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guitar distortion pedals on bass

#21
i use both distortion and overdrive in my set-up.
a modified DOD metal pedal... a DOD-overdrive... used to use a Boss ODB... but migrated away from it because it wasn't the sound i was going for.
also have an Ibanez Tube-Overdrive and a Pro-co Rat...
(though... there is a bass specific Pro-Co that i'd like to try at some point)

[spunj13]
 
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#22
I sometimes use a Boss Super Overdrive guitar pedal. It's great for that super-distorted Lou Barlow tone. If I want distorted bass I'm typically seeking that tone, not the sawtoothy synth-bass tone--I'd get a bass-specific pedal for that.
 
#23
ive used my guitarists boss metal zone on my bass. didnt sound too bad with it either. then i used my other guitarists metal muff on my bass last weekend and it sounded like ****. even though the mm is supposedly a much better distortion due to more adjustment, it sounded horrible with bass, even compared to my pd7. alot of people use big muffs and little big muffs for bass. pretty much any guitar pedal will work well with bass, but find some sound clips or try it yourself with a bass before you buy it
 
#25
Fulltone OCD's sound incredible for bass, especially infront of either my '72 SVT or '73 V-4B. I've grown to dig TS808's, Keeley modded Boss DS-1's too. my opinion is, if it scoops low end on a guitar at all, don't use it for guitar or bass. the TS808 is the one exception but it still retains most of the natural signal. the real trick to breaking bass up is all in the mids anyway, so if you can find a good pedal that'll retain low end, push the mids and give you high mid harmonics, it'll sound incredible.
 
#27
Digitech Grunge works wonders for me-----crunch, grit, keep lows and bleeds off into great higher harmonics on the higher notes. Its the only Digitech I have but I love it!
 
#28
Yes, I do!!!!! .... I use my ProCo Rat 2 and my Bass big muff (normal mode - switch at the middle) with my sterling y music man Ray 35 and it is a killer weapon. I use this pedals through a Xotic X-blender to get the perfect mix between dry and distorted signal, and I love what I get with this process. And if you can add a preamp or EQ at the end of this chain ..... you could have a massive sound from your bass.
 
#29
Zombie thread, back from the dead. :)

Some "guitar pedals" work with bass, some cut too much low end. Blending like you do is one option if you like that sound (I often don't as I hear it as two distinct sounds in parallel). Generally I prefer pedals that work well without help from a second pedal or blender though, it's just simpler to manage.
 
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#31
Darkglass said:
Wow, I was in college last time someone posted here!

On a more useful note: an EQ pedal (like a graphic EQ) might help a lot with low end loss! So will a blender like FretNoMore said above :).
Click to expand...
I wasn't even in high school! Daaaaaaaaaaaaaamn, y'all are OLD!
I've used two guitar distortion pedals with my gear: a Marshall Jackhammer and a Boss MD-2.
The Jackhammer was awful, I was instantly buried every time I switched it on.
The MD-2 was better by far, but a bit muddy. Good low gain fuzz, if that makes sense.

One of the local bassists in my area uses a modded Boss DS-(1?) that absolutely slays, such clarity and aggression! He's a genius though ;)
 
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#32
I use a ProCo Rat 2 and a EHX Octave Multiplexer as the primary two pedals. Sometimes I throw in the wah, polychorus, or chorus for fun. To my knowledge, all guitar pedals.

Hah...posted too quickly. I was a junior in high school at last posting.
 
#38
I have a MXR Custom Badass Distortion on my board for the sole purpose of playing one of our songs (we only play originals so I'm free to get a bit creative). It sounds pretty bad but funnily enough, the broken to pieces grind it puts out suits and was exactly what I needed.
 
#40
The Joyo Ultimate Drive, American Sound, California Sound and Orange Juice are all great dirt pedals for bass even if they are made with intention for use on guitar and the last three mentioned are actually mend to be pre amps respectively attempting to emulate a Fender, Mesa Boogie and Orange amp.
 

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