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Dirt Pedals For Tube Snobs
- Thread starter JimmyM
- Start date
Bongo reviewed a Tone God Tubeulent recently and it sounds like it might be up your alley. I'd find the link, but at this time Android is smarter than me.
EDIT
http://www.talkbass.com/forum/f36/t...tube-drive-tone-box-incomplete-review-873175/
EDIT
http://www.talkbass.com/forum/f36/t...tube-drive-tone-box-incomplete-review-873175/
andvari7 said:
Yes it is the SVT-MP if I remember right, kind of a mic preamp I think, but it is written that it could worjk as a preamp or DI box as well: http://www.ampeg.com/pdf/SVTMP.pdf
Edit: Interesting to hear if the SVTMP is any good for bass,
Btw Jimmy or anybody else, how will a headphoneamp will work as a kind of "stomp box"?? It do have quite much iron for its size!
http://www.wooaudio.com/products/wa6.html
i'm not going through 3 pages because i'm a self-indulgent puffed up lazy wanker. part of my charm? DON'T CARE. see the self-indulgent puffed up part.
anybody talk about the B3k? is that darker than what you're looking for? it's my favorite OD pedal ever in the history of everything ever made EVER. so beautiful. i can't find a setting i don't like on it. all other OD's look like big hairy Bubba's in coveralls that DON'T QUITE COVER ALL with a touch of lipstick and motor oil in their hair for BODY compared to the prettiest, swishiest twink EVAH poured into the most flattering evening gown possible after hours in the makeup chair.
in other words, I LURV IT.
anybody talk about the B3k? is that darker than what you're looking for? it's my favorite OD pedal ever in the history of everything ever made EVER. so beautiful. i can't find a setting i don't like on it. all other OD's look like big hairy Bubba's in coveralls that DON'T QUITE COVER ALL with a touch of lipstick and motor oil in their hair for BODY compared to the prettiest, swishiest twink EVAH poured into the most flattering evening gown possible after hours in the makeup chair.
in other words, I LURV IT.
Checked it out and it does sound pretty beautiful. That would be a nice addition to the board for my metal band...so much GAS so little cash.
behndy said:
Sorry, but Jimmy wants TOOBS!!!!
I have the DHA VT-1 EQ. I mostly use it as a clean, warm DI. If I wanna get hairy, I usually flip the color switch and it adds a nice fuzz. Be careful with active basses tho, I have noticed that if I don't pad the input enough, it will dip and swell very noticeably (w/ color switch on). You can also get a cool grind out of just using the mid frequency knob to find a sweet spot and goosing the mid level. But all of this is out of the norm for what I use this thing for, so you can take my evaluation with a grain of salt.
And the Darkglass does look absolutely amazing. I would probably own one if I wasn't poor.
JimmyM said:I like your band, brandau. Great tones, too.
Well thx for al the suggestions, folks. Looks like what I was thinking of just isn't out there, but it does make me think that maybe the VT through the B-15 and REDDI is more attractive than being THIS tube snobby
Thx Jimmy. And yeah, your setup sounds pretty perfect for what your going for...You've got the holy grail. I mean, In my opinion there's nothing better than a blend of a great DI and B-15. Im curious, are you doing some recordings where you won't be able to bring your ampeg?
scotch
It's not rocket science!
- Nov 12, 2006
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If you get the opportunity, Jimmy, try the EBS Valve Drive. Very natural sounding tube amp type dirt. Only one 12ax7 tube, but it actually has a small transformer in the pedal. Classic, Fender tone stack (essentially only mid cut, I bet you're familiar with it!) and the 'Vintage' channel is not buzzy or modern sounding.
I bought one thinking I just wanted to 'tube-erize' the occasional ss rental amp I get stuck with.But I dig the inherent natural tone so much, it's my only 'always on' pedal. Even through a real tube amp!
It's big, needs 12v ac power and EBS switches are prone to crapping out - but I almost cant live without mine.
Breakup is touch dependent, eq control is subtle but effective. I could see the EBS being a cool 'front end' to get more out of a REDDI!
I get stuck on many Nashville sessions without an amp. I hate super-clean tones (and am not a fan of the ubiquitous Avalon U5's around here!). I've found the EBS gives me a tone I can live with... nay, actually be inspired by!
Not everyone's cup of tea, but worth a try, imo!
I bought one thinking I just wanted to 'tube-erize' the occasional ss rental amp I get stuck with.But I dig the inherent natural tone so much, it's my only 'always on' pedal. Even through a real tube amp!
It's big, needs 12v ac power and EBS switches are prone to crapping out - but I almost cant live without mine.
Breakup is touch dependent, eq control is subtle but effective. I could see the EBS being a cool 'front end' to get more out of a REDDI!
I get stuck on many Nashville sessions without an amp. I hate super-clean tones (and am not a fan of the ubiquitous Avalon U5's around here!). I've found the EBS gives me a tone I can live with... nay, actually be inspired by!
Not everyone's cup of tea, but worth a try, imo!
I know you saw the first post now, but dang do I wish! I haven't gotten a studio call in a couple years. There's really no work for studio musicians here, though, so whatever, but I really miss it.
Two come to mind.
Fausetone Valve Klipper
VALVE KLIPPER
And the Dave Hall VT1 or VT2
Link Removed
Both sound very good, but I haven’t run either just with a DI.
MM
Fausetone Valve Klipper
VALVE KLIPPER
And the Dave Hall VT1 or VT2
Link Removed
Both sound very good, but I haven’t run either just with a DI.
MM
Never knew the ValveDrive did the Fender tone stack...and yep, very familiar with it...I actually own a Fender guitar amp
Nice 73 Super Reverb that's been blackfaced. Fender tone stack would be fine by me for dirt. Ya, I need to sit down tonight and listen to recordings. Can't try them out, but since I was able to pick a DI from a recording that turned out to be awesome, I'm feeling emboldened enough to pick a dirt pedal now
scotch
It's not rocket science!
- Nov 12, 2006
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- Please see Profile for Endorsement disclosures
I'm sick of charting crappy pop country tunes, so I did some heavy lifting for you.
I recorded a side-by-side pair of tracks. Just my '62 Reissue Jazz into a Visual Volume (purely to act as a buffered splitter), that splits out to the EBS Valve Drive then into an MBox2Pro (converter) and the other split is just straight to the MBox2Pro. No compression, eq or post processing. I set the preamps on the MBox to clip at the same point.
So, it's exactly the same 'performance', just two separate tracks. No fancy di, either - so the REDDI would sound that much better! Valve Drive always set to 'vintage' mode.
Straight bass guitar:
With EBS set to low-mid gain & my favorite eq settings (this is how I pretty much always run it, just a bit of girth and 'hair'):
Pic of eq settings. Adding ever-so-slightly amount of lows and a good bit of treble. Mids cut a little as well.
And then just the EBS with same eq set to full gain, just to give you an idea of the potential crunch factor. Set to 'vintage' mode (modern mode has more clipping, but sounds... well,... too modern for me!):
Just a starting point, it's a very tonally flexible pedal! This would all sound far better through a real di, too - obviously. Wanted to give you an idea of the pedals' flavor & let you imagine your own recipe!
I recorded a side-by-side pair of tracks. Just my '62 Reissue Jazz into a Visual Volume (purely to act as a buffered splitter), that splits out to the EBS Valve Drive then into an MBox2Pro (converter) and the other split is just straight to the MBox2Pro. No compression, eq or post processing. I set the preamps on the MBox to clip at the same point.
So, it's exactly the same 'performance', just two separate tracks. No fancy di, either - so the REDDI would sound that much better! Valve Drive always set to 'vintage' mode.
Straight bass guitar:
With EBS set to low-mid gain & my favorite eq settings (this is how I pretty much always run it, just a bit of girth and 'hair'):
Pic of eq settings. Adding ever-so-slightly amount of lows and a good bit of treble. Mids cut a little as well.
And then just the EBS with same eq set to full gain, just to give you an idea of the potential crunch factor. Set to 'vintage' mode (modern mode has more clipping, but sounds... well,... too modern for me!):
Just a starting point, it's a very tonally flexible pedal! This would all sound far better through a real di, too - obviously. Wanted to give you an idea of the pedals' flavor & let you imagine your own recipe!
Last edited by a moderator:
I know these aren't really dirt pedals, Jimmy, and I know they have a reputation for being a bit noisy, but the EHX Black Finger comp pedal runs at real plate voltages and, if you dial the compression down and the gain up it sounds pretty nice as a dirt box.
Mine isn't all that noisy (it seems to be luck of the draw) - certainly clean enough for live.
Does it sound just like a tube amp's power tubes being overdriven? Nope, sorry.
BUT, does it sound buzzy and fizzy and lame? No, it sounds pretty good. Warm and thick and kinda lo-fi.
It may not be exactly what you're after, but it might be worth checking out. They're not too expensive, not hard to find and not hard to flip if it's not your thing.
-E
Mine isn't all that noisy (it seems to be luck of the draw) - certainly clean enough for live.
Does it sound just like a tube amp's power tubes being overdriven? Nope, sorry.
BUT, does it sound buzzy and fizzy and lame? No, it sounds pretty good. Warm and thick and kinda lo-fi.
It may not be exactly what you're after, but it might be worth checking out. They're not too expensive, not hard to find and not hard to flip if it's not your thing.
-E
