded mine to retain all of the low the end. to me, without the mod it's unusable for bass, but with it, it's pretty awesome.
 
johnk_10 said:
i agree. IMO, my BBM isn't really all that thrilling, and that's even even with the modded level control. i think that ODB-3's and even DOD 250's are better for the money.

for muff type fuzzes, i prefer the green russian, the earthbound audio supercollider or the blackout effectors musket fuzz (my favorite of the three), but none of them are under $100.

Love the green Russian muff. It's the best muff for bass IMHO. People have done side by side comparison with it and the wren and cuff box of war… amazing. Perfect reproduction. But with updated features and more functional controls. When I have $250 (ouch) to throw at a fuzz I'm getting one.