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No overdrive

#22
I think Muddy Waters tracks aren't a great baseline for clean bass tone.
Chances are good that bass was clipping something somewhere. Maybe the pre, maybe in mastering.
IMO, truly "clean" bass only really became available in the 80's.
Every tube amp is adding some level of distortion & overdrive, it's more a matter of that drive being more or less pleasing to the ear than other drives.
I think Victor Wooten & Michale Manring are better examples of "clean" bass tones.
 
#23
jimdgreat1 said:
Does anyone else not like any overdrive? I like a distortion free clean sound. Am I the only one?
Click to expand...
Yes, you are the only one.

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#24
Saturation is part of many traditional historic correct tube tones, no matter if you perceive it or not. ;)

Personally, I like a bit of glowing harmonic content in my everyday playing, but that kind of amount that human ear does not perceive like full blown distortion, just tube warmth, richness and edge...I can't go back to pure clean anymore, my SS amps now sound dry and cold
 
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#26
Overdrive is really quite a vague word, since it can mean so many things. I have a clean SS sound as my basic tone, but oftentimes engage my VMT for an SVT-inspired sound. It's not particularly dirty per se, but like a mildly-driven tube amp kind of sound. As far as higher gain OD goes, I don't have much use for that for most of what I do.

Then, at the other end of the spectrum, I have my Duality ready for rare occasions. Then again, some might not call that overdrive, since it is technically a fuzz.
 
#28
I use an Acoustic Image Clarus which couldn't be cleaner. I have a stack of Aguilar DB112 and 112nt which have a voice but are still on the hi-fi side. My 2 basses are a G&L LB100 and a Yamaha TRBX 304. The LB has rounds while the Yammie wears flats. I tried a Fairfield Barbershop and really didn't find it appealing even at minimal settings and sent it back which was lucky because it popped loudly when disengaging and the sag function actually failed within 30 days but since I got it via Amazon back it went. I now use a Joyo American Sound which fills out the sound with what would I call it? Dust? rather than wool and that's the sound in my head but while flipping off the Joyo and flipping it back on it's really hard to tell. I run the Joyo in front of the amp and not the return so yeah I appreciate where you're coming from. I like clean, just not squeaky clean.
 
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#30
I've been a clean-only player with a heavy distorted overdrive on just a few songs. But then I played through a really nice tube amp a few months ago and bought a Southampton 5th gear to try and emulate a tubey/warm/edge of breaking up sound that is on nearly 100% of the time for my sound. (Don't want to actually buy and gig a heavy tube amp but want the sound, or close to it.) So far it's really working for me and instead of using heavy overdrive for a few songs, I use very subtle overdrive all the time except for a few songs where I go sterile clean.
 
#31
When it's quiet or I'm solo'd I prefer clean. once the whole band is in some dirt helps to cut through without appearing louder. It's imperceptible in the cacophony of the whole band mix and doesn't sound distorted.
Full blown fuzz-o-potomus doesn't suit me often though.
 
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#33
I just started on my new amp, and the few hours I already put into her I bounced between the two. I found when the music falls into the heavy side I like the overdrive, but anything else I remove it.
 
#35
jimdgreat1 said:
Does anyone else not like any overdrive? I like a distortion free clean sound. Am I the only one?
Click to expand...
I used to. I think for me I just got tired of clean tones. I used to play more expensive basses and SWR amps for years and was very much into clean bass. These days I'm the totally opposite. I have a sans amp RBI , b7k ultra, and a DG duality fuzz. Our newest album is like me rebelling against clean tones lol. Really though. Clean tones are good for a lot of styles of music. I just personally got tired of it. Then again I have been playing 22 years now. Another thing is I play in a one guitar band so having some dirt helps fill some sonic space.
 
#36
Oddly said:
I'm with you, OP.
I love a clean sound and just can't understand how the whole heavily overdriven thing got so popular.
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It might be the fact that many bands are now three piece, or three musicians and singer. In that case I like to thicken my sound especially when that lead part comes and I have to carry the rhythm. And this probably came about because it is so hard to find 5 musicians any more that are on the same page, show up to practice, have decent equipment, and don't have other commitments. And I'm not knocking them if they have them. It just gets harder, so I pick up the Jack Bruce overdrive sound as best I can without the "fridge" and AMPEG head.
 
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#37
blubass said:
I used to never use overdrive on bass at all. Then on my bands first album, the producer convinced me to add a distorted track, and that we'd blend it with the clean signal. Loved the tone, but it was another 9 years before I decided to use overdrive again. Now, it's a rare flavor that I use on maybe 1 of every 5 songs, usually a slight tube break up drive.
Click to expand...

What pedal do you use to get that slight tube overdrive? I am considering adding a little OD to my sound. So many choices on pedals, and I don't want to end up with some super high gain pedal.
 
#39
Chad Bennett said:
What pedal do you use to get that slight tube overdrive? I am considering adding a little OD to my sound. So many choices on pedals, and I don't want to end up with some super high gain pedal.
Click to expand...

I've used 3; the sansamp (both original and VT, which I like better because of the mid control) a modified DOD FX-91 bass overdrive, which allows me to crank it full up and only get a very light overdrive, and an MXR M89 bass overdrive. I've tried the Darkglass and the Tone Hammer, but they color the tone too much for my taste. I want to add overdrive while retaining the tone of my GK head.
 
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