None of the small foot pedals for sure. I don't know about the newer larger twin pedal series (the EQ-20 etc).
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Distortion Mega-Thread! User submitted Distortion reviews
- Thread starter Freaky Fender
- Start date
Ok to clarify... Boss style pedals do this to your sound:
Analog signal to input - covert to digital/electrical analog signal - then converted back to an analog signal for the output...
Its called A/D/A conversion... And simply it totaly changes your tone/signal/sound, there are no if's or buts about it...
Now not all metal footswitches (like on your big muff) are true bypass... there are spdt (singal poll dual termanal), dpdt (dual poll dual terminal), ect... as a true bypass there is no A/D/A conversion, your signal stays analog... The way it should...
Cheers
Alex
Analog signal to input - covert to digital/electrical analog signal - then converted back to an analog signal for the output...
Its called A/D/A conversion... And simply it totaly changes your tone/signal/sound, there are no if's or buts about it...
Now not all metal footswitches (like on your big muff) are true bypass... there are spdt (singal poll dual termanal), dpdt (dual poll dual terminal), ect... as a true bypass there is no A/D/A conversion, your signal stays analog... The way it should...
Cheers
Alex
The BOSS OBD-3 is a fairly good distortion pedal. For me it works really well as a bass booster and in some cases a treble booster.
I guess if I had to rate it between 1 and 10, it would probably come in at an 8.
I guess if I had to rate it between 1 and 10, it would probably come in at an 8.
used:
Big Muff - good effect but killed my tone
Ibenez Tube Screamer - too thin for my taste
Boss OBD - good overdrive effect
currently using:
Mesa Boogie V-Twin pre-amp - I've set this unit for super metal in the Hi gain channel, and a nice overdrive in the Blues channel. Its a bit noisy for sure but usually I'm using it when a little noise isn't a problem.
next pedal:
Fulltone BassDrive
Big Muff - good effect but killed my tone
Ibenez Tube Screamer - too thin for my taste
Boss OBD - good overdrive effect
currently using:
Mesa Boogie V-Twin pre-amp - I've set this unit for super metal in the Hi gain channel, and a nice overdrive in the Blues channel. Its a bit noisy for sure but usually I'm using it when a little noise isn't a problem.
next pedal:
Fulltone BassDrive
Pros:
-light but sturdy construction
-possible to control direct and distortion levels, good blendcontrol
-cheap
Cons:
-sucks away some low end
-makes massive noise with little differentation
-creates a lot of background hiss when turned on and not actually playing
-has no subtle setting
-no true bypass
-light but sturdy construction
-possible to control direct and distortion levels, good blendcontrol
-cheap
Cons:
-sucks away some low end
-makes massive noise with little differentation
-creates a lot of background hiss when turned on and not actually playing
-has no subtle setting
-no true bypass
WHat about the EHX DOuble Muff???
Invalid Link Removed
Did someone try it? Is it a good effect?
I don't know if i would have the digitech's ( bass driver ) or this ( double muff so )
it's gt a true by pass, it's already a good thing
what do you know about these pedal?
thx
Invalid Link Removed
Did someone try it? Is it a good effect?
I don't know if i would have the digitech's ( bass driver ) or this ( double muff so )
it's gt a true by pass, it's already a good thing
what do you know about these pedal?
thx
davidmwilson said:
Umm... doesn't it always pass straight through from input to output in a true bypass situation? If there was anything other than wires, jacks and solder between the input and output in "bypass" mode, I'd say it's not true bypass.
One more to add to the pot... I just recived my brand new HAO Rust Ride, and it is quite deciving... At a short glance and play it looks/sounds like a very limited overdrive, but spend some time (see my "an important thing about effects" thread) and you have one of the most virsitile sounding overdrives out there - and here is why...
First off there is not too much in the way of adjutment, only a level knob and a 3 way switch for bright, warm, and normal.
This was chalanging for myself to get around, I am a knob twidler - and there just is not any knobs for me to twidle... But then I realised that this overdrive is not about the pedal its about the 2 more important parts of the equation:
your bass
your spicific playing dynamics
This this is over the top and dynamic at the same time (it is basicaly modled to sound like a SVT pushed to 11 and beyond...) And it simulates power tube saturation beautifully...
So as I am playing I start to figure out that this little "one trick poney" is actualy one of the most responsive and dynamic overdrives out there, but not in the way of distortion or overdrive... This thing fathfully represents yout tone, in that you can hear whats going on underneath the overdrive... The actualy overdive stays the same (witrh the exeption of tone and volume adjustment on your bass)... Its full on all the time, but every nuance of your playing style gets through...
Note bends, vibrato, taping, pickstyle, fingerstyle... Every one gets its own special treat from this delightfull little box, very interesting indeed...
So yes... If you are into knobs, forget it... If you are looking for a full on overdrive that sounds like an SVT pushed to the stars, but does your tone and dynamics justice - look no further...
Alex
ps. the 3 way sitch does give very drastic tonal diferences...
Warm is very subdued with a lot of high end rolled off (sounds a bit muddy to me)
Normal is very flat response...
Bright is great for pickstyle punky / metal sounding stuff... Play near the bridge and your in snarly town usa...
First off there is not too much in the way of adjutment, only a level knob and a 3 way switch for bright, warm, and normal.
This was chalanging for myself to get around, I am a knob twidler - and there just is not any knobs for me to twidle... But then I realised that this overdrive is not about the pedal its about the 2 more important parts of the equation:
your bass
your spicific playing dynamics
This this is over the top and dynamic at the same time (it is basicaly modled to sound like a SVT pushed to 11 and beyond...) And it simulates power tube saturation beautifully...
So as I am playing I start to figure out that this little "one trick poney" is actualy one of the most responsive and dynamic overdrives out there, but not in the way of distortion or overdrive... This thing fathfully represents yout tone, in that you can hear whats going on underneath the overdrive... The actualy overdive stays the same (witrh the exeption of tone and volume adjustment on your bass)... Its full on all the time, but every nuance of your playing style gets through...
Note bends, vibrato, taping, pickstyle, fingerstyle... Every one gets its own special treat from this delightfull little box, very interesting indeed...
So yes... If you are into knobs, forget it... If you are looking for a full on overdrive that sounds like an SVT pushed to the stars, but does your tone and dynamics justice - look no further...
Alex
ps. the 3 way sitch does give very drastic tonal diferences...
Warm is very subdued with a lot of high end rolled off (sounds a bit muddy to me)
Normal is very flat response...
Bright is great for pickstyle punky / metal sounding stuff... Play near the bridge and your in snarly town usa...
Boss OD-3 (Bass Overdrive)
This thing is too sterile. I don't like active anything in re: to distortion, especially not eq. Too much nit-picky tinkering with the waveform is always going to make it bland. Give me a solid analog circuit any day. Germanium, baby!
Boss OD-1 (old school gray overdrive)
This pedal gets the tone in the ballpark, it sucks a bit of low end, but pleases with a nice smooth creamy overdrive. I like it if I want subtle grind. Nice mid presence.
Ibanez Phathed PD7 (?)
I unfortunately couldn't, in any setting, get the mild overdrive they claimed it could produce. This is a total Korn pedal. Not to say that's bad, but not what's advertised.
Ibanez Tubescreamer
This is my fave, with the addition of Big Muff. I have a custom built Tubescreamer clone that has a second gain stage and twin low-pass filters...gets the tone with a tad more natural bottom end. Kick in the second gain stage, and look out!
Big Muff Pi
Classic pedal for real-deal fuzzbass. Sure it kills alot of low end, but sometimes you really want that to buzz thru a mix.
From quasi-subtle to full on buzzsaw, a great standalone pedal.
Boss Heavy Metal
The gain on this is so sick, when you send bass thru it, it has a tendency to get a real nice squish-compression that just makes the tone so thick and smoov, it's unreal. Not good for blowing thru the mix, but in the right setting, with cleaner guitars and whatnot, it settles in really nice.
ZVex Wooly Mammoth
This pedal is insane. Not subtle to the least, but the tone is Godlike. For great in your face distortion with *good* amounts of shaping AND low end, get this pedal. It's pricey, but a tad one-trick-pony...
Fulltone Bassdrive
A really nice smooth overdrive, mimics a tube gain stage nicely, but a tad distorto than overdrive...very useful and not annoyingly buzzsaw-like
Royal Octavefuzz
Vintage pedal my pops picked up at a flea market... good basic fuzz that doesn't track well at all on bass...but i like the way it burps.
MXR Bass DI+
More preamp than fuzzbox, it still gets a nice overdrive, much better than the o.d. coming out of a SansAmp BassDriver, which is annoingly squarewave, like a ProCo Rat.
There are others, but that's a taste...
This thing is too sterile. I don't like active anything in re: to distortion, especially not eq. Too much nit-picky tinkering with the waveform is always going to make it bland. Give me a solid analog circuit any day. Germanium, baby!
Boss OD-1 (old school gray overdrive)
This pedal gets the tone in the ballpark, it sucks a bit of low end, but pleases with a nice smooth creamy overdrive. I like it if I want subtle grind. Nice mid presence.
Ibanez Phathed PD7 (?)
I unfortunately couldn't, in any setting, get the mild overdrive they claimed it could produce. This is a total Korn pedal. Not to say that's bad, but not what's advertised.
Ibanez Tubescreamer
This is my fave, with the addition of Big Muff. I have a custom built Tubescreamer clone that has a second gain stage and twin low-pass filters...gets the tone with a tad more natural bottom end. Kick in the second gain stage, and look out!
Big Muff Pi
Classic pedal for real-deal fuzzbass. Sure it kills alot of low end, but sometimes you really want that to buzz thru a mix.
From quasi-subtle to full on buzzsaw, a great standalone pedal.
Boss Heavy Metal
The gain on this is so sick, when you send bass thru it, it has a tendency to get a real nice squish-compression that just makes the tone so thick and smoov, it's unreal. Not good for blowing thru the mix, but in the right setting, with cleaner guitars and whatnot, it settles in really nice.
ZVex Wooly Mammoth
This pedal is insane. Not subtle to the least, but the tone is Godlike. For great in your face distortion with *good* amounts of shaping AND low end, get this pedal. It's pricey, but a tad one-trick-pony...
Fulltone Bassdrive
A really nice smooth overdrive, mimics a tube gain stage nicely, but a tad distorto than overdrive...very useful and not annoyingly buzzsaw-like
Royal Octavefuzz
Vintage pedal my pops picked up at a flea market... good basic fuzz that doesn't track well at all on bass...but i like the way it burps.
MXR Bass DI+
More preamp than fuzzbox, it still gets a nice overdrive, much better than the o.d. coming out of a SansAmp BassDriver, which is annoingly squarewave, like a ProCo Rat.
There are others, but that's a taste...
Well done, Mon.
I run parallel wet/dry signal, so losing tone thru a pedal has been less of a concern for me. Consequently, I've tried several weird guitar dist. boxes, so may I add for reference:
DOD American Metal - very cool heavy distortion. Great in the upper fuzz range, has a compression (somewhat as described in the Boss Heavy Metal above). Trebley, though, and not much in the way of tone control to help that.
Korg ToneWorks 104d HyperDistortion - I bought this thing in '97, and I still use it as my sole distortion. 2 switchable PROGRAMMABLE channels, 3-band EQ w/ sweepable mid. Slighly oversized, but not too bulky. Light as a feather. A bit digital sounding but not to an offputting degree, suitable for mild overdrive and/or screaming goo. So flexible it's been hard to part with, even though I'm actively looking for a new distortion box.
I run parallel wet/dry signal, so losing tone thru a pedal has been less of a concern for me. Consequently, I've tried several weird guitar dist. boxes, so may I add for reference:
DOD American Metal - very cool heavy distortion. Great in the upper fuzz range, has a compression (somewhat as described in the Boss Heavy Metal above). Trebley, though, and not much in the way of tone control to help that.
Korg ToneWorks 104d HyperDistortion - I bought this thing in '97, and I still use it as my sole distortion. 2 switchable PROGRAMMABLE channels, 3-band EQ w/ sweepable mid. Slighly oversized, but not too bulky. Light as a feather. A bit digital sounding but not to an offputting degree, suitable for mild overdrive and/or screaming goo. So flexible it's been hard to part with, even though I'm actively looking for a new distortion box.
i just bought this box based almost solely on your review. you are completely right, it is utterly fantastic. ESPECIALLY considering that it costs like 40 bucks.Tecx said:
Thanks man, I know... Its killer... Best overdrive for bass... Especialy when you calculate the tone to cash ratio...
Alex
Alex
dancehallclasher said:
This thing is great. a real versatile pedal. i have a sansamp rbi as well. the mxr really keeps your tonal character intact. the sansamp seems to have a whole color of it's own which is still nice but not the same. m-80 is worth every penny. all settings are useful therefore never have to worry about a knob being turned accidently and destroying your sound. the gate works pretty well and the 3 band eq is very handy. love it. check out megalomaniac (incubus) with my 75 mij ri jazz loaded w/ sadowsky pu's through the m-80 into my demeter pre it sounds right on.
i just got this a little bit ago, it was what, $20 at musicians friend, i figured hey. why the hell not? so i got it and was very impressed. i thought it was going to be a piece but i haven't even found any cons with it. its really durable and heavy duty, it produces really nice distortion and definately keeps the low end for a nice punch. i love it, i've tried a ton of pedals and they all just bugged the hell out of me. i didn't think i'd ever find a good pedal for bass but this one definately rocks. 
Well I'm currently in the market for an overdrive pedal of some sort. A heavy metal type distortion is NOT what I'm looking for at all. I would like a nice growl-ish blues tone, a dry tone similiar to Flea's, and a soft fuzz tone. Any loss of low-end is a no-no, and so are tubes... just not as much of a no-no. Suggestions please, thank you in advance.
Yoh said:WHat about the EHX DOuble Muff???
Invalid Link Removed
Did someone try it? Is it a good effect?
I don't know if i would have the digitech's ( bass driver ) or this ( double muff so )
it's gt a true by pass, it's already a good thing
what do you know about these pedal?
thx
EHX makes some great pedals. I'm going to assume that the Double Muff is like the Big Muff in the fact that you loss some low-end. I mean, these pedals are intended for guitars and not bass. I persoanally am willing to give up a little bit of the low end for such a dynamic and addaptiable pedal. Like said earlier, the Big Muff can really do it all when it comes to distortion.
I think if you like vintage and throw back sound, get ready to pick up some Electro-Harmonix pedals. Between Muffs, Memory Men and Bassballs, you have some of the greatest old school tools.
I seriously should talk to them about getting on payroll....
Tecx said:
I'm going to have to try one. I've traditionally shunned DOD/ Digitech stuff, but we'll see.
Zultan, not entirely sure why of your anti-tube stance if you want bluesy tone...tubes in pedals rarely die... in the same way some multi-effects and preamps use a lone 12ax7 and claim "all tube tone", when it kinda really isn't even close, a pedal like this:
[Invalid or Expired Link Removed] gets the reaction and real tone you're looking for, they really sound great and smooth.
Ron
I'm using a boss ODB-3 with a MIM fender jazz, and an Ashdown mag250 combo with a 1x15 in it. I can get anesthesia (pulling teeth) tone spot on with it and it really does sound cool loud as it has a kind of growl to it. Flea uses one too.
Oh, I was not thinking. With that part out of the picture, there isn't a reason to not have tubes.... oops.
