My TS heaven search ended with a VFE Alpha Dog into a Joyo American, blended with an LS-2. All my low end is there, but that extra 25 percent of drive on top kicks me right through the mix.
Enjoy the benefits of a premium membership!
Upgrade Account
-
TalkBass has been independent since 1998. Add your voice.
Create a free account to reply to discussions, view embedded media, and browse with fewer display ads.
Join free Log in
Want zero display ads or expanded classifieds tools? Compare plans.
Effect for Tube Warmth?
- Thread starter Chrisk-K
- Start date
Yeah, normally, Barbershop, Blueberry, BlueTube would be the go to answers.
You know, if you want the the TS sound, with blend, EQ, as much bottom as you want, the other option is the SourceAudio Bass OFD.
I've found this effect is fantastic for tube warmth, with no loss whatsoever in bottom end;
These ain't bad either;
This kind of post will get you in trouble with the effects crowd. I know, trust me.
Barbershop and Blueberry are great for 'tube warmth', but sound nothing like a tube screamer.
OFD was mentioned but it's a cold nasal sounding TS with weak lows that you hadn't to bring back in via the clean blend. I think the Ibanez was a bit like that also.
If you really want a tube screamer for bass that has plenty of lows without the need for a clean blend, the Xotic Bass BB is the best I've tried. A modded Digitech Bad Monkey is also mighty fine, and the other contenders which I've not tried in person would be the Hardwire CM-2, EBS Multidrive, HBE Hematoma, Rodenberg 808B, Cusack Screamer and VFE Pale Horse.
OFD was mentioned but it's a cold nasal sounding TS with weak lows that you hadn't to bring back in via the clean blend. I think the Ibanez was a bit like that also.
If you really want a tube screamer for bass that has plenty of lows without the need for a clean blend, the Xotic Bass BB is the best I've tried. A modded Digitech Bad Monkey is also mighty fine, and the other contenders which I've not tried in person would be the Hardwire CM-2, EBS Multidrive, HBE Hematoma, Rodenberg 808B, Cusack Screamer and VFE Pale Horse.
For TS, I second on the Xotic BB and the Hematoma. Also, you might want to try the ZVex Basstortion. Not very popular, but it could be a good option for you, based on the sound you're looking for. Still, I prefer the two aftermentioned.
EQs can't boost frequencies that aren't there, so usually this isn't an effective approach. Nowadays there are so many good pedals that retain bottom end well, or have clean blends, or you can buy a blender pedal...EQ makes sense when you need EQ, but not as a way to rectify a pedal's low end loss.
An EQ might work, but the only problem with that is once you take off a certain frequency of your signal it is impossible to put it back. But, like I said, it might work perfectly if it sounds right to you and couples OK with your own rig.
That preamp has a great sound, but I have a B-15 and REDDI already so it would just be crazy overkill for me to own it.Still no @Azure Skies P15???
Azure Skies
Commercial User
You could send the mixer four signals: a mic'ed cab, a DI out from the SVT, the REDDI, and P15. Only then would you have true tube warmth.
oh....well....guess Will just shut up,lol, I meant b4 the pedal, boost the lows going in, but It was just an idea, im gonna go crawl int a box now.
@JimmyM is from Florida. He does not understand how Canadians need to be surrounded by at least 3 tube equipped DI devices to provide actual warmth
oh....well....guess Will just shut up,lol, I meant b4 the pedal, boost the lows going in, but It was just an idea, im gonna go crawl int a box now.
An EQ can help quite a bit. A lot of OD's, distortions and fuzz pedals are designed to apply the drive gain to the high-bass to low-treble range of frequencies to keep the mud and bee's nest out of the tone. Just because the low bass frequencies are attenuated by this method does not mean that they are missing at all... they are just very attenuated when compared to the band of frequencies that the drive circuit is focused around.
So if you wanted to pull the lows back up, try the EQ after the OD/distortion/fuzz. If too much EQ is necessary to pull the lows back up, then you may pull up some hum and noise too. But the only way to know what will work well and what will not, is to try it.
-Frank
