• 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.

Help me find the right distortion / overdrive

Earwigger

Earwigger

I'm a Roland man now.
Aug 23, 2005
1,973
12
45
Cleveland, Ohio
www.myspace.com
#1
I have owned 3 bass distortion pedals and have not been happy with the tones on any of them.

I had an ODB-3 for a while, and it was WAY too heavy and over the top. You couldn't get a mild amount of grind if you wanted to (which is what I am looking for).

I have an Ibanez PD-7 that is closer to what I want, but still too aggressive. When you turn the Drive level down it just lowers the overall volume.

I then got a BassBalls (unheard or unseen), and it's not really a distortion pedal, it just fluctuates the sound and is sort of cheesy and weird. I like the non-distorted auto-wah effect, though. My keyboardist loves it and is using it with his Rhodes, so not a total loss :D


What I need is a quality, mild distortion, that allows me to adjust how much drive/heaviness is being made on a linear curve scale when I turn the knob. I don't want it to sound like signal noise, either. Can someone give me some suggestions?
 
#2
Are you sure it's distortion that you're looking for? If the tone you're looking for is overdrive you've been looking at the wrong pedals.

I suggest you try an Ibanez TS9 Tubescreamer and Tech21 Bass Driver DI. Maybe an EBS drive too although they're bit too fuzzy and analogue synth-like for my liking. TS9 or BDDI are not too heavy but both add nice crunch that's probably as heavy as you need if ODB-3 is too heavy for you.

EDIT: Try the Tech21 VT Bass too. How could I forget that one...? :D
 
#8
atheos said:
Are you sure it's distortion that you're looking for? If the tone you're looking for is overdrive you've been looking at the wrong pedals.

I suggest you try an Ibanez TS9 Tubescreamer and Tech21 Bass Driver DI.

+1 on the Tech 21, especially if you are giong for the typical rock-mid scooped sound. Fulltone Bassdrive, though I have not used it, seems like a popular one here so +1
Click to expand...
 
#11
Thanks everyone for the replies! I used to have a SansAmp BDDI and couldn't get it to sound how I wanted. It was easy to overdrive it but I thought the overdrive sounded more like clipping then distortion.

I play a Warwick $$ NT 5-string. I use Warwick black label strings. I play through a Roland D-Bass 2x10 and 1x15. I only play fingerstyle. I will make a trip to GC and try as many of these as I can. I have never tried the Ibanez TS reissue with a bass but I used it with a gui$ar and it was one of my more favored.

I am looking for Entwistle's distorted sound. He uses it on the recording for My Generation and a lot of times live. That's the best example of what I want my bass to sound like.
 
#13
Earwigger said:
Thanks everyone for the replies! I used to have a SansAmp BDDI and couldn't get it to sound how I wanted. It was easy to overdrive it but I thought the overdrive sounded more like clipping then distortion.

I play a Warwick $$ NT 5-string. I use Warwick black label strings. I play through a Roland D-Bass 2x10 and 1x15. I only play fingerstyle. I will make a trip to GC and try as many of these as I can. I have never tried the Ibanez TS reissue with a bass but I used it with a gui$ar and it was one of my more favored.

I am looking for Entwistle's distorted sound. He uses it on the recording for My Generation and a lot of times live. That's the best example of what I want my bass to sound like.
Click to expand...

I have the perfect Entwhistle sound using my ATK and that sansamp today, its amazing, sounds exactly like the isolated clip of him live on youtube when using the hammer technique plucking right on the fretboard.
 

Latest posts

Top Bottom
Back