Do I really want/need overdrive?

[basscapes]

There are a bunch of examples on YouTube, but I keep posting this one because it's a favorite. I had no idea the bass line was so dirty until I heard it isolated:


So, to the OP, as others have said, don't be afraid to "exaggerate". How your bass sounds in the band mix is more important than how it sounds when you're rehearsing solo in your bedroom/studio/whatever.

Also... you generally want your dirty tone to be somewhat louder than your clean tone. I think that's because all the added harmonics give the illusion of higher volume. Maybe also because distortion adds compression - the heavier the distortion, the greater the compression. I try to set my dirty tone so that it matches my clean tone when I'm digging in.

Ah! The magic of what could quite possibly be Sting's old P-bass and an SVT. I know he that amp around at some point back then. While he's had a plethora of basses and amps, I think that the two are the magic combination (and is still using both)!

From 2007... And he's using a PICK!

 

[Low Key]

Are you judging this based on how it sounds on stage, or from the audience? Because something that sounds subtle on stage or in rehearsal can sometimes be more noticeable through FOH.

That's a good point. I am just judging this based on what I am hearing at band practice. Right now we are in an unfinished basement with the predicable room acoustics of cement walls. This isn't the best place to evaluate the way OD affects the signal.