Hi Yes I did review your analysis- great work! Ultimately did you replace just one or 2 of the 3 ICs and if so which one(s) did you go with - the OPA2604AP/TL combo or the OPA2134PA/OPA2277PA combo ?
Can you please describe the stock sound with the bass guitar vs what you mean by more hi-fi and what emphasis shifting to fundamental means?
As I explained to Ken (who has been super responsive) I'm looking for something more transparent, musical sounding, nice harmonics which can go from not noticeable at one end to present but not snarly, fizzy or in your face aggressive sound at the other end..
I currently use a Ric bass with Joe Barden pickups, a Fender P bass (passive) with Barden pickups and a pass J bass with Nordstrand humbucking pickups. All modern sounding, although I play everything from jazz and classic rock to contemporary rock.
Lastly, how does current release Klon KTR compare with your modded version of the MO? Do they have similar ICs? Thank you so much for your advice.
Hello again. I'm not trying to bust your chops: but I think you're reading too quickly.
Another contributor may be the PDF reader you're using. In my PDF, in the table, the row containing the combination of chips I liked best with bass guitar... is highlighted bright green. Does your reader show you that color? If it does not, then you would have had to notice that my comment in that row begins with "This is the one for bass guitar."
Now, with my complaining out of the way, I'll give you all I got:
Hi Yes I did review your analysis- great work! Ultimately did you replace just one or 2 of the 3 ICs and if so which one(s) did you go with - the OPA2604AP/TL combo or the OPA2134PA/OPA2277PA combo ?
Thank you. The combination I liked best was OPA2134PA in the buffer / OPA2277PA post clipping.
Can you please describe the stock sound with the bass guitar vs what you mean by more hi-fi and what emphasis shifting to fundamental means?
By "hi-fi" in this context, I meant 'a more full frequency spectrum response' and 'more open-sounding'. Also, 'less like a guitar pedal; more like a studio signal processor (not very much, but more. Enough to matter)'.
The fundamental is the core of the sound, the very basis of the complex waveform our bass guitars produce. You could say that the fundamental is "the note" versus the timbre; it is the pure pitch. I don't know physics or mathematics, so here is a Wikipedia entry that may help explain:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fundamental_frequency
About the stock sound...
I'm looking for something more transparent, musical sounding, nice harmonics which can go from not noticeable at one end to present but not snarly, fizzy or in your face aggressive sound at the other end..
It's good that you asked me to revisit this. Here is something I wrote to Ken after I did my first test rolling chips in the MO (trying only the BB OPA2134PA in one slot then the other):
"First I played the MO stock. My impressions of yesterday basically were the same today. Notable today, though, was that, playing my relatively modern bass’s neck pickup, the MO’s woody tone reminded me of a 1960s Fender Precision Bass pickup; hollow, resonant over a subdued, round fundamental. Very cool, and it’s probably part of what endeared me to the MO on my first try.
(Also, I was reminded that, in the bass guitar range, the MO discards some very high frequencies, replacing “spank” and twang with woody resonance. That works for me as a direction. I think it’s akin to a sound typical of a vintage tube amplifier.)"
There is transparent and there is transparent. In my experience of my modified MO, it sounds open, natural, instrument-like, amp-like, and generally musical, all on the sweet side of things. But it is not full frequency. It has a voice, and there is no getting around that voice. For all the MO's openness, the (bass guitar range) high frequencies it discards may disqualify it as "transparent" for your purposes.
That said, I can tell you that
there just is something about the Mythical Overdrive. Even stock, with the configuration I ordered (1N34 low clippers, and NOS Telefunken OA128 silicon high clippers), I was won over by its vibe, it's voice. Ken seems not to know it, or won't admit it, but with the MO he has made a special pedal. I smile (happy) or grimace (funky) whenever I switch to mine. What a sound.
You know what you should try? A Tim pedal by Paul Cochrane. I posted
my observations about using the Tim with bass guitar here, in a TB thread about the Tim and Timmy pedals. By your self-description, the middle position of the Tim's 3-way toggle should be best for you. But the key to success with the Tim is twofold. 1. you have to understand well Cochrane's rationale in the pedal's signal flow design (bass EQ>drive>treble EQ), then 2. you have work to find the sweet spot sound that suits you. On the Tim, small moves can make a big difference. The Tim is rare; but Timmys are plentiful, so maybe start with that version.
In my opinion, the Tim almost is a sure shot for you. But a long shot is the Les Lius by Lovepedal.
I posted about the Les Lius briefly on TB here. The Les Lius is a very particular thing. For your sonic goals, it's the middle position of its 3-way toggle you want, the claimed 5E3 simulation. Don't expect this pedal to jump out at you and do something special; instead, go into its sound and be well rewarded. All you have to do is find one.
They're around, but beware of clones.
A longer shot and rarer still is the runoffgroove Azabache. Wow! I just acquired a prototype Azabache. Though it doesn't quite cop the Les Lius's tenderness and (in the 5E3 setting I suggested for your use) dry hollowness, it can do all the Les Lius can and much more. And it sounds
tough. (The prototype I have is noisy, but I assume that's only because the trim pots never were replaced with resistors. I expect the noise to disappear when I learn how to make that improvement and do it.) My first trials suggest that the Azabache is one of the best pedals I've ever used with bass guitar. You can make one or ask someone to make one.
Though I would suggest the Class A Overdrive by Lumpy's Tone Shop, I think you wouldn't like what it does with low frequencies. Still, it's worth a try. I think it sounds great all ways. But probably you would like it best run at 18 volts. And the internals are a work of art.
I've been trying a lot of overdrive pedals lately. Here are some:
I currently use a Ric bass with Joe Barden pickups, a Fender P bass (passive) with Barden pickups and a pass J bass with Nordstrand humbucking pickups. All modern sounding, although I play everything from jazz and classic rock to contemporary rock.
Interesting. On a lark and a hunch, I just installed Joe Barden J pickups in a non-traditional bass I got recently. They are different, huh?
But that's for another thread.
Lastly, how does current release Klon KTR compare with your modded version of the MO? Do they have similar ICs? Thank you so much for your advice.
I don't know, since I never played any Klon variant but the MO. Probably the ICs in the KTR are a matter of public record by now, and so should be easy to find in a search.
Whew. My apologies to the OP if I said too much in this thread. I hope that any of this will be useful to you. Good luck in your quest for overdrive!
Best,
Snaxster
