Yeah. My Swell does it. That's a $350 pedal but older versions can be found for $250. The B-TOD is WAY high gain but the Drive is the low gain model.....I'm wondering if naysayer duder's really heard that many.....
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Driven Tube Simulation?
- Thread starter mebusdriver
- Start date
Yeah. My Swell does it. That's a $350 pedal but older versions can be found for $250. The B-TOD is WAY high gain but the Drive is the low gain model.....I'm wondering if naysayer duder's really heard that many.....
In my opinion if you're going to spend $300+ for a single pedal that "emulates" tube drive, just save a bit more and get an actual tube amp.
To me the Darkglass B3K does the best job of a real tube breakup sound.
To me the Darkglass B3K does the best job of a real tube breakup sound.
I found the clean blend keeps the B3K from really shaping the sound. Kind of like putting a gold coating on nickel. It just added a tube sound on the sides but left a lot uneffected. Or maybe it's the microtubes give it a microtube sound. In any case, I found that it's far from a full on tube amp sound.
There's plenty of reasons to get a pedal over the real deal. For instance, tube amps are way heavy, the need repairs more often than solid state, and, in my case, I much prefer the SS sound when clean. So I like having something I can only get the tube sound when I want it.
There's plenty of reasons to get a pedal over the real deal. For instance, tube amps are way heavy, the need repairs more often than solid state, and, in my case, I much prefer the SS sound when clean. So I like having something I can only get the tube sound when I want it.
As far as the B3K is concerned...the clean blend is exactly what makes that pedal so great, coupled with its inherent voicing. If you find that your dry bass tone is that lacking in the first place, an overdrive pedal isn't going to improve it. Plus you can always just dial out the dry signal, so I don't really get your point.
As far as tube/pedals...I totally get the weight thing, but that's really the only factor that should be considered, then. It sounds like you just want a SS amp with some overdrive/distortion (which there are hundreds of pedals for). If you want actual "tube" sound you have to get a tube amp. There is no substitute.
Nope.
I've got my SS amp for my clean sound and I love it. Doesn't really get much better than my Status bass and Eden rig. Migh go Glockenklang at some point but my signal is quite fine. And my Swell for when I want a tube sound. I A/B tested the Swell next to the B3K...there's no comparison, the B3K is a great pedal but it does not emulate a tube sound as well as the Swell. Not even close.
I've got my SS amp for my clean sound and I love it. Doesn't really get much better than my Status bass and Eden rig. Migh go Glockenklang at some point but my signal is quite fine. And my Swell for when I want a tube sound. I A/B tested the Swell next to the B3K...there's no comparison, the B3K is a great pedal but it does not emulate a tube sound as well as the Swell. Not even close.
Vt deluxe is the way to go. You have to really play with the knobs a bit as it's not plug and play. But I love the flexibility of having 6 presets. I can go from heavy overdriven to scooped slap tones in a sec. Plus the DI is great. Perfect for in ear gigs or gigs with heavy PA support.
Of course if you're only needing 1 tone, the vt deluxe may be overkill.
Of course if you're only needing 1 tone, the vt deluxe may be overkill.
I am going to agree that no pedal is going to turn a SS amp or Hybrid into a tube. I am also going to say that tube pedals have a warmer more natural sound to their emulation going into a SS amp.
I have had VT deluxe, and B3K.
I have tried the Swell and I own a DHA.
I have had VT deluxe, and B3K.
I have tried the Swell and I own a DHA.
What was the problem with the Blue Tube that you had? I had one too - admittedly I loved it - and ran it through my SWR Goliath cab and Redhead, always with tweeter on at about noon. Never had any problems that I can recall. I found that the EQing on the pedal was reasonably flexible too. Nice, warm tone.
That's odd. That's the same cabinet that I was using! Basically, it sounded like crap. I had to run it with the tweeter completely off in order to not make it sound like total garbage. Maybe there was something wrong with my unit? I'm talking like 20 years ago, when I was much more nitpicky about weird artifacts in my sound, but I remember absolutely hating it with the tweeter on.
Awesome recommendations guys! Thanks so much for your help. I decided to go with the Tonehammer. If I had know about the AGS circuit I probably would have considered it sooner. I thought it was just a DI/pre. Which is why I decided to go with it. Like I said I gig A LOT and my main band plays a lot of festivals and street parties. We haul a monster p.a. everywhere we go so it's gonna be nice not to bring an amp and can along with all the other stuff. I also record a lot and I can't always mic my can, home studios, so having a nice d.i. with a little dirt on it will be a big help. I was lucky enough to test drive the vt bass and the Tonehammer so I'm pretty happy with the decision. Thanks again. Oh, and I forgot how hot of a topic distortion boxes are on TB. HAHAAHAHA..... There's a million of them out there!!
What did you think of it? I Just bought one but because my bass is getting worked on and I Just moved I haven't even opened it...I was supposed to pick up the bass today but I have the flu...I'd go tomorrow but we're getting a foot of snow...so needless to say it's killing me lol
Creation Audio Holy Fire.
Aguilar Agro for more modern tone.
Hematoma is another good one; it's in Pork Loin territory.
Aguilar Agro for more modern tone.
Hematoma is another good one; it's in Pork Loin territory.
Me for the win!!!
But seriously, I think my ToneHammer is a great tool. Great EQ'ing and the AGS gain is very tasteful. It gives my tone a little bit more bite on the front end and is always on. One thing to be mindful of, the AGS switch isn't really a great tool to just be stomped on and off mid song (too much volume difference), so if you set it on - you'd better plan on leaving it on, or you will have to do more futzing than you hoped for. Just a little piece of advice.
And I posted this on another thread the other day, but fellow TBer Eublet did an awesome breakdown of the TH, that might be helpful for you as you get used to its functions.
http://www.talkbass.com/forum/f36/sansamp-para-driver-vs-aguilar-tone-hammer-755083/#post10678938
That is weird. Makes me wonder if something was wonky with the pedal you had. I say that because my Blue Tube went on to other people after I had, who also loved the sound of it and had no complaints. I've always referenced my memories of the Blue Tube when I look now towards tube-ish overdrives and distortions, trying to match the sound I got from that pedal. Hmmm...maybe I should just get another one of them?
Sell your PF-500 and replace it with a Mesa Walkabout 
It's hybrid, yes, but it does the low-gain breakup in spades, IMO. The EQ section is tricky, but very rewarding once you've figured it out. The DI is also cool because unlike a lot of bass amps, it's post-master, so it functions kind of like putting a mic on your cab.
It's hybrid, yes, but it does the low-gain breakup in spades, IMO. The EQ section is tricky, but very rewarding once you've figured it out. The DI is also cool because unlike a lot of bass amps, it's post-master, so it functions kind of like putting a mic on your cab.
The PF is an awesome amp. AWESOME amp. From the wattage, to the tone, package, versatility, portability, d.i., recording, compressor, eq, and the cab. I love everything about it. I've tried the walkabouts. They too, are awesome. But the Ampeg just fits me.
The tonehammer is pretty bad ass. The main thing that I noticed is it's extremely versatile. From modern slap tones to old school stuff it's pretty dead on. I'll use the AGS circuit like P-ODDZ mentioned above. It'll be turned on for an entire song, not really mid song effect. But that's exactly why I wanted it. I play in four different bands. A huge band that plays old school dance, r and b, and light rock with a huge horn section, a cover band that plays nothing but 90s alternative, an all blues band, and modern country, southern rock, rootsey band.
So you can imagine why I'd want a little dirt here and there to emulate some rock tones, fatten up some trio blues, and to entertain myself now and then. Plus all the added benefits of recording and it being a di for live gigs and yadda yadda. I'm looking forward to playing with it.
As far as the AGS circuit and the whole purpose of this thread. lol. It's great!! It FATTENS the tone when it adds the "distortion", which in my experience is rare, and it's really easy to shape the tone. With just flat settings the thing does wonders for your sound. I'm excited. Thanks again for the help.
The tonehammer is pretty bad ass. The main thing that I noticed is it's extremely versatile. From modern slap tones to old school stuff it's pretty dead on. I'll use the AGS circuit like P-ODDZ mentioned above. It'll be turned on for an entire song, not really mid song effect. But that's exactly why I wanted it. I play in four different bands. A huge band that plays old school dance, r and b, and light rock with a huge horn section, a cover band that plays nothing but 90s alternative, an all blues band, and modern country, southern rock, rootsey band.
So you can imagine why I'd want a little dirt here and there to emulate some rock tones, fatten up some trio blues, and to entertain myself now and then. Plus all the added benefits of recording and it being a di for live gigs and yadda yadda. I'm looking forward to playing with it.
As far as the AGS circuit and the whole purpose of this thread. lol. It's great!! It FATTENS the tone when it adds the "distortion", which in my experience is rare, and it's really easy to shape the tone. With just flat settings the thing does wonders for your sound. I'm excited. Thanks again for the help.
ValveDrive. It can go from subtle tube warmness to a halfways decent breakup. Very nice.
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I tend to agree with Floyd Eye. IMO/E the VT Bass does a better job of tubeyness than any other gadget (including tube pedals/preamps) until you get an actual tube amp.
