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OD help...

N

Neil_G

Apr 15, 2009
25
0
#1
Hey there fellow TBers. I've been considering getting an OD pedal to add a little more punch and grind to my sound, and I'm wondering what are some suggestions. I'm not looking for a lot of dirt, just something extra. The sound I like with OD is turning the bass volume down so I don't get so much gain and low end loss and instead just get a slightly grindy, edgy sound. I tried the obligatory Boss ODB-3 at a store yesterday, and while usable, lacked something.
Something similar to a couple of the lower gain sounds from this would be cool, , but a little less aggressive. I'm sure this pedal would fit the bill, but what are some other suggestions?
 
#2
You might want to try a Tube Screamer based pedal, such as an actual TS, or the Digitech Bad Monkey. These can give you a very natural, warm drive. If you keep the gain/drive low, you get inject just a little dirt, like just on the edge of full overdrive, without sounding like a layer of digital fizz like the ODB-3 does, and retaining the important mids which the ODB-3 seems to cut. The Bad Monkey also has a 2 band eq which can help with the low end loss that is inherent in the TS circuit. Although, with the gain low enough, there shouldn't be a lot of low end loss.

The Voodoo Labs Sparkle drive is another TS based design, but has a clean blend control to make up for the low end loss.
 
#3
OD is one of the sounds you don't have to spend a lot to get decent results ime.

If you want affordable I would recommend the boss odb3 or the dod bass overdrive.

Both are cheapish, have blends, and sound good enough to get the job done well.
 
#4
If the Agro is more than you want to spend, I would suggest sitting down with an ODB-3 at home. The key (IMO) to making the ODB-3 sound better is turning the treble all the way down. I was able to get similar tones to my FT Bass-Drive that way. I eventually sold the ODB-3 because the Bass-Drive was more of what I needed tonally.
 

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