Identifying Overdrive

[Sp00nman]

I was hoping someone with much better knowledge of tone than me could help identify how Ben Kenney of Incubus achieves the overdrive in the video below (Specifically from 0:02 - 0:50) I know he uses the Fulltone Bass Drive but I wasn't sure how much of the growl is due to other factors. Perhaps it's not the BD at all!

To me it sounds like he's driving his amp hard with a little help along the way from the Fulltone but from what I've read the BD wouldn't give you that kind of sound?

http://youtu.be/yaLJs2xB9rU

 

[HolmeBass]

That could easily be the Fulltone, even in CompCut mode you could get that kind of hair on it.

 

[Sp00nman]

Interesting. I've never played with the Fulltone so it was hard for me to reference. It's a similar kind of overdrive to what I'd like but thinking maybe the Pork Loin would do something akin to that.

 

[rratajski]

That sounds like the overdrive channel on the Mesa Big Block 750 that he uses.

 

[Sp00nman]

That sounds like the overdrive channel on the Mesa Big Block 750 that he uses.

Ah yes. I didn't realise he was using a BB750, always thought he was using Walkabouts.

 

[Ubersheist]

It really doesn't sound very overdriven or fuzzy to me. It sounds to me that it mostly comes from technique. He sounds like he's got a strong attack, which may be overdriving the amp a bit. In the first 30 seconds, it sure sounds like he's got a slow but deep phasor going on.

It's tough to pinpoint that sound. The clip doesn't sound very clear, like it was taken from the mics on a camcorder or something. It's not the best way to judge the sound. That said, it is actually a pretty darn clean sound, especially when he plays those 5th chords. They ring out very clearly, and they would probably sound more distorted if he was using a pedal or overdriving the amp.

[/2 cents]