Tech 21 VT, I have the deluxe version and it is my favorite pedal. It does every type of overdrive out there.
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No love for the big muff bass pi? It has a switch for blending dry signal, boosting bass, and "normal". The normal setting sucks away low end. The other 2 definitely don't. The low gain settings are nice and the tone knob will let you dial in how much treble biteyness you want. I do wish it had a real blend knob but the switch combined with the volume knob does the job. Oh and it's cheap (and you can find it in stores to try before buy).
The BBM doesn't get much love here, and I think the biggest reason why is that people had unrealistic expectations of it when it first came out. They wanted angels to sing, and what they got was "only" a Black Russian better tuned for bass. I personally think that the BBM is not a bad pedal, and I would even say that it's one of the better fuzz options in its price bracket. But it certainly doesn't hold a candle to the better Muff clones out there, most of which cost substantially more. It's a classic case of getting what you pay for, I suppose.
That being said, I don't think the BBM (or any fuzz) is really suitable for the OP's purpose. Fuzz is over the top by its very nature, even on milder settings, and that's not what the OP is looking for.
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bit of a wild card, but the Fuzzrocious BDPG does mild breakup and has a massive low end.
it's more of a preamp pedal than a straight OD – and has a pretty distinctive tone – but don't rule it out...
it's more of a preamp pedal than a straight OD – and has a pretty distinctive tone – but don't rule it out...
True, it's not an "overdrive", but if you turn the sustain knob down it's really pretty subtle. To me it does sound "warm and saturated", the OP's criteria. But then again I barely use it--OD / Fuzz / Distortion is really not appropriate for most of the stuff I play, I kinda just wanted one.
This is what I've been doing until recently! My two Joyo gripes are that
- it has kind of a subtle "fizzy overdrive on top of rubbery clean tone" feel to it. Which is cool because the low bass is there, but not totally ideal for me
- mine also has a power jack/??? issue where it sometimes loses power and will occasionally spark when I plug it into a wall wart. Not sure what's up with that, but I doubt this pedal is in it for the long haul and I'm also wary of buying more Joyo stuff (vs. seeking out the better-built pedals they're based on)
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I use this with my Jazz bass and get a nice subtle growl without losing any bottom end.
I totally agree, but that's actually what makes me a bit wary of the Barbershop...although I'm looking for "overdrive", I don't need a pedal that specifically emulates "tube overdrive" in all facets. I'll be using this with a Mesa D-180 which can already get me pre- and power-amp tube overdrive, or an old SVT which has plenty of warmth and fatness, so I don't really need a specifically "tube-y" pedal. If that makes sense?
Some Boss stuff is fine, I actually used a Blues Driver on bass years ago and I loved my old HM-2 until it eventually got Dunwiched off my board. But, I never found a Boss pedal I really liked for subtle overdrive or for bass distortion, so this is a tough spot...
The last thing I need here is more options, but...anyone have experience with the Wounded Paw Black Sheep?
We do disagree, but respectfully. Having different opinions is OK. It may be semantics or the way I dial my knobs in.
I don't like a lot of dirt - I like just a touch of...something growly, not full on obvious distortion. I'm not completely sold that the ideal is ever "transparency" in an overdrive - I do want it to sound different when I kick in an overdrive, or I wouldn't have the silly thing. The Blueberry, when set for very little dirt, can be a subtle pedal - you almost don't know it's on, which I would call "transparent". And it doesn't lose the low end, which is why I play bass - if things don't shake when I play, why show up?
Anyway, if you crank the drive up, yes, it's less subtle. And therefore probably not "transparent". And depending on how you set the nature knob, it can be very untramsparent. But monsterthompson and I can still agree it's a great pedal. So I think we're all cool.
"monsterthompson likes this"
If we ever bump into each other, I think we owe each other a beer or something.
If we ever bump into each other, I think we owe each other a beer or something.
Creation Audio Grizzly Bass
Damnation Audio MBD-1
I always smile about the Creation vs. Damnation aspect... anyway, they are my two favorites for transparency and warmth, and both have plenty of low end.
If you don't mind the Rat sound, the Idiotbox Blower Box has tons of low end. It's reasonably priced, and despite the scary graphic it does a wide range of OD, from subtle barely-there to moderate to really high-gain.
Damnation Audio MBD-1
I always smile about the Creation vs. Damnation aspect... anyway, they are my two favorites for transparency and warmth, and both have plenty of low end.
If you don't mind the Rat sound, the Idiotbox Blower Box has tons of low end. It's reasonably priced, and despite the scary graphic it does a wide range of OD, from subtle barely-there to moderate to really high-gain.
The Pork Loin is a great low to mid gain OD with a blend, tone, and curve control. Personally, I think it is the best thing for imitating "tube warmth."
My usual go-to OD is some kind of OCD clone. I don't care for the original Fulltone, but there are a lot of nice clones out there. It is a dark, mid gain OD that really pops your attack, especially with a pick.
This was my 1st quest in bass pedals so I have a few. Has anyone mentioned TC Spark booster? It's the right price. It's overthrown my Rusty Box, believe it or not, because it's warmer and small and easy to power. Great EQ control, I don't use it's drive much. I use a Beta and a Mini mostly, either is a good overdrive and both together is a great fuzz. I have a Grizzly on the home board, and while I love it, the Beta's tone & punch defeats it every time. The Wounded Paw Black Sheep was before that, the first Great bass overdrive I found and it was in use for many years. I could have stopped there but I had G.A.S. which has been satisfied as far as overdrive goes. Really.
I love Voivod, but I've never liked a Rat or Rat-like pedal on bass. So I'm instinctively skeptical of the Blower Box (and also Volt Thrower), right or wrong. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
EDIT: also wanted to add that even as a long time huge Voivod fan, it had never once occurred to me that someone would want to cop Blacky's bass tone. The pedal sounds cool, but it's such a weird origin story!
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