+1 on the Barbershop. Also, even though it's really only a mild O.D., using a combination of the sag and drive controls (plus the switch on the newer ones), you can get a decent range of tones. I can honestly say I will never get rid of this pedal.
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low gain OD
- Thread starter Amir Nehmad
- Start date
Do you use the Distortion3? I had one for a while and can't really agree with the recommendation in this case. It does not do the type of overdrive that the Barbershop or Blueberry does, it's more of a distortion (hence the name, I guess!). Two of the the 3 settings cut lows pretty severely (by design) so that really leaves the middle setting, which is no diodes in the circuit and all filters bypassed.
Actually another good option for low gain yet bright, and cheap, OD is the Earthquaker Devices Speaker Cranker.
Glad I stumbled on this thread.... Listened to the clips of the Bearfoot Blueberry and that thing sounds great! I don't recall liking the Mad Proffessor clips I heard. Will have to check out some Barbershop clips now.
I recently picked up the D3 and have been testing and trying it out. IMO with both dip switches set to on, in the L mode, it was similar to tone and feel to the Barbershop clone I also just picked up, at least with my gear and set up.
Yes I agree that the Germanium side cuts the volume quite a bit and you really have to adjust the volume to compensate for it. But the Silicon side breaks up nicely if you lower the gain, set it to Mosfet, 741 chip, and turn up the volume a bit to taste. I should add that Im a big fan of the DOD 250 OD as well.
I was recommending this pedal mostly for that setting that I thought was right on cue with what I was hearing from the Barbershop clone with all the settings set at noon.
Fairfield Barbershop
Catalinbread WIIO
Fuzzrocious Rattail
All fantastic low-gain ODs with different flavors of grind. Play 'em all and see which sits best with you
Catalinbread WIIO
Fuzzrocious Rattail
All fantastic low-gain ODs with different flavors of grind. Play 'em all and see which sits best with you
Okay, to all who own the barbershop and/or blueberry, how do either compare to the fulltone bassdrive, or is there no comparison?? I've been impressed by demos of both and use my fulltone OCD and bassdrive individually for low gain or stacked for heavier dirt and love them, I'm also looking at the DG vmt Any similarities??
i also dig brighter tones, maybe i should stick with what i got?? I am happy with my setup, just wondering if I'm missing out...
i also dig brighter tones, maybe i should stick with what i got?? I am happy with my setup, just wondering if I'm missing out...
Not really any comparison.
The Bass Drive and OCD both have way more gain on tap than the Barbershop. Both are great pedals and both are on my board along with a Barbershop. The Barbershop excels at low gain where the other two pedals do much better at medium gain IMO. Also, the Barbershop is very touch sensitive and the BD and OCD are not. To me it basically adds all of the intricate harmonics that a slightly cranked tube amp adds.
The Barbershop is not a muddy pedal at all. All of the demos of it that are online are terrible. It's as bright as what you send into it.
You don't need a blend on either as they don't lose any transparency nor any low end. Which are the only two reasons I ever really need a blend.
My two favorite low gain overdrives are the Bearfoot Effects Blueberry and the Solid Gold Effects Beta.
After burning through 200 some pedals these are my top choices for low gain. I've come to rely more on low gain and clean overdrives.
They don't do the firework thing when played solo but I feel they are more relevant to bass playing and they sit in the mix better.
After burning through 200 some pedals these are my top choices for low gain. I've come to rely more on low gain and clean overdrives.
They don't do the firework thing when played solo but I feel they are more relevant to bass playing and they sit in the mix better.
Indeed it is - it's even better if put in a blended loop in my opinion.
yeah, I'll agree with the bad demos, though the comparison between the barbershop and blueberry video is pretty decent and what has got my interest, along with the johnk soundcloud clips...
thanks for the heads up though, I also have the hardwire cm2 that I have dialed in exactly like the swell bpeg, but that's also far from transparent, though it is touch responsive just like a tube pedal or cranked amp...
hopefully Fairfield circuitry continues to do well so I can get one down the road...
I guess I always wonder if there's something better then what I have
BBBOD is pretty good.
Barbershop is a local favorite but I've never played.
A bit ahead of your price are the Aguilar Agro and Tonehammer. The Agro will go pretty light, and stay pretty transparent, though it doesn't "warm" the signal with vintage color. The Tonehammer with the AGS engaged is a more colored warmth, more growl and warmth.
The Idiotbox Blower at low gain is also pretty nice. Don't be fooled by the graphics and the massive gain on tap. It does nice glassy warmth if you are easy on the dial.
Barbershop is a local favorite but I've never played.
A bit ahead of your price are the Aguilar Agro and Tonehammer. The Agro will go pretty light, and stay pretty transparent, though it doesn't "warm" the signal with vintage color. The Tonehammer with the AGS engaged is a more colored warmth, more growl and warmth.
The Idiotbox Blower at low gain is also pretty nice. Don't be fooled by the graphics and the massive gain on tap. It does nice glassy warmth if you are easy on the dial.
Barbershop is a good'n.
I found the blueberry quite muddy in comparison.
I found the blueberry quite muddy in comparison.
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The Idiot Blower Box might be it, especially the new version with bass and treble knobs instead of tone knob.
I'll keep hearing your opinions before i decide.
Thank you all.
I'll keep hearing your opinions before i decide.
Thank you all.
So how do you know which Barbershop to order? There seems to be at least two different stomp box configurations. I see a few on Reverb for sale used but they look different.
Used:
Fairfield Barbershop square
Fairfield Barbershop rectangle
I think this is new:
Barbershop
For me, if the price between new and used is only $25 then I'll always buy new.
Not trying to hijack the thread but.......
Question: I own the Sansamp VT pedal. The older one without the speaker emulation button.
Would it be redundant to have a VT and the Barbershop? I use my VT on a low gain setting to help cop the Jack Casady type of OD and it works pretty well considering I have a completely differnet kind of bass. Would there be much of a difference if I switched to the Barbershop?
Used:
Fairfield Barbershop square
Fairfield Barbershop rectangle
I think this is new:
Barbershop
For me, if the price between new and used is only $25 then I'll always buy new.
Not trying to hijack the thread but.......
Question: I own the Sansamp VT pedal. The older one without the speaker emulation button.
Would it be redundant to have a VT and the Barbershop? I use my VT on a low gain setting to help cop the Jack Casady type of OD and it works pretty well considering I have a completely differnet kind of bass. Would there be much of a difference if I switched to the Barbershop?
I tried a Barbershop and didn't really care for it too much. I thought it was not transparent - as in it changed the overall tone of things when kicked on. Not just adding a little distortion or grit to MY sound, but actually changing the EQ curve. IME, similar to what I could do on my Jazz bass by starting with everything wide open, and then rolling the neck PUP back a quarter turn. Again, this is my experience, and I didn't have it for long, so maybe I just never got it dialed in. So many duded on here say the pedal is super transparent that it makes me think maybe it was me,, but there is my experience, so maybe we all have different definitions of transparent. Otherwise a nice sounding pedal.
If you like your tone, and just want to add a little grit on top, I recommend the Way Huge Pork Loin, or the Darkglass Vintage Microtubes. Both great pedals. I like the Pork Loin a lot, very vintage sounding, and very transparent. The Microtubes is also super transparent, has a wider range of distortion sounds than the pork loin, but is also a lot more expensive.
If you like your tone, and just want to add a little grit on top, I recommend the Way Huge Pork Loin, or the Darkglass Vintage Microtubes. Both great pedals. I like the Pork Loin a lot, very vintage sounding, and very transparent. The Microtubes is also super transparent, has a wider range of distortion sounds than the pork loin, but is also a lot more expensive.
