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Ric5
Inactive
- Jan 29, 2008
- 29,772
- 30,452
- Disclosures
- I like 5, 8, 10, and 12 string basses
I use a darkglass b7k ultra, darkglass duality fuzz, and sans amp RBI for all my dirt needs.
I reallying don't think losing highs is an issue with any of them. I don't boost highs on anything at any point in my chain. I do tend to use the filter knob to cut some of the highs on the duality. But that's mainly because running direct to foh can mean way too much treble coming out of the PA. The filter does a good job of fixing that problem without mutilating my fuzz tone and making it sound like someone through a blanket over all the speakers in the venue.
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Treble bite is a must for me. No question. I almost never have an issue with it though because of my preamp setup. Mainly the B7KU and the rusty box. Adds all the brightness I could want. I guess I've tried some dirt pedals that are dark but then again not really. My pork loin was a little too dark for me pre mod. Then I modded it and bam, perfection. For me anyway. I love that bright a$$ dirt pedal. Plus again, I run all my preamps, onboard EQ and such bright. Never really had that problem. I get all the top end zing and bite I want/need. So just about anything I get nowadays works for me. Almost. But you get pedals like the fuzzro rat tail, big game F800b or even my SUF civil unrest and I'm golden with those. A tone control usually works quite well for retaining high end......which a ton of dirt pedal have....
Too much high end and things end up sounding fizzy. Or, they would, rather, if my cab didn't roll off everything over 5khz anyway.
Try the Swollen Pickle. It has some nice high mid/treble bite to it. I find it actually works best with fairly low settings on the "sustain" knob.
Try the Swollen Pickle. It has some nice high mid/treble bite to it. I find it actually works best with fairly low settings on the "sustain" knob.
Boss MT-2 kills everything but the top which it will turn into the famous attack of the anemic killer bees sound 
And that was not meant in any nice way, unless of course you are a sucker for fizzling sounds.
(Strangely enough though, it sounds beautiful, on the right settings, stacked in front of an EHX Tube Zipper used a fuzz, which it turns into an over the top, out of control doom machine of highly sophisticated mud with interesting velvet grain structures and tons of soothing overtones).
And that was not meant in any nice way, unless of course you are a sucker for fizzling sounds.
(Strangely enough though, it sounds beautiful, on the right settings, stacked in front of an EHX Tube Zipper used a fuzz, which it turns into an over the top, out of control doom machine of highly sophisticated mud with interesting velvet grain structures and tons of soothing overtones).
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I'm not too big on dirt myself although I'm perfectly comfortable admitting it does have its uses.
About the only pedal that doesn't kill the bottom (and which I actually like) is the VHT V-Drive. It has enough adjustable parameters that if you can't find anything in there that'll work for you - then you probably don't like dirt at all.
About the only pedal that doesn't kill the bottom (and which I actually like) is the VHT V-Drive. It has enough adjustable parameters that if you can't find anything in there that'll work for you - then you probably don't like dirt at all.
- Jan 26, 2014
- 1,525
- 1,946
- Disclosures
- I teach lessons and perform live music in and around San Diego CA. Sometimes I even make money doing it!
Have you tried the Route 66 pedal? Mine looks different than the current model I see advertised, it looks like the builder's name may have changed, but if they work the same, I simply haven't found a better bass OD pedal. You don't lose the highs or lows (there's a low switch on it in fact). Sound guys have actually applauded it when they heard it, they're used to hearing such awful results with bass distortion. I'm serious, at a gig, a sound guy applauded during sound check, and I got many other compliments over the years.
This may be a little controversial, but the Korg pandora PX5D actually does an incredible job with distortion, and just about everything else, and sounds great recorded- I'm really glad I got one of those before they were discontinued, it's great for guitar and bass in the studio. You can find them on eBay from time to time. And there's no reason you couldn't use it live. You may think it's silly to use a little cassette sized AA battery powered box for professional recording, but I swear I once used it instead of an actual B-15 flip top that was too noisy to record, and a few weeks later the mastering engineer on the project said I was his new favorite bass player. Although I bet he says that to all the bass players
Sound like you might want to try the CA Labs Grizzly. Not a ripping distortion but a good overdrive, it has seperate OD and Distortion controls for two different sounds, and then it has a hi cut and a mids cut circuit, so you can take out what you want.
Find a way to get your hands on a Dunwich ODB or Volt Thrower...the bite and articulation is my favorite thing about both those pedals.
When I find my high end lacking through a fuzz pedal, I usually stack a mid-rangey overdrive in front of it, assuming that's the type of sound you like.
Since dirt pedals of all kinds generate new harmonics, I have never experienced one that had reduced high end!
As far as "bite", distortion can blunt the attack of a note but I always thought of that as normal.
As far as "bite", distortion can blunt the attack of a note but I always thought of that as normal.
Is anyone else out there finding that the SFX Beta cuts their highs? Even with the tone knob dimed all the way to the treble side it seems to cut my highs unlike any other dirt pedal I've used. I've been sticking with it because the breakup sounds so good but I wish it wasn't so dark.
Yes, that's its whole intention, to be a vintage-sounding overdrive, which involves a good amount of top end rolloff. I agree, the breakup/saturation of the Beta is my favorite ever in an overdrive pedal...big saturated sound on the lows while maintaining a crunch instead of a compressed/fart sound in the breakup. I found myself wanting more treble content form the original, as well. This, I'm guessing, is the main reason they introduced the LM308 version of the Beta, which I now own and love. It still has that big low end of the regular Beta, but the LM308 chip gives it more range on the top end. It's awesome.
The new Beta DLX (that I haven't tried yet due to xmas timing) also expands the range of the original Beta to address all of that and more. You can apparently get the best of the original , LM308 and Germanium versions plus more in that box. SolidgoldFX will even make an LM308 version of the DLX.
I can't speak for the others listed above but, I find the Agro cuts low end big time. I much prefer the Pork Loin over it. That and the SA Aftershock make a great pair.
Beyond not realizing it exists, many are in active denial. I kind of get guitarists being dicks about their tone and that being a pain in the mix. But my main drummer has a mic installed in his kickdrum and insists on running through the PA all of the time. He looks at me like I suggested dinosaurs were on the ark whenever I tell him he's washing out or over-resonating my lows.
Related, I get snarky comments about all of my "effects" pedals and how often I swap them out all the time...when in reality 5 out of the 7 pedals on my working gig board are just EQ of some sort to help me fit into the mix at different times.
I know how it is. When I was a drummer (but one that knew about the freq. spectrum) I was in a band that split up because of this issue. The bassist was futzing around onstage with his sound that wasn't working in the room. I simply went over to his amp eq, fixed the problem in 3 seconds and we did the show with no further problems. Later in the band room he took me to task for "touching his amp." Well, it started a chain reaction that led to that band breaking up, which was a shame for me personally because I loved playing with that group. If band members would just discuss their place in the frequency spectrum, I think world peace would be achieved!
