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Help me choose two OD's

BKBassDude

BKBassDude

Jun 17, 2009
225
2
Brooklyn, NY
#1
Hey guys I'm looking to finalize my pedalboard for my new project. Currently playing my Sadowsky Metro 5, Ric 4003 and Carvin Fretless SB5000 through my Orange Terror Bass.

I really want 2 overdrives, one to be a light, nearly always on type of thing, warm, tubey. And the other for big choruses and when to bring in a full sound when both my guitarists play single note lines, which is fairly common.

I have an MXR Blowtorch which I never really dug. Thats my only dirt pedal.

Some distortion tones I really enjoy are High on Fire, Circa Survive, Spocks Beard.

The music is a melodic post hardcore, think Circa, Coheed, with lots of sonic space for me to fill.

Any suggestions? Price isn't a huge concern, nor is size, but both would come into consideration.
 
#10
I once A/B'd Pork Loin and Blowtorch, they are quite different animals.
I picked up Blowtorch finally because it gives me more fuzz and bottom low. (also can give me mild overdrive)
Pork Loin has less dirt sound but may be suits your preference, and yes it is very light in weight and a bit organic/natural sound.
 
#11
Pork Loin - Sounds huge. Very warm.
Xotic BB - Can 'cut' a little better. Can get pretty distorted. Awesome. Mine's on 100% of the time.
Aguilar Agro - Can do anything you're talking about. Mine's my DISTORTION pedal. LOVE IT!!!
Digitech Bad Monkey - Kinda' in between the PL and BB. GREAT pedal you can find for $30 used.
A lot of people love the Catalinbread SFT. I thought it was good, but liked the others I listed much more.

-JV
 
#12
BKBassDude said:
I have an MXR Blowtorch which I never really dug. Thats my only dirt pedal.
Click to expand...
Don't discount the Blowtorch! It's perfect as the 2nd dirt pedal because it has a blend and tons of variety of sound due to the many tone controls and the 2 levels of distortion (blowtorch switch in or out). Any good bass overdrive (like Xotic BB) INTO the Blowtorch works Great.
I have tried a lot of distortions...Blowtorch was the 1st bass intended distortion I bought (because it's cheep and has a synthy sound potential) and it's held up in comparison to some much more newer more expensive things, it's only problem was I bought it 1st and we always move on from the 1st...and although it isn't on my board now, that's only because of needing a separate 18v power supply...it still impresses me...I won't sell it...I do use it in studio and at home (one of our songs is based on the sound of a EH Blogger on drive into the Blowtorch 50/50 blend full mid-range (middle eq position), full treble, torch On, slight low end boost. Neither pedal is on my board anymore, but when we recorded that song last month I used the original sound...
Otherwise, for a 2nd kick-in fuzz I recommend the Attack Goat, the new Take Flight Pedals Goose, the Iron Ether Oxide or the Team Awesome fuzz. For cheep $ the EH Bass Muff does have a set blend (so your low end and overdrive sound is preserved) and upper octave fuzz, but to me, the fuzz doesn't hold together, it's too fuzzy (compared to the more expensive pedals)
 
#19
Question: Are you looking for one basic gritty always-on OD sound, and then a boosted, gnarley verson of the same sound, or are you looking for two totally different tones?

I would definitely look into the Tech21 Bass VT as your always on drive. It just sounds killer, and it fits in an aggressive mix really well. I play similar music to you (a bit heavier, though) and my VT is always on. It makes other dirt pedals sound HUGE.

Now, if you want a fairly transparent overdrive that you can add to your always-on drive to make it sound like you were turned up to 11, I really, really dig the OD section of my Pigtronix Disnortion. Very natural sounding, and no loss of low-end that I can tell. PLUS, the Disnortion also has a fuzz circuit in parallel to the OD, so you can blend the two sounds for some really, really cool textures. If the fuzz doesn't interest you, I believe that Pigtronix sells the OD side alone as the Aria Distortion, which also includes a 3-band EQ.

If you're looking for a significantly different sound, you might want to check out the Homebrew Electronics Hematoma. It is a really killer sounding TubeScreamer circuit that was modded for bass, with a clean-ish boost built in. The Hematoma has a bit of a midrange bump, so it gets kind of honkey sounding, but it never ventures into unmusical territory. It cuts through a thick mix really, really well. Back when I had one on my board, my guitarists took to calling my Hematoma (Boost on) -> Bass VT sound "The Killdozer."
 

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