How are you using Your Distortion Pedal?

[hintz]

I use my amps drive sound(DG900) audibly enough to just hear the grit in a full mix. Solo it sounds like too much unless I play lightly.

If I need more I have the wonderful SA aftershock(set for OCD clone, Octave fuzz and synth/foldback), but honestly I haven't needed anymore so far!

I'm a firm believer that subtlety doesn't cut it live or a dense mix and this applies to other effects like chorus, envelope filter, etc.....otherwise why bother?

 

[ugly_bassplayer]

Different tools for different jobs. Just use whatever is needed. You're gonna have a hard time drilling concrete with a screwdriver.

 

[basscapes]

It all depends-

My Earthtone Big Muff Pi sounds exactly like a green Russian and just kills- bottom end for days that sustains forever.

RAT2 isn't bad- I can dial in a pretty good Radiohead "The National Anthem" tone, which is one of my "holy grail" tones. Luckily, when I popped the hood, it had a 308 chip in it. No real loss of bottom either.

The Tronographic Rusty Box has a dirty, clanky tone, with a tonal balance close to a G-K RB amp- that middle range "grind" is there, and the boost gives a really nice dUg-tone, although I do need to run it in parallel with the Ampeg SCR (with treble rolled off completely) to get that bottom.

EDIT (later, 9/17/18)- I just remembered that I actually use the Scrambler section of the Ampeg SCR-DI; I dial in just a hint of grit with it blended (no more than 50/50, with the drive at nothing higher than 50%). It gives a great, SVT at the edge of clipping tone.

 

[jaco944]

I voted Buzzsaw, but to be fair I only use Dist/OD on 3 songs
Walk Away James Gang
Day Tripper Cheap Trick/Beatles
All Along the Watchtower Hendrix

 

[Fuzzbass]

If this were a multiple-choice poll then I would vote A, B, and C. Not D, because I always like to dial in at least a little bit of overdrive.

I play with a half-dozen bands, and sub for others. They cover a wide variety of styles. For the harder rockin' tunes with the harder rockin' bands, I dial in aggressive clangy distortion -- usually with stacked distortion pedals, but the Tech 21 dUg pedal can get there all by itself. For everything else, I kick in some tube-style overdrive -- usually enough that I can hear it in the mix, but if it's a laid-back band then I'll keep it a tiny bit more subtle.

 

[FaithNoMan]

Tech21 Oxford and Darkglass Alpha-Omega - like an amp with multiple gain and eq stages.
Gritty grinding bright fuzzy bass tone that can blend into whatever I want it to by changing relevant brightness, fuzziness, and clank.

 

[Rev J]

I'm running an Ashdown LoMenzo Hyperdrive which only distorts the mids. I have the drive cranked but the mix low enough that it's just noticeable. Depending on what other effects I'm using I can get sound usable for everything from Metal to Reggae. With an envelope filter before it and a pitch shifter set for an octave up and an octave down after it I can get a sound close to the synth bass at the beginning of "Beat It" by Michael Jackson.

C/S,
Rev J