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Looking for a Boomy Warm tone... Blah!

P

Phry

May 3, 2010
46
0
#1
I know you guys are sick of threads like this... But I don't have much experience with pedals and stuff like that. My current gear is just a Carvin BX1200 + BRX410 Cab, I play a Schecter Studio 5.

I think I'm pretty much leaning towards a Sansamp BDDI, RBI, VT, or an Aguilar Tone Hammer. Like the title says, I want a very bassy sound that hits hard on the low notes but a very warm tone as well. I haven't been able to get that tone with my current gear. When I get close to it, I end up clipping on my Cab or Head so I'll end up picking up a DBX 166XL to help with compression, but mostly for the Limiter.

So yeah... Summary is... Sansamp BDDI, RBI, VT, or Aguilar Tone Hammer. And is DBX 166XL a good choice?

Thanks a lot.
 
#3
To be honest, the tone your looking for has most to do with having the right amp/cabs. In my experience with Carvin gear, it isn't the right tool for the job you're looking to do. And having a pedal try to get out of your amp what your amp can't do is really not the best way to go about it, honestly.

The Sansamps might be able to do boomy, but one thing they do not do in my opinion is warm. Even with treble/presence and minimum I found "warm" was a no go with the entire Tech 21 line.
 
#4
I have experience with the VT and the Tone Hammer. Both are very good.
IMO, the Tone Hammer gives me more versatility at shaping my tone without completely overriding what I want my amp to accomplish. VT sounds like Ampeg - which is great if that's what you are searching for. Personally I like the way I can shape my bass tone on my TH to drive my Bassman combo, and still maintain the integrity of that Fender tone without making it sound like an Ampeg spin off (but then again, that's just my personal opinion).

Hell - if you've got the cash, get both and bask in the new found world of tonal glory. :bassist:
 
#5
Tone Hammer, all the way. Do NOT get the VT if you want a warm tone as it's nearly impossible to eliminate the aggressive treble response. The Tone Hammer is much more adjustable. The BDDI would be a second on your list.
 
#6
I'd say mess with your EQ first before you go dropping money on a pedal. When I think boomy I think of boosted bass and cut mids and treble. I have a sansamp programable and like others have said, its pretty harsh on the top. Are you playing with fingers? I find that helps in with a bigger boomy sound. Play towards the neck and not the bridge. And maybe get some flat wound strings for warmth.
 
#9
+1 on "play fingerstyle, up near the neck".
+1 on "try adjusting your EQ first".
-1 on "use a different amp". That's bogus. I can get super warm tones out of any "sterile" or "cold" preamp, amp, mixer channel, etc. just by adding the right processor, changing my technique, or adjusting the EQ.

IMO you can get pretty far toward "warmth" just by boosting the low mids and cutting the highs a bit; and "boomy" is a matter of boosting the lows, ideally between 50 and 150 Hz. So for example I have my favorite EQ pedal set up to gently roll off from 50 Hz and down, and steeply roll off from 3 KHz and up. Very warm and fat-sounding, even though the whole rig is solid-state and hi-fi. Add to that a wee bit of soft distortion and compression, and you're in fat city.
 
#10
pedalguy1 said:
I'd say mess with your EQ first before you go dropping money on a pedal. When I think boomy I think of boosted bass and cut mids and treble. I have a sansamp programable and like others have said, its pretty harsh on the top. Are you playing with fingers? I find that helps in with a bigger boomy sound. Play towards the neck and not the bridge. And maybe get some flat wound strings for warmth.
Click to expand...

This, I have a 9 band parametric eq on my peavey tour amp and can get boomy out of it, im sure you could with the eq on your carvin.
 
#11
Yeah, I can get a good low sound out of the EQ already on my amp, but the mids and highs are just weird to me. I play kind of funny, I use a pick mostly but use my fingers when I play whole notes. And I do play around the neck pickup unless I play a lot of eighth or sixteenths or the same note then I do by the bridge just for more clarity.

But yeah, I'm leaning towards the Tone Hammer... It's just hard to find a good deal when you're broke like me. But yeah I already do boost the lows and a bit of the low mids, that's what causing me the clip at times. Which is why I'm also looking into a compressor/limiter.
 

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